All I Have To Bring Today

Next week I hope to get back to regular and consistent blogging.

This week has been wonderfully full.

Gretchen and I had an amazing visit. The Mister was in San Diego all week, so it was doubly nice to have her company!

I also got to hang out with my favorite Carpoolqueen and my Carolina Gals-- some bloggers, some not. (And not all pictured!)

I would love to go into detail, but the brain and the heart aren't quite connected at the moment...and the lack of sleep this week doesn't help!

So I leave you with this poem by Emily Dickinson, because the meadow-size blessing of friendship overwhelms me.

It's All I Have To Bring Today

It's all I have to bring to-day,

This and my heart beside.

This and my heart, and all the fields,

And all the meadows wide.

Be sure you count, should I forget,--

Someone the sum could tell,--

This, and my heart, and all the bees

Which in the clover dwell.

~Emily Dickinson

Meeting Kristin

If I could give one of my top reasons I love blogging so much, it would have to be the In Real Life Meetings.

When I started blogging over four years ago I never imagined how many wonderful women I would get the privilege to meet: face-to-face.

I had the pleasure of taking tea with Kristin of Fill My Cup .

Among other things Kristin is a tea drinker. I had heard through the grapevine that she actually serves an amazing tea party, but for our first meeting we met at a local hotel for afternoon tea.

I was fashionably late because I had taken a wrong turn, so she was sitting in the lobby with her golden curls when I walked in from the grey, cold afternoon. She came bearing a gift--her own label of coffee...seriously, roasted in her own back yard. Its good too.

We slipped into easy conversation, and I tried to not giggle as I felt like a kid who had snuck (sneaked? snook?) into an elegant experience. I just knew that the wait-staff might eventually find out that I couldn't possibly be refined enough to take tea like a lady.

So I just followed what Kristin did, because she knew what to do.

She was so sweet as she confessed her concern that I might be served something with mayo.

There was only one thing on the menu that was suspicious: deviled eggs.  Which she politely declined to eat.

So I did too. (whew!)

Everything else was delicious. And I tasted it all so I know. The only thing I tasted but didn't eat was the tapioca in the asian soup spoon.

Everything else was delicious including the scones, which didn't last long enough to be pictured.

Kristin had her handy-dandy iPhone, in its adorable zebra wrap, so we were lucky to get pictures at all...after chanting "Don't forget the camera" all morning long, I promptly left home without it.

Kristin, thank you for being brave enough to meet with a stranger for tea on a rainy afternoon. It lifted this CoffeeGal's spirits, and I cannot wait to do it again!

Ladies Who Lunch (And other fun stuff)

Thanks to all who played If I Came To Your House Today on Friday.

That was some serious fun, and I look forward to doing it again in the future!

This weekend was chock-full of exciting events and it all started out with a lunch date with The Carpool Queen on Friday. She had some VIP's in town for a short stay, and was generous enough to share a couple of hours of her visiting time with me tagging along.

I was very excited to meet the ever witty and famous ImNotNed. He actually has his own blog, but I found him through the comment section over at CPQ's place.

Anyway, ImNotNed (who really isn't Ned, but whom I almost called Ned five bagillion times) was just as fun in person as the guy he plays on the net. And I would say that even if he hadn't bought everybody's lunch. (Thanks again!)

I really enjoyed talking with Imnotned's beautiful wife, Momologuer.

I hope I didn't appear too weird.

You see, she reminded me of someone, so I kept staring at her while my brain was in overload trying to figure it all out.

I kept wishing they were gonna be here awhile so that I could kidnap CPQ and Momologuer for the afternoon. I just knew that we would be kindred spirits, should time allow. (Hmmm, I've seen her somewhere....)

How did I know?

Well, other than the fact that Momologuer seemed very calm, relaxed, and personable, in her beautiful winter-white wear, but when she found out I was on the way to Michael's for a few crafty things she dug in her purse to see if she might have a coupon I could use.

Friends, that is love...to share a Michael's coupon with a stranger.

(who does she remind me of?)


As we said goodbye and walked out into the rain I was still trying to figure out who Momologuer looked like...when I got into the car and put the key in the ignition it came to me...

Kate Hudson....she totally looks like Kate Hudson.

On a complete random note....to say that I am not an adventurous eater would be the understatement of the year. I am especially a not a fan of anything that has anything to do with cream, or cream sauce-- anything that is colored white, really. (Sweet things and coffee creamer excluded.)

Listen, I never said I didn't have issues.

But for some weird reason--and I am not sure why--when I am with the CPQ I try to be very foody forward.

Case in point: Chicken Pot Pie Soup.

It was rainy and terribly cold outside and I knew soup was the answer. Normally I would go for French Onion or Chicken Veggie, but when the waitress walked up I ordered a big bowl of the Chicken Pot Pie soup like I had just won the Dairy Queen crown.

Next time I won't be such a poser.

Ok, this post is getting long...fast foward, Coffeegal.

Saturday we went to Richmond VA, got lost downtown in the middle of a marathon, toured a musuem, and a historic home, went to a wedding receiption for some friends, drove home, slept late Sunday, made french bread, read in the first sunshine we had had in almost a week, crashed in bed last night, and now I am here. Whew!

One side note: In the middle of all that activity I tried the Peppermint Chocolate Shake at Chik-fil-A. I had heard rave reviews on Twitter and other blogs.

Don't hate me, but....I'm not a fan. It's like drinking a gravel milkshake. It tastes good, but all the crunched up candy cane is like drinking rocks.

However, to confuse you even more, since I have written my disdain for all things creamy, I do actually like one Egg Nog shake during this season...

I know, I even confuse myself...

Happy Monday!

Meeting CPQ

I knew three things would be true about the Carpoolqueen without benefit of speaking to her face face:

• Although she writes with great humor and friendly sarcasm, I had a hunch she also had great depth.
  

• I knew we would laugh, and have ease of conversation.
  

• I knew she would be generous...I was certain she would bring a gift. 
  

I had anticipated this meeting all week and I was trying, with a great deal of effort, to play it cool. There is something about meeting somebody from the Internet, that say’s “be cool”. 

You never know what a blogger might have in her lovely, green, leather handbag.

As we dined on my favorite Asian cuisine (I always order the same thing, she never gets the same thing twice), we immediately set into rich conversation. We sort of by-passed the niceties and went for the gold. 

We talked about our kids and our husbands; Our churches, our friends, and of course our lives on the blogs.

We would flip from topic to topic without fully finishing each course; getting serious, lightening up.

Eventually we moved from the restaurant to the coffee house. 

The rain poured while we sipped our lattes. She sat leaned back in her chair with great ease. I fidgeted and sat at the edge of my seat, leaning in on the table. 

So different we are. And yet a lot alike.

I liked that. 

Two and a half hours later they were shutting us down.

What is there to tell you about CPQ?

She is adaptive and amenable.

I was a bit worried because I often have periods of time when I am burdened with thoughts that swirl in my head. By nature I am a deep thinker, never more so than when I have these contemplative times.

I’m on the tail end of one of those stages right now, and last night I was easily distracted. I left feeling like I wished I had talked less and listened more, especially when I would literally forget what I was saying in the middle of a sentence. CPQ in her calm, flexibility, seemed to take my flighty brain all in stride. She even remembered what I was talking about so I could finish a sentence.

She’s smart. Not just book smart, but life smart.

She loves the Lord, and desires to live authentically for Him. 

She is funny. I laughed with her as she teased me over brown rice and non-fat lattes. I love the camaraderie of friendly teasers. 

She is personable. We met an eclectic group of knitters having some girl time over yarn and coffee. CPQ immediately engaged them about octopus legs and meeting times, all with friendly ease.

She’s the real deal. Someone I am so grateful to have the chance to meet and to get to know better. Someone I am happy to call Amiga (she’s also bilingual).

And I am not just saying these things because she brought me a present: 

This is a cheesy picture of me and my new stash of Tim Horton’s Coffee. I drank a half a pot of this delicious draft and will say, I’m actually sorry she’s generous. Because now I am going to have to get me a secret Horton Hook-up, to supply my caffeine needs. 

There are a thousand other things I could say, like how we were giddy with excitement as Mer and Gretchen tweeted and emailed from the other side of the nation.  Or about the sweet college girls that helped us take really good pictures, in really bad lighting. And how they made us roll our eyes  laugh with their youthful lists of lingerie. Or about the lady who wore a hat with three-corners…but I need to wrap up this post because I am dying to know what CPQ wrote about this night. 

So, CPQ, it was so fun to meet you IRL. Can't wait to do it again soon.

La Vida Dulce!