Sunday, July 27, 2014

Puppy Love

I visited Jennifer of Mama's Minutiae today.  It was the puppy pictures on her blog that got me. She had mentioned that lots of people have been coming by to visit her EIGHT ADORABLE CUTE CUDDLY-WUDDLY PUPPIES, and I thought, "Hey! The girls would love to visit puppies!" So, in a very uncharacteristic move, I invited myself over.

Hey, I've read her blog for years, people.  So it's sort of like I know her, right? Maybe?

Seriously, who could resist this?

Luckily, that was good enough for her (she reads my blog also, so I'm not a complete stranger asking to come play with her puppies - almost, but not quite). She said sure, Saturday's good, and I put both girls and a bunch of snacks in the car and drove 2 hours into a more rural (and beautiful) part of the state. At one point, we passed a house with clothes hanging on the line to dry.  "Oh, wow," said Rachel. "Living here is like camping every day!"

So yeah, my kids ARE very suburban and sheltered.  Sue me.

You know, I've met other bloggers before; sometimes it has gone okay, and sometimes it's been a tad awkward.  I have had one blogger say to me, "You're NOTHING like I imagined you." And I've had another insist, "You are EXACTLY like you sound in your blog." So go figure - you can't predict how these meet-ups will turn out, and that knowledge gave me a small panic attack when I woke up yesterday morning and remembered that I had invited myself to a stranger's home.  What the heck had I been thinking? I wondered. But I had already promised puppy-cuddling to the girls, so there was no turning back.

People, I am so glad I made the trip.  Jennifer is exactly as she sounds on her blog, and we talked for over 3 hours straight while her kids showed my girls around the farm and introduced them to all the animals. My throat hurts.

And PUPPIES!  So CUTE, and Jennifer didn't even get upset when Rachel (completely unaccustomed to squirming baby animals) dropped one on the ground almost as soon as we arrived. Or if she was upset, she hid it very well.

So I headed home just before dark with 2 very tired girls and a newly fueled enthusiasm for homeschooling, cooking, and life in general.  Not bad for a 3-hour chat, eh?  My only regret is that I didn't request the recipe for those cookies Jennifer made for our visit.  All that food she photographs on her blog?  Apparently, it tastes as good as it looks.

So there you go - take risks, step out of your comfort zone. You just might end up being glad you did. Many thanks to Jennifer, for her hospitality and kindness and cookies, and to her kids, for putting up with my rather citified girls.  Anyone need a puppy? There are still a few available, and I promise they are as cute as they look in that picture up there.

Is citified a word? I thought it was, but now I'm not too sure.


[Puppies image: Mama's Minutia]


9 comments:

  1. That's awesome! I've met a couple of ladies via the blogosphere and have enjoyed both of them thoroughly. Sounds like a lovely trip!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now I'm wondering how much of a panic attack you had before you came to my house. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm trying to remember if I'm the person who said you were exactly like I pictured you. I think I might have been, but I was pregnant at the time so of course I lost more brain cells with the birth.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am so happy (and honored!) that you invited yourself over. I had a delightful time visiting with you!

    And no, I wasn't upset that Rachel dropped a puppy. My older son dropped one just yesterday. There's a reason we say puppies are wriggly!

    Already looking forward to our next visit...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love it when the chance pops up to meet other bloggers. And, you're right, it doesn't always go as expected. It's really cool when the in-person part lines up just right though. The puppies are darling and appear wiggly. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Those puppies are insanely cute! Happy you got to meet in "real life". I have a long list of people (Gary, I'm looking at you) who I want to meet. So if you have puppies or kittens on your blog, you've been warned.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousJuly 30, 2014

    Aw, isn't it FUN meeting bloggy pals IRL? It's always been a hoot for me.
    And the remark your kid made about country living is SO cute. I shall now refer to my life as "camping."

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh my word, those puppies are about the cutest puppies I've ever seen.
    My sister brought her kids for a visit one weekend. When my nephew saw our laundry on the line, he asked if our dryer was broken.
    I once invited myself to stay overnight with a blogger I'd never met in real life. She lives in England. Besides being a bit nervous, it was extremely awkward to tell people, "yeah, I'm staying with someone I met online".
    Glad your blogger friend meetup went well!

    ReplyDelete
  9. And you didn't come home with a puppy? Good job :)

    I've only had a couple awkward meet ups when someone that was super friendly online was like a stone wall in person. That was strange.

    ReplyDelete