I recently discovered that I've been doing Postcrossing for more then 2000 days. I've sent and received 656 postcards each way from all over the World, from a total of 54 different countries.
It's completely random. It's always a surprise where the system has me send postcards, and it's always a surprise from whom and where I receive these postcards. I don't send to and receive from the same people.
The 54 countries: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, China, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Algeria, Ecuador, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Hong Kong, Croatia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Thailand, Turkey, Taiwan, Ukraine, U.S.A., and South Africa.
Countries I've sent to but haven't received postcards from: Chile, Algeria, Ecuador, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, and Romania.
Countries I've received from but haven't sent to: Denmark, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Turkey.
I'm still addicted to postcrossing. Just last weekend I sent off 21 postcards. I love finding fun postcards and stamps to send. And I love receiving postcards, seeing the cool stamps, and reading the personal stories and likes from those who love snail mail as much as I.
I didn't realize my 1001 days were up!! March 4, 2013 through November 27, 2015. Wow, how time flies. So how did I do? I only accomplished 13 of them, but that's still 13! Not zero!! 13 out of 101 = 13%, if you round up: 13/101 = 0.1287. And some of the goals I accomplished are filled with incredible memories which I wouldn't have at all if I didn't set these goals.
1. Enter a Music Writing Contest
I entered a music writing contest in 2013 by submitting the song "How Do I Feel the Spirit" to the church music contest under the children's song category. I didn't win or place, but got a nice letter of rejection in response. My first rejection letter. I've got to start somewhere. I do want to expand the song as both a solo piece and full choral piece. That would be a good project.
2. Get An Original Music Video Online
This was quite the project!!! And it wouldn't have been possible if I didn't have the help of two of my brothers Robbie and Steven. I wrote lyric and melody. Steven and I arranged it, with Steven splashing together all those cool sounds. Robbie directed and storyboard the video, coming up with cool shot ideas, and then edited the whole thing. Steven did all the fancy graphics. My only cringe of complaint is in the chorus where the vocals suddenly get louder then needed; I think we discovered that it was caused by accidentally layering the voice. It's also why I haven't put the single up for download, because I want to fix it, but Steven and I couldn't figure out how. I might have to rerecord it, along with finally getting the piano arrangement version out, which would be a good 2016 goal!!!
Here's a behind the scenes video, with arrangement track only.
3. Eat 1 treat or less a day for 3 months
The whole idea of one treat or less comes from the fact that I love treats way too much, and one treat allows the indulgence without the overeating or depriving. Thing is, I didn't just do the Eat 1 treat or less goal, I went an entire 3 months not eating any sweats, muffins, cereal, etc!!! At all. It was quite an accomplishment.
And then I developed bad habits again -_-;; I'm a work in progress.
4. Do a Ropes Course
I went camping with some church friends a couple years ago, and this was the first stage in the ropes course. We had two courses to chose from, and I went for the easier option. I'm really scared of heights!!! Like, I hyperventilated the entire time. Oh my gosh, I was so scared! You have no idea. But I did it :0)
5. Ride the Lift at Sundance and Go on a Hike
This last Summer I rode the Sundance ski lift all the way to the top. I don't know if what I did can count as a hike. I walked around and enjoyed the AMAZING sights! That counts. Heh. But the views really are amazing. And anyone who lives here in Utah has to try it. There's a point on the platform next to the restaurant--they have really yummy nachos and turkey sandwiches--where you can see both Utah Lake and Deer Creek Reservoir, all in one spot, looking left then right. It's really gorgeous. Oh, and the cell reception is the best in the valley because there's a cell tower up there.
6. Send a postcard to myself each month for a year
It seemed silly at first when I decided it would be fun to buy postcards, write a note on it, and then mail it to myself, even in the same city. As in I drove two miles to drop the postcard off at the Post Office and then waited two days to get it back. Sounds really silly. But now I have all these postcards from trips and other adventures sitting in a special box. It's such a fun way to journal, and looking at the postcards and stamps I've collected is really fun.
7. Receive my 100th Postcard through Postcrossing
When I first started Postcrossing the idea of getting 100 postcards seemed like a crazy high number. By November 27, 2015 I didn't receive 100 postcards. I've received over 500 postcards!! From over 40 different countries. And I'm still getting postcards.
8. Get a passport
I had a passport when I was a kid, but it was expired by the time I graduated High School. I wrote down this goal because I really want to travel, and this was the first step. Sometimes the hardest step to take is the first, which is why it's one of the most important steps when achieving a goal.
9. Visit Another Country
I visited Japan!!! That was an incredible goal accomplished.
Here's all the blog posts I've written about this trip thus far. I still have 3 or so more posts I want to write.
In 2014 I visited Yellowstone. Many years before I had visited the Grand Tetons, which are amazing, and only West Thumb in Yellowstone. I wanted to return so badly, just to see all the natural wonders. Walking on top a super volcano is really cool.
Mesa Verde!! A long time ago, when traveling on another trip, I picked up a collection of brochures. And one of the brochures was all about Mesa Verde. As soon as I saw a picture of Cliff Palace I knew I had to visit! And I'm so glad my brothers, sister-in-law, and I were able to make the trip.
Cliff Palace was amazing. Petroglyph trail a highlight. Balcony House scared me to death: That last climb! It's an amazing place to visit.
Having a Mine Craft LAN party totally counts, right?
13. Ride the Heber Valley Railroad
Riding the Heber Valley railroad was just a really fun thing I wanted to do. The train, for this voyage, only went to Deer Creek and back. I really want to ride it again, but this time to Vivian Park and back. And try one of their theme nights. I wonder if they're going to do a mystery train this Summer. Solving a mystery while riding the train sounds really fun.
And those are the 13 goals I accomplished! Now I need to plan out another 101 goals, including many I didn't accomplish last time. If I start the next set of goals on Saturday January 16th, 2015, then it would end on October 13, 2018. These next few years are going to be crazy. Got to have some good things to look forward to :0)
I got someone else's postcard! I didn't realize it at first, surprised that I got two Russian postcards at the same time, but when I went to register the RU I.D. on postcrossing.com, the postcard pictured above wouldn't register! It took me a few failed tries until I finally looked at the address.
The postcard was supposed to go to a gal in Bayside California, a fellow postcrossing junkie. How did it end up in my mail slot? I think our postcards got stuck together, coming out of Russia, with the top of her postcard showing my address. I quickly put her postcard in an envelope, so hopefully she's got it now. But boy, how trustworthy is the USPS?
On another note, USPS is increasing stamp prices starting January 26, 2014 . . . again.
Regular US letters will go from $0.46 to $0.49 a stamp . . . making a book of 20 $9.80.
Postcard stamps are going from $0.33 to $0.34, a whole penny
And International stamps are going from $1.10 to $1.15 a stamp.
When sending a postcrossing postcard I always put two regular Forever stamps with a George Washington $0.20 stamp, making my International postage $1.12. Two cents more, but those I send the postcards to love the fun commemorative stamps. Now the same combo will cost me $1.18, up 6 cents, and 3 cents above the new International forever price. A few pennies seem small, but when you send a lot of postcards Internationally, it sure adds up fast.
Get those Forever stamps at the cheaper rate while you still can!!
Last week I noticed on the USPS, United States Postal Service, website that the USA issued on November 19, 2013 a new Harry Potter booklet with 20 different stamps spanning all seven films. Being the stamp collector/Postrossing lover I am, I had to buy them . . . three booklets worth. One booklet to keep unused for my collection, and the other two for postcards.
I absolutely love the design and layout of these stamps!
The back side of the booklet.
With stamps I really love, I like to get a First Day of Issue canceled envelope. Usually when you by them you have to get all 20, or whatever is in that set, but I can't afford the $32 price tag. I always get the DCP covers, Digital Color Postmarks, instead of the black and white cancellations, because I love the designs and art of the colored postmarks. They're more interesting to look at.
Luckily there is a set where you can buy a single booklet with a randomly placed DCP first day of issue envelope for $10.95. I couldn't resist. I'm so lucky to have gotten Ginny Weasley.
I bought my stamps off the USPS website because, with the Holidays, I didn't want to stand in line, and the local post office has a habit of running out of the good/popular forever stamps. I didn't want to take a chance.
I hope the USPS continues to do more stamp booklets like this with fun themes.
I joined Postcrossing on September 28, 2011. It wasn't until the beginning of July 2013 when I received my 100th postcard, 21 months after first signing up. Here I am in November, 4 months since reaching my 100th postcard, and I received my 200th last week!
What is postcrossings? It's an international postcard swap. You sign up for an account, and when you first join you can only have up to 5 postcards out at a time. Who you send to is completely random, and when you send a postcard you send an I.D. number unique to that postcard. When it's received, that I.D. number is registered, and then you will randomly receive a postcard in return, from whomever is requesting to send a postcard at that time. Who you receive from is also random. You don't receive postcards from people you send to. (You can if you wish, it's called a direct swap, but that's done privately and doesn't count towards your total.) When you receive a postcard you register its I.D. number, and the sender will now randomly receive a postcard from anywhere in the World.
There are people from 216 different countries currently signed up: Russia is first (11.3%), followed by U.S.A (10%), China (9.4%), Taiwan (8.9%), Germany (7.7%), Netherlands (6.6%), Poland (5.2%), Ukraine (4.5%), Belarus (4%), etc, 21.6% making up the "other" category.
I've sent 216 registered postcards to 34 different countries. 3 postcards I've sent have expired, meaning they were sent, but never received, so I'm just out of luck. 5 postcards are still traveling (one postcard I sent to the Netherlands has been traveling 23 days.) 15 postcards are traveling to me, I just haven't received them yet. The longest time period a registered postcard I've sent has traveled is 77 days, and that was to Russia. The longest time period a postcard has traveled to me, also from Russia, was 193 days! Crazy! I don't understand how it got lost in the mail like that.
I've received 201 postcards from 36 different countries:
Australia: 3
Austria: 1
Belarus: 12
Belgium: 1
Brazil: 3
Bulgaria: 2
Canada: 6
China: 14
Czech Republic: 9
Estonia: 2
Finland: 6
France: 3
Germany: 21
Greece: 1
Hong Kong: 3
India: 1
Italy: 1
Japan: 3
Korea (South): 2
Latvia: 1
Lithuania: 2
Malaysia: 1
Netherlands: 20
New Zealand: 3
Norway: 2
Poland: 5
Portugal: 1
Russia: 25
Spain: 1
Switzerland: 2
Taiwan: 8
Thailand: 2
Turkey: 1
Ukraine: 13
U.S.A.: 14
United Kingdom: 6
Each stack represents a different Country. I know I've received postcards from 36 Countries, and there's 37 stacks pictured. I messed up while sorting them.
Needless to say, I'm addicted! And I need to be careful, because it took me 4 months to achieve what at first took 22 months! But then when you start out you're only allowed to send 5 postcards, and I'm at a point where I can have 13 postcards out at a time traveling . . . it sure adds up.
Last week I received my 100th postcard trough postcrossing.com, which came from the Czech Republic. The postcards came from 29 different countries: 1 Australia, 6 Belarus, 3 Brazil, 3 Canada, 6 China, 3 Czech Republic, 2 Finland, 3 France, 12 Germany, 1 Greece, 1 India, 1 Italy, 1 Japan, 2 South Korea, 2 Lithuania, 1 Malaysia, 11 Netherlands, 2 New Zealand, 4 Poland, 1 Portugal, 13 Russia, 1 Spain, 2 Switzerland, 5 Taiwan, 1 Thailand, 1 Turkey, 3 U.S.A, 7 Ukraine, and 2 United Kingdom
Even though I love seeing the postcards and reading the messages, my absolute favorite part of postcrossings is seeing all the beautiful stamps.
On January 30, 2012 I received my 20th postcrossing postcard. What is Postcrossing? It's a website that allows International postcard exchanges with random users on the site, and the amount of users is vast. Just last week the site reached 10 million sent postcards. Only 13% of the users are from the USA. 10% are from Russia. 8% from China. 7% from the Netherlands and Taiwan. 6% from Germany. 5% from Poland and so on.
I found out about the site 5 months ago when I was searching through 101 goal ideas from the Day Zero Project website, a website where people list 101 goals they want to achieve in 1001 days. It seems simple coming up with 101 goals, but after only 30 or so I was stumped, and on the website I saw some users wanted to receive 20 postcards through postcrossing.com from 20 different countries.
The amount of postcards you can send in the beginning is only 5 at a time, and when someone receives your postcard, someone random will then send you one. In short, only people who send postcards get postcards, and the system has worked really well so far.
The postcards are so popular in the Netherlands that they even have an official postcrossing stamp.
Thus far I've sent postcards to: 3 Belarus, 1 Belgium, 1 Bulgaria, 2 China, 4 Finland, 3 Germany, 1 Japan, 6 Netherlands, 1 Poland, 1 Romania, 4 Russia, 1 Spain, and 1Tawain.
I've sent more then received, because I have 4 postcards that were recently registered that I haven't gotten yet, and 3 that are still traveling. There are a couple postcards that expired because they either got lost, or the user didn't bother to register it, but in most cases that's rare.
I'm really loving this, and it really is quite fun. It's always a surprise when a postcard arrives in the mail.
