How to Meet a Blog Friend!

I am the luckiest girl!  I got to meet my first blog friend last Sunday.  Now I have to admit, I was pretty nervous.  It's not everyday that I entertain people in my home that I have never met before.  I got to know Loy through the Package Pal Project at C.R.A.F.T. .  You can read about it HERE.  She has a wonderful food blog called Grandma Loy's Kitchen.  We had exchanged emails a little bit when she said that she and her husband would be passing by near where we lived on their vacation and did I want to meet.  Did I????!!!!  Oh yes I did!  I couldn't believe I was going to get to meet someone from blogland.  I don't know anyone who blogs in my real world.  She offered to meet me in town for coffee or something.  I gave this a little thought....It seemed like a "safe" plan....I mean after all, she could be a serial killer or something.  But, I wanted it to be fun!  I wanted to talk to someone about blogging and I didn't want it to be in some coffee shop.  So.......I invited them to come to brunch at Silo Hill Farm.
They accepted my invitation.  My very next thought was,"Oh my gosh!  I just invited someone who writes a great FOOD blog to a meal!"  What was I thinking??!! 
I finally decided on my menu and my next thought was, I should make her something to take home with her.  After all, I do have a CRAFT blog.  I gave it some thought and made a decision on what to make.  Now, all I had to do was wait for the day to arrive.  Finally, Sunday morning came and sure enough, right on time they arrived in my drive.  Then....they backed up and left!!!  Wait!! What??  Yep, they left.  I don't even need to tell you the crazy stuff that went through my head!  But my husband Sam jumped on the 4 wheeler and went down the road to bring them back.  Seems that since our car was not in the drive, they thought they had the wrong house!  Here is what a pair of internet possible serial killers look like when they arrive at your door for brunch:

Yeah....Loy and Neely are pretty dangerous looking!!!

Oh my gosh!  We had the most wonderful time and I can tell you now that it was way too short in my book.  Sam and Neely hit it off right away.  They both love 4 wheeling and they headed over to the 4 wheelers and talked about those while Loy and I went in the house.  I had the table set for brunch:

Loy and I visited while I finished getting brunch ready.  I had made an egg casserole, bacon, cranberry cups, some hashbrown patties, juice, tea and coffee.  We ate breakfast and talked....alot.  I noticed that Loy was wearing a bracelet that I made her for the Package Pal exchange:

How sweet and thoughtful was that of her to wear?  But that's the kind of person Loy is!!

After brunch, the guys took off on the 4-Wheelers and Loy and I sat in the living room and talked about what else?  Blogging!  I commented on her awesome photos and she gave me some great tips for taking them as well as the name of a blog that offers some good tips.  She told me the story of how her blog got it's name and it's re-name!   I showed her my little craft room and we talked about craft spaces.  She went out to her vehicle and brought back in this big box:

Once again, I felt like it was Christmas!  It was filled with buttons and findings.  Loy remembered that I had a thing for buttons and she sure gave me a "fix"!!

(Sorry the picture is blurry....but I get excited everytime I open that box!  I can't wait to start sorting them!)

She also brought me not one,but two sets of fabric markers because I was having a hard time finding them here.  (Did I mention that she works at a craft store?)

And last, but most certainly not least.....she made me a beautiful table runner.  She remembered that I loved fall!  (Did I mention that she teaches a quilt class at the craft store she works at?!)

Isn't that just gorgeous?

It was getting close to time for them to leave, so we ventured down to the creek for a little walk before they had to get in their truck for a long day of driving.  As we headed down our Nature Trail, a wild turkey made a brief appearance just for Loy!  Sam and Neely took a last look at the Ram Pump that Sam had built and Neely had admired so much that Sam printed him out a set of plans.  We stopped by the creek and I had Sam take a picture of us:

 or two:

Then it was time for them to hit the road and finish the last leg of their trip.  The time sure seemed to fly while they were here.  I wish it were longer.  I hated to see them go, but am glad for the opportunity to meet a great friend who is now more than a cyber friend!  I made them some homemade carmel corn in some cute containers to take on the road with them.

Sam printed them out a map to get them around Kansas City and avoid the majority of holiday traffic.

So.....a little wrap up on how to meet a blog friend:

1)  Correspond.  When you make a comment on a person's blog, go ahead and ask them a question or

     two.  You might be surprised at their response and willingness to correspond.  I have a few blog

     friends that I email with regularly and I hope to meet them someday as well.  Some of them live in

     different countries and I love to hear about where they live.

2)  If  they indicate that they might like to get together.....SAY YES!!  Even if you don't want to invite

     them to your home.  You can always meet at a public place. 

3)  Consider being the one to initiate a meet up if you happen to be going near where a blog friend

      lives.  I know that Loy's courage in asking to meet up has sure inspired me to do the same! 

4)  Relax and enjoy your visit!  Talk about what you have in common...which starts with blogging..

     and you'll soon find out that you have many other things in common as well.  You'll also find out

     that the other person is just a person much like yourself and they have some interesting things to

     say!

5)  Share a little something with them.  Whether it is something you made, something you have,

     something you bought, or something you cooked.  It's a great way to break the ice and you'll have

     a keepsake of the time that you got to visit together.

I had a great time meeting Loy and Neely and look at all the fun I would have missed if I hadn't said YES!  Thank you Loy for having the courage to ask if we could meet!  The pleasure was all mine!

Linking Up:

Sunday:

C.R.A.F.T. : Making Monday Marvelous, By Stephanie Lynn: Under the Table and Dreaming, Homeaker on a Dime: Creative Bloggers Party & Hop, Serendipity and Spice: Manic Monday

Monday:

The Gunny Sack: What's in the Gunny Sack?, Creatively Living: Tell it to Me Tuesday,

Tuesday:

The Winthrop Chronicles: Share It, Not Just a Housewife: Show Me What Ya Got,