friends

i've mused on this before. how crazy it is that this whole blogging thing has exposed me to people i likely never would have crossed paths with and yet i have found people who have become some of my closest friends. all because i typed some words in a teeny tiny corner of the vast expanse of Internet. it's as if the Internet were comparable to the universe and my blog the equivalent of my linen closet inside the universe: small, insignificant & really not all that captivating.

it's kind of humbling really. and i cannot imagine *not* having these wonderful friends inside my computer--some of whom have actually materialized and become real live actual *people*. that i know. like for *real*.

i will admit that i often don't "play along" with the whole "blog award" thing, partially out of not wanting to do the whole "tag this many people" part, but this one i felt compelled to follow through, because i found a way to put the spotlight on some truly awesome people i am lucky enough to call Friend.

i was tagged by both K (a blogger i discovered not long after The Broken Road was born and who i *will* meet one day) and a new blogging buddy Rachel. their sweet words really brightened my day--and you should most certainly make your way over to their blogs, if you don't already read them!

Apparently this award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

i'm going to share eight bloggers with you that i am proud to call friends. (each of you can feel free to play along yourselves or to simply accept the award graciously, whichever you choose, without anyone's feelings getting hurt. i promise.) at the very least, it is the perfect opportunity to share some fantastic blogs with some of you who only recently joined in over here!

1. i am going to start with my friend Nichole. i met her in person three years ago this past May when she & her husband were vacationing at Disney World. Nichole is a remarkable woman. she has been a true friend when i really needed one. she has opened her home to me for vacations & holidays, and introduced me to all sorts of things i probably never would have thought to try. she has graciously shared her Disney vacations with me. for two very different people in some ways, we share so much common ground as well--a truly wonderful case of two people complementing one another. i liked her immediately; she was one of those rare people i feel like i've known forever, almost as soon as we met. Nichole blogs about life in Southern California, about being a surgeon, and about the variety of adventures & experiences she has that make her such a well-rounded person.

2. next is my friend Heather. i didn't meet Heather through blogging. i have been friends with her since we were three years old, when we met in nursery school. Life took us some places that required our paths to break apart for a little while, but they converged again, and the few years we spent on our own separate journeys almost seem as though they never happened. it is an awesome & special thing to have a friend who has known you literally almost your entire life & yet isn't a blood relative. Heather shares stories & photos of her two children on her blog--one of whom is my very sweet god daughter!

3. our next stop is Chele. we went to high school together and were great friends during some of the most trying years of anyone's life. we giggled through geometry class (and geometry tutoring LOL!), were active in many areas of our school's music department together, and spent quite a bit of time hanging out outside of school as well. we lost touch after we graduated. the details are a bit hazy now, but one day after moving to Florida, i thought of her. it was very close to her birthday & i wanted to send her a card. so i did. and thanks to the internet, we've reconnected across the miles. it was Chele's blog that inspired me to start my own, and her blog is an amazing collection of thoughts, snippets, photos and wonderings as she continues to discover who she is.

4. moving along to Lil Foot's Mommy. i don't recall if she found me or if i found her, but she is such a warm, sweet person. i have had so much fun getting to know her online and next month (
22 days and 16 hours from now!!) i will get to meet her in person! i am so excited. she is another one of those special people who you feel like you've just known your whole life. i just wish i had known she was there when i still lived in Connecticut! Lil Foot's Mommy shares wonderful stories & photos of her adorable little girl on her blog, as well as some of her own thoughts & experiences.

5. last weekend, when i was up in Connecticut for my god daughter's birthday party and a bridal shower for the wedding i'll be in next month, i had the opportunity to meet Keri. she is friends with the previously mentioned Chele (which is how i, in turn, discovered her blog) and now, through blogging, has also become friends with Heather. Keri's blog is full of picture of her two cute kidlets, some of the hysterical things they say & do, and her thoughts on being their mom. the conditions weren't the greatest for getting to know a new friend, but i am looking forward to getting together with Keri another time i am visiting my New England friends, maybe for a girls' afternoon or evening!

6. i can't even remember now how i stumbled across Carrie's blog, but i am so glad i did! she is funny, loves the Autumn (just like me!), has adorable kids, and is a history buff--any of which can make an appearance on her blog! someday i am going to travel to her neck of the woods & let her tourguide for me! ;-)

7. Brandi is a recently discovered fellow Floridian who i am so glad i wandered into on the Internet. she was a regular reader of K's blog and one day, i decided to follow the link over to her blog, because she seemed awfully nice in the comments she left. let this be a lesson to all of you: if you are a regular reader of someone's blog and you notice other regular readers there who you don't already "know," it is so worth taking the time to explore. you can find some absolutely wonderful bloggers this way! i am typically somewhat hesitant about leaving those first few comments on a new blog--i always feel like i'm crashing the party!--but i stepped outside my comfort zone & left her a couple of comments. and i am so happy that i did! Brandi blogs about life & living in the Tampa Bay area...and one of these days, we're going to have to meet up somewhere!

8. last but certainly not least is the first e-friend i ever met: my friend Andie. Andie is also a huge Disney fan who happened to live in Florida at the time we got to meet. she & her husband & Jett the Wonder Dog have since relocated to Texas, but that doesn't stop us from keeping in touch. Andie is an amazing photographer and she shares some of her incredible photos on her blog, as well as sprinkling in anecdotes of every day life and lots of fun links.

my friends are a diverse group, and they may be scattered from sea to shining sea, but they are all incredibly special, wonderful, inspiring people...and each precious to me in her own way--whether we've known each other for decades or have only recently gotten to know one another, whether we've met in person or only in the realm of cyberspace. friendship cannot be contained or defined by how we've met or how we stay in touch or how many miles exist between us.