Meeting Real People

So Giselle beat me to this by posting her impression of our Friday meeting/play date...but that works for me because now I can just sponge off her post & build mine from there ;) Some of this post is indeed feeding off of her comments so you might want to read hers first so you connect some of my references...if you want :)

Friday morning the kids and I packed up the van and headed out to meet Giselle and her kids. Normally, I might be nervous about meeting someone new- hoping that they don't think I am psychotic, worrying that my kids will act up, or any number of mishaps that could occur.

I found myself rather calm...in fact, the only thing that had me in a tizzy that morning was the dye job I had done on my hair the night prior. I should have just left it because it's not as though Giselle would have thrown me and my 1-inch plus roots out of her house. But I had been trying to find the time for over a week & I just couldn't stand myself any longer. My hair should have turned out your basic dark brown...well, it looks alarmingly close to a color I would describe as black. Anyway, I got over myself & could care less about it now but I was so pissed on Friday morning. I felt as though I looked like a witch... I forced myself to avoid wallowing in ridiculous self-pity and to be excited for our adventure to meet new friends.

We left late- because when do I ever manage to do anything on time, even when I put in a great effort- and then I had to stop for gas (of course) but we made pretty good time and Giselle was very gracious about it. It was about an hour and 15 minute drive but mostly highway so very easy.

Having read Giselle's reaction to our meeting, I completely agree with her about how easy it all seemed. I pulled into her driveway & felt like I had been there dozens of times. Of course, our meeting starts with Michael putting the potty chair down in her driveway and peeing in it (we are a class act, you know). I was hoping this didn't phase her and it didn't seem to. We introduced the kids and yes, we did hug hello. Until I read her most recent post, I had no idea she wasn't a hugger by nature & it wasn't an awkward hug at all.

I am totally a "make myself at home" kind of person and I often worry that this might put some people off. Again, I am so glad that Giselle didn't seem to mind this about me. And I'm talking about things like putting Chloe's bottle in her fridge or grabbing a papertowel not things like taking a nap in her bed. I honestly felt just as comfortable as I do at any of my friends' houses that I have been in many times.

The day just kind of rolled along in a very natural way...Giselle fixed lunch for all the kids & it was great. Although she had told me she had this covered in advance, I felt a bit like a mooch but I plan on making up for this next time (should she care to hang out again!). I also was getting Chloe situated with lunch and so I wasn't even much of a help. I know that you are all dying to have me come visit you, right? Because I sound like an awesome guest, right? Anyway, not only did she have a perfect kids' lunch planned, she then COMPLETELY floored me by telling me she had a separate lunch planned for us. And for someone who eats PB & Fluff 5 out of 7 days each week, this almost made me weep with happiness. And I would have been totally happy with the items from the kids' menu! We had delicious spinach ravioli & don't take her word for it on the salad- it was so tasty with little nuts & berries mixed in--I thought it was really good. I felt like I had lunch at a restaurant...at least the Olive Garden if not better (you should know I frickin' love the O.G. so that's a total compliment in my world). And ravioli is in my top 3 favorite foods...how did she know?

So everything just kind of flowed, the kids played- sometimes together, sometimes not- inside, outside and back in again. Liam was kind of persistent to check in with me frequently but then he mellowed out a bit. Giselle's Michael napped and Chloe had a bottle. We had complete conversations and talked about such a range of topics and it was so, so nice to talk to an intelligent, interesting adult while the kids played happily. In keeping with Giselle's post format, here are some things I learned during our visit:

1. Giselle is just a fantastic person and such a sweet mom to her children. I can tell that her kids know just what to expect from her and they clearly respect her every bit as much as they love her. She is so easy going and I felt completely at ease with her. I loved talking with her & having the chance to get to know her better. In a blog, you can ask comment and questions but you don't have the immediate gratification of an answer like you do in a real conversation. I am so glad we decided to meet. Giselle is the real deal- how she presents herself in her blog is truly who she is and I had a blast hanging out with her. I will say that there is one area of misrepresentation: I found her home to be lovely & I didn't observe any dust bunnies or sticky floors. I loved every minute of our visit.

2. And the kids? Such awesome children!! I loved talking with Andrew. It gave me a glimpse into a future of more robust conversations with my own kids. We did indeed talk about his school lunch menu, his loose tooth, his new teacher...and I loved hearing about it. Because those are big deal things in his world right now and I was so happy he shared them with me...after all, I just walked in the door not 30 minutes ago. Lily is a cutie & I did not see any evidence of the bipolar syndrome that Giselle references in her blog. She can spell her name and I think she is so proud of that. Michael is just adorable and I think he might just run his older siblings one day (I feel the same about Chloe). I got a little glimpse into Andrew & Lily's closeness too-- they were sitting on the sofa right next to each other & playing some sort of game (I think)...I couldn't hear what they were saying but they were enjoying each others' company & I thought that was just precious!

3. Giselle's home is great!! Lots of things for the kids to do, inside and out. The new kitchen is beautiful--I loved it. Not that I saw her old one in person but you know, that doesn't matter!

4. I learned what a couple of bloggers looked like in college--people like MoMommy and Midwest Mom. Ah, the college days of flannel and beer...it made me nostalgic for my own college years.

5. While we come from different backgrounds, grew up in different places & have our own life experiences, I venture to say that Giselle and I probably share many of the same core values. I am sure there are things we don't have the same opinion about but that's true of almost all of my friendships.

I could on and on...perhaps I already have? Hopefully, we will hang out again! Because I do have just one regret... During our rather lengthy visit--I hope we did not overstay!--I did not get to play their household's most infamous pretend play game--"Neighbor". I will insist upon it next time ;)