{dear friend}

You probably thought I forgot about this resolution list, didn’t you.

Well you were right because I DID.

And then at lunch today I was like WHAT should I blog about next? At which point this little list came creeping back to me, along with some stress because of so much I still want/need to do.

And I know it’s only March, but still.

Goal #4 is to write more handwritten letters + stay in better touch with friends. I’ve got to preface this with saying that I’m already pretty good at keeping in touch with friends (in my humble opinion), but there’s always room for improvement, and more than anything, I just don’t want to let this aspect of my life slip through the cracks. The friendships I’ve made {and continue to make} are incredibly important to me and so dedicating time to this resolution is worth every second.

I’m doing pretty okay with the handwritten letter part, so I thought I’d take some time to talk about how I’m making it work for me. I wrote some Happy New Year notes in January and sent some Valentine’s postcards when February 14th rolled around. I think that’s the way I’m going to keep making this happen around here. A few cards mailed out to friends once a month should do the trick. It’s totally doable, and makes me feel really good inside. Not to mention EVERYONE and their mother loves getting mail.

{Amiright?!}

To start this little project first I collected addresses using Postable. I found out about this website from my friend Elizabeth, who is also trying her hand at this pen pal gig. It’s a SUPER easy way to get your friends’ addresses AND keep them in one place. The whole “address book” thing never really worked out for me. Mostly I’d forget where I put it, but also I was terrible at keeping up with it. With this, I always know where my friends’ addresses are, I can print mailing labels if I want, and they are easily updatable if someone moves (which happens A LOT these days).

In January and February I sent cards that I purchased at my local Paper Source, but this month, I’ve started to collect more cards from favorite etsy shops. ONE because there are some seriously great handmade shops out there and TWO because, as you know, I recently became a shop owner myself {shameless plug!}.

Here are some favorites I love:

Wit & Whistle

Beyond Wonderland

Sara December Rose

Little Low Studio

Iron Curtain Press

On top of the letters, I’d love to start sending out little gifts here and there, just because. A few friends have recently done this for me and it’s just the NICEST. I already have my first batch of “gifts” heading out this week. Excited to start giving! For this I am aiming to send out local products (chocolates and other goodies), but might look into some etsy shops for that kind of thing as well.

Lastly, I just really want to make a big effort to visit friends this year/or have friends come visit me. I’ve accepted that I’m pretty much the WORST at keeping up with friends via telephone, and email works okay every now and again, but it’s just not the same as face-to-face, let’s-hug-and-dance-like-we’ve-never-left-each-other feeling. You know? I’ve been pretty successful at seeing my Boston friends consistently, which I LOVE, but I’d also love to figure some way out to see my college/high school friends that don’t live close, too. It’s hard, because many of them live pretty far {at least a plane ride away}, and money is tight over here, but hopefully we can work something out, or even try to meet somewhere in the middle. There are always weddings {we have two this summer!}, but still I want MORE.

+

And so, there we have it. Basically, “The Friendship Plan for 2013”. Sounds official and I like it.

Also, now I’m curious. Do you write letters? Make phone calls? Plan weekends? How do you keep in touch with your favorites as the years go by??

{P.S. Are you still on Facebook? I am {sort of}, but I am over it. Big time. I could go on forever about THAT, but another day, another time!}

+

“Write More Letters”
letterpress print by Bison Bookbinding Press
{found at Porter Square Books!}