letters 17, 18, 19 and 20

Letter seventeen is going somewhere I've never been: Ann Arbor, MI!  My friend Orlando is the lucky recipient of this card.  Orlando is currently interning at GOOGLE!  Yes, GOOGLE!  He is one of those people who is outrageously successful and brilliant yet still totally cool and down-to-earth.  Hence, I like having him as a friend.  I've found that in life I am drawn to having a bunch of girlfriends and a few key guy friends.  (Are you like this?  I'm always awed by the "guy's girls" of the world.)  Orlando is definitely shaping up to be one of these key guy friends!  Aside from the fact that we'll be working together constantly this year for our campus's ambassador program, we're also going be friends who hang out and eat good food and enjoy each other's company.  I can feel it.

Letter eighteen turned out cute!  I returned some spray paint to JoAnn's (Pinterest project aborted) and instead bought some paper crafting supplies.  Great move, Mallory.  I stayed up the better part of the night yesterday working on some cards and envelopes and I think Morgan's came out pretty cute!

Morgan's envelope... yay new supplies!

Morgan is working in her post-grad "big girl job" back at my school.  She regularly acts as my mother, therapist, friend, confidante, motivator, and everything in between during the school year.  A letter does not satisfy how much I owe her, but it's a start right?  I think everyone deserves to know how much you miss and love them, so I told Morgan in writing.  Side note-- Morgan has a highly-entertaining, non-mail blog called Gradually Ginger.  You should check it out.

The back of the envelope with a precious zebra

Letter nineteen is in the hands of my dear friend Hayley.  She started out as my R.A. in my dorm for my freshman year of college.  At first, I thought she would be the intimidating rule-enforcer at the end of the hallway to beavoided at all costs.  I learned quickly though that Hayley was a friend first and foremost, and I grew to love this girl!  I wish that I could be with her to celebrate her 21st birthday but a letter had to work in my place this time.  However, Hayley, if you're reading this, we are having a celebratory lunch/dinner/outing/something in your honor when we return to school next month!  Happiest of birthdays, pretty girl.  I miss you!

Letter twenty, written on the same day as letter nineteen (I'm getting way out of hand), went to a stranger named Lucas.  I found his blog, Lucas Writes, and decided I should most definitely correspond with him.  So, I sat down and made a sea-themed card (I guess I'm missing living so close to the beach) and then set about writing to him.

I love this saying!  It's so true.

Writing to a stranger is bizarre yet invigorating.  There's a sort of anonymity that is quite liberating; you can say anything at all and not have to see the look on the reader's face as he or she processes it.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't say anything all that weird, but the option was nice.  I am hopeful that Lucas will become another pen pal.  After all, my "real life" friends are wonderful but very few of you love snail mail enough to correspond repeatedly over time!

A P.O. box means no concealed address!  Yay unedited image!

That's all for now.  To my very few loyal readers, thanks for caring and keeping up.  :)  Happy snail mailing!

letters 5, 6 and 7

Letter five was one that made me nervous.  I'll explain.  I've been reading blogs for the last five years or so.  In the last two years, checking my Google Reader has become a part of my daily routine.  I have accordingly grown attached to certain blogs/bloggers.  The one who inspires me the most and whose posts I always anxiously await is Indiana Adams from http://www.adoredaustin.com/.  I feel like I know her (not in a creepy way, I swear) and I love her style and outlook on life.  No, I don't live in Texas, and her blog is titled for its capital city, but that doesn't stop me from devouring her blog posts as fast as she can write them!  So you see, my letter to her was a fan letter of sorts.  I felt like such a dork, gushing onto this card, my writing spilling over into the margins.  I sent it, though, and am just hoping that it brought a smile to my favorite blogger's face, however goofy it may have been!

Letter six needed to have nice handwriting, definitely.  I sent it to my mentor, Jordan Andreu, after all and she is one of the craftiest/most perfect people I know!  I used nautical stationery (two of my favorite things come together!) and squeezed as much writing into the tiny card as possible.  I know Jordan will appreciate my project and blog because she herself blogged when she was abroad in London and I was one of her most loyal followers!  :)  Ments, if you're reading this, I cannot WAIT to see you in a month-ish!

Letter seven traveled all the way up the East Coast from Florida (I was home for a weekend visit) to New York City, where my fashionable friend Michaela Trimble is interning this summer!  Michaela loves mail too; she got super excited when I asked for her address!  I used my new favorite nautical stationery again (I'm going to have to force myself to use something different for letter eight).  I wrote a sentiment in my letter that is so completely true-- that I was jealous of it!  Not only was this piece of mail in the wonderful, magical place that is NYC, but it was in the company of my fabulous friend!  If letters had feelings, this one had better be feeling appreciative for the amazing opportunity it has!

Stamp update-- My mom donated five Forever stamps to me yesterday.  Hooray for saving money on postage!