Tag Archives: Susanne’s Living to Tell the Story

Bloggy Friends ~FFF

My favorite blessings from blogging have been my face to face meet ups with the individuals I’ve learned about from their personal blogs. The first blogger I met and who became my walking buddy while Dear and I lived in Camarillo is Willow from Willow’s Cottage. While our friendship continued we met up with Sara from Come Away With Me at The Getty Villa. Willow and Sara already knew each other. Besides the Getty Villa we met up again for some time at the Getty Museum before I moved back to Seattle.

On one of my trips across Los Angeles to visit my folks in 2009 Cori G! from Brambleberry Cottage (formerly Gingerbread and Co.) and I set up a meeting over coffee in Orange County, California. It was a delight to meet Cori. We were able to meet up again on one of my trips back to Southern California and have a meal and stroll through a antique market in the city of Orange.

On Dear and my road trip moving back to Seattle in 2010 we met up with Sandy from Reluctant Entertainer and her husband at the Winchester Inn in Southern Oregon. It was a delight.

In July of 2010 Dear and I met the Scrabble Queen from Scrabblequeen Knits for breakfast while we were in the Sacramento area for a funeral. She gifted me with some wonderful loose tea from England!

On our sister trip to Victoria, B.C. to celebrate my 60th birthday my sisters and I were treated to wonderful time with the lovely Pondside from Life Between the Ponds.

Oh dear me…I forgot another major bloggy meet-up. Jill from Jill’s World of Research, Reaction and Millinery came to visit in my home and we attended the Lavender festival together in July of 2011. Maybe it was the home part that made me think it was a family visit instead of a bloggy visit.

We had a great day seeing beautiful lavender fields, eagles, and eaglets and a baby seagull. Sorry for the oversight dear Jill!

IMGP0168At a book signing in Winnepeg/Manitoba I was able to meet Millie from Wreathmaker. What a fun surprise to see her and her hubby at McNally Robinson bookstore.

SeaJack #4 001Just this year on Katie and my roadtrip from Seattle to North Carolina we arranged a meeting over lunch in Kansas City, Missouri with Pam from Abiding With Love. We had a wonderful meal paid for by Pam’s husband and great conversation with Pam and her daughter.

What a blessing it has been to get to know these ladies and enjoy their thoughts and adventures and beautiful tables, tea settings, recipes, decorating, devotionals, book recommendations, etc. etc.

Judy correctly pointed out that there is another group of women that I met through blogging that have changed my life forever. This next photo is from the first time I met five of the Mennonite Girls Can Cook! This meeting was in the Spring of 2010. All ten of us would meet when we got together in British Columbia to sign the contract for our first book in the summer of 2010. These girls are a big part of my life now and they are more like family so that’s probably why I forgot that initially it was because of blogging that we came together!

 

These are my favorites for Susanne’s Friday’s Fave Five at Living to Tell the Story. It would be fun to meet Susanne some day!

Looking Up…

I’m joining Susanne and friends at Living to Tell the Story for Friday’s Fave Five. Five things that I can look back on that help me remember to be thankful.

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1. Dear has been down and out all week with a head cold and cough. I’m thankful that things are looking up for him. I’m also thankful that we are relatively healthy around this old house and we don’t go through many weeks like this.

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2. Signs of Spring are popping up all over and that really makes me smile.

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3. My pop is doing well. We thought he might have shingles and he got the word that he doesn’t. I’m so thankful he doesn’t have to deal with that on top of his continued loneliness without my mom. I’m also thankful that my sister Kathy and her family have moved within 5 minutes to my dad’s apartment and they are willing to be there when he needs anything.

pop and kathyMy pop always travels with his checkbook in his shirt pocket. This habit of his makes me smile.

4. We had a wonderful time with our adult kids this past weekend. Lots of great together time eating and laughing and playing games. Dan and his girlfriend made it here and back across Snoqualmie Pass and I’m always thankful when I hear that they made it home safe and sound. The pass and the roads in Eastern Washington were treacherous for them and they saw lots of spin outs and rollovers on their way home. The day after they traveled the pass was shut down for most of the day.

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5. I’m continuing in my quest to scan many of our photos. As I scan the photos the memories of times and people that added so much to our lives make me thankful to God for family, friends and life changing events.

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This is a random photo from late ’76 or early ’77. My niece Debbee was born in May of 1976 and that’s how I can guess the timing of this photo. Love that my little babushka is in the photo. This was Dear and my second home in Huntington Beach, California. Dear, my best friend Heidi, my brother Steve, my pop, my mom, my sister Vera. Next row my brother in law Nick, niece Debbee, my sister Kathy, my sister Lana, my little babushka, and my brother Leonard.

I hope to be around to see what you are thankful for this week. You could share in the comments, too.