THE EXCITEMENT BUILDS
Once upon a time, not too long ago (and definitely not in a land far away), I was perusing the WordPress Reader and came upon a beautiful photograph by artist and blogger, Amy Rose of the blog, Petals Unfolding. I was in awe of her photographic ability, and began to follow her blog. After awhile, it occurred to me that many of her photographs were taken in local Western New York locations, and I began to pay even more attention. When I became aware that she was publishing photos of her walks through Chestnut Ridge Park, I knew she must live somewhere in my geographic area of the USA.
Imagine that – a talented blogger within a 20-minute drive from me! I wanted to meet her, but wasn’t sure how she would respond to an invitation, so I began commenting on her photos, letting her know that I was quite familiar with many of the trails in Chestnut Ridge Park because I’ve lived in Western New York pretty much my whole life. In fact, as a young couple, my husband and I spent a lot of time walking those same trails.
Finally, Amy realized that I, too, am a local gal – and we made arrangements for a luncheon meet-and-greet at a nearby TGI Friday’s. Now that I work only 4 days a week, it was fairly easy for me to set aside a Monday for the event – and it was really cool that I could have a Monday to do something fun instead of just running to doctor’s appointments.
I should have date-stamped it. No one would believe it’s December 14
The meet-and-greet was today! And the gods were smiling – mid-December in Buffalo, NY and the temperature was 70 degrees, with sun! I just knew we would hit it off.
I can’t tell you how happy I am to have met such a wonderful person. Amy is just what you would expect from reading her blog – intelligent, talented, and caring. We chatted about many subjects as I ate my chicken-and-shrimp pasta dish, and Amy enjoyed her French onion soup and salad. To me, it felt like I was having lunch with an old friend – perhaps because interacting with another blogger through the comments truly gives one a sense of what that other blogger is all about.
Teddy Rosalie was, of course, present since I always take her to meet-and-greets to assure that the other blogger will recognize me. After all, how many people enter a restaurant holding a small teddy bear? Out of respect to Amy, I left Not CM at home (which isn’t always easy to do, considering that Not CM is my alter-ego, but hey, where there’s a will, there’s a way).
Yes, that says “NAUGHTY” – maybe Not CM was there after all!
After lunch, there was a minor tussle over paying of the bill – I wanted to treat, Amy wanted to treat – so finally we decided to just split it. Fortunately, we were able to resolve the issue without Amy having to resort to her martial arts training, or me having to use my sarcastic wit. And thankfully, there will be no headlines on the local news about two ladies causing mayhem at the local TGI Friday’s.
(As an aside, Amy and I agreed not to take pictures of each other, to preserve our respective privacy. But Teddy Rosalie is always happy to be photographed, and she so loves sitting on the dashboard of the car.)
Amy and have agreed to meet again sometime in the spring, and we’re hoping to invite one or two other bloggers to join us. The name Mark Bialczak kept cropping up – and please don’t say “Who?” Everyone knows and loves our favorite blogger from the suburbs of Syracuse. NY.
So, Mark, if you’re reading this, you can expect that I will try to arrange a meeting with Amy while you and Karen are here on the mini-wine tour that I intend to take you on. Plan accordingly! (Yes, I know we haven’t firmed up any plans just yet, but I’m ever the optimist.)
If any other readers are within a reasonable driving distance of Buffalo, NY and feel like coming sometime in the spring or early summer, we could make it an even funner meet-and-greet! Who’s in?
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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com or notcordeliasmom@aol.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom
Cordelia's Mom, Still 