We have been settling into summer around here. Our days are filled with softball tournaments, barbecues and more softball tournaments. But on our girl’s last day of school, we had some special lunch guests to start our summer off right. KariAnne of Thistlewood Farms and her family were driving through to a family vacation and were swinging right by our neck of the woods.
Now, I say, her whole family, but the truth be told, her oldest son was not there and his presence was greatly missed!
It is such a strange feeling, someone who has been such a good friend to me – but all through the phone or occasional blogging events, was now in my home. I will admit, I was nervous, afraid it wouldn’t meet up to her expectations.
But as soon as I saw her pull in the driveway, none of that mattered. It was just so great to have her smiling face here and be able to talk with her in person.
And, even better, the kids were fast friends. The younger girls are all the same age and Kari’s younger son is the same age as my older girl. They quickly were bored with the adult conversation and went off to the pool.
Of course, we had to get a group picture to mark this special event.
This was after Kari took a bunch of pictures of our home – which did make me nervous all over again. But watching her and her sweet husband interact as she took the pictures was priceless. She shared them over on her blog if you would like to take a look.
But my favorite part of the afternoon is when the kids all sat down with Kari and I at the kitchen table. We got to hear from all of them what it is like to be the child of a blogger. They had us in stitches. And let me tell you, KariAnne is not the only story teller of the family. I now officially know who to go to for any scoop!
The greatest gift of the afternoon was that we were not bloggers, we were friends and we were moms spending a summer afternoon with our kids. And KariAnne shines even more as a mom that she does as a blogger, and that is saying a lot.
I feel very lucky to not only have had this time with my sweet friend, but her crew as well. I am hoping it will work out again for them stop by our neck of the woods (hint hint!). Oh, and while she was on vacation, she and her hubby completed the most amazing makeover ever! You have to go check our her beach bedroom makeover here.
Wishing you a great day and thanks so much for reading!
I feel blessed to call you both my friends and would just love to get to be together in each other’s homes like that! Guess I’ll have to settle for our times together at conferences and beach houses for now! 😉 Love you girlies!
i love that you guys got to spend some time together in your home. wish i was there too!
Well I just can’t stop smiling and my cheeks hurt!! It was KariAnne that introduced me to you and I”m so glad she did. It is great having friends like that even though you aren’t close by. It’s whats in the heart that matters. You both have lovely families. You both feel so approachable it’s as if I’ve known you forever — I could be both of your mom’s. And KariAnne and Mr. Twinkling Brown Eyes did such a fabulous job at the cottage. I’m still smiling. Have a wonderful day.
Abbbracci!
Oh how great to see Kari and her family in your home!….So happy that you all spent a wonderful afternoon together!…So great that the kids are “of the same age”….. how wonderful is it that blogging has been such a great avenue to making long lasting and true friendships!….Love the two of you!!!
Having a beautiful home is a blessing but having a beautiful friendship is a gift! Such fun!
Sweet friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such a joy to count you as friend! It was a wonderful, joyful, afternoon!
And the chicken salad……seriously. 🙂
Happy day to you friend!
karianne
I love following both your blogs! Thanks for sharing about your wonderful day!
I was so happy when I read on her blog that you two met!!!
Thank you, for posting the pictures of your families!
It made me feel closer to you!
Cheers,
Claudine
My two favorite bloggers together! Awesome!
What fun is THIS? So glad you got together!
How fun that you had this time together. Meeting you both at SNAP was truly a highlight for me – Karianne is just hilarious! Love this post. xo
What a fun day! I follow both of your blogs and it was so nice to see you two together for a day of great fellowship. You both are so talented.
What fun! Love KariAnne — she’s such a delight in person! Hope I can meet you at Haven, Laura!
xo Heidi
So happy for you that your families were able to spend the day together. Karianne is a great lady and her beach house makeover is amazing!
two of my favorite bloggers together! Amazing so happy you had that time together!
What fun! So nice to hear that your families got to meet.
-Shelley
Hi Laura! I haven’t stopped by for awhile, glad I did! I think I remember that you live in New York State. I am driving from Boston to Clevland soon, I think on I90. Can you tell me any little “must see” places or towns? I would love to find some cool old finds. Hope all is well with you!
Sweet! Thanks for sharing your special day together.
The oldest son was not happy about missing the trip either. *sigh* Maybe next year.
What a wonderful gathering of friends.
What a treat to see all those lovely photos of KariAnne and her family, and yours as well! She has a beautiful blog and I just love her storytelling and sense of humor.
Can’t wait to read more of your blog!