When You Meet A Blogger Friend In Real Life

Remember back in the MySpace days how meeting people on the Internet was the biggest no-no of all? Trust me you'll end up on Catfish, they said. The Internet is full of crazies, they said.

And while that may or may not be true, I'll take my chances because you guys all seem real chill. I like coming to this space and sharing my life with you and reading about yours, I like bonding over shared quirks and universal experiences, and learning about the finest organic baby diapers or the most efficient way to pack a carry-on or life lessons you've gained in your twenty-eight years of living. I like to think of you guys as my friends, my pals, my buddies. BACK OFF WEIRDO, I can distinctly hear you mutter through the screen with an exaggerated eyeroll. (Please love me back.)

I honestly can't remember when Jordyn and I first started reading each other's blogs but it was quite awhile ago – two years, I'd say? – and so meeting her in person for the first time (finally!!!) was more like seeing an old friend and picking up right from where we last left off. I thought I'd walk you through some moments that you're bound to have if you too decide to meet a blogger friend IRL.

You think "you are exactly what you look like on your blog!" Yes Caroline. Photography. What a concept. But it's so strange seeing someone you see in 2D every single day all of a sudden appear in front of you in 3D looking very much the same, but also just a little different.

You make a beeline for brunch. For us, that was a local spot by the water and in the sunshine, and most importantly - with a mimosa special that comes with a whole dang bottle of champs. Gimme.

Do we even have to mention taking photos? Isn't that a given? Instagram, Snapchat, phone, DSLR, selfie sticks, bird's eye view, lighting, the more the merrier!

There comes a moment when someone asks you two how you know each other. We've been friends for awhile, I can't even remember would likely be sufficient, but you KNOW I had to go and make it awkward. Ermmmmmm, well it's kind of weird. We met on the Internet... through our blogs. "Oh, sort of like Tinder," this random guy helpfully offered. Yes. Sure. Just like Tinder.

"What should we do now" is easily answered with – well, let's go exploring somewhere cute and Instagrammable. Bonus points if there's boutique shopping and excellent people-watching involved. I hemmed and I hawed over taking Jordyn to Hayes Valley vs. Cow Hollow but ended up deciding on the latter beeeeecause...

We are all aware of certain blogger landmarks! I asked Jordyn if she was interested in grabbing coffee from the cafe with the famous pineapple wallpaper and she was hopping in the car before I could even finish my sentence.

You like a lot of the same things and know you like a lot of the same things. I mean, those "monthly favorites" posts and adorable About Me blurbs have got to be useful for something, right? Jordyn and I launched right into picking out whimsical paper goods and discussing the components of an excellent girls' night in and our Netflix queues and Kate Spade sales.

You already know a lot about each other. A lot, a lot. Not simply about likes and dislikes, but also about hardships from the past, dreams about the future, worries from the here and now, proud accomplishments, apartment decoration plans. These posts pack a lot of information, who woulda thunk.

There's also a lot that you don't know. I didn't even realize that we weren't too clear on each other's job descriptions until we were kind of like, okay wait so what exactly do you do when you're not browsing Bloglovin'?

You'll gravitate towards Common Blogging Denominators without even realizing it. Flowers. Gold jewelry. Pretty stationary. Photographable buildings. Face masks that smell like oatmeal cookies.

You're free to talk blog. SEO practices, blogs that you both read and love, webinars, social media strategy, the state of the industry, sponsored posts, e-courses, editorial calendars. It's so frickin' nice talking shop with someone who completely gets it, who is just as passionate about these funny little terms, who belongs to a community that means so much to you.

You actually make an effort before leaving the house. My weekend outfit of choice goes something like: sweatpants, sweatshirt. But hanging out with a blogger... well, that's a different story. See: cameras everywhere.

It becomes a lot less embarrassing when you pull out a giant camera and photograph your coffee and outfit. One person snapping photos every four seconds is like, hey maybe try living real life a little. Two people doing so is like, look how endearing. (Just let me believe that, you guys.)

You share resources. I was telling Jordyn about this one course site geared for bloggers, thinking that she must be in the same ad-targeted audience as I, but alas she had never heard of it! And she was looping me in about this one community to find photographers. And um, can you look at how amazing and natural her poses are? I have a lot to learn from her!

You discuss recent blog posts (by you and by others) as if they were Huffington Post or NYTimes articles. Did you read the one about... Oh, and how did you feel about the one that So-and-so wrote about...

You never want them to leave. Here you finally have this kindred spirit to hang out with, and you kind of sort of would lowkey love it if she could stay forever so you guys could brainstorm blog posts and chat about newsletters and Periscope all while playing with face masks and eating late night pizza while jamming out to Taylor Swift (oh if only), but nope. Seattle's forever stealing her away.

(Thank goodness for Snapchat.)

(Well, and our blogs, I guess.)

Somewhere along the way, she went from being A Blog Friend to just... a friend. It happens as you give context to stories posted on the blog, or talk about your daily routine. It happens as you share more about your family or your career and give the details that often can't be plastered all over the www. As some point between hugging hello and saying 'until next time!' you say a faint, okay HOORAY she wasn't actually a 50 year old man behind an elaborate ruse to kidnap me but also what a wonderful person I get to call a friend now!
Have you met any blog friends in person? I was lucky enough to also meet Kelly from Sparkles & Shoes last summer and I want to meet even more of you!! Will you PLEASE let me know if you're ever in SF & would like to go adventuring?