oregonstephanie

Let me tell you tales of how I arrived here:

I have spent every summer at rustic camps for the last 21 years. This will be my first year sticking with my "grown-up" job instead of running away to play in the woods. One of the greatest parts of camp for me is the ability to disconnect from the convenience of cyber-communication (as there is very little internet access in the wilderness) and take the time for writing letters and sharing my crafts. I really love to craft. Since I am going to have some more time on my hands than usual in the coming months, I thought it would be fun to gather some new pals for exchanging snail mail media and also some new, creative ideas to share with my existing pen pals. Some of my pen pals and I have been writing since we were young kiddos. I am not a flake.

In addition to being a Camp Director for the past few years, I am currently an Activities Director at an assisted living facility. That's right, folks, I get paid to play and craft all day. I'm living the dream!

My most exciting life event right now is that I am engaged to be married in October of 2014. Our wedding theme is "maps, mail, and adventure", so anything you would like to share for the wedding, I will gladly accept! We are having a GIANT backyard wedding (in a rented backyard) at the Oregon Coast, which I consider to be the most perfect place on Earth.

I am from Missouri and my husband-to-be is from Maine, so we do lots of traveling to see family and friends. We get coast-to-coast and everywhere in-between. We travel by planes, trains, and automobile. I like to peruse little thrifty hole-in-the-wall craft shops while he complains that I'm taking too long, so you never know what I'll have to stick in/on a swap. If you would like to hear the story of our love (illustrations possible; stick-figures likely), you will have to write me to ask. ;)

I live in a smallish apartment, and will be moving over the summer. Hopefully, we will find a much larger place. We are both looking forward to a house, so we can garden and get dogs. We both enjoyed having dogs and gardens growing up, but apartment life is not conducive to either. Right now, our only pet is Reptar, an alligator lizard who crept into our apartment and into our hearts. I found him crawling on my boot as a little fella and when I took him to the pet store they said if I set him free he would not survive the winter. Needless to say, he lived happily ever after in a habitarium on my plant table.

Thing I Love:

STAR WARS! You can't go wrong.

MAPS! I'm obsessed with all things map. It's my wedding theme, so I'm covered in it. Realistic maps are best.

VINTAGE! I like old magazines, ads, photos, and love old stamps.

Postcards (duh). I especially love postcards with a "local flare" of the place from which they are sent. I would rather have a ridiculous postcard than a bland/generic one.

I will love anything you send me. The majority of my thrill happens the moment I open the mailbox!