I Do Like Mail, But....

Not this kind of mail. Ugh. The stupid red light camera got me, and let me tell you they do not mess around with the price of these tickets. Crap. I guess it was bound to happen with those things all over the place.

I have several options. I can pay the fine and get points on my license or I can take a traffic course, pay slightly less than the fine and have it magically erased from my driving record. Arizona does already have one thing going for it... I can take it online from the privacy of my own home! I think I will go with that option. 

I have a huge list of Arizona certified schools to administer my online traffic school Defensive Driving course. These names really make 'accredited' come to mind: EZ AZ Traffic School (too lazy to spell out easy?), 123 EZ Ticket Dismissal, Sir Waldorf Bentley's School for Naughty Drivers (that sounds highly official) or Safe 2 Drive. Really?! Those all sound totally legit.

After some research I think I might end up going with An Online Traffic School by the Improv Comedy Club. Over 2 million students have picked them as their number one choice, they can't all be wrong! Numerous accolades from students and national media and as seen on: CBS News, The New York Times, NBC, People Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times! Holy Cow! People say it's funny from the reviews. I mean if you have to take an online Defensive Driving Course, you might as well enjoy it right? 

I'll keep you posted. (what a way to end the year, booooo!)

Postcard Arrival: Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

6,078 miles 15 days

Postcard Arrivals: Netherlands, Finland and Estonia

It's been awhile since I have sent or received any postcards but I recently started back up and got a few new postcards to share!

Tallinn, Estonia

5,561 miles 12 days 

Zwolle, Finland

5,429 miles 10 days

Helsinki, Finland

5,525 miles 12 days

In related stamp/nerdy news I am super pumped for the new holiday stamps that were announced in September! This year they are Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, my favorite Holiday movie!! Expect to see one of those stamps if you are on my Christmas card list! Not on the list? Send me your address and I'd love to send you one! (you can use the email North of 10th handy-dandy link at the top of the page)

aaand one more nerdy stamp news addition. If you too enjoy Postcrossing, here is the seasonal International stamp! 

Postcard Arrival: Czeh Republic & Taiwan

Brno, Czech Republic

5,194 miles

11 days 

I really love this postcard! I have seen this painting "The Wave" when NiBo and I went to the Chicago Art Museum last year! 

New Taipei City, Taiwan

7,088 miles

80 days

Postcard Arrival: China

Hangzhou City, China

6,877 miles

19 days

Postcard Arrival: Goslar, Germany

5,592 miles

8 days

Goslar, Germany

Postcard Arrival: Amsterdam, Holland

5,397 miles
8 days

From: Amsterdam, Holland

Room Reveal: My Outdoor Space

This is my little piece of outdoor paradise, which didn't exist until today. Day after day I would come home to nothing in this space just screaming to be filled with something. I really really wanted a wicker loveseat to put out here but I didn't really feel like shelling out $200+ for just something to sit on.

This morning the weather was so nice (65° and a lot windy, with a high of 72°) and though there is a community area with picnic tables and such, I just needed something a little more 'my space' that was all it took to get me out of my pajamas and headed to Target (you know Target is my weakness) 

There has been an adorable little bistro set at Target that I have been eyeing for awhile but at $210 I still wasn't convinced. I really did want a loveseat but decided against it. Then I noticed these plastic Adirondack chairs for $20 and a little glass side table for $16. No they aren't the fanciest, but they sure are comfy, I tried them out! So for $56 I have a little outdoor oasis right outside my front door. 

I plan to add more little touches as I run across things to add some color. I found some really cute red outdoor pillows for $14 each, so maybe next time. I would like to find a little footstool or something to put my feet up while I'm out there enjoying my iced tea. Maybe some planted pots to spruce it up too, but let me tell you it looks a lot better than it did! Maybe a nice outdoor rug to put over the turf look?

While I was at Target I may have discovered that the watermelon Oreo's are back for summer! I really shouldn't have even got them considering the whole lets get in shape thing, but I couldn't resist. I'll have to limit my intake and not have the whole bag all at once, but they are yummy! 

I even got some mail back home! Mom sent me a text that gma had told her I got a new postcard. I was really confused because I should not be getting my postcards back home and I have even gotten one here already, which confirmed I got everything updated. So I told her to send me a picture of the front and back so I could get it registered so the person who sent it could get a postcard of their own. Well when I went to register it the mystery was solved!

This postcard had been sent from Russia way back on November 13th, it's been traveling for 165 days! That's why it went there, it was supposed to have arrived a long time ago! It traveled 4,712 miles from St. Petersburg, Russia. I imagine it had got lost somewhere along the way, which happens from time to time. I have 2 postcards that never got registered so they must have got lost somewhere along the way too. I'm glad this one finally made it! 

Mail Time & Bike Week

Have I mentioned that I love getting mail! Especially when I open the mailbox and there is a key!! That means a package has arrived! Thanks USPS for making my mailbox happy! 

TWO packages in the package door! Bonus! 

The most important item from the homeland was this! Monical's dressing! My cheese Jack's pizza tasted amAZing tonight with this added bonus for flavor! For those of you who don't know about this delicacy, Monicals is a pizza place back in the Central Illinois area with a few other locations into Indiana and Wisconsin, but the thing that makes them special besides their delish pizza is the french dressing! It's not just any french dressing but sweet and tart, and it's perfect to dip your pizza in. Yes this sounds weird, but don't knock it til you've tried it! Make it a bucket list item if you are ever around the Illinois area! 

Here's an Olliebutt picture, he likes to watch TV, he's watching the ACM's here

I'm sure you all stopped by today to hear about my awesome weekend though didn't you!?! Well it just happened to be Arizona Bike week here so I decided to check it out! Check out the pictures from the amAZing stunt bike show. Sure you've seen some of these stunts before, but the big difference is these are Harley's! They are not the lightweight sport bikes that you usually see doing these tricks, it's something to see! These bikes are heavy!

One of the other big draws of the event was Chibs and Tig from Sons of Anarchy were there, I did see them... from a distance. I'm sorry but I wasn't about to wait several hours in the blazing sun for an autograph, just knowing that we walked the same ground was enough for me this day. I might have forgotten where I live now and well... the good news is I'm no longer blinding white shoulders, they are a little red. This was my first adventure out into the sunshine, lesson is learned, don't fret. Next time I will double SPF up. So are you mad that I didn't wait in line, would you have?

Tons of bikes! 

Here's the shirt I picked up to commemorate the event.

As a parting thought, would you take a look at these temps?!?! I haven't even been here quite a month and it's going to be 99° I'm going to melt! I'm not ready for this and neither is my poor electric bill!?! :( Ok haters, before you get to hatin' please remember that I too survived the never ending Illinois winter from h-e-double hockey sticks! I paid my dues as well. You back home will get to have a gradual warm up (albeit a slow one) but you'll have a Spring to enjoy. I came from walk outside and your face will fall off because it's so cold to now, don't go outside because your face will melt off because it's so hot! Feel sorry for me! (I'll post pics poolside) Don't hate haters, life's too short to be jelly! 

Happy Monday! 

Postcard Arrival: Ishikawa, Japan

Today I got my very first postcard at my new address! This postcard traveled 5,915 miles in 10 days. I love all the different kinds of stamps I get to see from my Postcrossing! Have any of you signed up for Postcrossing yet? I'd love to hear what you think of it if you have :) 

Postcard Arrival: Liviv, Ukraine

Traveled 5002 miles in 16 days

This sender is my age and likes to read books, a perfect postcard for the occasion. She recommended 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett, which is a great book that the Page Turners read a few years back.

Postcard Arrivals: Ukraine & Belarus

Brest, Belarus

4,886 miles in 21 days.

This post card is from 1984 of the USSR period.

Donetsk, Ukraine

5,525 miles in 15 days

Postcard Arrival: Chongqing, China

This postcard traveled 7,543 miles in 46 days. 

That's the longest travel time so far.

This postcard is from Chongqing, China, and the sender says the city is known as "mountain city" and "foggy city" She also says that the famous food there is hot pot, which she says is very delicious and spicy.

Post Card Arrival: Leipzig, Germany

"All that I love loses half it's pleasure if you are not there to share it." 

- Clara Ortega

4,546 miles in 9 days.

Postcard Arrival: The Philippines

8,244 miles in 16 days from the Philippines.

Postcard Arrival: Regensburg, Germany

Traveling for 10 days and 4,622 miles this postcard arrived all the way from Germany.This sender has actually been through our great state of Illinois on a train trip to Minnesota, what a small world.

Postcard Arrival: Minsk, Belarus

This postcard traveled for 33 days and 4,923 miles all the way from Minsk, Belarus. This postcard is a picture of the palace in Pruzhany which is on the Western edge of Belarus. There were lots of stamps on this postcard too! 

Postcard Arrival: Germany

4,347 miles in 12 days all the way from Northern Germany. This postcrosser works in a school that will be celebrating it's 425th anniversary this year. He said his town was a Medieval city with cobbled streets and half timbered houses, which sounds like such a beautiful city!