Letters 352 to 366!

352: To an amazing Mentor
353-354: To a couple of pals from my days at Saint Mary'
355: To a former co-worker in Ottawa
356-7: To nurses working over the holidays
358-9: To firefighters doing the same.
360-1: To the owners and publishers of our local newspaper in regards to a union dispute.
362: A Christmas note to my favourite Ottawa family in response to a note from them! 
363: Thank you notes galore for our side hustle, I've written well over 500 of these now but the content is too similar to count them all separately. 
364: A note for my Mom as part of her Christmas present this year <3 a="" after="" cheeky="" d="" discovered="" fact="" font="" haha.="" i="" it="" less="" little="" making="" me="" she="" something="" the="" wish="" written="">
365: A letter to Jason, celebrating all that happened in 2016 and all that awaits in 2017. 
366: A letter to myself, for 2017. I'm trying to steer away from goals, but also to take what I've learned from 2016 and apply it in 2017.

That's a wrap on letters for 2016, with some creative counting and lots of letters to people I love I sent 366 letters & notes out into the world. Halfway through 2016 our life changed pretty significantly and that impacted this project- I still have lots of letters that I want to write, and lots of love left to share. In 2017 I am going to once again try to write a letter a day (365) and see where that takes me! 

Thank you for your support in 2016!

With love, 

Kimberley 

Letters 296 to 351

I keep hoping I will have caught up with these letters, and that hasn't quite happened yet- but I am getting closer! 

Letters 296-316: Are holiday cards being sent to residents of a local nursing home to help brighten their holidays. 
Letters 317-318: Went to my two favourite Ottawa families, accompanied by some NS themed holiday goodies!
Letters: 319-325: Were given to six of our collaborators at work, with gratitude for their help this year! 
Letters 326-349: Christmas Cards sent to our family, friends & co-workers (also totally friends)! About half of these went to people we see all the time, and the other half to friends we see on special occasions and those living out of province. We are so thankful to have such a lovely collection of friends :) 
Letter 350: To Jason's Dad for his birthday! 
Letter 351: A Christmas Card for a little girl named Hailey who loves getting Christmas Cards in the mail :) It's not too late to send her one now!! She's hoping for a enough she can make a pile to jump in on Christmas morning! 
Hailey Rodenhiser 
151 Hirtle Rd, 
Dayspring, N.S.,
B4V 5R1

Only 15 left to write, and a little over 15 days to write them! 

Sending you lots of love this holiday season :) 

Kimberley

Letters 245-295

Letter 245: To one of my favourite Ottawa families :) 
Letter 246: A housewarming note to a great friend. 
Letter 247-248: A thank you note for some great police work on Remembrance Day. 
Letter 249: For an amazing business in our old Ottawa neighbourhood.
Letter 250: A thank you note for an awesome restaurant we visited in Ottawa.. 
Letter 251: A note for another amazing Ottawa business. 
Letter 252: A letter to a community organization thanking them for their advocacy work. 
Letter 253: A thank you note for everyone advocating for women at a local women's organization
Letter 254: A note for another amazing Ottawa family. 
Letters 255-280: Thank you notes for the amazing humans supporting our small business. 
Letter 281: To everyone at our nearby library.
Letter 282: To a small business I've been following on Instagram 
Letters 283-287; Little random acts of kindness notes to share. 
Letter 288: A letter to a little consignment shop in Halifax that has created a culture of kindness :) 
Letter 289: For a shop with amazing staff in Halifax
Letter 290: For another awesome shop in Dartmouth 
Letter 291: Another letter for an awesome shop with great customer service in Dartmouth 
Letter 292: For a cheerful shop we visited in Almonte, Ontario. 
Letter 293: A note for a dear friend. 
Letter 294-5: Letters to the love of my life (too much), One for our anniversary, and one just because. 

I still have quite a few left to go, I'm hoping to make a good dent in the list with Christmas cards, I'm still hoping I'll be able to make it to 366 before Dec. 31. I'm already thinking about keeping it going into 2017- I really love writing letters! 

With Love, 

Kimberley 

Letters 211 to 244

Again, a huge delay between posts. I'm pretty sure that this blog now exists solely for my own record of the project but if you are still reading, I promise my end goal is to post on a regular schedule again.

The majority of my letters are for friends and family, but a few are still for local businesses or other services. I've stopped including information with the letters about the project. My letters are now more or signed with a simple "Kimberley" and I'm hopeful that they read as a kind gesture without needing more details. Initially I wanted to be acknowledged for the project, hence the hashtags, but now I feel like acknowledgement might kind of cheapen the goal. 

Ok, onto the next chunk of letters. 

Letter 211: For our Realtor on the anniversary of first viewing/purchasing our home. She's amazing. 

Letters 212-213: For two of my favourite kids in Ottawa. Our penpal letters have been sporadic as of late, but still a bright spot in my life. 

Letter 214:  A birthday card for one of my closest friends. We've known each other for over 13 years.

Letter 215: A Halloween themed wedding card for a dear Halloween loving friend and her (now) husband. 

Letter 216: A quick note to my mentor during university, she's been a constant presence in my life during a series of big events. She's wonderful. 

Letter 217: A postcard for my Nannie, whose cleared out her lifetime postcard collection to help with my project. 

Letters 218-220: Congratulatory notes for local businesses who've been kind and supportive of our latest endeavours. 

Letter 221: A note of encouragement to student leaders at my former university.

Letters: 222-223: Short pre-wedding notes for two amazing couples as they get closer to the big day. I remember the pre-wedding nerves and just want them to know how much we love them. 

Letter 224: A thank you card for the preservation society of Halifax landmark, the Public Gardens. 

Letter 225: A thank you note for a community health centre, central to a community that I love. 

Letter 226: A third thank you note for the amazing staff and guides at Citadel Hill, a place where I spent a 

great deal of time this Summer. 

Letter 227: A birthday card for my strong and lovely Mama. 

Letters 228-229: For two amazing kids who've grown up in front of me. 

Letter 230: For a co-worker as part of a baby shower gift, she's an incredible human. 

Letters 231-240: Cards for my kind, amazing, talented and wonderful co-workers as I prepare to take a little time off. 

Letters 241-244: Letters as documentation for the preschoolers in my class, one of my favourite types of letters to write. 

This leaves me with 116 letters left to write, and 97 days left to do it! I'm still about two weeks behind but I'll keep working to catch up and finish before December 31. Letters and cards make my heart happy so it's an easy project to work on. 

With Love, 

Kimberley 

Letters 211 to 244

Again, a huge delay between posts. I'm pretty sure that this blog now exists solely for my own record of the project but if you are still reading, I promise my end goal is to post on a regular schedule again.

The majority of my letters are for friends and family, but a few are still for local businesses or other services. I've stopped including information with the letters about the project. My letters are now more or signed with a simple "Kimberley" and I'm hopeful that they read as a kind gesture without needing more details. Initially I wanted to be acknowledged for the project, hence the hashtags, but now I feel like acknowledgement might kind of cheapen the goal. 

Ok, onto the next chunk of letters. 

Letter 211: For our Realtor on the anniversary of first viewing/purchasing our home. She's amazing. 

Letters 212-213: For two of my favourite kids in Ottawa. Our penpal letters have been sporadic as of late, but still a bright spot in my life. 

Letter 214:  A birthday card for one of my closest friends. We've known each other for over 13 years.

Letter 215: A Halloween themed wedding card for a dear Halloween loving friend and her (now) husband. 

Letter 216: A quick note to my mentor during university, she's been a constant presence in my life during a series of big events. She's wonderful. 

Letter 217: A postcard for my Nannie, whose cleared out her lifetime postcard collection to help with my project. 

Letters 218-220: Congratulatory notes for local businesses who've been kind and supportive of our latest endeavours. 

Letter 221: A note of encouragement to student leaders at my former university.

Letters: 222-223: Short pre-wedding notes for two amazing couples as they get closer to the big day. I remember the pre-wedding nerves and just want them to know how much we love them. 

Letter 224: A thank you card for the preservation society of Halifax landmark, the Public Gardens. 

Letter 225: A thank you note for a community health centre, central to a community that I love. 

Letter 226: A third thank you note for the amazing staff and guides at Citadel Hill, a place where I spent a 

great deal of time this Summer. 

Letter 227: A birthday card for my strong and lovely Mama. 

Letters 228-229: For two amazing kids who've grown up in front of me. 

Letter 230: For a co-worker as part of a baby shower gift, she's an incredible human. 

Letters 231-240: Cards for my kind, amazing, talented and wonderful co-workers as I prepare to take a little time off. 

Letters 241-244: Letters as documentation for the preschoolers in my class, one of my favourite types of letters to write. 

This leaves me with 116 letters left to write, and 97 days left to do it! I'm still about two weeks behind but I'll keep working to catch up and finish before December 31. Letters and cards make my heart happy so it's an easy project to work on. 

With Love, 

Kimberley 

Letters 176-210

I had hoped after my last post to be caught up and back to a regular posting schedule, but alas that was not the case.

Life has been a particular brand of hectic lately, but I've been trying to keep up (or close to) my letters and feel confident by the end of 2016 I will have written and mailed at least 366 letters! As always if you've got any suggestions for recipients let me know.

176: A note for my high school best friend
177: A surprise note mailed to my lovely & patient husband.
178-180: In the time I waited to get stamps I managed to write three different notes to mail to my real life friend and long-term penpal, Flip.
181: To a local gift shop in a seaside town.
182: To a newly opened restaurant in Halifax.
183: To my wonderful in-laws.
184: To my amazing parents.
185: A note for a co-worker on their birthday.
186: A letter to one of my favourite Ottawa friends
187: Another for #186's amazing children.
188: A little love in a wedding shower card for a bride-to-be.
189: A farewell card for a friend at work.
190: A little thank you note for neighbouring shop.
191: Love added onto a wedding RSVP.
192: A hello sent to a former co-worker, turned lifelong friend.
193: For another former co-worker turned friend.
194: A note that could have been easily hand-delivered to one of our favourite couple friends.
195: To a local bakery that makes the BEST brownies ever.
196: To the staff at a local library branch.
197: A note for one of my closest Ottawa friends.
198: To the friendly staff at Value Village in Dartmouth.
199: For one of my old babysitting charges.
200: For the sibling of #199. These kids left a mark on my heart.
201 & 202: For a family whom I used to be a kindergarten teacher for. They're lovely.
203: To the A&W staff in Bayer's Lake who made us a well needed dinner on a rainy night.
204: To my previous co-workers in Ottawa.
205-10: Letters written for preschoolers at work, about their learning. It's become my favourite way to document their work.

I'm about 18 days behind, but I am hopeful that as the year continues I'll be able to catch up and get all my letters written! Thanks for following along.

With Love,

Kimberley

Letter Catch-Up 164-175

Things got out of control around here during the month of June which definitely impeded my letter writing. I've been itching to get back at it and finally have an update to share- hopefully I'll be able to catch up fully soon!

Letter 164: A postcard for my Nannies
Letter 165: A birthday card for a co-worker.
Letter 166: A thank you card for a kind gesture.
Letter 167: A note for a best friend
Letter 168: Another note for another best friend.
Letter 169: A note for my in-laws who I love dearly.
Letter 170: A note for my own parents, who I am so thankful for especially lately!
Letter 171-2: For two of my favourite kids in Ottawa.
Letter 173: For our Ottawa friend whose received the most letters this year.
Letter 174: For an awesome local shop.
Letter 175: A thank you for awesome customer service.

I still have about 15 letters to write to get back on track but I'm going to keep working! Remember you can always suggest people or businesses I can write too!

With Love,

Kimberley 

Letters 156 to 163

These letters are timed to arrive near the start of training at a few Summer Camps, both nearby and across Canada. I attended Tim Horton's Camps from Grade 6 through to Grade 11, and later worked as a counsellor for the Children's Foundation and with other local programs. I cannot overstate the value of these programs on my life, they really were life changing for me. That's a story for another time though. 

Letters 156 to 163 went to Camp Counsellors and Youth Workers who are preparing to spend their Summers making memories with amazing and deserving kids. Just wanted to give them all air high fives before they dive right in! 

With Love, 

Kimberley 

Letters 149-155

Letter 149: An 'I Love You' note for my parents

Letter 150: For The Staff & Volunteers at Feed Nova Scotia

Letter 151: To my Ottawa Pen Pal Ken, recipient of about 7 letters so far this year

Letter 152: For one of my closest friends; we've been friends since elementary school

Letter 153: Another friend on our 8 year anniversary

Letter 154: To a former room mate and dear friend

Letter 155: To the volunteers at Hope For Wildlife

With Love, 

Kimberley

Letters 143-148

This weeks letters we're a bucketful of thank you's, especially to hard working and often under appreciated retail workers. Sent a little love to a few places we frequent often, and others who've made a difference in our lives, past and present. 

Letter 143: To Sandwich Artists at our local Subway

Letter 144: To the friendly Cashiers at Shoppers Drug Mart

Letter 145: To another friendly staff at the Portland Street Superstore

Letter 146: To the Bluenose Marathon Volunteers & Staff

Letter 147: To the MS Society of Canada Halifax Office

Letter 148: To the Ecology Action Centre

#366letters

With Love,

Kimberley

Letters 129-142

Over a third of the way through the letters! It sometimes feels like a lot of work, but most often is a few moments of calm in the midst of a busy day! I can't lie I'm already considering what the project can be like next year!

Letters 129-137 went to Youth In Attawapiskat as part of their request for letters. Writing to them reminded me why I wanted to start this project, I'm going to start looking for more communities that might need a little extra love and send it their way. Read more about Attawpiskat here. 

Letter 138 went to a Halifax Shop, Big Pony, for being awesome! 

Letter 139 went to the most hilarious twitter account/drug store in Halifax, Guardian. 

Letter 140 went to the amazing people at the Bus Stop Theatre for supporting such a great community space.

Letter 141 went to our dear Ottawa friend, I think that's 4 letters I've written him this year- maybe 5? Unsurprisingly, this project has made me a better penpal.

Letter 142 was written with help from the preschoolers in my class to one of my lovely co-workers whose on Maternity leave now. Writing with the preschoolers has quickly topped my list of favourite things! 

With Love, 

Kimberley

Letters 123 - 128

These letters didn't have a purposeful addressee, just a lot of love inside for anyone I might run into during my daily life who I want to show a little extra love to! Now that I've started giving thanks in so many ways it just feels like a natural part of daily life. Saying thanks and letting people know their appreciated makes my heart so happy.

With Love, 

Kimberley

Letters 118 - 122

This set of letters went to a small fraction of the amazing staff working at our local hospital. There are so many people working hard everyday taking care of patients, and supporting families. These four letters only begin to cover the amazing work happening every day. If you are working in health care, thank you for your hard work. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Following the same theme, Letter 122 went to the hard working firefighters at our nearby firestation. Another group of amazing humans working damn hard for us. Sending lots of love and gratitude into the universe for everyone in that profession as well. 

With Love, 

Kimberley

Letters 143-148

Lots of thank you letters went out into the universe this week! Many to retail store workers who are working hard in my community everyday. 

Letter 143: To the kind folks at the Ecology Action Centre

Letter 144: My local Superstore's amazing employees

Letter 145: To the fantastic employees at Shoppers Drug Mart

Letter 146: To the kind Sandwich Artists at Subway

Letter 147: To the Bluenose Marathon Support Team

Letter 148: To the lovely humans who support Nova Scotians living with Multiple Sclerosis

#366letters

With Love,

Kimberley

Letters 111-117

Letter 111 went to the lovely employees at The Country Barn Antiques in Port Williams, NS for their lovely friendly service during a recent visit.

Letter 112: Was a quick note to a wonderful friend for their birthday. 

Letter 113: To the baristas at our favourite coffee shop in Ottawa 

Letter 114: To another old Ottawa favourite, The Hintonburg Market, a shop that opened during our last year in Ottawa that we loved to visit 

Letter 115: Was a note to a beloved Ottawa friend who I've been missing. 

Letter 116: To the baristas at our local Starbucks who also provided some excellent customer service recently.

Letter 117: To a lovely Ottawa shop, Flock Boutique.

Feeling the love (and a little homesick) for our Ottawa life. That city and it's people we're good to us. 

If you've got an idea for someone who could use a little love let me know :)  

With Love, 

Kimberley

Letters 105-110

Three birthday's in a week made it easy to know who to write a few letters for this week! Two of my oldest and dearest friends are celebrating birthdays this week (celebrated with a spectacular Harry Potter party) and Jay's Momma also celebrated her birthday last week! I'm especially excited because all three cards were purchased locally and two of the three were made right here in Halifax!

Letters 109 & 110 went to a former co-worker and an (often) missed friend, both in Ottawa.

Since sending out the last bunch of letters I've also received a lot of love on Social Media- it has been incredible. When I started this project I hoped to make people a little happier, but to know that I did feels pretty great. 

With Love,

Kimberley 

100 LETTERS!

I've sent 100 of my 366 Letters and not even a full third of the way through this project I feel like I've learned a lot. 

* Expressing gratitude makes me feel happier, which makes me want to do it more which has lead to a very thank you card focused shift to this project. 

* If you forget stamps Canada Post is unforgiving. Triple check the envelopes before mailing! 

* Confirm the Social Media info you're providing, I've found a couple of links back to me that definitely don't connect to me! Whoops! 

* Get creative! The options for recipients are pretty endless, just brainstorm! 

* Be calm. This project is meant to be fun, it's ok to take breaks! 

I am excited to see what the next 100 letters bring, and would love to hear from you! Which letters have been your favourite? Who else should I write to? 

With Love,

Kimberley

Letters 98-104

This is the post where I *finally* hit that first 100 letter milestone. That's right, I've now sent 100 love notes out since the beginning of 2016! Only 266 more to go! 

If you'd like some snail mail love or can think of someone who would, please let me know! 

Letter 98: iSans [Providing support to recent refugees]

Letter 99: The Big Lift [Construction Project in Halifax]

Letter 100: Maritime Museum Of The Atlantic 

Letter 101: Alterego's Cafe 

Letter 102: Truckside [Series of local restaurants with amazing staff]

Letter 103: Seven Bays [Local bouldering club!]

Letter 104: Halifax Refugee Clinic 

#366letters

With Love, 

Kimberley

Letters 90-97

Letter 90: Family SOS [An amazing community organization]
Letter 91: Wildflower Clothing [An awesome local clothing shop!]
Letter 92: For the staff at the gym where we've become regulars.
Letter 93: Ace Burger [Seriously good food!]
Letter 94: Tourism Kingston [Ontario]
Letter 95: Michael de Adder [Local editorial cartoonist]
Letter 96: Darkside Cafe [Another great local business, Jay loves their coffee!]
Letter 97: Lemon Dogs [Local LEMONADE! Need I say more?!?]

Getting closer and closer to that 100 letter mark! 

#366letters

With Love, 

Kimberley 

Letters 84-89

Sending more love out into the universe today. Writing these letters is making my heart so full, and once I start I find it hard to come up with a reason to stop writing! 

Letter 84: The staff at Shelter Nova Scotia 

Letter 85: Ottawa Public Library (Rosemount Branch) Staff

Letter 86: Habitat For Humanity ReStore

Letter 87: 2 Doors Down Restaurant 

Letter 88: A friend and former co-worker in Ottawa 

Letter 89: A former teacher, practicum advisor and mentor

#366Letters

With Love, 

Kimberley