Meeting Friends

Have you ever met someone you already know?

Those of us who reside in 'Blog Land' for part of our days get to know each other. Through a love of writing, we share so many parts of our lives, from the day-to-day to the extraordinary times, from our darkest days to our most hilarious moments. And there are so many blogs out there, with thousands of people to read about, who share about themselves or the things they do and love, or specific points of their life.

But, while there are some great blogs out there, and many that you might love to read, every now and then you come across a person you can really relate to. That person might write in a way that clicks with you, or about something that resonates long after you've closed the website. You might have similar interests or share a slightly deranged sense of humour.

I have been lucky enough to chat online with a few such people. And one of these is the gorgeous Jodie from Mummy Mayhem. Jodie was one of the first blogs I came across and also one of the first to begin following my little blog. We soon became regular commenters on each other's posts and when I joined Twitter, we began sharing snippets of humour and life, 140 characters at a time.

When I told her I was coming to Sydney, we agreed it could be fun to meet face-to-face and settled on a Sunday lunch. Jodie, ever organised, took care of the details, booking a restaurant in a stunningly beautiful spot and promising to bring along a bottle of champagne.

When the day came, I decided to take a ferry to Manly that morning, before getting on another one over to the restaurant (right next to Luna Park, where the photo above was taken). So I turned up looking like a weary traveller, windswept and slightly wobbly after being on a choppy, windy Harbour. And that was before I'd even had my first drink.

I arrived at the restaurant right on time, which was a fluke of ferry timing more than planning. And I sat soaking up the view for a couple of minutes, at which point I became a little nervous. What if we had nothing to talk about in person? Wouldn't it be awful to meet someone you had clicked with online, just to find out you actually sit there with awkward silences? Then I looked around and saw a smiling Jodie headed towards me. She looked just like her pictures on her blog and Twitter (except she's more than just a head - who knew?!) and we began chatting straight away.

We enjoyed squid, creme brulee and champagne in the sunshine along Sydney Harbour. Jodie was just as lovely as I had anticipated, just as she comes across on her blog. And we talked and talked about all manner of things. Things that I wouldn't dream of saying the first time I met someone, only it wasn't really the first time we had met. 

I felt as though I could have stayed chatting with Jodie all afternoon. Followed by another bottle of champagne and more chatting into the evening. Which we shall have to do one of these days, because I'm writing this and thinking of all the things I wanted to ask her about and forgot.

Anyway, thanks for a wonderful afternoon, Jodie!

Let your fingers do the running, not walking, over to Jodie's blog and follow her on Twitter.

Megan