Foodie PenPal UNfail.

Well, well, well.

Guess what?

Look what I found in my mailbox. Hmmmmmm.

We were out of town for the holiday weekend visiting friends, and when we got back and checked the mail on Monday, lo and behold, there was a package. Post-marked August 31 from Baltimore. Interesting.

My Foodie PenPal came through after all! Hooray!

I haven't really had a chance to try anything in the box yet, but here's a look at what was inside:

Unsure about these - I'm not a huge fan of ginger,
but the package says they are good for motion sickness.
I DO get motion sick... I'll save them for my next trip :)

Truth: C & I immediately broke into these. We like chocolate.
This was pretty good - the coffee flavor is not very strong,
just enough to enhance the flavor of the chocolate

Pretty excited for this! I love any & all salsa.
I think this would be yummy with my Chili-Lime Tilapia!

Haven't opened these yet, but they seem interesting.
I think I'm going to try them with
a schmear (technical measurement) of cream cheese
and a dab (technical measurement) of jam.
Sounds like a good breakfast!

 There was also a note in the box:

No mention of what the delay was about or if she read my post and I guilted her into sending something... I sincerely hope not. I hope it was just purely coincidence that she wasn't able to send it until the very last day of the month, and she did it because she wanted to. Either way, I appreciate the effort! It was nice to not be completely let down. Foodie PenPal for the win!

**C asked if I was going to issue an apology for my "FAIL" post - the answer is, absolutely not. What I said in the post was that I was disappointed and a bit mad about the situation, especially given the fact that there was zero communication about the whole thing. That still stands. It's not that hard to send an email and let someone who is counting on you know what's going on, and I still think my FPP should have done that. In the end, though, it is what it is - all's well that ends well. WHOOOO cliches.

Foodie PenPal FAIL.

Here's a picture of all the amazing goodies that my Foodie PenPal sent me this month!!:













Wait, there's no picture.

That's correct.

That's because this month's Foodie PenPal exchange was a great big FAIL. I did not receive a package. Whomp whomp.

I got paired up with Rachael from Around, Wondering as the person I was sending a package to, and another girl (She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named [SWSNBN]), who doesn't have a blog or any internet presence that I can find (so I'm starting to wonder if she's even real), as the person who was going to send me my package. Great, I thought! Let's do this! (LERROOYYYY JENKINS! Five points if you get that reference.)

I sent out my email to establish contact with Rachael, and got an email from SWSNBN. I told SWSNBN all about myself, my food preferences, my hobbies, my eating habits, blah blah blah. She emailed me back and told me about herself, including that she's a student in Maryland, and I thought that was great, because we'd have some local food things in common. All was well.

Packages are supposed to be mailed out by the 15th of the month. I got Rachael's package together, had a great time searching for fun things in Occoquan, wrapped it all in pretty tissue paper, and got it in the mail a day or two early, even. Then I get an email from SWSNBN saying that she won't be able to have my package in the mail by the 15th, but should have it by the 18th at the latest. OK - no big deal. It's just coming from Maryland, shouldn't take long to arrive, all is still well.

So....... then nothing. No email. No package. No carrier pigeon. I'm checking the mail daily, figuring that at some point this package will arrive. Nope. Nadda. I email SWSNBN asking what's going on. No response. I email Lindsay to tell her that things do not appear to be going well. She emails me back saying that she emailed SWSNBN - as far as I know, no response.

And that is all folks. SWSNBN has disappeared, I received no fun Foodie PenPals package this month, and August is over. I repeat... whomp whomp. Sads all around - even C is disappointed, because he liked the last box, and he helped me shop for this month's box, and we were looking forward to seeing what we'd get. So now there are TWO sad, fun-food-less people in our house. Two and half, if you count Mac, who's sad on our behalf.

So sad he's falling over.

I don't know what's going on here,
but this picture cracks me up.
Camera fail. Kitty pirate.

All funnies aside, I have to admit that I'm pretty disappointed/a little mad. I know that I take a chance when I sign up for an exchange like this that something will go wrong. I know that shit happens, and sometimes you just can't get your act together like you'd like, and maybe that's what happened this time. I'd like to give SWSNBN the benefit of the doubt. My issue with the whole thing is, though, that she didn't own up to it. At least answer my email. At least tell me that no box is coming. Don't just disappear off the face of the planet and leave me wondering WTF happened. Not cool, SWSNBN. Not cool. Blerg.

So there ya have it. This month's Foodie PenPals was a bust. I hope everyone else got awesome boxes, and I can't wait to read Rachael's post later and see if she liked what I sent her. I'm not doing FPP next month, because there's just too much going on, but I think I will take the chance again after that. After all, my first time around was pretty awesome. I couldn't possibly get screwed twice, right?? **knocks on wood**

~~~~~

If you want to know more about the Foodie PenPals Program, here is the basic info:

Foodie PenPals

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
• Foodie Penpals is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

~~~~~

Unrelated - this is my 100th post! Hooray!

Race Day & June Foodie PenPal Reveal

It's race day! This morning, I'll be in Anacostia Park in DC participating in the Semper Fi 5K, a race that raises money to support the Semper Fi Fund (similar to Wounded Warriors).

There was supposed to be a group of coworkers doing it with me, but I'm not sure how many of them are actually going to turn out - it is hot hot hot here right now, and I know a lot of people may not be brave crazy enough to venture out into the heat for the event. That's ok, though! The money will still go to the fund, and those of us who do go should have a blast.

I'm aiming to beat my 5K PR - wish me luck!
~~~~~
It's the last day of the month, and that brings exiting news! It's Foodie PenPal Reveal day!!

This program was started by Lindsay, and I've seen it on lots of blogs over the last few months. This month, I decided to join in on the fun! I received an AMAZING box of goodies from Sara - this box was a great way to kick off my participation in the program! I'm so excited to finally get to show off all the sweet things that I got. Everything that Sara sent me was locally-sourced from her home state of Michigan - I thought that was so cool!

I was so excited to see this!

Sent with <3 from Michigan

Excellent illustration of where my box came from :)

And here's what was inside...

This handmade pasta was SO good - C & I enjoyed it with a side of turkey meatballs, tossed with just a little bit of olive oil so we didn't mess with the flavor of the noodles. It was so tender and delicious!

Quite possibly the BEST cookies I've ever eaten - they were lemon! I could smell them as soon as I opened the box, and I will be honest, one of them did not survive much longer after this picture was taken. So soft and sweet and lemony... I'm dying. So happy and at the same time sad that Sara only sent two ;)  Sara... I would not be mad at ALL to find about a dozen more of these in my mailbox some day... just sayin'! hehe

Coffee & biscotti to enjoy together - but I haven't had a chance to make the coffee yet, so I dipped one of the biscotti in my bedtime tea and enjoyed it thoroughly!

Monster munch! This candied popcorn was incredible - this treat is also gone. It wasn't your typical candied corn... it was fruity flavored! Definitely something new, and something I really enjoyed.

Haven't had a chance to pop this Fireworks Popcorn yet, but I'm excited for when we do - I love fresh popcorn, and these dried kernels are just gorgeous.

I was thrilled to find this honey in my box - I love honey and use it in my tea and all sorts of other things. I didn't realize just how special this honey was, though, until I read Sara's note: it's from her parents' bees! Her dad keeps bees as a hobby, and they get to reap the sweet benefits. I have a jar of local Virginia honey, and I can actually taste the difference, which is fascinating to me. #nerdy

Sara threw in a post card showing some local parks and picnic areas in case I ever find myself in the great state of Michigan... you never know! And she wrote me a sweet note detailing everything in the box:

I couldn't have asked for a better Foodie PenPal for my first month in the program! Sara, you are FANTASTIC, and I definitely have some great ideas for the next box I put together for a penpal! Thank you so much for this introduction to the amazing local foods that you have around you :)

If you want to see what I sent MY penpal, head on over to Emma's blog and check out her Reveal post! This was a great experience, and I'm so glad I chose to participate this month. I'm not sure I am going to be able to commit to July, as my schedule is pretty packed, but I'm looking forward to joining in again soon.

~~~~~

If you want to know more about the Foodie PenPals Program, here is the basic info:

Foodie PenPals

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
• Foodie Penpals is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re interested in participating for July, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!