Virtual Reality

Date: Tuesday June 2, 2009
Posted in: Blogging, Friends

Back when I was a single lass pining for a boy to call my own (I’m kidding. Maybe) I was a little discouraged in the dating department. In my circle of friends, most people were either married or engaged by the age of twenty-two. I thought that I would live a long and lonely life as a spinster, possibly with ten cats or so. I WAS TWENTY-THREE, PEOPLE.

I had a few work colleagues suggest that I try out an Internet dating site. While I was outwardly polite and said that I was fine, inside I was screaming, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? People who meet each other via the Internet are creepy. And weird. And CREEPILY WEIRD.”

Fast forward to four summers ago when I heard about this thing called blog and thought that it would be a good way for my family and friends who lived afar to keep up to speed on our lives. Soon, there were people leaving comments whom I DID NOT KNOW. I have to admit that I was a little freaked out.

However. Before I knew it I had embraced this community and soon found that there were a number of people that I considered heart friends, even though we had never met.

The very first “Internet” friend that I ever met was Kristin. If you have met her, you know that she is laughter and sunshine rolled up in a bundle of awesome. After meeting her two summers ago, I was determined to win a contest to send me to BlogHer. It didn’t work out, but I still giggle at the post I did about that disappointment (Click it. You won’t be sorry.)

Last summer I finally made it to BlogHer and words can never give justice to an experience of that magnitude. So many people, whom you already know and love, but here you get to sit with them, talk to them, throw your arms around them. I was now a solid believer in the power of Internet friendships. Hence, when given the order from my husband to get my (pasty, white, winter-hating) butt to California, I went. And stayed at the homes of three different friends, all of who I had met through their blogs.

So, yeah. You can now call me converted.

When one of my good blog/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook friends Jen said that she was coming through for two days and staying with Amanda, I could hardly wait. Jen is like me, in that she thrives on both receiving and giving words of encouragement. She spoils me rotten with her words of love, and has a wicked sense of humor to boot.

We packed up the kids and a cooler food of grub and met everyone down at the lake. Meeting Jen was as great as I thought it would be. The only problem was THOSE DARN KIDS who NEEDED TO EAT and maybe RUN THROUGH THE WATER PARK and then LOSE THEIR PROVERBIAL (you know what) because IT WAS BEDTIME ALREADY.

Thankfully, we had a second play date at my abode on Monday that was much more drama free. I do not have any photo evidence from Monday, as us ladies were too busy basking in the sun, but I do have a few photos from our trip down to the lake on Sunday.

Emily and Liliana.

Emily was working her FIERCE pose. I asked her to lighten it up.

That’s better. Then I took this one, which I love.

Then I had Jen take this one, which I also love.

Emily was itching to go back to the water park. I asked her if she could give me a few minutes to take some photos with my friends, and then I would take her over to the park. All of us ladies lined up, I coerced my husband into using my camera, and this is what we got:

Jen, Me (Duh) Jennifer (Married to Matthew’s brother. They also have a sister named Jennifer.These are the Jens I know, I know…) Amanda, Carolyn (Due in a few weeks; also one of Nathan’s preschool teachers) and Teresa (She’s married to the first Jen’s brother, and is close friends with my sister-in-law Jen from when they lived in Langley and HOLY CRAP THIS IS GETTING CONFUSING.)

Emily and I then spent a good thirty minutes over at the water park, and I took a hundred photos or so, but I’ll post them another day. Maybe.

We managed to make it back to the group before everyone left and there were hugs all arouns.

So, yeah. It was a stellar visit, and it further solidified my love of this community. And my love of Jen.

This meeting made me even more excited to attend the BlogHer meetup next in Vancouver next weekend (Will I see you there?) and then the BlogHer conference in Chicago in July (WAIT. That’s NEXT MONTH. Woah.)

I hate to sound even mildly arrogant or self-boasting, but there are so many great things going on that I am kind of loving my life right now. Do you ever read posts where people are all, “I HAVE COOL STUFF GOING ON. But, I CAN’T TELL YOU ABOUT IT. I mean, I WANT TO, but I can’t. BUT IT’S SOOOOOOOO AWESOME.”

And then you guess that they’re probably pregnant or something and they are all, “NOOOOOOO. But it’s STILL AWESOME.”

And then you think they’re a big jerk and wonder why they didn’t just keep their trap shut?

Me too.

Except, I’m kind of that big jerk because HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS. There is some SERIOUSLY COOL STUFF HAPPENING. But I can’t tell you about it. Yet.

Meeting Jen was just the icing on the cake. And the Vancouver and Chicago trips are the sprinkles. With a side of ice cream.

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I would kill for some Okanagan weather right now. It SNOWED here over the weekend. SNOWED.

Not cool at all.

Julienne’s last blog post..Fitness Friday. Volume 2.

Virtual Reality

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