Happy Holidays

I dropped off my holiday cards on my way to work today at the World's Prettiest Post Office, our very own in Ester, Alaska:


This is not my photo. It was taken by one Renee Waters. The photos I attempted this morning were nowhere near this pretty (it was too dark).

Our tiny local post office does not have one of those self-serve stations where you weigh your packages, put in your credit card, and it makes a stamp for you. But there is never any line at the actual counter, so that is no problem! I suspect that most of their duties involve receiving mail, not delivering it. The several neighborhoods surrounding it almost all have PO boxes there, as our mail delivery is not secure. (except me, I still use my campus box.) Our postmistress sends out Facebook messages on our neighborhood group, "Hey please come pick up your mail! The boxes are overflowing!" The neighbors comply. This is a veeeerrrry small community. :)

The other day, I went in to mail a few boxes and my holiday cards going outside of the U.S., as well as pick up the stamps for my U.S. cards. I had a brain fart and lost the words "domestic" and "international" and informed the Postmistress that "I need some stamps for these foreign cards. And I also need to buy several books of stamps for my 'Merican cards, which I will write this weekend." She sold me the international stamps and then informed me that the price would be increasing on them after the New Year, and asked, would I like to purchase more now?

Would I.
Like to purchase.
Stamps.
For next year.
To save.
Fifteen cents.

I told her that I Very Much appreciated her thoughtfulness, and that I was very, very, very flattered by her evident enormous faith in me to keep track of the whereabouts of three postage stamps for A YEAR. But I declined.

The other awesome thing about actual post office human contact instead of the machine is that you get to choose some cool stamps! I GOT DINOSAURS!! Holographic dinosaurs, at that!


AWESOME!!

Here are some gratuitous snuggle photos.

Look how much they love to snuggle! Awwwwwww!!


Roo sez, "Hold my paw!"


Cricket sez, "Ahhhhh, my sister's butt! It's the sooooffffest and beeeestest pillow."