mug swap

Happy Mail!

Happy Labor Day! We’re having a relaxing weekend by visiting family and doing a few projects but mostly hanging out. When I got back from Chicago I’d had a couple packages that I was SO excited to receive! Remember me talking about the Mug Swap I did a few weeks ago? Well, I got my package from Bex in WV! I also got a surprise package from a Disney College Program friend, Abigail!

happy-mail1Who doesn’t love getting mail? It doesn’t matter if it’s a colorful envelope in the mailbox or a big package on the porch, I’m always excited! I like doing blog swaps to meet new bloggers and to buy trinkets for people based on knowing them from their words. This last swap I did was a mug swap where you had to buy a mug for at least $10. I went a little overboard because I really liked my swap partner, Bex!

mug-swap-me mug-swap-me-wrappedHere’s what I’d sent the lovely Bex, from A Girl Awake, some of her favorite things and a few things that I love that I thought she’d love! Her favorite chocolate is Turtles and I wanted her to try Lindt’s chocolates so I threw those in too. We all knew chocolate was a must to throw in there! I’d also given her a Burt’s Bees lipchap and an Essie nail polish because they’re my favorite brands for feeling pampered. The peach purse was just too cute to pass up knowing how cute it’d be on her. I also threw in a notebook for blog ideas, a scented candle for her desk and some Oh Joy straws for her drinks. Obviously, a mug was required and I wanted her to have a Starbucks card because she’s obsessed with coffee!

mug-swap-bex mug-swap-bex1I was super excited to open my package from Bex because she really thought about things I’d like.  My favorite thing she sent me was a copy of the magazine she works for! I thought that was a cool way to know more about her! She also was so thoughtful when she sent me treats for Lexi! I opened them right away to give her some and she loves them! Bex also sent me pink nail polish (my favorite!), EOS lipgloss (which I just ran out of!) and a few facial masks to pamper myself with!! Her favorite scented candle was in there of which I lit right away and put in our bathroom! She also sent the cutest tribal scarf and a package of stationary (one of my biggest weaknesses)! The beautiful feather mug she sent she chose because it was painted by a local artist which makes me love it even more! I think Bex NAILED her first swap because she got me all my favorite things and was so thoughtful with what she sent. OH! Not pictured are the Reece’s cups because they were too much of a temptation, I had to have my husband take them away (we still have 31 days left of our Whole60.) I definitely would have got into those babies right away otherwise!

disney-worldMy other Happy Mail package was from my good friend Abigail, who I met working in Fantasyland at Disney World. Abigail was from Chicago so I was able to see her a few times after the program and I kept in touch with her while she worked as a volunteer in Iceland! She said she’d found these trinkets from our time working in Disney and, honestly, they’re now some of my most treasured possessions. She sent me our amazing costume shirt and fairy dust that we’d sprinkle on sad kids or during parades! She also sent me a Fast Pass tracker, fast passes from our Pooh ride and a Tell-A-Cast which was what all of the cast members carry to keep track of park times and shows every week. My very favorite part about working in Fantasyland was a shift called ‘Making Magical Moments’ when we’d go find guests and do something Magical for them. The booklet in the bottom left is a pad that we would use to write out tickets for free things, like an ice cream cone or Mickey Ears. Everything had to be under $25. I often used it to buy kids ice creams after they’d dropped theirs because I worked right by Mrs. Pott’s Ice Cream. I also used it a few times for people who’d dropped sunglasses or hats on the rides. We also always carried Mickey stickers for children who were crying or adults that looked frustrated. Isn’t she a sweetheart for sending me these things?! It was an awesome surprise!!

I get some awesome Happy Mail throughout the year but these two were REALLY awesome and I’m very glad to have met Bex through the Mug Swap and SO glad that I met Abigail through my College Program! Do you love getting mail or sending it more? I think I like sending it more!

Talkin Bout a Mug Swap

Ello loves! If the Jimmy Fallon Head Swap tune did not automatically come into your head when you read that title, I implore, go watch this video before  you read on. Not that it’s related in any way to the post, but because it’s hilarious, if you like Jimmy. Also, I like this video because it’s from when the Superbowl was in Indy and it was really fun. For the rest of today I’ll be singing everything I do to this tune. It usually lasts for a couple days.

mug-swapBack to the post! Do you guys read Kallie’s thoughts at But First, Coffee? She’s super cute and she’s hosting a mug swap that is now, sadly closed, but she has them more than once so you can join in the next one! For this swap, we were just sent our partners and I’m super stoked to have someone I can relate to! Bex is a West Virginian who lives with her musically inclined boyfriend and to big pups. She blogs music, yoga and and quirky stories of what’s going on in her life. I love that she’s so personable in her writing style. Honestly, you’ll feel like her best friend if you read her site, A Girl Awake, for 10 minutes. That’s why I’m so excited to swap with her! She recently did a post that I thought looked really random and fun (at least for me) so I’m jumping on that bandwagon and joining her in the numbers game. *Sidenote: it was a bit strange when I read My Life in Numbers because I was listening to a Cookie Monster record with Soph and Count was on singing this song!

my-life-in-numbers0 flights out of the country (I don’t count Puerto Rico because I didn’t get to site see)
1 the number of bunny’s I’ve loved
2 built-in best friend nieces
3 pairs of shoes that I rotate between through the year
4 hot dogs eaten in one sitting
7 the number of places I’ve called home
7 the number of years my heart has  belonged to Jeffrey
8 teeth for Sophie to bite me with
9 states that I’ve vacationed
12 jobs that I have learned something from
13 the number on my soccer jerseys
18 bobbi pins tangled on my nightstand
20 concerts I’ve rocked out at
29 years that I’ve lived on planet Earth
65 bottles of nail polish
120 people that inspire me on Instagram
145 FB profile pictures of my mug
386 books on our bookshelf

So there’s my introduction to my Mug Swap partner, Bex and my life in numbers! Have you done a mug swap before? Were any of my numbers surprising to you? I want to know your numbers! If you do a My Life in Numbers post, send it to me!

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