I got a message shortly after matching for the card exchange. My match said they looked through my profile and thought maybe they had something that I'd enjoy in addition to a holiday card. I was intrigued. I replied that it was wholly unnecessary to send anything more than a card, but I'd be happy to take whatever they wanted to send. I had no idea what it might be.

I went out of town for Christmas. Upon my return, a GIANT box was sitting just inside the front door. I thought, "Well, this can't be from the card exchange. It's way too big." Then I checked the tracking number against the one my match sent me. It was, indeed, from the card exchange. At this point I was confused and excited. Maybe it was just a really big card? I carried it into further into the house and carefully cut the tape. The first thing to greet me was packing peanuts. Which no one loves. But I managed to keep my cool. I dug deep and came up with a card. Sweet. I opened it up.

This card is awesome! It's a pop-up cat card that is way to accurate. Inside the card is a lovely note from Andrea. She explains that she looked over my RG profile and noticed that I love both Japan and art. Which is true. She goes on to say that based on these facts, she has included with the card an ORIGINAL PAINTING! What?! Not only is it an original painting, but a beautiful rendition of 神奈川沖浪裏 (The Great Wave Off Kanagawa - better known as 'Hokusai's Wave') by Hokusai-sama, who is one of my favorite ukiyo-e artists.

Andrea, thank you SO MUCH. I love it. I'm totally blown away by your generosity. Art is the best gift you can give, and you've made my week.