Alright, alright!!

cos-mo-post-al-an [koz-muh-postal-en]: adjective/noun
1. a person
who belongs to all the world; not limited to just one part of the world; can make their home anywhere in the world.
2. a person who believes fully that postage stamps and mail connect the world, regardless of where, from or to, they go.
3. the joyful experience of knowing you're a local because your mail made it to its destination
.


The postage stamp is truly wonderful. It can travel the world, experience the lives of a million different people, go through the doors of strangers; and never once lose sight of where it's headed.
Welcome to the land of cosmopostalan : travel, mail and words. It's a crazy little place in my corner of the woods; wherever that may be!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Summer Bucket List #102


This summer is going to be incredibly busy for my family and me.
I have a lot of things I want to do, as well as a lot of things planned.
To keep track of some of the whimsical things that fly through my mind on a daily basis, I've decided to keep a running list of this things I want to do.

Bucket List #102
Read the three aviation books I've been waiting to read.
Aviation and planes are two of my favourite things. I have a large collection of books about planes, many from the 1920's - 1940's time period. Three of them, however, have been sitting in eager anticipation to be read for a long five months now. Summer will provide me with the perfect opportunity to read them.


I can't wait.

To sunshine, summer...and mail--
                 ~ Ms. Always Traveling

Incoming and outgoing long weekend...

Summer is just around the corner. I am so excited.
This weekend was a long weekend in the United States, Memorial Day Weekend -- Lest we forget.
The weather this weekend was INCREDIBLE with crazily warm weather on Saturday, Sunday and today. I am getting super eager for this summer. Finally some time off, and no time restraints on anything!
My lovely Yowie pink cockatoo, sitting in our Bottlebrush Bonsai (yup, they exist).

The path to summer...it's just around the corner...

I really love this photo. Captures the freshness of the spring-to-summer transition perfectly.

Also this weekend, I decided to send out some mail--for no reason other than to tell my dear global amigos that I am getting super ready for summer.

A letter to the dear A

Close up. It's a map of Massachusetts.

And to the lovely T. Got Toronto "on the map"

Closeup. The blue paper is from a theatre-performance program.

A little summer fun on its way to friends in Detroit.

Got to love summer banners.

And in return...
The final Celebration Stamp that I have. It's a sad goodbye.

Stamp LOVE.

Mail and summer go hand in hand.
Send more mail--
                  ~ Ms. Always Traveling

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

From Within The USPS...

My great aunt works for the United States Postal Service.
She is an enthusiast for mail, and postal ponderings in general.
Last Friday, I trekked to my post office box where I was greeted by a massive box from her. When Bill, the ever-joyful, sole post office employee, informed me that I had a package, I couldn't believe it. It didn't make any sense. Who would be sending me a package? I had no idea of the sender.
Until I looked at the box and saw the mailing address, I was wholly thinking someone had sent a package to the wrong location.
I couldn't wait to open it. So, I grabbed it up, thanked good ole' Bill and sat out the front of the post office on the grass, beginning to open the box.
It was FULL of postal paraphenalia. FULL.
My aunt has got it going ON!








And so I just HAD to send out a massive thank you!



 And, paired with another outgoing...


...it was an excellent outgoing mail day!

Looking forward to some incoming...and some more penpals!

Getting mail, and giving thanks!
                              ~ Ms. Always Traveling

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

A Letter To Good Company

The happiest people are those who think the most interesting thoughts. Those who decide to use leisure as a means of mental development, who love good music, good books, good pictures, good company, good conversation, are the happiest people in the world. And they are not only happy in themselves, they are the cause of happiness in others. ~ William Lyon Phelps

Now there is a little bit of wisdom.

It is incredibly, incomparably important to surround oneself with positive people. People who are positive people not only within themselves, but also within others. By that I mean, people who--when thought of, or remarked upon--bring only positive remarks and positive connotations.
For it is those kind of people who attract goodness and joy.


So if I was to write a letter to good company--that is, everyone in my life who is wonderfully, positively excellent to have around--it would quite simply say this:

The world needs more people like you. You're excellent company.
And, enclosed in a beautiful envelope and written on positively perfect stationary, nothing would be left to wonder. Because people who are positive, uplifting and pure lovely in one's life deserve to be recognised, and thanked.



So, good company? Thanks. The world needs more people like you.

To all of my global good company, those met and those not just yet--
                                                  ~ Ms. Always Traveling

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Hatch Shell

The Hatch Memorial Shell, a beautiful piece of Masschusetts history, is a semi-sphere shaped outdoor stage located on Boston's very own Charles River. Home to many free musical events, the Shell is accompanied by a large grassy "audience area", where performance-goers can sit, relax and enjoy the music in the warmer seasons.

Such was the case last weekend, as I venued to the Hatch Shell to enjoy some jazz, and a day of unseasonably warm (and un-rainy) weather.



It was a truly lovely venue, on a spectacular afternoon.
Boston gets a "double thumbs up" for that one.

It's getting there.

Next stop--
            ~ Ms. Always Traveling

Incoming and outgoing...

Finally; a good mail day! Haven't had one of these little beauties in a while!

Today, I received some lovely mail from within America:


And sent some mail out...

To my cousin within America:


To my dear friend A back in Australia:


And to a reply to the mail I receied today from within America:


I love how the character on the envelope is looking directly at the stamp! Handmade that way for a reason!




I always love checking my mail box.
What arrived in your mail box today?

**Also: I wanted to upload these photo of the beautiful mail I received frommy global penpals, last good mail day, because they are simply beautiful pieces:


Love them loads!!**
Applying postage makes for a lovely moment of joy--
                                                ~ Ms. Always Traveling

Monday, May 14, 2012

Not the vessel, but the message...

Today has been an interesting mail day.

Especially considering that no mail came in.

Instead, it was an interesting mail day because I thought of all the mail that I have sent out this week, and wondering what kind of joys I can send out this coming week. It can be hard to come up with things to send out, especially when you aren't getting a whole lot of replies, but I still would love to send things out! I guess I need more penpals in order to truly facilitate a little more outgoing/incoming joy!

Today though, I received some lovely messages in a different way from my dear friends across the globe. I received an email from a dear friend of mine, and another message in a different form from another dear friend, as well as a handwritten note from another. Although none of them came to me via the wonderful world of the postal system, all three of them made me feel extremely lovely, and loved--just like how mail should make one feel.
And it reminded me:
It is not always the vessel with which a message is sent, but the thought that goes into the conveying of such a message. Telling someone you care means the world regardless of how you say it. (And you can take that to the bank!) ~ Riley

And then I got to thinking: what are some other cool ways I could convey messages?
So I created some new ways to make communicative magic happen.

Here is what I came up with.

Sending mail via A BOOK...


Sending mail via A TEA BOX...

Sending mail via AN EGG SHELL...


Sending mail via HAND...


Regardless of how you send a message, send that message.

And make today a beautiful mail day.

Send mail--send a whole lot of mail,
                                       ~ Ms. Always Traveling

xo. mothers and mail .ox

A letter was sent to my mother yesterday, in appreciation of the day that reminds us all of exactly where we came from.



To all the mothers out there, with us, or in a better place, currently a mother, once a mother, soon to be a mother; forever and always our mothers; we thank you.

To my mother-- Happy Mothers Day to the woman that has always encouraged my endeavours. I thank you wholly.

Send a letter to your mother--
                          ~ Ms. Always Traveling