This is the tale of a true 21st century friendship...blogship.
Back in 2006, blogs were the new, hot thing in my world. It was fun to have this little blip on the world wide web for reflection, pictures, and plenty of randomness. One day I was reading another friend's blog and left a comment on a corresponding post about how much I love Project Runway. Pretty soon after, I had a comment on my blog from a girl named Kelli stating that she read my comment and that she was a fellow PR fan as well. It was a fun "Make It Work" moment.
I clicked over to her blog to see that we happened to go to the same university and had many of the same friends. As I read several of her posts, I read back to when she wrote about suffering a miscarriage losing a sweet baby she had been so excited about. Many of the words she wrote struck a chord and felt very similar to my feelings after the miscarriage I had the year prior. I left a comment with just a couple words of encouragement and understanding about her heartache.
That started a good year or so worth of blog commenting back and forth. We later joked that it was such a 21st century friendship that we "met on the internet." And to take the next step, we began to meet in person and hit it off great making us "real life" friends! :)
So that takes care of 2 of the girls in the picture.
Throughout this time, my sister Shannon (also a blogger) had noticed comments on my blog from this girl Kelli and had clicked through to read her blog. From there, she happened upon the blog of Kelli's sister-in-law, Karen.
And this is where the story gets a little creepy...and funny. (love you Shannon!)
Shannon started reading more of Karen's blog. This would be appropriately called blog-stalking. Over a period of time, she happened to piece several things together realizing that she and Karen both lived in the same particular small town and moved to another same particular small town within months of each other. They also happened to both have daughters born within weeks of each other and delivered by the same doctor.
Shannon starts confessing to me that she's figured out that she has so many things in common with this girl. This girl she's never met.
And then she starts seeing Karen around town. Several times. It was hilarious every time I would get a call from Shannon saying, "I just saw Karen and her daughter, Bella!" They would even have stranger small talk. Little did Karen know, Shannon knew everything about her already.
So finally, Shannon got brave one day. She ran into Karen and just unloaded it all. Oh how I wish I could've been a fly on the wall during that conversation. "Hi my name is Shannon. My sister and your sister-in-law met from each other's blogs and then I started reading your blog and realized that we both moved here from the same exact town and we both had a baby around the same time and we both went to the same doctor, and we both..."
Karen was a trooper. Instead of running and screaming from the blog stalker, she invited Shannon and her family over to her house. And that's where another great friendship began. In fact, those two daughters born around the same time, are also best of friends.
It's such a funny and random story. But to me, it's a great story to prove you just never know how your life experiences can bring you together. I would've never wanted either Kelli or I to have to go through the pain of losing a baby, but I'm thankful that through that mutual pain, a bond was formed. In fact, several bonds and friendships have formed.
And I guess we should also thank the love of Heidi Klum and her Project Runway awesomeness. :)
7 comments:
that's awesome. one of my favorite friends who walked with us during the infertility was a blog reader first. one day I posted about teaching the kids music for Easter and she leaves a comment, "Wait I go to that church too." Our church is not that big so I said, "who the heck are you & why haven't we met in person." the following Sunday we met & started meeting for coffee--now we are the best of friends all b/c of the ole blog :) I really do think this is one way God helps us connect to those who could be a source of encouragement to us in our time of need and vice versa
This is hilarious! I am such the blog stalker. My husband makes fun of me. I will tell him I got a recipe or an idea off a blog and he asks who and I say "I have no idea who they are, but they are my *friend*" So many people link up to other people and soon enough I have hundreds of blogs in my google reader from all over the US.
I also thought it was funny at Homecoming this year. I didn't have much to talk to people about because I already knew! I could ask them what they do, how many kids they have, etc....but I already knew because of FB or blogs!
I suppose it is a good/bad thing....but very fun!
You left out that because of everyone's blog stalking issues I wrote this post on my blog about blog stalkers - and from that post we all met Audra.
Freaks me out a bit. You are too crazy of a blog stocker for me. : ) My husband would not approve!! : ) I'll tell you a funny story about a blog stocker of my own tomorrow. I don't want to write it as they may follow your blog now too. : )
What a FUNNY story! Shannon: I love it!! Thanks for sharing, Kelly. Too cute. Enjoyed being with you the other day.
Hugs.
J
Love. it. So thankful for the blog stalkers in my life and for the friendships God has provided.
I still think the 4 of us need a "blog stalkers unite" trip after Kelli finishes nursing school!
I'm totally ready to stand my own and be a "blog stalker"...look what it did for me!
Although, I do sound a little creepy, but deep down inside all blog readers, they have done the same...but not ended up with a great friendship! :)
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