Greeting cards

I love love love love cards.

I used to design and sell greeting cards - those usually aren’t the ones I send, because weirdly they don’t feel as personal. I want people to know that I went out to a card store and picked out a card that reminded me of them. Whenever I remember, I send my friends cards for their birthdays. Last year, I hand illustrated twenty of my friends galentines day love notes (it started at 5, then I loved them and wanted a few more girls to get them, and suddenly we’d hit 20). My fridge is covered in wedding invites and cards that people have sent me. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to throw one out.

When my sister and all of her friends were exploring my apartment for the first time this weekend, they all were drawn to my fridge.

“You even have the best magnets!!” One of them exclaimed.

“Oh my gosh, this one is so cute.” Another said, pointing to a thank you note my friend’s nephew had written me for a hat I’d knit him (well, actually, I made it for myself and it was way too small… minor details).

“There are so many pea ones!! Is that an inside joke?” Nope, just a very cute coincidence.

I came back inside at one point to Julia (my sister) having taken a card off the fridge to read it. “Um, hello!?” I said, “You’re reading my personal cards that friends have sent me?”

She looked at me guiltily. “Mmm, yes?”

I laughed. “Go for it, they’re all adorable.”

Her friends heard they were fair game and oo’d and ahh’d and read their way through a few before they got distracted by other things. But throughout the entire night, they all continued to comment on the cards.

Today, they left, journeying back to Ann Arbor via train. As we were saying our goodbyes, one of the girls who had crashed at my place slid me a card. “This is for you, thank you so much for hosting us,” she said.

I had no idea when she had had the time to pick up and write me a card during the hectic couple of days we’d had, but wow, was it perfect. I loved the hedgehog on the front. And her note was incredible. Admittedly, it made me cry.

I came home and put it straight on the fridge.