"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one." ~ C.S. Lewis

....and, so it begins. I have been mulling over the weekend and all that happened, with me and at blog camp. We had a BBQ today with family and friends (the friends, are really just the family we choose to include in our own personal chaos and who choose to stick around to find out how each little events turns out...kind of like watching a train wreck)and I was acutely aware that I wished my blog camp friends were there. I could totally picture them there amongst my RWP's, harrassing each of them, as they reciprocated and giving as good as they got. I was warmed by this thought and wondered what they were doing right then, when I was thinking about them. I was really able to imagine them hanging out with my peeps....and this is the epitome of what Blog Camp was for me.

I was concerned that truly I would have only blogging in common with these women, as I do not have any children, nor do I have a husband, nor have I ever and well, their lives are pretty full with these very things. I know that those things do not make up a person, but, they certainly fill up a large part of them and this seemed like it might be a stumbling block for me. I thought I might feel left out as the others would be able to chat easily among themselves about their spouses and children. Let's face it, those things would certainly be easy ice breakers and would help conversations start, because that is an immediate and obvious connection each of them shared. Further, I was the oldest camper there....I seriously have never felt that age plays a part in who we connect with, I have many friends in many age groups, but, those relationships were formed over tangible (ie; things that were not in cyberspace) experiences and I just wondered if the age difference would add a degree of complexity to making any connections. I was just really struck by how eaily I was able to connect with the ladies at blog camp and that I could and did picture them as part of my reality, not just my blogality.

Having the day with my reality was a great way to give perspective to my experience at blog camp.....it really seemed an easy segue from a person who I only know from their words to a person who I can completely see loading up a plate in line at the counter, nudging my brother and making crass jokes about the size of the chicken thighs (Ali). I could see each of them, with their cameras and hear each of them with their two cents participating in the easy banter that these familial events have, holding their own and I couldn't help but giggle, knowing how much richer the party would have been with them there.

yep, that's what blog camp was like for me....I became richer this weekend because of them.......