Here I Swap 2017 - - Registration Is Open! -- UPDATE: And now it's closed!

YOU GUYS. THIS IS THE YEAR: THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF SWAPS.

No, wait. It's the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, and that's cause for celebration! Hopefully you're doing plenty of that already -- hymn sings, anyone? -- but when it comes to this kind of awesomeness, you can never have too much.

That's why it's time for Here I Swap 2017. Last year, we had about 150 ladies sign up. Don't you think we can make it to 500 this year?

I do.

This year, we're swapping coffee mugs along with a little something that says the season of fall/autumn. (Bonus points if you can work in Reformation swag.)

Here's how it works:

1. You sign up here. 
2. I find another gal with similar interests and then send you her contact info and other pertinent information. 
3. You peruse that information, which will give you a glimpse into her style, theology and personality.
4. You put together a little care package for her, based on that information. YOU MUST, AT THE VERY LEAST, SEND HER A MUG. Beyond that, does she love pumpkin spice lattes? Get her a drink mix! Does she adore fall-scented candles? Send her one! Is her favorite hymn "A Mighty Fortress"? Order her an LSB from CPH! This part is up to you. Once you've got a mug, you'll simply need to piece together a fall-themed care package that you think she'll love -- and it can be as simple or involved as you'd like. 
5. Stick that package in the mail!
6. Channel your inner Katie Luther, and wait patiently by the mailbox for YOUR care package to arrive. While you're busy finding a gorgeous mug and putting together a kind fall-themed gift for your new friend, another woman will be doing the same for you!
7. You'll now have met two new friends -- one you've sent a package to and one who's sent a package to you -- and perhaps even recited your Small Catechism while doing so.

Are you game?

• If you're 21 or older, sign up by clicking this link and filling out the (short -- I promise!) form. 

• Sign-ups close August 25. You'll receive information on your swap friend by September 11. 

• After reading up on your new friend (feel free secretly to check out her social media pages too!) and getting a feel for her style, head to Walmart or Home Goods or any place in between to put her fall swap package together. Please spend at least $10.00 but no more than $25.00.

• Send the package -- along with a little note with your name and how she can connect up with you -- by September 25 so that she receives it in time for October and the Reformation. 

• Post a picture of your fall swap package when it arrives. Use the hashtag #hereiswap2017 on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. You can meet even MORE Reformation-lovin' ladies that way!

• Finally, I'm hoping this swap will be a fun way for Lutheran women to encourage each other . . . and enjoy a few fall-themed goodies along the way, but unfortunately, I can't be held responsible for your partner's actions. I'm hopeful people are signing up who will actually send their swap packages, but if you haven't received a package by October 15, please let me know at adrianeheins@gmail.com if your partner doesn't come through so I can check in with her. *If I find out someone didn't mail a mug, she's banned to swapping purgatory. But seriously, you'll be out of the running for a year, and it will take a papal bull to get you back in the swap. Or something along those lines.*

Ready? Let's get swapping! Sign up now!