Lunch and Bowling with Fellow Bloggers

I finally had the pleasure of meeting up with two fellow bloggers for the first time EVER. And yes. It was awesome!

I sprung out of bed early that fateful Saturday morning with a huge smile on my face and a skip in my step. Then, I cancelled my golf lesson because OMGOSH I was going to meet Kathy from @ JunkDrawer and Valerie from @ PhotoADay!

After a less than harrowing driving experience, I was the first to arrive in the parking lot of the ‘Olive Garden’. As I sat anxiously waiting for the others, I must admit, I felt a tad-bit nervous. I mean yes, I have been reading, commenting, and emailing these ladies for around three years, so I was pretty confident that I would not be coming face to face with any serial killers or axe murderers. But I did have some legitimate trepidations.

What if they didn’t like me? What if I make a fool of myself? What if I sound like a stuttering idiot? What if I didn’t like them? What if we had nothing to talk about? And what if they weren’t how I imagined them to be?

Thankfully, from the moment Kathy showed up and embraced me with a warm hug I was immediately relieved of all my fears. And when Valerie parked her car ‘Like A Glove’ much like ‘Ace Ventura’, I knew I had absolutely nothing to be worried about.

I was very happy to discover both of these smart, funny, and talented ladies genuinely express their real personalities via their blogs. Because they were exactly how I envisioned them to be. And that’s a true testament to their writing styles.

Of course, I absolutely fell ‘In Love’ with them when we ordered lunch and they both wanted extra, extra, extra, extra, grated Parmesan cheese on top of the salad! Because anyone who loves cheese as much as I do, is alright in my book.

During lunch I found out that Kathy has amazingly low cholesterol in-spite of her love for ‘All Things Fried Food’ and she has ‘The Most Fantastic Liver In The Whole Wide World’. I also found out that Valerie really never leaves her house without a camera. And that she has the longest, most beautiful, natural, nails I’ve ever seen!

We talked, we laughed, we shared stories, and we tried to come up with the next best brilliant money making idea like ‘Silly Bandz’. Three very short hours later, we were off to the ‘Bowling Alley’.

Now, I’m going to let ya’ll in a little secret.  And one that I wished I had known.

Apparently, Valerie is more than just an avid bowler.

She’s a friggen professional.

You can only imagine the sheer look of surprise on Kathy and my face when we saw Valerie grabbing a suitcase [on wheels] from the trunk of her car. And that suitcase was filled with: a custom made bowling ball, custom made bowling shoes, specifically made for bowling hand powder, and everything else created for ‘All Things Bowling’.  It was at that precise moment when Kathy and I knew we were in serious trouble!

Yeah, um… after the very first frame it became quite clear that Kathy and I do not possess any bowling skillz whatsoever!

Most of you already know how I like to bowl, and Kathy is a close second!

Meanwhile, Valerie played much like ‘Roy Munson’ from the movie ‘KingPin’. Yanno, except for the fact that she’s not a traveling salesman, with a drinking problem, and a rubber hand.

During the second game, Kathy and I witnessed the most astonishing maneuver in the history of bowling. [I truly don’t think my description will do any justice, but I’ll give it a shot.]  At one point, Valerie literally managed to defy all the laws of physics and gravity when her bowling ball spun out of the gutter, back onto the lane, subsequently knocking down the 7^th pin for a spare. It was almost as if her ball suddenly morphed into a heat-seeking-missile and directly hit the target.

Kathy and I sat staring in disbelief with our jaws ajar. Sadly, Valerie had turned her back on the ball assuming it was going to remain in the gutter and missed the whole thing.

Seriously people. What are the chances of THAT ever happening? My guess would have to be slim to none. And now? I will never turn my back on gutter ball ever again!

[Unfortunately I did NOT capture that moment on video. And I could just smack myself in the face for missing an opportunity like that!]

Needless to say, Valerie KICKED OUR ASSESS.

Overall, I had one of the best days this summer while meeting up with these two fabulous ladies.

I would love to do it again!

But next time? I want to take Valerie golfing. At least then I might stand a chance of winning!

[I *heart* the internet and the writer friends I have made as a result of this blog!]

So tell me….

Have any of you ever met up with bloggers in Real Life?

And if so, how did that work out for you?