Monday, March 17, 2014

Surprise Meeting with Fellow Bloggers

Sunday morning. Beautiful sunshine. Coffee mug filled. Ready to read a few blogs before church.

I read a few and commented on a few. Then I opened Melanie's blog. She starts by saying that she is spending a few days in Michigan with her daughter. I assumed that she is most likely at the Michigan Reading Association conference with many other bloggers. I read a little further on her blog, and realize, she is in MY town!!

I read a few lines again just to be sure.Yes, she and Larkin are really in my town. They ate at Zingerman's the night before. I hopped to her daughter's blog to read more about their visit to MY town.

Okay. Now I am thinking. Should find a way to connect with them? What would they say? How would I even do it?

TWITTER to the rescue! Send a message to Melanie via twitter to see if they would be free for coffee. It did not take long for me to get an answer back. We were on for coffee after church.

The only other blogger that I had met before is Terje. Now I was having coffee with Melanie and Larkin! We sat at Starbucks. Each with our beverage of choice. Watching the people around us. Chatting about Ann Arbor, blogging, University of Michigan, basketball, the Big House, and how far different places are from each other in this town. We discussed beaches and waves. Then we talked a bit more about blogging. We connected.

Next time I will read Melanie or Larkin's blog, I will think these are people that I know!

We hugged and said goodbye. There was an important basketball game on the schedule, and I was headed to the soup kitchen.

I am so grateful for these connections that are made possible through this blogging community!

Anybody else feel like visiting my town?


26 comments:

  1. So fun to connect with you Jaana! I am writing about this tomorrow, as Mondays I do the what I'm reading...While I appreciate the virtual world, meeting people in real life is the best!

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    1. Melanie, I look forward reading your post tomorrow!

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  2. How exciting! I always love hearing about these connections!

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  3. What a cool coincidence. I love that you were able to get in touch with each other. Blogging and the internet can truly create a community!

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  4. How fun. I would love to actually meet some of the people that I feel I have gotten to know so well through their writing. Lucky you! And lucky Melanie and Larkin!

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  5. How fun! I am hoping to meet Julie Johnson the end of the month when I am in Ohio for the Next Chapter Book Club training. I talk about my "blogging friends" to other people, and I am sure they think I am crazy! So glad you took the chance and reached out to them. Great slice today!

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    1. Leigh Anne, where do you live? OH is not that far from MI!

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    2. I actually live in southern Indiana way over on the border of Illinois. Michigan is probably 8 hours away from me. Closeness is all relative I guess! :)

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  6. Face to face is so fun. It is old friends reconnecting, even though you never met before, you have met before. Blogging friends know so much more about my life than friends in town. These connections create new connections. I've been lucky to meet many, but there are many more to meet (like you :-) )

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  7. Weren't you thinking about this kind of meeting just a few blog posts ago? And it happened! When are you coming to Tallinn again? Anybody else planning to visit Tallinn, Estonia?

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    1. Isn't it funny how life works? No plans at this time to visit Estonia/Finland, but you never know...Any plans to visit US?

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    2. Not in near future. :( I have been to US twice, so there has to be a third one, I just don't know when.

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  8. How wonderful. It really is a small world.

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  9. These are the best connections - there's nothing like meeting people we've been sharing slices with for some time. Such fun!

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  10. So much fun meeting with you yesterday! Ann Arbor is amazing and I may see you much more if I come to U of M next year! We had a great day and at this point it's definitely a possibility.

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    1. Wonderful Larkin! Hope you will make your mark in this town!

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  11. Never has happened, but my wife is always talking about her friends who have invited us to stay with them in their house from all of these exotic locations around the world: France, Italy, Costa Rica So, I ask, "how do you have so many friends around the world?" The answer--internet. Blows me away. At any rate, we're going to Costa Rica in the fall...however, full disclosure, they went to high school together and reconnected on Facebook, so its not quite what you experienced...nevertheless...still amazed by it.

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    1. Going to Costa Rica! That sounds so much fun!

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  12. Good for you for pushing yourself to make the first connection to hopefully what will now become friends! The short sentences of your intro are really effective!

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  13. These are my favorite kinds of stories! It is amazing what we learn about each other here. Ditto what elsie said and I have had the fun of meeting her. :)

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    1. There might be a few more to share next year!

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  14. Wonderful that you could connect - power of twitter and blogging!
    The time this happened was when I went to BC 5 years ago and ran into a former teacher in Vancouver on Granville island and then the next week a former vice principal in Victoria. A very small world.

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