Sandbook Magazine Issue 11

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SANDBOOK PENPALS AND SWAPPERS

September 2011 issue 11

THE MAGAZINE

school

A WO R LD AWAY FEATURES : • Rural Mail Delivery • Write Around the World • Voyage en France

vintage stamps

cRAFTS


content Editor in chief: Raia Alexieva Graphic Designer: GAYA DESIGNS IT administration: Jason Dimitrov Production Coordinator: Raia Alexieva Information is correct at press time.

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snail mail 2 content 6 Write Around The World 10 Rural Mail Delivery 12 Vintage Stamps 16 Crafts 20 Handmade paper notes 24 PenPal of the Month 26 Lost penpal 30 PenPal Ads

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read more 36 PenPalling Connections 38 Checking the postal address 40 What drugs do 42 Samantha’s thoughts 44 School a world away 52 Visit from Angel 56 Voyage en France 66 World Heritage 78 Where were you on 9-11 82 Lifestyle Blogger 86 Birthday Twins

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88 Next issue 89 Subscribe 90 Contacts

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photo by http://danielthepainter.deviantart.com/

n i g r i V t s e W n i

By Dana Brinson dana@savesnailmail.com www.savesnailmail.com

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My

Photos from National Geographic via the Hur Herald

RURAL Mail D e l iv e ry ia

office; but the USPS has gone to great lengths to provide service six days a week, even to those in harderto-reach areas. Dad also shared with me an article from the Hur Herald, a web-based news source for Calhoun County, WV, where I grew up. The Hur Herald reprinted a 1954 National Geographic article with photos featuring Burt Vaughan’s rural postal delivery route through the hills. Vaughan took the daily route by horse because there was no better way to make his way through the sparsely-settled, Dad, w h o rough terrain. l i v e s Here’sapictureofpostman in central West Virginia, Vaughan (third from left) mentioned recently that handing out mail at the the U. S. Postal Service is local post office/general considering closing his store in Chloe. That store, local post office at Orma in the original building, as part of a money-saving is still open today and it’s measure. Rural postal where my parents pick delivery has always been up a gallon of milk or loaf a challenge for the post of bread when they don’t

want to go “into town” 40 minutes away. Here’s a picture ofVaughan delivering mail to his wife and neighbors. The little girl in the bottom left is the mother of one my high school best friends! Vaughan operated a “Star Route” which meant he was a contractor and not an official post office employee. It was cheaper for the USPS to contract out certain routes than to provide the service directly. To save cash today, the USPS is considering contracting out the provision of postal services to local grocery stores and other

existing businesses to save the money of having to maintain post offices and staff. It seems like the U.S.P.S. may be returning to the post office/general store model that was popular in the first century of the postal service. Funny how history repeats itself! Dana blogs about all things snail mail at: www. savesnailmail.com. See the Hur Herald article and reprint of the National Geographic story from 1954 at: http://www.hurherald. com/cgi-bin/db_scripts/ articles?Action=user_ view&db=articles_ hurherald&id=1351 11


vintage stamps

“Recently, I sent a package to my grandmother with stamps featuring US Postal Service workers”

By Dana Brinson dana@savesnailmail.com www.savesnailmail.com

face value in increments of $20. Here’s a recent pile I received from Murph.

I love the great stamps currently available from the U. S. Postal Service and I regularly purchase new postage to help keep the USPS afloat. But I also like to use old, unused stamps to send mail with a bit of flair, tailored for each recipient.

“Here’s a recent pile I received from Murph”

Recently, I sent a package to my grandmother (a former postal worker and nature lover who lives on the water) with stamps featuring U.S. Postal Service workers, birds, beach scenes and a “Grandma Moses” painting! Here’s an monochromaticly decorated envelope carrying a letter to my pen pal Annie. I love using lots of small denomination stamps and just piling them on!

“A monochromaticly decorated envelope” If you would like to send some mail sporting old, unused postage (and you send mail from the United States), you can get some from a great guy named Errol “Murph” Murphy. Murph sells the stamps at

Murph even lets you request stamp types. This pile was sent in response to my request for stamps with “craft” “nature” and “women” themes. If you’re interested in getting your hands on some fun stamps yourself, you can send Murph an email at: emurphy (at) cot (dot) net. He’d love to hear from you. Speaking of great uses for old

“My pen pal Annie makes some lovely stationery, much of which features stamps.” stamps, my pen pal Annie makes some lovely stationery, much of which features stamps. She sells her gems at Curbside Treasure ( ht t p : / / w w w. e t s y. co m / s h o p / curbsidetreasure)on Etsy. Here’s a set she made recently from oversized tags: Hope these pics inspire you to send some fun mail today! 13


Welcom e to stamped

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There is never enough stationery for addicted pen pallers like us, so I want to welcome you to my small handstamped stationery shop at http://longlongletters.wordpress.com I provide free postage (all over the world!) when buying 3 and more sets. In addition to stationery there is also a page to find new long letter pen pals by leaving your ad or reading others’ ads. Find out more at: http://longlongletters.wordpress.com/ Welcome and happy shopping!

Eda from Estonia, pen palling since 1989 14


crafts 16

postcard: “Dance with me” by Samrana makemineamailday.blogspot.com burstsofbubbles@hotmail.com

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have spent another great Saturday afternoon crafting and here’is what I have come up with for make my day... I hope you like it enough to try and claim it for yourself. 17


postcard: “If I was a king for the day” I started with this picture which is from the internet but I don’t know which website as someone sent me it. I then choose the backing paper to go with the image... I think she looks quite blokish... which put me off a little but her dress was so inspiring.

effect. The beads are some that I’ve had for a long time and got through a swap and they fitted in perfectly. Finally this flower... I sat for far too long wondering what to put in this corner, I tried paper flowers, words etc... but then I decided to continue with wire and made this flower. I’ve never made flowers like this before so it took a lot of attempts but finally with the help of a needle I created this. I’m really pleased with it and it doesn’t put me off that the petals are different sizes.

I did get all my lace ribbons out but it just felt like they weren’t right despite her dress over flowing with it. I remembered I had a pack full of about a million doyles so used that and like it so much more. I then got a needle and The idea of make my wound the wire around day is to comment that it to create this springy you’d like the postcard... 18

wanted to use something other then rubber stamps which resulted in me finding that I had mostly girlie images or cute character images so it meant the men missed out as they were not willing to surprise their wives, girlfriends, daughters, nieces, friends.... I don’t blame them as I’m too selfish to share too. So I decided to do a second round today and try and make a more male type card. I’m actually curious Some other ways to know how many men actually read my blog... that I have used maybe you’ll be willing wire... these photos are of ATCs to come out of the wood works just to comment (Artistic Trading on this one as I only Cards) In my last make my day I know of 2.... start with make my day, that way I can tell the difference between the person claiming it or just commenting. If a lot of you comment that you’d like one of my items then I’ll use a name generator. I will let whoever gets it know on a Monday evening (evening in the UK that is). Remember you can claim for someone else if you want me to send whatever to them...

Men and Women can try and claim this postcard though My title on this one on my flickr is ‘If I was a king for the day postcard 007’ move over James Bond my kitty is out to get you... he looks mean enough I admit!

Don’t they? I used the Fibre Art Stencils which a friend sent me for Christmas or my birthday... I can’t remember but I have used them a lot and love them.

To finish it off I added the black lines which to some may look like a mess but I always like them as it adds Youcan’ttellonherebutI’ve a little edge to a plain piece used sandy coloured paper of work. I backed it on to for the cat and gold card for greeny/gold card. the hat. I used watercolour crayons to colour him in Some other ways that I but they turned out to be have used the stitching, such a mess :(. for some reason I can’t seem to find one where Kings always have I’ve used the stitching above but I have used it a a medallion to lot of times as I like it a lot. represent them.... 19


Handmade p a p e r Notes by Dhirendra Singh

Why we should use Handmade Paper?

The paper that we normally use at home and in the office is millmade and is made from wood pulp that is made 20

by cutting trees and adding chemicals and dyes to them. There is no doubt that cutting of trees is harmful to

the environment, but the chemicals and dyes that are used to make the wood pulp, are equally harmful

and contribute to the Greenhouse effect. An environmental friendly alternative is handmade paper.

Handmade paper is completely wood-free. Handmade paper is not only eco-friendly but is recyclable as well. This paper is made from cotton waste, cotton cloth rags, waste biomass like grass, jute, husk, waste wool etc. Most of the time handmade paper is made from pre consumed products. The entire process of making this paper is done by hand. No harmful chemicals are used in the production of handmade paper. The texture and variety is created by adding various natural products like flower petals, grass, leaves, silk threads, agro products etc. Using handmade paper and its products is not a fashion statement, but shows one’s concern for the environment. Using this paper saves the environment and helps preserve the forests for future generations. Handmade paper can be used not only for decorative purposes but can also meet the day-to-day requirement of paper for writing, printing etc. Today handmade paper is made in such a way that it meets office requirements as well. The paper can be used in Inkjet and Laser Printers and can be used for office stationery as well. Thus, by using handmade paper, one is not only being environmental friendly but is making a personal statement too. Objectives: •To reduce the amount of paper waste generated by offices; 21


•To reduce the demand for paper made from virgin wood fiber; •To save our Planet Earth from Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect; •To stop deforestation and to save our forest reserves. Today, there is a revival in homemade papermaking crafts. It’s a good way to recycle waste into wonderful possibilities. Handmade paper is environment friendly as cotton rags and other waste products are converted into something meaningful by recycling. This leads to less deforestation. Benefits are: • Use of non-wood raw materials, thus saving trees; •Made with pollution free methods as solar energy is used extensively; •Acid free; •Higher tensile, bursting, tearing and double-fold strength as compared to mill made paper. •Fine and elegant quality.

waste to pulp. The pulp is diluted with water and put into a masonry. The lifting mould (mesh on a wooden frame) is then dipped into the trough, shaken evenly and lifted out with the pulp on it. The consistency of the pulp in the tank should be kept constant. Beating: Small bits and pieces placed in a vat are beaten with a heavy pestle to separate the fibers. Then the mixture is washed under running water to remove impurities. Once the fibers have been sufficiently broken up and cleaned, they are kept in suspension, to make a pulp/stock.

Sheet Formation: The chief tool of the papermaker is the mould, which is inside a wooden frame called – deckle. The vat man or the papermaker dips the deckle with the mould into the vat containing the fiberwater mixture. The vat is shaken to distribute Making Process the pulp evenly, while The first step is to collect the extra water drains the basic raw material out, the individual fibers like straw, leaves, rags, or interlock, giving strength other fibrous materials to the sheets. and break it down to small bits and pieces for Pressing: After inverting treatment. The process the tray and the muslin, began by reducing cotton the sheet of pulp now 22

on top was added to a pile. The pile was then pressed to drive out most of the water. Pressing reduces the bulkiness of the paper i.e. the sheets become more compact. The wet sheets are lifted by the vat man and transferred to a woolen felt by mild pressing. The wire pattern of the mould imprints itself onto the finished sheets. Different patterns, textures, designs could then be given to the sheets. Separation: Small dirt particles are removed manually with a sharp instrument. The cleaned sheets are given a coating with starch to improve the physical properties of the paper and prevent feathering. This is called sizing and can be done manually with a brush or by the dipping method. After separation the resulting sheets are peeled off the muslin, still 50 and 65% of moisture remains in the sheets. The sheets are dried by hanging in open areas to remove the rest of the moisture then it goes for calendaring for smoothness/pressing. Calendared paper is then hand- sorted, edges trimmed with the help of a hand-/power-operated cutting machine. Further,

the sheets are printed using pigment based colors for aesthetic value. Sizing: Handmade papers are generally treated with glue and starch to prevent ink from blotting on it. Sizing prevents the absorption of inks and fluids on paper.This finally gives the paper long life. The paper making process is over once the sized sheets are dry. These brand new sheets of paper are ready for use. The sheets are sorted and cut to whatever sizes the customer desires. However, typically, the sheets are machine cut to a standard 22”x30” or 56x76 cm. sizes and then packed for shipment. Decorating Process: •Screen Printing •Glitter •Embossing •Embroidery •Flocking Products: •Paper sheets/ gift wrapping/ craft paper & hobby ideas. •Photo albums/ photo frames Table mats, Tea Coaster • Envelopes and card sets •Jewelry and gift boxes •Gift Bags /Wine Bag/ Shopping Bag •Wedding invitation 23


s r e winn The August 2011 Pen Pal of the Month Contest winners are Magda Z from Poland and Kate B from UK. Magda Z. from Poland nominates Kate B. from UK

It all starts with filling out an application that’s available on our website and your nomination is done in no time. And one day, you are a Winner! To vote for your favorite nomination go to our website www.sandbook.net. 24

w inning n o m in at i o n “Kate has been one of those friends who totally understands you, supports you and relates to you right from the first letter. We simply clicked right away. Her 6 page introduction letter also helped us establish this great friendship that has been going on for almost 3 years. I really enjoy reading her letters not only because they are quite artistic, but because of their meaning, inspiration and honesty. I can discuss anything with Kate, even topics that I would feel uncomfortable talking to my “real time” friends. Kate is truly an awesome person, who is friendly, cheerful and above all my best friend”. Total votes: 29 Congratulations, girls!

graphic & web desigN Studio

gaya designs


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HAVE YOU LOST A PENPAL? YES?

Reconnect! Rhonda Walker, Austraila traceyjenkins66@yahoo.co.uk I use to wite to Rhonda from Loganlea Austraila years ago. Looking forward to reconnecting with her and her family. Sofia Politi, Greece sfgalans@yahoo.gr I’m looking for Karine Guiraud, my lost penpal, who used to live in Aubagne France around 1990. Grace, UK shirleabristow5@gmail.com Mail me here, panica37@aol.com Mallika Karunatilleke (Abeysinghe), Sri Lanka m_karunatilleke@yahoo.com I am looking for my lost pen pals - Urara Arametta - Germany Regine Tetu - France Aminah Ibrahim - Singapore Hannah Darling - India Hope I will be able to find them. Sarah Trewhitt, UK therose1972@hotmail.co.uk Hiya , This is not really for any one in particular .. but i used to pn pal about 5-6 year ago and had to give up for many many reasons .. i have started pen palling again over the past year and if there are any of my old pen pals out there that would like to get in touch then please do so.

Then this is the section for you. Place your story about your Lost penpal and we will try to help you

Tom Todd, England lustywinos@yahoo.com Kara from Wichita Ks. We wrote for about 10yrs in the eighties. Queen fan. Mallika Karunatilleke, Sri Lanka m_karunatilleke@yahoo.com I am looking for my two pen pals with whom I have written for a long time. Lena Gepilango from Hongkong (She is originally from Philippines) and Heather Mace from England. Please send me a msg to my inbox if you ever get any details about them. michelle [voyles] lowe, usa lwmcll@yahoo.com Christina Santos - she was living in Chicago, IL, if I remeber right. I miss her letters and would love to find her! Katarina LĂĽngdahl, Sweden gulliolli@yahoo.com I'm looking for two lost pen friends. Mauy Burr who used to live on Taylor Avenue in East Brunswick, NJ. She's born 1973.I'm also looking for Ellen Blaze who used to live on Kane Street in Lackawanna, NY.

gaya designs graphic and web desigN Studio

http://facebook.com/gayadesigns http://twitter.com/ajelin

http://redskyatmorning.net email: info@redskyatmorning.net


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Mary Morielli maryshome@msn.com Hi I am looking for my lost penpal, her name isWinnie Ho Shuk Fan. She lived in Hong Kong and we stopped writing in 1998 after 20yrs of wonderful friendship. Theda, Germany info.tiehsvd@forum-artium. net

Katharina Nöhring (was: Melter), Germany KathaNoehring@aol.com Actually I am looking for a couple of former pals: Nike van Heeswijk from the Netherlands, Josephine (Joyce) Camilleri from Malta (Gozo island), Vivienne Hunter from England, Zenildo Rosa Jr. from Brasil. We lost contact a LONG time ago, and I would love to get back in touch. Does anyone know about them? Any help is appreciated!

Sonia Hardoin (born 08-08-1973) 461 Rue de laTrapinière F-50000 Saint-Lô France (address valid until 1993)

Samia Oumohand, France samgunsjovirow@yahoo.com Hi all! I’m looking for my former penpal Jerry Lynn Daniels. She was a huge fan of French supermodel Laetitia Casta and is from the USA (from Tennessee, if I’m not wrong). If you know her, please let me know at: samgunsjovirow@yahoo.com

Maria Nieves (or Maria Neus) Estébanez Gutiérrez (born 29-03-1974) Carrer Briquets 1, entlo primero E-Barcelona 08033 Spain (address valid until 1991)

Beverly Kuttler Rampero, USA (via Facebook) I’m trying to find a good friend of mine. Her name is Aimee Plunkett. We have been writing for about 17 years. She use to live in Tracy, California but then moved away to another state and I lost her new address. I havent heard from her since.

Nanda S. Gaikwad (born 24-02-1973) 26-A-Sarnath Anushaktinagar IND-Bombay (now Mumbai) 400094 India (address valid until 1993) Additional information: her father worked at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Bombay (Mumbai).

MarleneMiller,Ohio,USA,marlene159@zoominternet. net Hello, my name is Marlene Miller, 55 and I am in Ohio in United States, have a favor to ask, am looking for friend I wrote to about 8 yr s or so ago, we lost touch, when she divorced. Her name was Jennie Smith. She lived in Australia, has son and daughter ,grown now, We wrote and taped letters on regular bases. We were doing email then lost my computer( blewup) and lost contact as well as her addy as never had it whenshemoved.Anyoneabletohelp,pleaseemailmeatmarlene159@ zoominternet.net and put in message about her,thanks for any help you can give.

Tina Jacobs (Nieman) ,USA tina70mercer@yahoo.com I had a pen pal from Greece who I wrote up to 5 years ago and we just lost touch. Her name is Helene Anastasopoulou. I have wrote her old address a few times and no response. I have searched her on the internet and still no success. She is 39 and lived in Patras as her last address I had. I’m hoping we can reconnect.

Tammy Albertson Dupont, USA (via Facebook) I have been looking for a friend of mine who I lost contact with along time ago and I really miss her. Her name is Kim Bear and she lived in Texas. I would love to get back in touch with her. Her maiden name was Heiliman. Jules Muni (via Facebook) My penpal of 15 years Jacqueline Mcinnus who last known lived in Kingston, Jamaica.I hope that I will be able to get back in touch with her.


PenPal & Swappers Ads How to place an ad in the magazine? Go to www.sandbook.net and click the Magazine section. Then simply select “Place an Ad” and you will have to fill out the form that loads on your computer screen. Ads placed on pages/groups/walls on Facebook will not be printed. Please note that the ads on our website are ads for the website itself. Unless you fill out the form under Magazine --> Place an Ad, you won’t see your ad here. Our Ad Policy: 1) We are not a dating site/community - write appropriate ads to have them published. 2) No inmates - we have kid members in our community! 3) No money requests - such ad will result in your permanent ban from our community. 4) Snail mail addresses - if you want you can leave your snail mail addresses but please note that the SandbookNet Team is not responsible for any spam (junk) mail that that may generate. We urge you to submit only digital contact information to protect your privacy! 5) Religious, racial or discriminative materials would not be tolerated. 6) Any form of abusive or rude language is forbidden and will result in your ban from our community. 7) Ads are printed as they are submitted. We are not going to correct your messages, so please note to write them in “clean” way. What is the policy on Commersial Ads? If you would like to place a commercial ad for products or services, you will need to get in touch with us (email us at magazine@ sandbook.net ). These Ads are going to be reviewed and negotiated with the respective companies.


PenPal and Swappers Ads August 2011 ADs:

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Name : Autum Email: autum.arellano@ yahoo.com Age : 36 Country : USA Ad : Hi I am a married 36 yr old mom of 5. I like penpaling, taking photos, reading romance novels, watching soccer & futbol, cooking, baking. Looking for female penpals around my age and of course moms, from overseas would be great to also find a spanish speaking mama out there too. Only females no men please.

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Name : Ellie EMAIL: ellie.sparkle@ hotmail.co.uk Age : 19 Country : UK Ad : Hi all! I’m looking for pen-pals across Europe and America, also Japan too! I’m Ellie, I’m 19 and I live in Exeter in the UK! I’m fun, easygoing, quirky and eccentric, and I’m Name : SUBRATA DEY a devoted pen-pal! I love to subroto.global@yahoo. make letters chatty and long, com and I’d love to exchange small Age : 40 gifts along with letters! I’m Country : India looking for only female penAd: I want penfriends world- pals, though, please! :) So just wide. Also like to exchange email me if you’re interested, mint stamps & un-circulated and I’ll get back to you :) Bank-notes worldwide. Honest exchange partner wanted Name : Nadja Paes Leme worldwide. I also publish nadzy_86@yahoo.com.br an International Penfriend/ Age : 25 Hobby/Mail Order magazine Country : Brazil named ‘Global Contact’. Latest Ad : Hi everyone! As you issue by Airmail for US$5 or can see above my name is EURO 5. Listing is FREE. Mailing Nadja and I’m from Brazil. I address: SUBRATA DEY, OPP. have always penpalled and IRRIGATION COLONY, RUBBER simply looove it (Im working BAGAN, TEZPUR-784001, on an article about how I INDIA. started so you can all read!). I love swapping, reading Name : Munir and writting my own stories. misty_red_eagle@yahoo. Traveling is also something com I eager to do more and more

and I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to visit some of the most amazing places in Europe and the USA, but I don’t want to stop here! I look for all kinds of people who would be willing to write me and have a meaning friendship with, exchange an occasional gift, card, photos and postcards. I don’t mind age or gender, though I must admit I normally feel more comfortable writing to women, but if you are a man interested only in friendship, then I could be a great penpal for you too. I speak portuguese, english and dutch, so feel free to write me in any of these languages! Write soon ;) Nadz

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Age : 42 Country : Pakistan Ad : Looking for nice friends from around the world.

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Ad : Hi I am a working mother to 3 kids ages 20, 16 and 11. I live in Arizona and work at a family doctor practice. I love pen palling and swapping Fbs. I am looking for pen pals that love snail mail, swaps and a true friendship. I enjoy writing letters, reading, cats, online sweeps, traveling, music, surfing the net, and much more. Please email me for my address. My 11 yr old daughter would also like pen pals around her age.

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regular as well. No hanging around. I also like the Name : Patti Navarro following cute stickers, disney 03patti@gmail.com or anything shiney, glitters, Age : 46 Hello Kitty, Diddl. I’m also Country : USA getting in to Scrapbooking. Ad : I am looking for people to I like cute Stationary. I don’t write to. I will answer all who write huge longs letters but I write. I collect angels, tiger, can welcome them. stickers, postcards and hello kitty stuff. I love to scrapbook, Name : Liz Crasten wooden rubber stamps, love paisleynut@aol.com to go to thrift stores and yard Age : 49 sales. I love friendship books. Country : USA I can trade postcards from Ad: Hi from Liz Crasten in Phoenix, Arizona. I hope that New York. I’m 49 years old, you will write. Thank you. B.D. 12/13/61 and I’ve been snail-mail penpalling since Name : Lisa February 1975. My hobbies Email: include penpalling, swapping lisaelliott16@hotmail.com FBs and other envelope Age : 33 tuck-ins, reading, listening Country : UK to country music, watching Ad: I’ve been pen palling for TV, going to the movies, years at one stage had about renting DVDS, playing 60 due to moving lost touch computer games and surfing with quite a few. I’ve got about the Internet. I’d love to 30 now but could do with a correspond with long letter few more. Would like to hear snail-mail gals near my age from other pen pals from all with similar interests in the around the world. No men or USA, Canada, Asia, Europe, the prisoners. I like photography, Caribbean Islands, Mexico, going to concerts, walking Puerto Rico, South America, my dogs, going to the cinema, Guam, Guyana, Australia and watching TV, listening to New Zealand. music, I swap FBs either one time FB swaps or regular Christina Tillery swaps also make FBs. cltillery1969@gmail.com I collect merchandise on my Age : 41 favorite band. I will write back Country : USA Arizona

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Name : Agus agus.wendaiguo@gmail. com Age : 35 Country : Singapore Ad : Hi, my name is Wen Dai Guo, I come from Singapore, I like post cards very much and I need a map postcards from all countries and city around the world. I will send you any post card from Singapore as introduction and my token, so for this reason, would you give me your address and I will send a post card for you. If you need specific postcard or stamp you can mention it in your reply message. If you do not have map postcard, I would like to receive any city or region specialty from your country or you can ask me for it. I like the communication and friendship, not only postcard collections If you like post card like me you also can join to the postcrossing.com and you can send me a message at http://www.postcrossing. com/user/wen_postcrossing For your convenience, please write down my address with this format: Agus 18 Rose Lane Singapore 437378 SINGAPORE

So, what is your address ?


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Name : LYNETTE WELKER Email : lynette200345@ yahoo.com Age : 48 Country : USA Ad: MUSIC, MOVIES, PETS, NATURE.

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Name : elmehdi gouari400@yahoo.fr Age : 25 Country : MOROCCO Ad: im elmehdi , from Morocco 25 years old , i like to meet nes people from all over the world , my hobbies: collecting stamps and postcards , snailmail , penpals ... if you are interesyed please contact me ! thank you .

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Name : Amine Ghernati Email : arabicca@ sbcglobal.net Age : 40 Country : United Name : Sandra States penpals4me@live.se Ad : Hello I am a 40 years old Age : 21 soon 22 male, living in Dallas, TX USA. Country : Sweden I would like to have female Ad : Hi. I’m searching for Penpals,between 26-40 from penpals from all around the around the world Only Snail world, in around my age. mail, no email. I love to read and write. I Amine Ghernati 9930 love fantasy books, I love Buckingham Rd Apt 304 how they take you in and Dallas TX 75243 USA make you forget about the real world. Other interests: Name : jiyan200 languages, other countries, Email : jiyan200@ history, the paranormal, yahoo.com partying, piercings (I have Age : 32 3), skating (but I dont skate I Country : malawi just like to watch), vampires, Ad : likes camping,fishing,tour surfing the web and more. guide,swimming,nature. When it comes to music I Would like to correspond listen to almost anything. It with women aged 40 to 80. doesn’t mater what it is, the important thing is that I like it. Name : Toni

tvincett@gmail.com Age : 23 years old Country : uk Ad: My Name is toni i am 23 years old and i live in essex in the uk. I am looking for someone to write long letter to and have a good friendship with. I love to read watch films work out chilling out and writing. I am kind caring i love to help people and be there for people. I dont mind any age but i would like to write to females :) looking forward to hearing from you soon :) toni x

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For instance I like: Him, muse, 3oh!3, the rasmus, paramore, tokio hotel, flo rida and more. I really enjoy movie/tvserie soundtracks. Favourite tvshow right now: Vampire Diaries. Favourite movie right now: Fast five. Book I´m reading at the moment: Vampire Diaries book 5. I would like if we had some interests incommon. Write a mail if you’re interested.

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Name : Jennifer jmobandoe@yahoo.com Name : Magalie Sutter Age : 35 miouzic_addict@ Country : Peru Ad : I am looking for female hotmail.fr swappers I would l can send Age : 27 stamps, postcards, kawaii Country : France stuff, fb’s in return I would Ad : Hi. My name is Magalie like kawaii stuff (sanrio, san-x, and I’m from France. As I’ll probably move soon, I want crux, kamio). to get rid of my old magazine cut outs, so I would like to find September some traders for one-time swap or regular swappers. I Name : Magalie EMAIL: miouzic_addict@ have tons of things (posters,

articles etc.) on Madonna, Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Leonardo Di Caprio, some TV shows of the 90s, Boyzone, Blink 182, 30 Seconds To Mars, “Dawson’s Creek” and many others... I’d like to trade them for stationery and deco supply mainly, as well as dark/gothic pics (only in good condition). Please contact me by e-mail at first and we can make a deal. Here’s my e-mail address : miouzic_addict@hotmail.fr . I’m looking forward to your e-mails.

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hotmail.fr Country: France Hi. My name is Magalie and I’m from France. As I’ll probably move soon, I want to get rid of my old magazine cut outs, so I would like to find some traders for one-time swap or regular swappers. I have tons of things (posters, articles etc.) on Madonna, Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Leonardo Di Caprio, some TV shows of the 90s, Boyzone, Blink 182, 30 Seconds To Mars, “Dawson’s Creek” and many others... I’d like to trade them for stationery and deco supply mainly, as well as dark/gothic pics (only in good condition). Please contact me by e-mail at first and we can make a deal. Here’s my e-mail address miouzic_addict@hotmail.fr I’m looking forward to your e-mails.

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Name : Ashwin Ramesh ashwinramesh007@ rocketmail.com Age : 19 Country : INDIA Ad : I am an animal lover, Painter, Photographer (product, fashion, nature & wildlife), Philatelist cum Numismatist.. Bird -watching, Wildlife conservation, Herpetology, Ornithology, Ichthyology, Photography, cartooning, Gymnastics are some of the things I am obsessed with. I do have special interest in Modern arts as-well as impression art, animals & wild-life, Clay

modelling, Sufi music (with néy), Archaeology, Music n Movies, cooking, Snailmailing, and sports like Boxing, cricket, soccer, pool, chess, Black jack etc....n yeah, I live my life for the people who love me......n I hang around with them...24X7.... I love to have penpals who are real, open, Caring and Transparent (just like me). I am here for a long-lasting friendship. Penpals who quit after 2 or 3 mails are not welcome. I love to have healthy talks on almost all subjects. I befriend people of all age, sex, country, religion etc. In fact I am someone with a secular heart. Everybody up there I am the perfect dude you’ve been looking for. I promise that I’ll not make you regret your experience with me ;-).

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Name : Dorie zdora@hotmail.hu Age : 18 Country : Hungary Ad : Hello~ I’m Dorie and I live in Hungary. I’ve been learning Japanese for 4 years, so apart from English, I’d be interested in writing letters in Japanese too. I love writing letters, sewing, drawing, reading books and watching Asian dramas. I’m also a big fan of language-learning. I’ve just graduated from highschool (I’m 18), I’m going to college in September, majoring international business. Can’t wait to have lots of cool penpals ;D

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PenPal & Swappers Ads


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PenPalling Connections:

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PenPal Directory and Newsletter Hi! I am Tracy. I sell stationery address and stickers. I also have a penpal Directory and a newsletter. Take a look at my links if interestered. My new thing is making a catalog of all my designs: http://tracyscreationsstationary.shutterfly.com/ http://addresslabels4sale.shutterfly.com/ For more information contact: Tracy Sanders, tracylynnsanders38@yahoo.com

THE CAULDRON BUBBLES http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Cauldron_Bubbles/ Pagan, Witchcraft, Wicca and mysticism with aromatherapy, herbology and a few other things thrown into the um… cauldron for good measure!!

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WWFBDO (or Worldwide Friendship Booklets and Decos Only) http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/WWFBDO Friendship books, Decos, Label bags, and that genre of swapping

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LITTLE ANGEL RAOKs http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Little_Angels_ RAOKs/ We fulfil flaked swaps, wishes and Random Acts of Kindness.

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RECYCLING IS FUN http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Recycling_is_Fun/

LONG LETTER EPISTLERS http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Long_ Letter_Epistelers/ Penpal group for LONG letters and occasional swaps.

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PGMT (or Postcard Pals Groups Management Training) http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/PGMT Learn to be a moderator or manager of yahoo groups.

UK_PandS_Official Group (UK Penpallers and Swappers) http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/UK_PandS_ Official_Group/ This group is for UK based penpallers and swappers to swap within the UK only!

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MULTICULTURAL SWAP SHOP http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/ MultiCultural_SwapShop Swap or get rid of stuff you don’t want. Sell handmade stuff.

PURE POSTCARD PALS http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pure_ Postcard_Pals/ Swaps of Postcards only.

R-E-C-I-P-E-S (or Recipes Eating Cooking Ingredients People and Extraordinary Sites) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/R-E-C-I-P-E-S Like CRAFTS above but for recipes, organised by occasions, type of ingredient etc.

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LIVE FOR LIFE http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Live_for_Life Info on health issues, links to articles and recipes for diet specific illnesses and weightloss.

POSTCARD PALS http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/PostcardPals Despite the name we swap “anything which can legally be sent thru the mail”!

Pen Pal Book C/O Kimberly Garigin 3726 Green Pond Rd Gray Court, SC 29645 One issue is $12 black or $18 color. Subscription for 4 issues is $20 black or $25 color. Its like buying two and getting two FREE. Comes out Jan. Apr. Jul. & Oct. I take Cash, checks & Money orders in my name. It is non-profit!! Pen Pal ads to be put in is FREE starting with Jan 2011. Business ads r 5 cents per word/symbols & count your name & address. Add $2 more for Canada or $4 more for Over seas. I use quick print to see the darker print its $4 per issue or $16 for 4 issues. No Inmates!!! For more information contact: Kimberly at vandine69@yahoo.com

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L-I-N-K-S (or Links In No Kind (of) System) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/L-I-N-K-S As for CRAFTS above but non-specific links (i.e. not recipes or crafts), organised by type.

Hints and tips on throwing out less and reusing things.

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C-R-A-F-T-S (or Crafts R A Fantastic Time Stealer) http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/C-R-A-F-T-S A craft link ‘bucket’ with links organised by craft and sub-categories of Holidays or item.


checking

the postal address

by Penpalling & Letters Once you have got in touch with a potential penpal, you exchange postal addresses and already are able to exchange handwritten letters through the postal service! You send yours but it does not arrive... a lost letter? Yes, it is possible, but... have you ever thought about a mistake in the postal address? Sometimes, either your penpal or yourself might write some data in the postal address which is wrong: the name of the street, the number of the house/flat, the postal code... Those mistakes are 38

enough to prevent a letter what does each word to arrive to its destination. mean. This way you make sure not to mistake when If you are in touch with posting a letter to him/her. your penpal through e-mail/social networks, Some countries don’t ask her/him to send the use the Latin alphabet, postal address again if you but a different one, so cannot understand the we have the Cyrillic handwritten address on alphabet, Greek alphabet, the envelope after his/her Thai script, Vietnamese letter arrived. If you have writing system, Hangul/ native exchanged addresses Chosongul through e-mail and alphabets of the Korean still you have problems language, used in South to understand the Korea and North Korea, postal address because respectively, Japanese of whatever reason writing system, Chinese (abbreviations, unknown characters... Even if in symbols...) kindly ask your most countries the Latin new penpal to tell you alphabet can be read, it

would be useful if you can add the postal address written in the alphabet used in that country. I have noticed it is of help in China, for example, where mail reaches the addressee faster if you use their characters. Don’t forget about postal codes. If you don’t have received it with your letter, ask about it again. Maybe there are some countries which don’t use postal codes, yet, but usually, a postal code is a must for a letter to arrive together with the name of the country! The postal code is

Penpalling & Letters: www.penpallingandletters.blogspot.com crutial for letters which are going to be sent, and this information together with the name of the country are very important when letters are being processed to be delivered in each national postal service. So, before posting a letter to your penpal make sure the address is correctly written and there are no mistakes! Of course, you cannot know sometimes. Recently I had a lost postcard because the recipient mistoke a number in the postal code... So, yes, mistakes happen but you can avoid them at the second try if you are careful enough to check the postal address once more!

Find PenPalling & Letters on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/penpallingandletters PenPalling and Letters is a blog dedicated to correspondence. You can find many interesting articles there together with polls, so feel free to voice out your opinion. There is also a section with interesting links that you can follow and learn more about the wonderful hobby of penpalling! 39


what drugs do... by Monica Boldoni monicaboldoni@alice.it It isn’t easy nor pleasant to talk about certain things, especially if they concern your family, but if you talk about them, you could maybe help other people who are going through a situation like yours or, at least, you could give support to one another. Never as in this moment have I been in need of having friends around me, people ready to stay here in this difficult situation. When you have to face a drug problem, you don’t know how to do it. It is hard to talk about it because you are ashamed to say that one person of your family is a drug addict, it seems almost a taboo topic, it seems like nobody wants to be involved. And you feel lonely… Yesterday evening my brother stole a pc from home because he had to buy drugs. We tried to 40

stop him, so he pushed me and he beat my father up. It wasn’t the first time that he raised his hands on his own family… We had to call the police, but they said they can’t do anything. This morning I called the local health centre which has him under treatment, I have talked to the psychiatrist at first and then to the social worker and they said that they will ask for his urgent admission at a therapeutic community. And in the meantime? We are abandoned to ourselves. But how can you talk about these things? How can you say lightly: “My brother has beaten me”? So, the only persons you are able to unburden to are your friends, your true friends, those who stand beside you even in these situations and would like to be able to do something more for you. In my city I have an only

friend who is here to stay every time I need her and she called me as soon as I sent her a text message to let her know what was happened. I am happy to have Barbara as a friend because, as they say, “a friend in need is a friend indeed” and she is here for me, both for my little problems and my bigger ones. As I bargained on it, I also had support from my pen friends. Shirley contacted me yesterday evening in Facebook to ask me if I wanted to start again our pen friendship and, after I told her what was just happened to my family, she immediately gave me her phone number in the event that I was in need to talk to someone. Shirley comes from the USA and I come from Italy, nevertheless it isn’t a problem for her. When I wrote in my Facebook noticeboard that I am really in need of friends now, I have found

people inclined to help me. People who, even if they have never met me in person and live miles away from me, are ready to give me their support in order not to let me alone. I would like to thank all these people and tell them that I love them all. I will always be ready to return them the compliment and be there for them, never let them alone. And I would like to tell to the people who are going through a hard time like me, because of the drug or the violence or an illness, that they aren’t alone, there are other people in the world who are going through or have been gone through a hard time like you and they can understand you and support you. You have never to be afraid or ashamed to talk about certain things because you aren’t guilty, you are a victim and you deserve support and friendship.

stop drugs! 41


by Samantha stroy www.facebook.com/angelbaby916 http://itsapenpalworld.blogspot.com Itsapenpalworld@gmail.com A book review blog I share with Beauty Brite http://beeskneesreviews.blogspot.com

s a m a n t h a’ s Thoughts 42

takes 30 minutes to get finished.) Honestly, I’m not looking forward to it but I know I have to have it done. The pain in my Leg has been horrible lately because it’s been swollen badly. Kids started school and they were very excited. This being Labor Day Weekend. The reason why we celebrate this day is because some workers in somewhere in the mid 1800’s, people were being forced to work more than one shift. So, the laborers felt the need to boycott until they got reasonable wages and hours plus medical. In the United States all over the country people celebrate this state holiday in different ways. As a child my family used to through huge family get together. There was beer, BBQ’s, dancing, music, family reunion, block parties and just having a great time. You could always feel the love when you walk into the room

Hi Everyone, Welcome to another fabulous month of “Samantha’s Thought’s”. As of lately I have been doing some writing after a long 3 months hiatus. I just felt like I couldn’t find the words to write to anyone. But, here I am! So, August was kind of okay. It was the hottest month ever but the humidity has got my sinuses in and uproar. I have to have another surgery on my knee so the Surgeon and my doctor ordered another MRI (xray of the leg but

and be greeted b y people you loved. Now, that I’m older now and we try to do something every year with our kids but this year we don’t have much money. So, I’m excited for this fall TV shows. One Tree Hill, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, Glee, Ringer, The Hart Of Dixie, Pretty Little Liars, The Lying Game, Nikita, etc. I love the fact that all the falls shows come back with a new season. I my doing something called (journal sheets) with some very good friends on mine. We each decorate 5 pages showing the other bits about ourselves, things about your life and whatever you come up with. Then, when you are finished, you mail it to your friend and they mail you 5 of theirs. And if you want to continue after you have exchanged the first set then you are free to do so again. Its fun! I’m still working on

my journal swaps and the journal sheets, something I have my kids help out, they do a page of their own so I can send it along with mine. I love how my kids took an interest in the hobby I love so dear. When I was 14, I found out about pen pals by searching writing. At the time I had slow dial up and it took longer to load the pages. Come to find out that when I learned how to write at the age of 4, I have these amazing sisters that I would see periodically and when I would come home back to California, we would send each other cards and letters. I ended up finding out that they were my pen pals at such a young age. So, it didn’t surprise me when my kids asked me about my mail and wanted a penpal of their own. My mind is in a fog at the moment as my sinuses are real bad this year. We didn’t get a summer

like usual. We actually had a more of a spring then summer with cool breeze, rain, wind that was heavy (thanks for my sinuses lol) and just a few hot days here and there in California. This month my youngest daughter, Serena, is turning 3 and I can’t believe she is getting so big. I have 2 kids in school (2nd grade and kindergarten) I have to say I am very proud of my children. I have been doing my book reviews and working on my personal blog (links at the bottom). Well, this ends this “Samantha’s thoughts” column. I hope you liked it and I look forward to writing the next issue. Any ideas and comments are appreciated. I am also looking for FB’s, SLAMS, DECOS and Lyrix to swap. Long letter pals are always welcome. Love Always, Samantha Stroy 43


W

hile the last days of summer fade away, the echoing of the school bell rings louder and brighter. For all the penpals who are in high school, that sound is an all too familiar sound as backpacks get zipped, pencils sharpened, and paper unwrapped from cheap, thin plastic wrap.

A

s the school gates from around the world open, one can’t help but ponder just what exactly is behind those gates. Some schools consist of a single classroom with benches and a dusty green chalkboard while others consist of a labyrinth of hallways plastered with murals of jazz singers and exotic animals.

School A World away

by Anna Milovankina anna.milovankina@gmail.com

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Despite the contrast of schools, the students inside all share a common purpose: to learn something new. When the alarm rings at 7, I have to drag my heavy legs out of bed and get ready for school. My routine consists of showering, brushing my teeth, combing my hair, eating my breakfast, and 46

trying to remember the name of all my teachers in that order. Being the typical American teenager, I drive to school every day (it’s one of those perks of being a senior!). It’s not a long drive but all the half-asleep drivers on the road sure do make going to school seem like escaping a mousetrap! As I park my car on the school parking

lot, I fumbled around in my backpack to find my iPod. I turn it on and see that it’s 8:30: I have exactly 15 minutes before school starts. My backpack lazily sits in the passenger’s seat while I jam to song of my favorite before-schoolstarts music. Katy Perry never sounded so good. I dance to the passenger’s side and pull my backpack out; it feels like a loaf of

bread. So I make my way from the parking lot and into the school where I am greeted by the sound of chattering students discussing their summer vacations and how bad the science teacher is this year. I find my friends and we make our way to the main hallway where people are lined up in front of the balcony shouting at the newly arrived 47


freshman and gawking at the cheerleading squad for dressing up for the football game that would be held later that evening. I didn’t even notice that the 15 minutes just flew by until a bell rings and 48

the freshmen descend be a crime to assign upon the hallways like a homework on the first swarm of locusts. day of school!), an alarm clock buzzes through the A world away, while bedroom of a brunette I am busy doing the Hungarian girl waking homework from my up to begin her school school day (it should day. She yawns, turns off 49


the clock and gets ready to shower, brush her teeth, eat breakfast, and unlike me, she walks to school. In the small community that is her home, the school is but a 10-minute walk away. For breakfast, she eats something that is the equivalent of my dinner. She’ll have a sandwich made of fresh bread with cheese and butter, cold cuts, salami, kabanos (sausage), and eggs. She has milk and coffee in the winter along with jam and honey with cereal. On the side, she eats fruit according to season. After breakfast, she doesn’t waddle (like I would), instead, she lightly dances to the door and with her backpack on, she jubilantly walks to school. For lunch, she goes home to eat whereas in the US, everyone eats lunch at school. For her, lunch is the main meal of the day, and if breakfast seemed like a feast, then lunch would be considered a buffet! But before lunch, she walks into a dimly lit building with white walls and wooden doors. It’s a classical Soviet era building: plain and nostalgic. She smiles and waves to her friends who crowd around her asking her about her summer even they practically spent

their summers together. A bell rings and the classes assemble together by grade. The classroom has posters of the alphabet, numbers, history, and math pinned at various locations around the room along with shelves of crayons, colored pencils, and rulers at the back of the room. The students sit in chairs in front of wooden desks and listen to a teacher teaching in the front of the room. Here, they learn all their lessons. But no one, not even my Hungarian penpal, can pay attention today. They are all reminding themselves of their summers and when will the next big vacation be. The goes by fast as children rush out the building to go home and eat lunch. For lunch, my penpal has a delicious appetizer to start her meal followed by soup, which is then followed by the main course. Usually in this setting, I probably wouldn’t be able to get past the soup because I eat a lot of appetizer. The main course is meat and salad today, her lucky day. She gobbles down the food and grabs an apple afterward. But she’d better watch the time because lunch doesn’t last forever. The apple drowns the taste and smell of her

salad dressing: vinaigrette. The apple core flies into the trash can as she picks up her backpack and runs back to school.

dreamland, my Hungarian penpal is trying so hard not to zone out on her teacher but in the end decides to pay attention tomorrow so that she Somewhere a world away, could finish daydreaming I am just about finishing about the end of her my Calculus homework. wonderful summer. The The moon lights up the teacher doesn’t know that sky and yet it is still dark her students would rather on the streets. My eyes be doing anything else flutter a bit and I decide to than listening to her so she call it a night and leave the continues mumbling the rest of my homework for day’s lessons. Finally, the tomorrow. After all, I can bell for school to end rings. do it at lunch since I don’t The students breath a sign have Calculus until the of relief, assemble their afternoon. I eat my lunch materials, and race home. in the cafeteria where it’s louder than a rock concert The next morning, my and the clumsy freshman penpal and I get on Skype spill drinks on anyone where she tells me about within 50 feet of them. I her school day. I nod in bring my lunch because agreement and tell her school cafeteria food isn’t about my day as well. food; it’s plastic made into We exchange stories food. My lunch lasts about and promises to write an hour and then I hurry letters and I tell her about outside to my Calculus writing about our first day class that is held in a at school. She cheerfully trailer. It’s no better than a exclaims that it would be classroom but it’ll have to a great idea and hurriedly do. I open the metal door jots down notes from her only to find that there is day at school and at my a substitute teacher, I’m request, her lunch menu. saved! So I take out my iPod We continue to converse again and jam with Lady in English until she yawns Gaga. I cannot believe my and I yawn as well. We luck until near the end of laugh and bid each other class, the substitute hands farewell for a good day. It’s out the night’s homework criminal that I should have assignments. to wake up at 7 just for While I am off in school. 51


on the photo: Abdij Tongerlo

Visit from Angel my pen-friend

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on the photo: Antwerpen

By Tinne Raeymaekers tinne.raeymaekers@hotmail.com http://tomoyohime-postcardsandletters.blogspot.com

from Taiwan

Day 1, Thursday (August 11) Angel arrives two hours late in Herentals, she missed her plane in the morning. Luckily the internet connection on the airport worked properly, so she could warn us. And glad I checked facebook before we left to pick her up. We visited the St. Dimpna Church in the afternoon. I tried to translate as much as I could from the, Dutch, little guidebook, but since I can’t say I use religious related terms in English (or in Dutch for that matter) a lot, it was a bit too difficult. Day 2, Friday (August 12) We went to Brussels, the capital can not be neglected when you visit Belgium of course. We took a b-dagtrip (combo-ticket train plus tourist attractions). We had some difficulties with finding the Musical instruments Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. The Mim was really interesting, at the entrance you receive a headphone which you can plug in little black boxes that are installed next to the show cases with instruments. You can listen to a short piece of music played with

every instrument. If you want to hear them all, I’m sure you can spend an entire afternoon in the museum. Since we arrived late in the morning, it is no surprise we skipped some instruments when we noticed the time and the growling of our stomach, haha. After lunch we went to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts, more specifically the Museum of Ancient Art. It houses an extensive collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings from the 15th to the 18th century. When we left the museum, we went for a short walk through Brussels. We took a look at the ‘Grote Markt’ and ‘Manneken Pis’. Of course we also bought postcards for Postcrossing and private collections.

on the photo: Geel Dimpnakerk

Day 3, Saturday (August 13) The weather was too bad to do something, we slept the whole afternoon, haha. Day 4, Sunday (August 14) We spent the afternoon watching movies about ‘Sissi’ with Romy Schneider. 53


on the photo: Brussels

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Day 5, MONDAY (August 15) Holiday Assumption of Mary: Because this is an official public holiday, everything was closed. But the weather was nice so we went out to look

around t h e area. We went to Herentals, where we walked around in the park from the little castle ‘Le Paige’ and also walked to the ‘Begijnhof’ (Béguinage). Thenwewenttothe‘Abdij van Tongerlo’(Abbey of Tongerlo). We were lucky, the bookshop there was open, so we could buy,

again, postcards and some sweets from a local bakery. Day 6, Tuesday (August 16) We visited Bokrijk, an open air museum in which you go back to 1911, you can visit houses and see craft trades. In some houses people (actors) live the way they would in 1911 as well. You can hear the farmer’s wife tell the maid what to do, you can listen to the

train station, the man behind the counter said:‘Hey there they are again, where are you going this time?’(It was the 4th time that week he saw us, haha). This time the train took us to Gent, where we visited, can you guess? The Museum of fine arts! It was clear by then that Angel and I have the same taste when it comes to art, the younger the paintings, the faster we walked, haha. Day 8, Thursday We had some time left Day 9, Friday (August 18) before we had to take Time to go to Antwerp, (August 19) my favourite city in When we entered the the train back home, so Unfortunately, I had an appointment in the afternoon so I couldn’t go anywhere. During the time I was out, Angel went on her own on a walk through Geel. We gave her a little guidebook with a map on which the walk was pointed out. Since she managed to get home safely, I guess I can recommend it to everyone, haha.

Belgium. Before lunch we went to some (museum) shops to buy cards. We had our lunch at Désiré de Lille, if you have a sweet tooth this is the place to be. Angel impressed me with how much she could eat! In the afternoon we went to the MAS (I already took a pen-friend to this museum), because the Museum of Fine Arts is closed for renovations.

I wanted to check out the toy store I noticed when we walked to the museum. When we took a closer look we suddenly saw they were selling postcards! It were beautiful postcards with illustrations from children’s books, irresistible of course! Day 10, Saturday (August 20) The 7h 11 am train in Herentals took Angel to the airport. It felt like yesterday we picked her up.

pastor’s sermon, etc. Day 7, Wednesday (August 17)

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e c n a r F n e e g a y vo by Dana Brinson dana@savesnailmail.com www.savesnailmail.com

I spent my “summer” vacation time early, in April, when I spent 12 days in France. I visited a friend in Strasbourg and then spent six days in Paris. It was an adventure I’ll not soon forget. Whenever I go on a trip, I take along my address book so I can send postcards to friends and family and share my adventures with them. Writing post cards is an opportunity to stop and take a breath on vacation (which I usually have a hard time doing because I want to see and do EVERYTHING!). Distilling what I’ve done and seen in a few lines for a card forces me to really think about the fun I’m having and the memories I’m creating. It’s a process that helps me reopen my eyes to the amazing things I’m getting to do and helps me appreciate them even more.

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Cathedral Square, Strasbourg

collection. The heartshaped ones were darling, but also a bit difficult to tear out! The Chinese Year of the Rabbit stamps featured a lovely ink painting of a bunny. And I loved the “celebration of I found some the stamp” strawberry wonderful stamps for stamp that *smells* my post cards and like strawberries! I start with finding stamps early in my trip so I’m always ready to send off postcards. I visited the post office in the Cathedral Square in Strasbourg, to pick up postage.

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La Poste in Strasbourg sits on the cathedral square. The utilitarian Poste building faces Strasbourg’s Notre Dame cathedral, which was built between 1176 and 1439 and stood as the tallest in the world for more

La Poste, Strasbourg

than two centuries. On my last morning in Strasbourg, I happened upon a community-wide yard sale, and I found these post cards from 59


Strasbourg at the turn of the 20th century (back when Strasbourg was still part of Germany). It was wonderful to find such great mementos of my trip and hold small bits of history that represented Strasbourg’s storied past. These great postcards reminded me to start writing my own. It takes some 60

Speaking of brief notes to loved ones, people left little notes of affection at the grave sites of some of the more famous “residents” of Pere-Lachaise cemetery. Oscar Wilde’s kisscovered tombstone featured hundreds of little notes of love and appreciate for the author.

Jim Morrison’s tree Jim Morrison’s grave

time to write 50 post cards, so I stole moments during my trip. I wrote postcards on the train from Strasbourg to Paris, in a Parisian cafe after a day of sight-seeing, in the Pere-Lachaise cemetery next to the final resting place of French singer extraordinaire, Edith Piaf, and at an outdoor cafe table in Montmartre during my last day in Paris.

And while Jim Morrison’s non-descript grave had flowers, the tree nearby bore notes from fans. I wasn’t completely sure how I felt about people writing on grave stones and trees, but clearly the power of a handwritten note meant something to the hundreds of people who participated in this process. And hopefully Oscar and Jim appreciate it.

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Paris In addition to post cards, I’m always on the lookout for great stationery for my longer letters. Fortunately, I hit the stationery jackpot in Paris. On a single street--Rue du Pont Louis Philippe in the 4th Arrondissement--I found four great shops that featured fine paper, cards, and journals. By far, my favorite shop was Melodies Graphiques. Here you can see the front window displays.

I swear, my heart began beating faster when I saw these windows. They’re spectacular! The shop keeper, Eric, is a calligrapher and the walls of his shop sport envelopes of the letters he’s received from what he called his “fan club.” I think they were thank you letters for his services, notes from fellow calligraphers, etc. But they may have been just letters from folks who really


loved his store. I know I’m one of them! I found a lot of lovely stationery to bring home, but my favorite piece was this large flat card featuring some wonderful calligraphy in the image of Montmartre’s Sacre Coeur Basilica. A close up reveals the “sweet” words used to make the bushes on the hill going up to the church: I have many wonderful memories of France and each time I use stationery from my trip, I can relive it all over again. Until next time, au revoir! This article was adapted from Dana’s blog posts at www. savesnailmail.com. Read more about her French adventures in the April and May 2011 archives.


THE WORLD TRAVEL World Heritage (UNESCO) sites play an important part in not only historical and geographical senses, but also for postcard traders it’s a ‘niche’which a lot of us try to get at least one postcard from each place.

I

WORLD HERITAGE By Paula Milburn joelspinklioness@googlemail.com

n this series I intend to (briefly) visit each area of the UK working from North to South. If popular I will continue with other countries and work our way around the world. Even if you don’t

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collect postcards, to travel the countries from the comfort of your own home without the need for passports or the high cost of travel tickets will be interesting I’m sure....

on photo Westminister Abbey, London


Westminster Abbey, London Westminster Palace became a World Heritage Site in 1987. Its proper name is The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, but it is almost always referred to as Westminster Abbey. A mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral, in Westminster, London, beside the Palace of Westminster. Traditionally kings and queens are crowned

here, and buried here. It is neither a cathedral nor a parish church, Westminster Abbey is a “Royal Peculiar” under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only to the Sovereign. A shrine was is believed to have been sited in 616 on the present site, then known as Thorney Island, after a fisherman on the River Thames saw a vision of Saint Peter. And there was a community of Benedictine monks before the first historic

Abbey was built by King Edward the Confessor around 1045–1050. Apparently King Edward failed to keep a vow to go on a pilgrimage; the Pope agreed that he could redeem himself by building a church to St. Peter. It was consecrated on December 28, 1065, just after King Edward died and the coronation of his successor King Harold. This church was called the “west minster” to distinguish it from St Paul’s Cathedral (the “east

minster”) in the City of London. The Abbot and monks became a powerful political force in the centuries after the Norman Conquest: the Abbot enjoyed a seat in the in the House of Lords as of right. Henry III rebuilt the Abbey in the Gothic style. The work continued between 1245-1517 and was largely finished by the architect Henry Yevele in the reign of King Richard II.

on photo Westminister Abbey, London

Henry VII added a Perpendicular style chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 1503. This “Lady Chapel” has a wonderful fan-vaulted roof and the work of Italian sculptor Torrigiano can be seen in Henry VII’s tomb. The banners of the Knights of the Order of the Bath, surround the walls, and there is a striking Battle of Britain window by Hugh Easton at the east end. The Abbey was then seized by HenryVIII in 1534 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and closed in 1540, its royal connections saved it from the destruction suffered by most other English abbeys. The Catholic Queen Mary was restored the abbey to the Benedictines, Queen Elizabeth I removed them in 1559. In 1579, Elizabeth re-established Westminster as a “Royal Peculiar” — a church responsible directly to the sovereign, rather than to a diocesan bishop, and made it the Collegiate Church of St Peter. It suffered damage during the 1640s, when it was attacked by Puritans, but was again protected by its ties to the state during the Commonwealth period.

Oliver Cromwell was given an state funeral there in 1658, but disinterred in January 1661 and posthumously hanged from a nearby gibbet. His head remaining there for many years The abbey’s two western towers were built between 1722 and 1745 by Nicholas Hawksmoor. They were made from Portland stone, and were an early example of Gothic Revival design. The western towers had been unfinished from medieval times. Little remains of the original medieval stained glass. The great west window and the rose window in the north transept date from the early 18th century but the remainder of the stained glass dates from the 19th century onwards. Further rebuilding occurred in the 19th century under Sir George Gilbert Scott. Until the 19th century, Westminster was the third seat of learning in England, after Oxford and Cambridge. The first third of the King James Bible Old Testament and the last half of the New Testament were translated were translated here. The New English Bible was

produced here in the 20th century.

buried here, Henry VIII and Charles I are buried at St George’s Chapel, Since 1066 all English Windsor Castle, and all kings and queens (except monarchs since George Lady Jane Grey, Edward II have been buried at V and Edward VIII, who Windsor. did not have coronations) In 2005 the original have been crowned in the ancient burial tomb of Abbey. The Archbishop of Edward the Confessor Canterbury conducts the was discovered, in front coronation ceremony. The of the High Altar. A new king or queen sits series of royal tombs on St Edward’s Chair in dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries was order to be crowned. Although most kings also discovered using and queens from the ground-penetrating Middle Ages were radar.


Abbey has around 600 monuments and tablets, and over three thousand people are buried here. They include the Unknown Warrior, whose grave, close to the west door, is a national monument to the fallen in war. Notable people buried here. Wikipedia records this list Nave * Clement Attlee, 1st Earl

Attlee *Angela Georgina BurdettCoutts * Charles Darwin * James Clerk Maxwell * J.J. Thomson * Saint Edward the Confessor * Ben Jonson * David Livingstone * Sir Isaac Newton * Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford * William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin * The Unknown Warrior * George Villiers, 1st

Duke of Buckingham * Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox * Thomas Tompion * George Graham North Transept *William Ewart Gladstone * William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham * William Pitt the Younger Poets’ Corner * Robert Adam * Robert Browning * William Camden * Thomas Campbell * Geoffrey Chaucer * William Congreve * Abraham Cowley * William Davenant * Charles Dickens * John Dryden * Adam Fox * David Garrick * John Gay *George Frederick Handel * Thomas Hardy * Dr Samuel Johnson * Rudyard Kipling * Thomas Macaulay * John Masefield * Laurence Olivier, Baron Olivier * Thomas Parr * Dante Rossetti *Richard Brinsley Sheridan * Edmund Spenser *Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson Cloisters * Aphra Behn North Choir Aisle * Henry Purcell * Ralph Vaughan Williams Commemorated

* William Shakespeare, buried at Stratfordupon-Avon * Sir Winston Churchill, buried at Bladon, Oxfordshire * Sir Roland Hill (in the Chapel of St. Paul), buried in Highgate Cemetery, London * Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, buried at Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire * Adam Lindsay Gordon, buried in Australia * Paul Dirac, buried in Florida * Oscar Wilde (in a stained glass window unveiled in 1995), buried in Paris [1] * Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, buried at Cambridge, Massachusetts * Ten 20th-century Christian martyrs from across the world are depicted in statues above the Great West Door. Unveiled in 1998, these are, from left to right: o St. Maximilian Kolbe o Manche Masemola o Janani Luwum o Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia o Martin Luther King, Jr. o Óscar Romero o Dietrich Bonhoeffer o Esther John o Lucian Tapiedi

Martin Luther King, JR

Other poets were then buried around Chaucer in what became known as Poets’ Corner. Abbey musicians such as Henry Purcell were also buried here. Subsequently it became an honour to be buried or memorialised here. Aristocrats and poets, m i l it a r y, politicians, scientists, doctors. T h e

author Oscar Wilde

author William Shakespear

Aristocrats were buried in side chapels and clergy were buried in the Cloisters. Geoffrey Chaucer was buried here as he was employed as master of the Kings Works.

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Tower of London, World Heritage Site

o Wang Zhiming

Tower of London, Traitors’ Gate

Removed The following were buried in the abbey but later removed on the orders of Charles II: * Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector * Admiral Robert Blake In 1965-66 the Abbey 72

celebrated its 900th anniversary, using as its theme ‘One People’, fitting for a church which, through its long history has been involved with the life and government of the British people.

The Tower of London became a World Heritage Site in 1988. The White Tower was built on the Thames by William the Conqueror to protect London and assert his power following the Norman invasion. The Tower of London was built around the White Tower, and developed over the years. The photograph 73


the zoo was regularly open to the public. This was where William Blake saw the tiger that inspired his poem . When the new London Zoo was opened in Regent’s Park, the animals were moved to the zoo. The last of the animals left in 1835, and most of the Lion Tower was demolished soon after, although Lion Gate remains.

above shows the Tower of London with the iconic Tower Bridge behind. The White Tower is the square building with turrets on each corner, at the centre of today’s complex. Since its construction the tower has filled many roles 74

fortress, treasury, mint, palace, place of execution, and prison for important prisoners (Elizabeth I was imprisoned for a time in the Tower during Mary’s reign) The Roman Emperor Claudius Roman built a fort here to protect the city

of Londinium. In 1078, William the Conqueror built the White Tower. Earlier forts, including the Roman one, had been mainly wooden buildings, but William built his tower of stone. King Richard the Lionheart added the moat, which

was filled with water from the Thames. A Royal Zoo was established at the Tower in the 13th century. IN 1235, Henry III received a wedding gift of three leopards ( although they may have been lions) from Frederick II, Holy

Tower Bridge, London

Roman Emperor. In 1264 the animals were placed to the Bulwark, which was renamed the Lion Tower. A lion skull was radiocarbon dated to between 1280 and 1385, making it the earliest medieval big cat known in Britain. By 1804,

Co m m o n criminals were executed by hanging o u t s i d e the Tower. High-profile prisoners, like Thomas More, were publicly executed on Tower Hill. Nobles were sometimes beheaded privately on Tower Green, inside the tower. A list of people beheaded at the Tower for treason includes:•William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (1483) •Anne Boleyn (1536)

•Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541) •Catherine Howard (1542) •Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford (1542) •Lady Jane Grey (1554) •Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1601) George, Duke of Clarence, the brother of Edward IV of England, was executed for treason in the Tower in February 1478. Edward IV’s two sons, the Princes in the Tower, may also have died there after their uncle Richard III became king. The Tower’s use as a fort became obsolete when artillery became widely available. However the Tower was still occasionally used as a prison. In 1780, the Tower held its only American prisoner, former President of the Continental Congress, Henry Laurens. In World War I, 11 German spies were shot in the Tower. Irish rebel Roger Casement was imprisoned in the Tower during his trial on treason charges in 1916. Corporal Josef Jakobs became the last German spy to be shot on August 15, 1941 during World War II. In 19424, Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, was imprisoned for 4 days. Waterloo Barracks,

where you find the Crown Jewels today, was the home of 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) up to the 1950s; during 1952 the Kray twins were briefly held there for failing to report for national service, making them among the last prisoners of the Tower; the last British citizen held for any length of time was the Army officer Norman Baillie-Stewart from 1933 to 1937 held for treachery. The Tower is officially still a royal residence, though the Royal family do not use it as such. Therefore two sentries are maintained, with one stationed outside the Jewel House and one outside the Queen’s House. However the Tower today is mainly a tourist attraction. The Tower itself, the British Crown Jewels, a collection from the Royal Armouries, and part the wall of the Roman fortress can all be seen. The tower is manned by the Yeomen Warders (known as Beefeaters). Every night , the warders take part in the Ceremony of the Keys, as the Tower is secured for the night. There is an ancient 75


Her Magisty Queen Elizabeth

Crown Jewels

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legend that as long as the ravens remain at the Tower ( the flight feathers of the ravens are trimmed, so they cannot leave), then Britain is safe from invasion. The names of the eight ravens currently in the tower are Gwylum, Thor, Hugine, Munin, Branwen, Bran, Gundulf, and Baldrick. They are fed at the taxpayers expense.

The Individual Towers. The Tower includes the following towers, listed in alphabetic order: * Beauchamp Tower * Bell Tower * Bloody Tower * Bowyer Tower * Brick Tower * Broad Arrow Tower * Byward Tower * Constable Tower * Cradle Tower * Develin Tower * Deveraux Tower

when they were stolen from Westminster Abbey. After the coronation of Charles II, they were locked away, with only a custodian to watch over them. A Colonel Thomas Blood stole the Crown Jewels in 1671, after having overpowered the custodian. Since then the Crown Jewels have been kept in a part of the Crown Jewels The Crown Jewels have Tower known as Jewel been kept at the Tower House, where armed of London since 1303 guards defend them. * Flint Tower * Lanthorn Tower * Martin Tower * Middle Tower * St. Thomas’s Tower * Salt Tower * Wakefield Tower * Wardrobe Tower * Well Tower * White Tower

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http://www.beautybrite.com

Ten years ago, I was 21 years old. I was living in Northern California and working full time at a downtown hotel. My husband and I knew each other because we both worked at the same hotel, however, we were not together [we would start dating in November of 2001].

Where were you

on 9-11?

10 years later.

It’s been a decade since September 11, 2001. Where were you? How did you find out?

This also makes me realize that it’s been almost 10 years since my husband and I have been together. I remember those times vividly and with great memories [aside from 9-11]. There were plenty of jobs, people were happy, our economy was doing good -- nothing like today. I miss working, as does my husband. On September 11, 2001, it was my day off from work, so I remember waking up shortly after the first plane hit. When I turned on the TV, all of the stations were on the same scene and I finally stopped to watch and listen. I called my mom and told her “a plane


just hit a building.” She brushed me off because she had stayed up all night and was just getting ready to go to sleep. My husband [he was a co-worker at the time] was working that day. I can’t imagine the chaos going on at work. He said he called his parents too and I don’t think they quite understood the magnitude. I believe I had to work on September 12, 2001 80

and there were some changes. Guests had to come down to the lobby and go straight to valet and wait for their cars, as opposed to calling to the operator (my job) and have their car waiting for them. Management sent out a memo reminding us [the operators] about bomb threats or any kind of threats and what to listen for and write down. Management sent out several memos reminding us of our

safety procedures, evacuation procedures, etc. There was also rumors/talk from coworkers that they may have heard that our downtown outdoor mall would be a target of terrorists. There were a lot of rumors/ talk going around like that. I think everyone was just worried while trying to be on alert. Working in the travel industry, I remember the airlines had grounded all flights.

Our hotel guests had to extend their hotel stays. I can’t imagine being away from my family during this time. Although, I would feel safer not flying especially after what happened on September 11, 2001. I wouldn’t doubt they chose to drive home, no matter where they lived. Our hotel guests were mostly business travelers, so I am sure their employers just wanted them home safe. 81


lifestyle blogger Tell us more about yourself. I was born in Prince George BC Canada, grew up in southern AB till I was 13, moved to Utah until I was 29 and then to Northern KY to teach HS Health, PE and Dance and met my husband in 2003 and moved in 2004 to Dayton Ohio and now that is where I am. I have danced for years, tap, ballet, jazz, modern and Irish Step. I still dance and love it.

Tamra Richard is an active blogger, dedicated mom and a truly inspiring person! She is here with us to give us an all exclusive interview.

How did you decide to start your blogs? Well for my weight loss blog it came from having kids and packing on an extra 50-60 pounds. I have always struggled to keep my weight down, being a dancer and being compared to tall slender girls aided into an eating disorder for me in High School and I still do struggle with

the mental and physical struggles from that. My weight loss blog is kind of my “self-help” blog for myself for my body image issues. I decided years ago to go to school and get a BS in Exercise and Sport Science and an MS in Human Nutrition, because I wanted to know the “right’ way to become healthy and I was/am my first customer! Then came my positive thinking blog (which plays a huge roll in my body image and weight loss blog). And then my random thoughts blog pretty much because I love to hear myself talk and I am very opinionated! My positive thinking journey blog has probably helped me the most. I love blogging my daily success stories as well as figuring out why I have done certain things in my life. I was at a weight plateau for a long time before I started changing my attitude and then more and more came off and my motivation came back strong! Is it hard to keep a blog? How often do you post a new

contact information: Twitter ID is http://twitter.com/tawna6988 Facebook Profile is Tawna Crawford Richard Facebook Fan Page is http://on.fb.me/Tawna blogs: http://tawnasplan.blogspot.com http://tawnassecret.blogspot.com http://btrbb.blogspot.com Beachbody coach website http://beachbodycoach.com/ashley6988 I became a coach because I was already losing weight with Beachbody products and so I figured “why not.” The company is awesome and I have met many wonderful people there that help me keep and stay motivated. entry? It can be hard some days to keep up on postings but since I am a SAHM (stayat-home Mom) I think it may be a bit easier for me. I have kids nap times to write and if they are watching TV for at least 30 minutes I can get them done at that time too. I try to only do 1 post a day for each and I really do not do them on the weekends. I host a weekend blog hop to try and increase weekend traffic, but we all need a break and the weekend is mine. You may find a post here or there on the weekend but not too much! Share with us a

blogging tip or ideas how to make a blog more popular? My blogging philosophy is super easy. Honesty! I truly am 100% honest on ALL my blog posts all the time. I have the attitude that if someone is really taking the time to care what I have to say then why would I make something up. There are days I think (who I should really not post that, I was so not good today) but then I think “well if I show that I am screwing up on some days then won’t my readers appreciate that I am telling them. We are all human and I don’t want come


across as some “snobby blogger that never messes up her plan!””. Blog Hops are also very important to gain followers. However you can’t just add you link to the hop and leave. YOU have to be the one that spends time going down the list and leaving comments. You may visit 60 blogs and only gain 15-20 followers, but those are the breaks! Having a Face book page dedicated to your business or blog is key! I noticed a huge incline in my blog traffic when I did this. Something I just learned too is on those FB posts…ad a picture to every post! The FB links will get missed if something does not catch their eye. Interaction with your readers is a MUST too. A lot of the times I will actually go to the commenter’s blog and leave a reply to their

comment there. Share the “LUV” and get the LUV!” Join groups too. I love Bloggymoms.com and M o m b l o g g e r s c l u b. com and Theblogfrog. com as I have met a lot of members there and I interact with many of them. Do you do all the work around the blog yourself? Yes, all the posts are mine. There has been 2-3 times I find a post I want to highlight from another blog I follow so I will ask them if I can add their post to mine but 99.9% of the time it is all mine. When I find a post, I will tell my readers I found it and to head over to their blog to read it. Tell us more about theblogposts–how do you write them, what motivates you to write, where do you search for inspiration? For my weight loss

blog it mainly comes from my exercise program at the time. Right now I am in week 11 of P90X so those posts have been easy. If I have a good day or a bad day with my eating then I share that too. The exercise one is the easiest for me. For my positive thinking journey I watched the move “The Secret” and that lead me to the inspiration for the blog. I then found Joe Vitale’s “missing Secret” CD’s as an advertisement on my blog and bought them. He got me really motivated and inspired so listening to his CDs about 3-4 times gives me a lot of posting ideas as it makes me think about things in my life that I can use as examples. The random thoughts blog is the hardest to find material for. Well it is getting easier. I find myself daily saying “Oh, great blog idea.”

I then grab my phone and take a picture and send myself a quick e-mail reminder of the idea. It could be anything from the rude people not stopping for pedestrians at cross walks to the guy littering in front of me, to my kids being extra cute that day. It is very random. I used to have to sit and “think” what I wanted to right, now I seem to be getting hit with ideas all over the place. I guess it’s because I have wit thinking so hard! Any tip or advice you want to give to our readers? My biggest tip is that if you have something you want to say, just say it and don’t worry what others will think about you. A blog is a great place to have an outlet and I love all the wonderful blogging friends I have made! It sure helps with the adult conversation during the day too!


BIRTHDAY TWINS: AUGUST CELEBRITY BIRTHDAY TWINS By Rach Gee

Birthday Twins! What’s more cool than finding someone who shares the same birthday date with you? No matter how far away you live from one another an instant connection is made. On one and the same day, you party together to celebrate Your own Special Day!

August is here but the summer is far from over! If your birthday falls in August, check our your birthday twins. And we wish you a very Happy Birthday and a happy new year to you! For more famous birthday twins, go to: www.famousbirthdays.com

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The Team of Sandbook.Net would like to say a very Happy Birthday to: 4th September 1985, Brittany Ornelas, USA 5th September 1984, Erick Wesong, Kenya

The Netherlands 30th September 1986, Dani from USA, 30th September 1982, Kristy from Canada May you all have a wonderful day! To join our birthday twin section, send us your birthday, name, country and email to our email: fun@sandbook.net To contact any of our Birthday Twins, log onto our website and look at the Birthday Twin Section.

photo by narin300.deviantart.com/

1st September 1975 – Scott Speedman (Actor) 2nd September 1964 - Keanu Reeves (Actor) 3rd September 1960 – Dave Ramsey (Financial guru) 4th September 1981 – Beyonce Knowles (Singer) 5th September 1912 – John Cage (Composer) 6th September 1973 – Greg Rusedski (Tennis Player) 7th September 1949 – Gloria Gaynor (Singer) 8th September 1979 – Pink (Singer) 9th September 1960 – Hugh Grant (Actor) 10th September 1950 – Joe Perry (Musician) 11th September 1965 – Moby (Musician) 12th September 1913 – Jesse Owens (Athlete) 13th September 1961 – Dave Mustaine (Musician) 14th September 1969 – Tyler Perry (Playwright) 15th September 1907 – Fay Wray (Actress) 16th September 1992 – Nick Jonas (Musician) 17th September 1904 – Frederick Ashton (Dancer) 18th September 1905 – Greta Garbo (Actress) 19th September 1941 - “Mama” Cass Elliot (Musician) 20th September 1878 – Upton Sinclair (Author) 21st September 1947 – Stephen King (Author) 22nd September 1987 – Tom Felton (Actor) 23rd September 1974 – Matt Hardy (Wrestler) 24th September 1924 - Sheila McRae (Singer/Actress) 25th September 1968 – Will Smith (Actor/Singer) 26th September 1888 – T.S. Eliot (Poet) 27th September 1947 – Meat Loaf (Musician) 28th September 1925 – Arnold Stang (Comic Actor) 29th September 1980 – Dallas Green (Musician) 30th September 1935 – Z.Z. Hill (Musician)

9th September 1976, Kathy from Australia, 11 September1971, Michelle Campbell, USA 12th September 1970, Leah Warner, Canada 13th September 1984, Raia from Bulgaria 14th September 1987, Mina from Japan 15th September 1989, Rachael Radford, UK 18th September 1969, Heidi Sydney, Australia 21st September, Sharon C. Bernath, USA 22nd September 1987, Ashley Wetherington, USA 22nd September 1966, Yvette Bare, USA 24th September 1970, Marika Berglund, Finland 24th September 1972, Wendy from Australia 26th September 1978, Thea van der Velden,

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