JessP

I teach middle school students and I dream of traveling far and wide when I retire. Until then, I enjoy sending postcards to far-off places and reading about them. I have two teenage boys and a husband, two cats (a calico and an orange tiger) and a sweet black lab who is 10 years old.

I don't really enjoy watching television, but it is often on in my home due to the aforementioned husband and kids. There is one show I love called the Magicians (it is after one of my favorite books series of the same name) and also GOT.

I recently joined postcard swap sites and I find I really enjoy matching a card and stickers and stamps to the person I am sending them to. As for me, I really enjoy receiving cards that are decorated, thoughtful and I do enjoy a variety of stamps as well! I used to "collect" pen pals when I was younger and I have missed getting real mail, which is why I was so happy to find this site! I hope to make a lot of meaningful swaps!

Thanks for reading!

I love most kinds of music (my favorites though continue to be the songs of my college years- mid-late 90's like Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains), and also to listen to talk radio (NPR is almost always on in my car when I am driving by myself!), but I enjoy moments of silence as well.

Other favorites: Neil Simon Simon and Garfunkel Indigo Girls Kris Delmhorst Blues Traveler Cat Stevens Dixie Chicks Justin Timberlake P!nk Lady Gaga Black M Shakira Coeur de Pirate Marie Mai John Prine

I love reading and will read almost anything. I like to read what my students will like, so I read a lot of YL literature, but I also like memoirs, biographies and fantasy/sci fi. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series, but I have other favorites too. I love the authors Diane Setterfield (the 13th Tale is one of the best books I have ever read!), Carlos Ruis Zafon (Shadow of the Wind is another amazing book for book-lovers) and Margaret Atwood (you know her as the author of the Handmaid's Tale if you are a Netflix watcher, I fell in love with her for The Edible Woman which I read in college, and then read every thing else she had written to that point, and have continued to come back to her books throughout the years) On lighter reading I enjoy Jodi Picoult and fluffier 'chick lit' as well.

Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel Universe Movies (esp. Captain Marvel! This is my NEW FAVORITE!!! IT WAS SO GOOD!), French Kiss (Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline! How can you go wrong?!), My Big Fat Greek Wedding

I like to be crafty but I don't have one particular craft I do all the time. I learned how to crochet last year (one of my 7th graders taught me!) and I made a lot of hats and scarves to donate to charity. I haven't crocheted in a while, but I did rediscover the love of making friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss that I used to make when I was young. I have a group of students who stay after school with me and I teach them what I remember and we google what I don't! Maybe there will be a swap where I can send you a bracelet I have made! I have also been known to create decent costumes with a glue gun and felt (I don't sew!) and I've been hoping to take a painting or drawing class, but nothing local has been offered except sip and paint classes (do you know those? I have done a couple, but I'd like to learn how to paint my own pictures) I enjoy art, especially Impressionist paintings. Since swapping and postcrossing I have come to really enjoy stamps. I don't really collect them per se, but I have a growing collection (it helps that i work in the same town as one of the largest philatelic companies in the US!) and have started to use them to decorate and make things like bookmarks and a doing a little junk journaling.

Animals (especially elephants, cows and pigs with sweet faces) but I hate spiders!

Coffee!!! is a treat I allow myself, but I like tea too (mostly herbal teas, black tea is not my favorite) I am vegetarian and I don't consume dairy because of an allergy, and Iean towards being fully vegan, but I am not strict about avoiding eggs.

Another hobby I have is beer and wine tasting. I like to visit small breweries, the kind where you can chat with the brew master and learn about what went into the beer you drink. My favorites are Stouts and Lagers. I also belong to a wine-making and tasting club. Twice a year we make 7 different kinds of wine together and bottle them ourselves. When we meet we bring wine to share and I have learned a lot about good wine. I like reds when I'm eating dinner (Cabernet and the like) and whites and rose when I am just relaxing with friends.

I wouldn't like food items (besides coffee or tea)sent to me- I have other allergies besides dairy, so it's too difficult to know what I can and can't eat, but thanks for the thought!

I am very liberal politically, so I would not like items that promote ultra conservative views (I'd be fine with saying away from politics completely!)

As far as postcards/letters go- I LOVE a good variety of stamps! I prefer my Post Cards sent naked (not in an envelope) and I adore all the different airmail markings from around the world. If the swap is for a card in an envelope though, please do as the swap requires!

I would like to get maxi cards if you are inclined to send them (in the US, the postage doesn't count towards the sending unless it's on the address side, so I understand if you don't want to send it that way! I only send it like that if I am asked to specifically!)

I love stickers, all kinds! and washi tape I like fun pens and pencils. I am very possessive of my writing utensils!

I promise I have every swap ready to go the evening partners are assigned and they are in the mail the very next morning (unless it's something I have to craft specifically for you, then I have to wait a day for glue to dry...but it's in the mail within 48 hours AT THE MOST) I do put the mail in the box at the end of my driveway, and if the carrier is late, he misses the truck into the city by the time he gets to our odd-hours post office. The postmark may be a day or two later because of this, but I ALWAYS SEND! If you didn't get something PLEASE MESSAGE ME! EMAIL ME! LEAVE ME A NOTE!! I will resend if necessary! I also always review as soon as I get your send!

**If YOU forget to send something to me, or find out you will otherwise miss the deadline, please just send me a note and tell me it's coming! I don't mind waiting to rate, just don't say NOTHING...it makes me sad!