Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Wordish Wednesday - When Bloggy Friends Meet

"You can pick your nose, and you can pick your friends, but you can't wipe your 
friends on the couch."
~Ryan Seacrest

 
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Ha!  Nothing like a photo of a 2 year old picking a gorilla statue's nose to get the day started right.

Last Saturday, we met up with LeeAnn and her adorable family at Busch Gardens.  LeeAnn and I met through blogging and being that we live in the same state, we had a connection.  I love that she always responds via email to every comment, and through that means we found out that we have quite a bit in common.  We met for the first time last summer, and just a few months ago we began planning another meet up.  We decided that Busch Gardens would be a perfect place to meet and enjoy some family time.

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We visited the gorilla/monkey exhibit while we waited on our friends to arrive.  I love the early morning sun in this photo. 

When our friends showed up we saw the elephants and then headed to the carousel.  Rylie has the most beautiful blue eyes and she was a big fan of the ride, while Bryce was not. 
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Then, Daddy took Cam to ride the loop-de-loop roller coaster, and Chloe & Rylie rode this little airplane.  I was a bit freaked out that Chloe would get anxious and try and climb out, so I buckled her in tightly and she enjoyed her ride.
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We ate lunch, saw the tigers, and then headed to the splash pad so the kids could get wet.  This is the only photo I have with all 4 kids in it.  Amazing how hard it is to capture kids with the chaos of a theme park swirling around them.
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Bryce was in his element in the water.  He splished and splashed and appeared to be loving it.  Somehow the one year old was the only one who stood still long enough for a decent-ish photo.
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Before I knew it the afternoon was drawing to a close.  LeeAnn and I did manage to squeeze in a few conversations and the kiddos were really well behaved all day.  We decided that we should try and meet up a little more often.

Several weeks ago I received an email from my girl Sassy.  She has a beautiful blog, family, and faith, and I have been reading her story for well over a year.  I was drawn to her writing style, her faith in the Lord, and her story.  I read about her 2 lb miracle baby, O, who is now a thriving 3 year old.  I read about her testimony, her trials, and her decision to leave the Mormon faith.  I followed her pregnancy with her 4th child in 6 years, and we developed a friendship. 

So, imagine my surprise when she emailed me and mentioned that she is in town on vacation!  Eeekk!  What are the odds???   So, I invited them over to swim.  I figured with 6 kids total, it might be easier to have them confined to a house/pool versus chasing them around a park or the beach. 

It worked out well, Camdyn and Sassy's oldest boy got along really well.  They enjoyed holding hands and jumping in the pool together over and over again. 

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And much to my surprise, Chloe got along brilliantly with O.  We all know that Chloe can be feisty and high strung, but she wasn't that way with O at all.  Chloe even SHARED Baby's stroller with her...and we all know that Chloe doesn't typically share anything related to baby. 


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I joked to Sassy that Chloe must feel O's sweet and gentle spirit and it must calm her.

And, then there is Sassy's youngest boy, who did nothing but smile and look adorable the entire afternoon.  I could have eaten him right up!
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If you want to read more about Sassy's vacation and our meet up you can go here. 

I believe the Lord sometimes works people in to your life for different reasons.  Whether I've met my friends the conventional way or through the the wide world that is blogging and Internet social media, they all have a place and a purpose and just like the rest of my IRL friends, I'm thankful for them.

Happy Wednesday, Y'all!

11 comments:

torie@Life With Rylie said...

How sweet! Love all your pics! Don't you just love bloggy meet ups? ;) I totally agree that God can find any way to bring people into your life, whether blog or face to face. I met one of my best friends through twitter/blog and I really feel like it was a God thing. I hope to one day meet you and your sweet girls :)

LeeAnn said...

I am so thankful to have you as a friend, and I feel so blessed to have you in my life. :-)

OK...enough sap...you got some great pictures! We had such a great time, and I can't wait to do it again.

And yay for your other bloggy meet up! How fun!

Mama Hen said...

That first picture is so adorably funny! Great quote! It sounds like you, your friend and the children had a great time! I think it would be so much fun to get all of our bloggy friends and their children together at some big event. Maybe one day. The pictures are so lovely! I hope you are doing well Carol. Let me know what reading program you are using. I love Starfall, but my daughter is getting bored with it. Have a great day!

Mama Hen

Liz said...

I totally agree with you and Torie.... The people you meet, whether the traditional way or through blogging, are people that God brought into your life for a reason.

Looks like a fun time had by all! :)

Ashley Sisk said...

I love bloggy meet ups - looks like a fun time!

Unknown said...

Oh fun - I'm jealous! I really want to meet some of my bloggy friends in person but from what I know they are all plane rides away. Hope your week is going great!

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

Great pictures of time spent with friends!

Jennifer said...

Wow...you were all about bloggers this weekend..LOL! I knew you and LeeAnn would have a great time. It is awesome that 'cyberspace' can bring people together. You did get some great shots :) And your other bloggy friend, my heart goes out to her and her family. Seems as though they have been through so much. Makes you put things in perspective!

Casey Martinez said...

these are great pictures of all the kiddos that got togegther and all the fun they had. The first picture is too funny!!

Sassy said...

I am so thankful for you too Carol! I don't think it's a coincidence that we became such good friends and then it turns out you live in the very place we might eventually end up. Everytime I freak out about moving and leaving family it gives me great comfort to know that I will already have dear friends close by! :)

Busch Gardens looks so fun! You did a great job capturing the energy through the lens! Love it!

Moments and Impressions said...

The stoller pictures are too sweet!