USAFwife

Updated & current as of Dec 27, 2022

Please no owls! I am very scared of owls in all forms, and wish to not receive owl images. If you send owls - I will not give a heart. Yeah, it's that big of a deal for me.

My name is spelled Cindi not 'Cindy' - just like on my address. If you spell my name wrong, no matter what you are sending, you will not get a heart. Yeah - it's that much of a thing for me and I don't think it's too much to ask.

I would rather not receive random 'extras' or tuck ins. If you would like to add something extra to a swap, feel free to recommend a book, podcast, or write a personal note. :) I'm a letter loving nerd, and always appreciate a personal note. :)

NO THANKS!

Yeah, I'm not Christian and I like spooky stuff, but I Don't care for images of blood and gore, I'm NOT a Satanist (not that there's anything wrong with that -) so please don't try to 'save' me. I Don't care for swear words, and I Don't drink alcohol, so skip the 'wine time' and other related stuff, please. And I'm not into insects, snakes and the like. Moths and butterflies are fine, but I'm really not a reptile person.

ABC's of my likes, interests & preferences

A - astronomy, Animaniacs, Addams Family (TV show esp and original cartoons), Agatha Christie, audiobooks, American history, (US) Air Force

B - Books, Buddhism, Buddhist Bootcamp, blue things, bullet journals, "Boredwalk" store (love their Grievance Journal!!)

C - COFFEE, cats, Charles Addams, cemeteries/grave yards, crystal balls, A Christmas Carol by Dickens (& all the movies - all of them), Caitlin Doughty (Ask a Mortician), comedy/comedians, cooking (most of the time!), Clue (movie & board game), The Craft (movie), calendars, celestial images

D - Disney (esp Aladdin, Emperor's New Groove, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Haunted Mansion, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Brother Bear, and the Villain's - esp Malcifient & Evil Queen/crone from Snow White, Hades.), David Tennant (actor), documentaries, Dark Shadows (esp the OLD 1960's soap opera), Dracula (the book)

E - Edward Gorey/Charles Addams/The Addams Family, ancient Egypt/pyramids

F - fall/autumn, Fairy Tales & Folklore (such as Grimm Brother's), Family history, Friendship Books, fountain pens, Faithfully Religionless,

G - Garfield!!, Ghosts/stories, giraffes, Golden Age Detectives (Agatha Christie), Golden Girls, Goddesses/Gods, Greek mythology, Grinch (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), GRIEVANCE JOURNAL

H - History (local, family, US/pioneer), handmade (willing to accept handmade cards even if the swap doesn't call for it), hamsters, haunted houses/abandoned buildings, holiday customs & traditions from other countries, History Goes Bump (podcast), The Haunting (book, movie and TV series), hamsters!!, History Goes Bump (podcast),

I - Iceland, Imagine Dragons (music group), Inspector Lynley (TV series), InCoWriMo

J - journals (buying, at least, if not actually using)

K - Keys! (decorative like skeleton keys or on washi, stickers, etc), Krampus, Knives Out (movie)

L - llamas, libraries, Lore (podcast, show, books), letters & challenges, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little Golden Books, Laurel Burch (artist), Luna/lunar anything (moon)

M - moon & stars, moon phases, Muppets/Sesame Street, Movies, Monstrum/Storied on PBS, The Monkees (since I was 3!!), mythology, Midsommer Murders (TV series), Murder She Wrote (TV series), The Mummy (1999), mysteries, Mildred D Taylor, Mental health awareness

N - Nightmare Before Christmas, Nathaniel Parker (actor & voice actor), National Geographic, Northern Exposure (TV series), NaNoWriMo (maybe one year I'll accomplish it!), (US) Navy

O - ouija boards

P - Paranormal, Paganism, podcasts, Pepsi, pen pals, pens, purple ink pens, personal notes, Percy Jackson series, Poirot (TV series & book character series), printables (stationery, journal pages, etc.), playing cards**, Pink Panther, Peanuts/Snoopy

Q - quick mail?, quiche

R - rainbows, Rocky & Bullwinkle (original only), Robert Downey Jr (actor), recipes, Rose Red/Ellen Rimbauer (TV movie series), Rick Riordan (author, and Presents line), rubber stamps, reading, Ravens (the bird, not the sports team)

S - stars, sloths, Scooby Doo (esp from 1960's- 70's), Sesame Street, Simon's cat, Spiritualism, Salem Witch Trials, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, stickers, stationery, silver anything, Sherlock, Sleepy Hollow (book, TV show & movies), Shedunit Show (podcast), (postage) stamps - new, Snoopy/Peanuts, anything spooky

T - Tarot cards (happy to receive stray tarot cards), trees/woods, Tiny Toons, Tim Holtz & similar, Tim Burton, Travel Channel (esp Josh Gates shows), 10 Things I Hate About You (movie), tarot readings (feel free to do one for me!), Timber Hawkeye,

U - Unicorns, used books

V - Vintage Social Media (snail mail!!)

W - Wicca customs and practices, Write On Challenge, washi tape

X - x-ray images, x-slips (exchange slips)

Y - Yule, Yule Cat, Yule Lads

Z - Ziggy

**playing cards - I'm no longer actively collecting for a 'frankendeck' - I've built a few now already - but I will accept any with a design you think I might like from my likes above. And, apparently my card is the Six of Diamonds so I will accept any nifty cards for that. :)

Dislikes

Anything with my name spelled wrong - It's CINDI, not Cindy. (This includes the envelope, please.) No matter what you send, I will not give a heart if you spell my name wrong.

Anything with cigarette smoke Or ANY smoke smell or other strong smells - it triggers migraines, and I throw it all in the trash.

Not a fan of 'God Bless America' themed items or flag items. Rather not receive items with scriptures or Christian themed items.

No need for planner items & stickers and would prefer not to receive extra stickers or washi

Please no alcohol related items such as 'wine time' stickers or alcoholic drink recipes, martini glass stickers, etc. (I'm an Adult Child of Alcoholics, and these things are actually offensive to me.)

I've been a letter writer and a snail mailer for all of my life! I started swapping by snail mail in the late 1980's, but I wrote to family members before that. Snail mail is one of the few constants in my life. I enjoy swap-bot, and am happy to receive a message from you, But give me a chance to reply - it might take a few days.

I'm 46 years old , married 27 years this year, a mom to 3 (18 & older now! - and they are finally all graduated from high school, though, 2 are still currently live at home.) and really am a USAF wife. (USAF = United States Air Force). And now, I'm a VERY proud momma of a US Navy Sailor!

I'm an Aquarius, don't really follow horoscopes, but I am a star gazer. I love most things sun/moon/star related.

I love to hear from people in other countries or with other customs or beliefs than mine, other lifestyles. I'm LGBTQ+ friendly, and am one of the 'you're safe with me' people who still wears a safety pin.

I'm not Christian, but am 'Faithfully Religionless'. (Click to link to see what I mean. This is a book title, one of my very favorites) :) I have read about and participated in Wiccan celebrations, and enjoy reading about Buddhism. I sometimes miss the old traditions of the Lutheran services I used to attend, but that's not where my beliefs are. I'm co-founder of the Pagan Community Centre - if you are Pagan minded, check it out! :)

I deal with anxiety, migraines and depression, and it sucks. I'm also an Adult Child of Alcoholics. My children have varying levels of "special needs", including anxiety, Autism spectrum, and TBI. I'm a 'caregiver' for those who need it, and it is exhausting most days. I'm not looking for drama, I have enough of it in my daily life, thanks.

We have 3 pets, all rescues that have traveled the country with us. 2 cats and a dog.

I've participated in the Write On Challenge since 2016, and have done the InCoWriMo challenge since 2019! Check out my group For the Love of Letters if you like letter writing and challenges.

I hate Facebook. I do have an account, and I remember to check it once in a while, when I have to. I use Instagram a tiny bit, but not very active. I'm fully anti-social media. I prefer "Vintage Social Media" (snail mail!)

Favorite Book themes: haunted houses, ghosts, mysteries. memoirs, Audiobooks, mythology and folklore. Spiritualism/fortune telling. Early American history

Authors: Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Timber Hawkeye, JL Bryan, Simone St James, Agatha Christie, Rick Riordan (& Rick Riordan Presents authors), Willa Cather, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Grimm Brother's fairy tales, mythology & folklore. Jennifer Weiner and Emily Henry.

SOME favorite books: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett; The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson; The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón; The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie; Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor; Faithfully Religionless by Timber Hawkeye Duma Key by Stephen King; A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters; Mrs Everything by Jennifer Weiner; People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry; The Golden Compass (& series) by Phillip Pullman. The book that still 'haunts' me is Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.

I'm a member of Good Reads, and am founder of a SB group related to books & writing, Reading & Writing. I also have a group, For the Love of Letters for letter writing and letter challenges. I also love ghost stories and haunted house tales and am founder of a group, Ghosts! - check it out if you enjoy hauntings & cryptids.

With all of my groups, I ask that you follow the rules posted on the home page - if you request to join, be sure to follow those rules or you won't get approved!

I rate as soon as I open the swap. If I can't rate right away, I hold off opening the mail until I can rate. I do believe in giving hearts, even for e-mail swaps. The amount of time you put in is what earns a heart, and am a believer that email swaps can earn hearts as well. All swaps are welcome for me. (for multi-partner email swaps, I usually wait to rate until I've received from all partners.) I'm not a postmark reader, especially with current mail issues, BUT - If you're going to be late, just tell me. It's ok. I am more annoyed with a lack of communication than I am about being a few days late (or whatever) in sending a swap. If you send late and don't communicate with me I WILL rate you down! And, no, I won't consider changing the rating! Just communicate! It makes everything easier!

Holiday card swaps I'm not Christian and do not celebrate that aspect of a holiday, so I prefer seasonal images to holiday related ones.
I do like the retro/vintage re-prints of Victorian era holiday cards. They are so creepy, they're great! If they're not printed right, somehow it's even better! If you want to make a holiday card 'spooky' - go for it! Not really a fan of Santa, heart shapes (though anatomical hearts are fine!), crosses, etc ...

If you hand-make cards, I am very happy to receive those in place for a store bought card.