pinch me...

i spent much of my afternoon with these two lovely ladies...and six little girls....and carrie's very patient and kind husband seth, the only male among the group...well, except for my dog! :) some of you blogosphere friends might recognize these gorgeous faces...carrie and amy. i actually know amy in real life, as we met and became friends just after college graduation, but these days we don't get to see each other in person all that often, so this was a delightful treat...and oh my, so wonderful to actually meet miss anna banana (and see lilla's sweetness in person). and as for carrie, well, she is one of the first blogging friends i really met...though i can't honestly remember how we stumbled across one another...i just know we did...and that blog friendship extended beyond blogging to some e-mails and Christmas cards...and a desire to hopefully one day meet in person...especially since we live just a few hours apart.

carrie e-mailed last week, mentioning that she, seth, and cupcake would be driving through my town on their way to visit family and asked if it would work to meet up. of course, i jumped at that possibility...we filled amy in, who lives just an hour away from me...and voila...it was set...a meet-up at my house.

i know some of you who aren't really a part of this "bloggity" world don't totally get the whole feeling so incredibly connected to people you really haven't meant in flesh and blood. but truly, that has been my experience with blogging...i have "met" so many incredible women through blogging...women who love Jesus, some are moms, some are not...most are married...some of us share the same hobbies, some don't...but the bottom line is that through this world of the internet, our lives have intersected. we have walked with one another through losses and joys, through trials and victories. through one another's written word, we have entered into a sort of fellowship that can't quite be described unless you experience it. funny that both amy and carrie were laughing about feeling like they had already been in my house though they had never actually set foot there....you see, they have visited through numerous pictures. in the same way, i felt comfortable talking to carrie about things i might not even bring up with many friends i know in my daily life, and i must say, i did comment on the fact that both her hair and seth's are much redder in real life! :)

when carrie called this morning to tell me they'd hit the road, it was the first time we'd really heard one anothers voices...and when she arrived in my driveway and we hugged one another, it just might have been our first meeting, but it felt more like the reunion of old friends. she is sweet and genuine and funny...and, oh my, little cupcake is beyond precious. and amy, dearest amy, how wonderful to get to see her again...and to meet miss anna banana...who is beyond adorable in pictures but even better in person...so squishable, wanna eat those chunky-thighs-ish! and lilla, oh sweet lilla, who gave us the most precious rendition of "trading my sorrows"...complete with dancing and hand motions...in the sweetest little voice.

our time was priceless...too short...but priceless nonetheless...and most definitely only the impetus for many more meet-ups to come! we enjoyed cookies and conversation...watched the six girls (amy's two, cupcake, my two, and miranda who i was watching for the day) play together as if they'd known one another for years as opposed to minutes...laughed...snapped photos (and yes, i am posting the photo, even though i'm not sure i like the red-faced, hot, swollen pregnant me being put out there for the whole world to see--but i suppose i will get over it!)...and simply revelled in the chance to actually meet in flesh and blood. and quite frankly, i kind of feel like i should pinch myself...after all, in less than a months time i've gotten to have two real life meet-ups with dear bloggity friends...