Hello there!

My name is Christy and I LOVE SWAP-BOT. I'm a Security Engineer from the Chicagoland area. I'm an animal lover and pretty easy-going and open-minded individual. Nice to meet you(:

EDIT - 5/20/18 I have arrived home from the UK! Please hang in there with me as I go through rating all of these swaps! I almost got to be present for the Royal Wedding but flew home the morning of. :D

DO YOU LOVE BOOKS???

Feel free to try out Book Of The Month - you get a free tote! My link is below to join!

BOTM referral link!:

https://www.mybotm.com/9hvme5h77uq8h0k9

Welcome to the crazy that IS my profile~ Come on in, don't mind the mess..!

5 YEARS OF SWAP AWESOMENESS!!! 3-23-18!!! ^^ HERE'S TO 5 MORE!!!

Some of my many many hobbies include gaming, reading, writing, journaling, ATC-ing, drawing, and collecting. I collect everything.

I'm that person who you can send those weird things to-NOT easily offended.

I am NOT religious, but I find Buddhism and Hinduism interesting.

I love jokes and inspirational stuff too when it comes to letters and writing. We all have those bad days.

If you ever feel down, just remember:

I can be kind of a geek, I suppose. I enjoy many activities and am not really your average teen. I've been doing LANs and am working on a home gaming environment currently.

I always send, I never flake, and I ALWAYS rate. Non-raters are almost half as bad as flakers. :/

I love all animals and creatures big and small! Even bugs. Yes. BUGS. Don't mind even a little bit. The buddhistic approach without the buddhistic practice.

I have been dating an awesome IT guy named Matt since June 2013 :)

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I was fortunate enough to travel to England twice between December of last year and January 2018. I think a little piece of me will always be there! I'd even consider living there for a while!

And lastly, I guess I should say that I am here on swap-bot for fun! Finding new penpals perhaps, sending fun mail, and meeting cool people from around the US and beyond (: Come say Hi, I don't bite! ^^

...Unless you're holding food. XD

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So I went vegan for a month last November [2016]. I kept a journal for that month and documented my feelings/things I noticed. It went very well - I felt great, experienced little to no acne, headaches, or other ailments. My vitals have also become better-my blood pressure has lowered a bit.

I've been eating mostly vegan/plant-based since then.

If you'd like to talk about it/offer advice/swap recipes - by all means - I'm all ears!

I dabble in and out of being 100% vegan - I suppose some effort is better than no effort! I guess you could say I'm a part-time vegan as I still eat cheese every so often -3-

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So over the years I've struggled with my weight, due to bad eating habits and being a couch potato that never exercised. Towards the end of high school I decided to make a change, and I'm never looking back.

MY STORY:

At my heaviest I weighed 230 lbs... Even at 5' 11", that was considered obese. I had experienced cycles of binge-eating followed by cutting off food - a terrible cycle. I was at dangerous health risks before entering high school. Gym kicked my butt, and I had dropped down to 200 lbs by [around] sophomore year.

Junior/senior year was when I decided to join a local gym, and I began seriously working hard on my weight. I got down to around 180-190 lbs post-high school.

Entering my freshman year in college, I had so much coursework and stress and I fell back into my old habits. The stress would make me want to eat, and then I would feel guilty about what I was eating and then end up eating more. I was definitely a binge-eater. Still between 180 and 190 lbs, I was overweight.

After leaving a degree that left me feeling overworked, underappreciated, and unsatisfied, I finally found a field of study I really loved. Sure there was still stress and all... But liking what you do makes things a lot better. I had more time to work on my body and health as well, and worked my way down to 170 lbs - a normal BMI!

Now, in 2016, I have reached 160 lbs, with my goal body weight in the near future! My blood pressure has gone down as well as my resting heart rate. I am able to participate in athletic activities I never used to be able to.

I have come so far, and it hasn't been easy. Every day I learn to love my body and become more mindful of my eating. I am working on indulging in foods I love without the guilt - a practice of meditation. I look forward to what the future holds for me, and I refuse to give up That's my story so far :)

Never give up on what matters most to you!

If it's a package swap, I'm really into...

-Arbonne items

-adult coloring postcards [So far I have Animal Kingdom [Millie Marotta], Tropical World [Millie Marotta], Harry Potter postcards, Animorphia, Tattoo color-in postcards, Tokidoki... I am still after all other coloring for adults postcards! :)

-ANYTHING from Lush Cosmetics

-Kawaii anything. Especially plushies and letter sets!

-Art materials: Copic markers, Prismacolor colored pencils.

-anything PUSHEEN! ^^

-Rick and Morty stuff: comics, T shirts, art...

-Bojack Horseman stuff

-Paperchase brand journals ARE THE BEST.

-Precise v7 colored pens [I swear by these for journaling. No lie.]

-boxed postcard sets

If you are sending clothing...

I wear a size M women's T-shirt and a size 10 pants. Size 10 women's shoe.

If the swap has a food theme / option...

-weird-flavored nut butters why stop at simple peanut butter??

-PB2

-pumpkin spice anything

-health bars / meal bars

-anything you can find at Trader Joe's [lol]

-Vegan / plant-based food items, especially CHOCOLATE!

I love to draw! ATCs are a great way to use my creativity in a swap-able, share-able way(:

I prefer to hand-draw my ATCs because it is my preferred medium and keeps postage reasonable.

Some of my favorite media when creating ATCs or other art works are:

• Prismacolor colored pencil
• mixed media
• pencil
• Faber Castell Pitt Pen

I love YOUR ART!!!

In my spare time I enjoy reading a TON. [A TON.] I have an obsession with Goodreads - if you want to add me here is the link to my profile :) There are ALWAYS more than 50 books on my "currently reading" and WAY to many on my "to-read" :P

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4996577-christy

An ACTUAL gif of me trying to find a book in my collection ^

I really enjoy snailmail obviously and postcrossing is my favorite :)

I also occasionally enjoy videogames, and I play multiple genres / multiple platforms. 3DS/Wii/WiiU/Xbox/PC you name it!

Some of my all-time favorites are Animal Crossing [all of them] and Sims 3.

My music taste? ECLECTIC as can be... I literally listen to any and all.