Last weekend, I ventured outside in the frozen tundra we call home. I packed the car, set up the GPS, and headed for Oregon, Wisconsin...to spend 24 hours with people I have
never met before (with the exception of
Brianna, who I was anxious to visit with again
). My friends and family, including my husband, thought I was crazy, but somehow I knew it would be worth it. What I didn't know is that these women would make me feel so welcome and at home that I would have a hard time picking up and heading back home, even though I missed my hubby and Sweet Pea.
I decided to meet four other ladies for lunch, but didn't really know who to look for. When I walked into
Monty's, I searched around to see if I could possibly spot them. I was a little flustered having just sat in the car to nurse A and realizing the place was packed, so I headed right to the bathroom to change A and try to relax my nerves. The bathroom was another adventure, because the changing table was inside one of the single, tiny stalls...so it was quite interesting trying to fit my postpartum body between the changing table and the side of the stall. I began to panic, wondering what in the world I was thinking driving all this way to meet women I have
never met before.
When I headed back to the entrance,
Julie came up to me and asked me if I was there for
Cupcake. I immediately felt a sense of relief, because I was no longer alone. Julie and I chatted, awkwardly at first, because I couldn't remember for the life of me what blog was hers. Soon after,
Samara and
Kim arrived, just in time for us to be seated.
Tara and her little sweetie, Bianca, joined us once we were seated. Somehow, as we sat down, we all eased into conversation, as if we were old friends. The panic had long since faded and in it's place was a comfortable peace and a feeling that these women were going to become real life friends.
In fact, I found it hard to pry myself away from the table when Almanzo began to fuss. I felt an overwhelming desire to hear the stories these women had to share and get to know them beyond their blogs. Thankfully, we had that chance later on in the evening as we all sat in a circle in the dim lighting of the lodge. And, oh the stories these women shared...I laughed, I cried, and my heart broke for the pain and the heartache we have all had to endure. I felt slightly out of place, because my blog is really small compared to the rest...and yet, I felt right at home. From the moment I walked into the lodge, these women cared for my son and I as if we were family...and it felt so good.
The weekend went by so fast and I felt like I didn't really get a chance to share more about who I am and why I blog. So, for all my sweet cupcakes and for those real life family and friends as well as my sweet blogging friends who have followed my blog since it began, this is my story...
I started blogging on
Xanga as a way to keep in touch with our extended family, especially my husband's family who we only see once or twice a year. I soon realized it was the perfect way for me to share my love of writing and journal about the work God is doing in my life. It wasn't until just over a year ago, when I switched to blogger, that I began to experience the sense of community blogging brings.
I love being a stay at home mom and I honestly wouldn't trade it for any other job, but it is probably the HARDEST job...and there are days when I feel like I will really lose my mind. Reading other blogs and getting to know other mommy bloggers when I became a knew mom was a daily reminder that I am not alone. Sometimes I feel like I must be the only mother in the world who feels like a failure...until I read about another mommy blogger struggling with the same thing. It's easy to feel disconnected to the outside world as a stay at home mom, especially when it takes FOREVER to get a newborn, a toddler, and a mommy ready to go anywhere. But when I open up one of my favorite blogs, I remember why I do what I do...because it is the best job in the world.
Thank you, Cupcakes, for an amazing weekend (and thank you,
Steph and
Heather, for making your dream a reality)...I can hardly wait for Cupcake 2011!
Check out all the photos
here and some of my favorites
here.
