Friday, May 4, 2012

Coffee And Kate

Deb: The best part about doing a blog is undoubtedly the connections we make. Of course we do the blog to express ourselves, but it’s the connection with the people who follow our blog that gives it its life. Otherwise we are simply talking in a vacuum. So what happens when it goes one step farther and we find ourselves connecting on another level? We already experienced it in our Skype with Shalaka and yesterday we had Coffee and Kate! Live, and in person! Kate was technically, the very first follower of The Middle Ages and as she generously said yesterday, “I immediately followed you to encourage you. If people don’t get followed, they don’t keep it up.”  And why would they? Hell, I’ve been blogging from the age of ten. It was called a diary.

Kate has her own wonderful blog which is wonderful and personal and full of charm. Kate already felt like a friend these last two years. Just a friend we’d never met. But face to face is good for a friendship right? So we set out to meet and it was lovely, lovely.  I had no trepidation at all about meeting Kate. I knew it would be easy and it was. There was no fanfare, no awkward pauses. And you really know that someone is a true friend when within five minutes of meeting them, you are talking about vaginas. And the second way you know someone is a friend is when it just feels awful to say goodbye.

Come back soon Kate!

Barbara: Yes, Kate (aka Stubblejumpin’ Gal, etc etc) is a Saskatchewan native (a beautiful Canadian prairie province) and it turned out that she had business in town. She suggested we meet for coffee and luckily our schedules allowed us to do that! It was like a lovely breath of fresh air to meet this wonderful person in real life. I know people are very often not what you expect when you only know them from their online “personas”, but—and maybe it’s because Kate is a Prairie gal—I went to coffee expecting her to be exactly as she seemed on our blog and her own. I did entertain the possibility that she might not be, but that was more a vague question about my own perceptions and expectations. I wonder if any of you have had similar experiences of meeting people you’d only known from social media and what it was like when you saw them in real life? Because there was Kate, as if we’d been meeting for coffee every week for several years! And, like Deb said, there we were talking about our most private lives like we’d just been waiting for this chance. It’s another amazing example of the world in its most intimate smallness. Thanks, Kate!

Kate: Yesterday was the first time I've met "internet friends" in person, so I did wonder whether it was possible that we would have nothing to say to each other, awkward moments, or even be just plain disappointed if each other was not as expected.

But our meeting, from my very first glimpse of a smiling Deb in front of the bagel shoppe, felt so completely warm and natural, as if I was seeing long-lost friends. There was instant recognition and affection and I enjoyed every moment of our chat. It was all so easy! and of course was over too soon.

You are both lovely, lovely people and I feel absolutely blessed.
x's and o's,
Kate


38 comments:

  1. What a lovely post. Being fairly new to blogging, I am also finding a lot of people that I have things in common with. It seems like a whole new world out there in the blogging world. I will keep staying tuned!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Katrin it is so true! A whole new world of lovely interesting supportive people! Including you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely! So glad you got to meet each other! I have met a few people that I only knew from a distance and most wer absolutely wonderful, sweet, and kind. no one to complain about. Kat, I envy you getting to meet the ladies! Someday...
    Have a lovely weekend all! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steph it was lovely. I'm glad that's been your experience too!

      Delete
  4. Awwwh look at you Gorgeous Girls...HEY KATE ! seeing you for the first time....You all look so great !! :)Awwwh I'm sure you had a lotta fun.....I know its awesome to meet an internet friend for the first time...and realizing its not AWKWARD AT ALL...And it is a true friend when you started talking about private stuff without feeling uncomfortable...and you cannot say goodbye....

    Oh...and I soooo remember our skype last month OMG...I think I talked to you first, Deb...YES...and we both went "HI!!!" waving at the screen...!!!:D..and I was adjusting my headphones when you said "I don't know if you can see me but I'm WAAAAVINNNG !!!" Oh and I'll never forget the beginning when we were struggling to get both video calls working !!!!
    Awwh it really was AMAZING...!!!and yes ofcourse the pups !! those gorgeous little pups !! For me it was so so comfortable...like I had known you for a very long time...I felt so easy talking to you two...and your expressions after showing you the paintings...PRICELESS !!! I still remember that moment when I'm showing the painting to others.
    Awwh and Barb I am gonna have an AWESOME experience this December when I'll meet Deb in person FOR THE FIRST TIME !!!!! I really can't wait for that !!!!!!!....But once I move to Toronto... we are meeting up...I know there's still time... But still... WE HAVE TO MEET UP !!! Ill squeeze Deb when she gets here....!! but so many of our BIG HUGS are pending....
    And I honestly didnt wanna say goodbye when we were skyping..but you were in your bathrobe and Barb was in her pjs and I was sipping chai latte...yum....It was lovely.....
    So I'm gonna ask both of you now....
    WHEN ARE WE SKYPING AGAIN ???? NAME THE TIME AND DATE....AND I'LL BE THERE! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I am looking so forward to coming to India Shalaka and meeting you! And yes we must set a date for Skype again soon! Boy has just gotten home and we are wrapped up in that but soon!!!! Promise.

      Delete
    2. AWWH definitely...!!!!! Oh yes Lukes home....HE came yesterday right ??? Awwh you guys must be having a lotta fun.....Btw I wanted to ask what did he get his degree in ???

      Delete
  5. What a lovely experience. I don't think I've met any friends in person that I've met online, but I've kept in touch online with many friends I knew in person years ago that I can't see anymore because of distance. The Internet is a fun, amazing place. I've been gone for about two weeks because life has been so gosh darn crazy! Not bad, thankfully, but crazy all the same. I'm almost done with my first year of librarian school and I've been working on my final projects and papers most every spare moment in the day. I'm almost done, but I'm taking the day off to clean the house, help at my son's school, grocery shop and make a run to the library. I've missed visiting here with my friends. I think we all need a girls weekend outsome where. Chocolate and chatting. Wouldn't it be loverly?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Molly, yes, I was wondering where you were!! Have I told you before that my sister is doing this same course? (or our version of it). Such a great field. Good luck with it all!! xo (and am so down for chocolates and chatting)

      Delete
    2. That's so neat that your sister is doing library. Librarians are cool!

      Delete
  6. Molly wow you have a busy life. But it sounds like it is a lovely life. And yes I agree that the internet is a fun amazing place. Chocolate and chat-YES!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am an adventurer and I have met a few women that I have only known through FB or The Next Family (marketing director) and each and every one has been an experience of a lifetime. I have a few that truly now our what I consider "real" friends as I see them on a regular basis as they reside in California. This month, in fact, I start a journey around the US and yes, Toronto to visit Deb and Barb. I am meeting about 20 women and men that I communicate with daily either by personal email, blogging sites or websites. My experiences to date have all been positive ones, with just a very few exceptions and even then it was worth the meeting as lessons were learned. I, so look forward to meeting these two lovely women for a day around Toronto and evening dinner. I have no qualms as I feel they are already known to me through their wonderful writing. You know what amazes me the most the voices when I hear them live. It just amazes each time as they usually are exactly as I imagined. What fun ahead. Glad you got to meet Kate and she didn't disappoint. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Madge every time I read about this idea I love it more and more. Cannot wait to meet you!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. How lovely. I've only met up with one internet friend- which was actually in Toronto in my mid-twenties when I was on a round the world trip. Feels like a lifetime ago! It's so nice meeting someone who you really suspect you will get along with, then finding out you do.
    Sadly my travelling days have paused for now, but if either of you ever felt like a super long flight to Australia, chocolate and chat are 2 of my very favourite things. Could even show you koalas kangaroos and amazing beaches. (I could be lying about the koalas tho... lived here all my life and never ever seen one!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually Australia is so on my bucket list :)

      Delete
    2. Me too. Would love to go to Oz!

      Delete
  10. That's super! :DDD What a cool experience you all will remember forever!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What fun! So happy for you guys that it went well.
    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  12. Aww, now we all want to meet for coffee!!! There's an idea: a Blog Brunch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blog brunch! Do you think the waiter would get a word in to take our order? :-)

      Delete
    2. !!! BLOG BRUNCH!!! :DD Love it!

      Delete
  13. Awww...look at you, aren't you gorgeous? :D

    I am part of the internet generation, and when my real life wasn't the best, I looked for shelter in the internet.
    I had many friends (some friendships - gladly - still exist), and I have met most of them in real life at some point.

    When I met the first two persons, I was scared - well I am a shy person, and I just was scared that it wouldn't work out.
    Funny thing was: one of the girls sent me a pic of herself. She was a punk with dreadlocks. I was shocked!
    But when I met her, she was the nicest person.

    I felt comfortable with 99% of the people, because I already knew how they were like, what they like, what they think...When I meet online friends I'm still a little bit nervous, but I also know that they like ME (my personality, my feelings, my opinions, my flaws).

    I would love to meet you...and hug you (another hobby).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The internet isn't isolating all the time is it? You are an example of that proof Becki!

      Delete
  14. I just love how the topics here seem to coincide with my life ever so perfectly : )
    Just a few days ago I got my room assignment for college next year and it included the e mail address to contact my room mates. So in the fall I will be meeting them having only talked via facebook! : )
    Glad you guys had such a good meeting and the pic is a great one : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kelly that is so great. And yes, I love the symmetry.

      Delete
  15. This is just what I needed for today! Thank you for making my day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's wonderful Kasku. Happy to help make your day!

      Delete
  16. How lovely, looks and sounds like fun! I've never met anyone new through the interent but it has helped me to re-connect with long lost friends a few times. Including my husband actually, thank you ICQ! Glad you got to get together and what a lovely happy pic!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks Erin. It's really like the days when you would meet a pen pal!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think it's just great that you all met and had such a lovely experience. I recently connected with 3 of my grade school/high school friends on FB. We hadn't seen each other since 1970 and got together last night for a dinner. It was simply wonderful. I saw these girls everyday for 11 years and then missed the last 40. There were screams of recognition, tears, hugs, much laughter and many catching up on life stories. It was an amazing night for all of us, and it wouldn't have happened without the internet. Life is full of surprises!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mary-Jo this is lovely! What a great night. I still get together with the high school gals from time to time too. It is always fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  20. That was so nice I'm glad you all got to chat and get to know each other! I love "meeting" people and getting to hear their stories. It seems the older I get the more I find we are all not so different.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What the hell is all over my neck???
    It looks like I've just come from a long night of hickey love!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.