SSR 3: A Very Savvy Meeting

When friends and blends alike find out that Julie and I hadn’t met until this past Friday, there are usually one of three reactions.

1) Conversation continues on at normal pace until informed party holds up hand and says, “Wait. Just a second. You haven’t even met her yet/until now?”

2) Informed party asks if we “are sure we haven’t met before.”

3) Speechlessness.

Julie and I first connected last fall.  I believe it was sometime in October when she left a comment on my blog saying she had found me through a link Caitlin posted on Operation Beautiful. I decided to check out her blog, saw she lived in Madison, my homesweethome, and the rest was blistory. (blog history). Ironically – we later realized we started our blogs on the very same day.  Could it be blestiny? blate? blent blo be? (no? too much? i digress.)

At the time, I was blogging by blackberry, and didn’t spend a lot of time on the internet in general.  But once I got my netbook from Santa Clause, Julie and I spoke just about daily on gchat – and I have her to thank for a lot of the positive changes I’ve made to Then Heather Said.  THANKS, Julie!

It’s not unlikely for a non-blogger to be surprised that I considered someone I hadn’t met yet to be such a good friend.  But I did find it very interesting that a lot of fellow bloggers were shocked to hear we hadn’t met before.  Ashley pointed out this weekend, that she assumed we were friends from before I ever left Madison who both decided to blog from far away from one another. Not the case.

What was the case, however? 

A very special exchange of first phone call, first hug, first in person meeting.
And my dear friend, Megan, documented it for us

 

Here is a photo of Julie walking towards us from the apartment courtyard.  Funny thing is, the last time I was in Madison for more than one day, I stayed at these very same apartments with my good friend, Kajsa.

Sometimes people don’t understand how you can feel so close to someone you’ve never met.  After many explanations this weekend, I realized that mine and Julie’s friendship is a lot like two people who work in the same field, but in different offices across the country, who work on a lot of projects together. Gradually, over time, you get to know a person through every day emails, and Gchats.   

It was such a natural experience to hug Julie the first time I met her.  I really feel like I’ve known her a super long time.  We talk everyday – of course we discuss blogging.  We submitted a proposal to speak at a summit together.  We encourage and support and help one another to make our time and effort in our blogging better – but also, in other areas too. 

Julie and I share struggles and successes with one another.  We discuss issues on what’s going on around us, and both have strong desires to make the world a better place.  She is a strong, creative woman who brings out the good in me.  Julie is savvy! She knows when I need to take two minutes to vent, and then reminds me that venting is not getting me anywhere new.  She helps me to move forward.

We also share books and bites of dessert, but that’s another story for another day.

 

  [this photo of me is a little ridiculous.
clearly, you see this.
I'm sporting the goofy
"I'm meeting Savvy Julie” grin.
the sun is in my eyes, and  I am all squinty.
I am holding leftovers from Lazy Jane’s.
also,
it would seem,
that perhaps,
my one carry on and one personal item
that I raved about packing for the plane
had somehow become about 7 bags.
all in about 17 hours.
ahem. 
but doesn’t Julie look dazzling?
and savvy?
I just couldn’t not post it.
that’s what blends are for.]