A Confession of My Own

I recently read the confession of a friend of mine about how connected she feels to people she doesn't really know because of blogging. I can so relate. Countless times I have found myself telling Nate about people who have so willingly opened their lives on a blog that I feel like I know. If you don't blog or read other blogs, you probably can't really understand that. I know of people who feel a similar connection when watching certain reality television.

Now I have a confession of my own. I don't have very many friends I spend time with in real life. I still have my very best friend, Laura. We talk almost every week via text, phone, a few times a year in person, Facebook, email...you know. We still have a very strong friendship...but she lives 2+ hours away. Some of my other college friends that I would consider my "close" friends I see about once a year or so and we keep in touch much the same way. But since all of my friends live AT LEAST an hour away from me, I don't see people as often as I would like. We have zero friends at our church, and there is no one we spend time with on the weekends besides family. I love spending time with our families, but it would be nice to have some other friends in our town to socialize with. So, I have somehow subconsciously resorted to making friends on the Internet.

Before you go thinking that I'm off on some weird site meeting strange people in strange ways, no. I am just finding that I'm becoming friends with people who I used to think of as acquaintances. I probably friended them on Facebook because I knew who they were, not that we were really close. And I'm SO thankful I did. At the risk of sounding really cheesy, I want to mention a few of those people who probably mean more to me than they realize.

Angie

We were classmates in high school, but we probably never really even had a conversation then. We are both pretty good friends with my brother's fiance, and thus, we have begun talking a lot more. I talk to her almost daily, and I really love it. I enjoy hearing about her life, reading her blog, and watching her son (and soon-to-be daughter, too) grow up. We are both bridesmaids in Becka and Jonathan's wedding, and so we've had a few opportunities to see each other in real life, too. I feel like we are becoming friends on our own, and I've loved that. Without the Internet, it never would have happened.

Katie

We were also classmates for a year in high school, but since we were in the same grade, we had a bit more interaction than I did with Angie. That year, I was super quiet and not very social. At all. Looking back, I am pretty sure I was going through some sort of depression. I'll have to write another blog about that another time, but suffice it to say that I didn't get to know any of my classmates very well. Even if I had, I don't think Katie and I would have had that much in common then. Not that we weren't friendly, but we just didn't have had much to talk about. Now thanks to Facebook and the blogging world, I read Katie's blog daily, and I comment on it almost as often. I designed her logo for her Katie the Frugal Lady blog. She has awesome tips on couponing, which I love, but more than that, I've loved the feeling that I'm getting to know her better. She lives in California, so we definitely don't see each other in person ever. But like with Angie, I love watching her son grow up and hearing about her struggles and triumphs. The-learning-how-to-save-more-money part is more of a bonus.

Danielle

I can't believe I almost forgot to write about Danielle as well! Through Facebook, I've gotten to see Danielle's beautiful photography. She really has a natural talent. I wanted to start the tradition of getting our family's picture taken yearly, and Danielle has been our photographer the past two years. She does an awesome job. We've begun a working relationship with each other, which I've loved. We spur each other on in our own creative enterprises, mine with graphic design and her with photography. I've designed several things for her, and she tells people about me. I've had several customers come to me saying they heard about me from Danielle. It's been fantastic. But other than that, I've loved getting to know her personally, watching her go through all of life's ups and downs and always seeming to have a smile on her face. I'm continuing to pray for her pregnancy. I know she will make a wonderful mother. :o)

Amy

I've gotten to know Amy because, well, our husbands are best friends. They certainly don't see each other as much as they'd like, but I hope that in some small way, we can help them feel more connected. I always find myself telling Nate about what's going on with Amy and Brian's cats and ask him if he's seen pictures of their new house. Amy followed along with my crazy ventures at my former work. She loved hearing about the "crazy conspiracy theorist guy" who used to come in our office and tell us some of the strangest things I've ever heard. I used to find myself relaying them on Facebook just for her benefit. I think Amy and Brian and Nate and I would spend more time together if they also did not live 2+ hours away. I think it's high time we planned to meet up with them again.

So to those four ladies especially, I appreciate you! (Although Katie and Danielle might hate me now after reading my previous blog entry.) :o)