Since returning from my trip to Chicago for BlogHer, I have had a number of friends (Both of the online and in my regular life variety) ask me if my experience there was as awesome as I made it out to be. Those that have blogs but have never met other bloggers in “real life” wonder if they will get along as well as they do online. Friends and acquaintances that I see in my daily life sometimes wonder (what a blog even is, and) wonder why you would fly to another country to spend time with people you met online. Could they possibly be considered “real” friends?

I can tell you without any hesitation that these “blog” friends of mine are just as real and authentic in person as they are online. We came to be friends through our writing and once you get together in the flesh it’s like a missing piece falls into place. Instead of just bonding over words and comments you get to talk, share and laugh together and realize why you were drawn to them through their writing in the first place.

(I put “blog” in quotes because it feels as though by putting it in front of the word “friends” somehow demeans the term. Friends are friends are friends, regardless of how or where you met.)

This is the reason that despite returning from Chicago a mere two weeks ago, I once again boarded an airplane and trekked to the US of A. This time, destination Portland.

I was lucky enough to fly for free (Yay AIRMILES!) and stay for free (Yay Kerrianne!). She picked me up on Tuesday and the two of us had a great evening eating, talking and laughing. She spoiled me with flowers and notes and her wicked friendship.

The main reason for this short trip (aside for the chance to see Kerri again) was because a good friend of mine wrote a book (As I have mentioned before) and Portland was as far north as he was coming on his book tour. I would hope that in the event I ever wrote a book my friends would come out to support me; it’s only fitting that I do the same for them.

We stretched the reading out into an entire evening of rollicking good times. We started with a small group for dinner (No need to stress out the author) and headed out to a lovely establishment called Mother’s. There was Kerrianne and Brandon:

These two have been good friends for years and had never met. He drove down from Seattle for the event, which is pretty fantastic. (You may also remember him from this photo. We took this one, but it’s missing Sarah. It just wasn’t the same without her.)

Danny and I:

So proud of the dude for writing a BOOK. Awesome.

Rhi was there for dinner as well, but arrived after we took the above photos. I should have had our server take a group shot but I was too busy Tweeting from the bathroom laughing too loudly and getting “shushed” by the server enjoying my tasty, tasty salad.

I had never been to a reading before and it was kind of neat. The bookstore is called Powell’s and it’s four stories high. Books, books, everywhere! They set Danny up in the open end of one of the floors and we all sat down to listen. He picked two great segments of his book and got everyone laughing and crying. The question period after he was done was also a great experience; people talking openly about male depression and asking great questions.

While he signed away the larger group of us had a chance to (in some instances meet for the first time, and) hang out and chat. When the signing was done we moved our larger group to a pub down the street and continued on with the talking and laughing.

Danny and Asha:

The rest of the folks:

I don’t have time to link to everyone else (My flight is boarding!), but here is a list of all of the Twitter handles of those where were in attendance:@evehorizon @Blythe @RhiRhi @meggan @mandajuice @dadgonemad @parenthacks @kerrianne @mandajuice @antichrista @nevenmrgan @saracoleman @hotei @iron_fist.

It was a great group of people with whom to spend an evening with. Good times, good times.

It was yet another late night for this social butterfly. I’m en route home as I type this and am looking forward to seeing my babies (and babe). It was great to go, and to see, and to do but it’s always even better to come back home.

*The rest of the photos are on Flickr (of course).

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