jlink

(Arizona Desert • Crafter • Pen Pal • Cancer Survivor • Happy Mail Enthusiast)

💬 A Quick Hello Hi! I’m Julie — 56, mom to a wonderful son (Matt), now married to a lovely young woman, and engaged to Tim for over 10 years. I grew up in a small Minnesota town, spent years in the cities, and eventually found my way back to small‑town life… only now it’s in the Arizona desert. No more winters for me!

🎗️ A Bit of My Story I’m an ovarian cancer survivor, currently in remission after two years of chemo and a couple hospital stays. Because of that journey, Teal has become a very meaningful color to me.

I also lost my hearing while working as an executive assistant at Best Buy Corporate (13 years). After being laid off, I was able to retire early due to disability. I don’t know ASL, but I navigate life just fine — and I’m grateful for the quiet moments. Music is difficult for me now, but I loved all the big‑hair 80s bands back in the day.

I have one small Papparanien dog named Bear, and a wonderfully quirky family spread across Alaska and Minnesota. I’ve lived in Alaska, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and now Arizona.

💌 Happy Mail & Swapping I love swapping, pen‑palling, Postcrossing, and sending cheerful mail. If you ever receive something from me with postage due, please message me first — I’ll always make it right.

I also run a Swap‑Bot Facebook group — everyone is welcome! (Please copy/paste into your browser) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1069159135975874/

My Amazon Under $20 Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2DDQCA8DING77/

💖 Likes & Interests I enjoy so many things, but here are some favorites: State or Country flag postcards (I have none yet!) Dr. Who Horses • Dogs • Wolves • Bears • Penguins • Turtles Fairies Pink & Teal Girly things Wonder Woman My Little Pony Droids • Groot • Minions Trains (Tim loves them!) Nightmare Before Christmas Adult coloring (non‑curse books) Jon Van Zyle art Christmas & Halloween Stickers • Stationery • Stamps Tausendschön postcards Travel Chocolate (no white; please avoid sending in summer — AZ heat melts everything!) Disney • Eeyore Entering sweepstakes Pen pals Postcrossing Postcards of all kinds — touristy, vintage, actors, movie posters, animals, book covers… truly anything. I care more about what you write than the image. If it’s not listed, I probably still like it!

🚫 Dislikes Coconut flakes Mushrooms Live snakes Bugs Green beans (allergic)

✂️ Crafting I’m definitely a crafter! I enjoy: Paper crafting Card making Quilting Scrapbooking Cross stitching Learning to knit & crochet Latch hook General crafting I’m currently learning flip books, ATCs, pocket letters, and I just mastered corner bookmarks.

I could really use: Ephemera Die cuts Stickers Washi ATC Cards Nice notecards with envelopes (for Chemo Angels) Anything Native America

🎗️ Chemo Angels I volunteer with Chemo Angels and send notes to people undergoing treatment. If you ever want to join, they’re always looking for more volunteers.

📚 Reading I’m an eclectic reader — fantasy, mystery, some romance (no Harlequin). Current authors I enjoy:

Wendy Corsi Staub Brent Weeks Robert Jordan Faye & Jonathan Kellerman Dean Koontz John Flanagan

I’m always open to new authors — send recommendations!

🎬 Movies Because of my hearing loss, I wait for DVDs. I love action, drama, comedy, and disaster movies (even the corny ones).

Favorites include: Fiddler on the Roof Bridge on the River Kwai Armageddon The Hunt for Red October Fast and the Furious Series Mission Impossible Series Top Gun Series The Hobbit Series (all of them) Marvel Star Wars

Not a fan of slasher/horror — Tim watches those while I turn my hearing aids off and face the other way.

📺 TV Shows We use Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu and others Current favorites: Law&Order (all of the different ones) Heartland CSI Ghosts SWAT NCIS Dr. Who (always!) Cooking shows A Discovery of Witches Major Crimes Many more — I’m always open to suggestions.

🔮 Religion & Spirituality We’re currently doing an at‑home Bible study and learning more about faith. I’m also open to Pagan traditions — we celebrate Christmas on the Solstice at my dad’s house. We are Native American - he is Cherokee, I am Ojibwe, so we celebrate those traditions as well

💌 Postcards I love postcards in envelopes or naked — either is fine. Homemade is great - gives me ideas! Send whatever you have — I treasure the message more than the image.

🌟 Happy to Be Here I’m so grateful to be part of Swap‑Bot and to connect with kind, creative people. Thanks for reading — I can’t wait to swap with you.