First of all, we have a winner! Winner-winner chicken dinner! FawnDear, you've WON Saucy's Grand Gesture and I KNOW your daughters will look delightful in those itty-bitty ipod earrings. Congratulations!
Second of all, I went to the Twin Cities last weekend. My visit to my sister was largely saved by her new digs which is as nice as a good hotel--clean and full of amenities. The indoor pool area was huge and well-maintained and gave Team Testosterone ample space to burn off their collective steam. And believe me, after 5 hours in the MomVan, they have steam!
After dropping her at work Saturday morning, I drove the crew deep into St. Paul to find the Java Train Cafe. We were early and detoured a few blocks over to a lovely playground where they ran and frolicked for an hour in the balmy (okay, Suburban Correspondent, it wasn't really balmy--it was 45 and cloudy--brr!) weather. Then we returned to the cafe to meet ...
drumroll ...
(may I add here that I was so excited and a teensy bit nervous about meeting this fellow blogger? I barely slept the night before. I wore my green sneakers and hope on my sleeve)
Minnesota Matron!!!
I wasn't nervous at all once she turned around and we recognized each other in an instant. People, she was amazing! I knew it would be awesome, but really? To meet in person someone you've known online for a couple of years was like Old Home Week. We sat and chatted about all and sundry--family, the infamous "Q" from last year's class at her college, teaching, blogging, and writing. I got to ask all of my burning questions and put a voice and face and body to the mind and thoughts and opinions I've grown to appreciate. She's just as wicked smart as you might imagine from her posts and she wore the loveliest handcrafted jewelry. It felt natural to sit at a table and intimately talk with someone I've known through daily posts for two (plus!) years. And I'd been so afraid it would feel forced and polite. Silly me.
She brought along her adorable youngest who fell in with my tribe like he'd always known them, too. The boys played while we sat in the not-really-balmy outdoor courtyard and yakked and yakked. The time flew with conversation. We parted with that promise to keep in touch, and I know we will. Merrick's got to see the 'farm' here, you know--chuck stones in our creek and check out the forts and deer stand in the Back Forty.
I've always wanted to meet other bloggers in person, I only regret that I haven't tried harder. I'm also happy Mary and I met in this private way. A party or large gathering like BlogHer would be full of distractions and side conversations--this lent itself to so much brain-picking and deeper communication.
It's funny to think of how I preface stories with "my bloggy friend..." By meeting Mary in person I can now officially say "my friend Mary."
I'm as lucky as FawnDear, aren't I?
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