This post is way over due. I have lots to say and seriously, I don’t want to bore you with a mega long post so I decided to brake it all down into an unknown qty of parts. This is the first, so stay tuned.
Last December 23, 2011 was my first Blog-Tweet Up. Why do I call it Blog Tweet Up? Well, the amazing mamas that participated in this mini-gathering all have a blog and most likely known more about each other through it. Twitter is another of the tools that comes along handy for communication purposes hence the word Tweet Up. So, I think it is correct to call it Blog Tweet Up. Also, I attended my first Tweet Up in the summer when the CBC Kids crew came over and really, I did not know anybody so that was a real simple Tweet Up. Ok, enough with the explanation.
I was in shock when I saw in my Twitter Inbox an invite from Bruna from Bees With Honey, to attend what it would be the #MotherOfAllTweetUps . At first, my heart pounded hard with both happiness and anxiety. I was so happy and honored to be considered to join a group of so popular and talented women. When I read the list of attendants I PANICKED! You know, for some people – like me – being behind a screen gives security and confidence even if we don’t know s**t about it. But in real, in person, in flesh…Oh God no no no. They would know how much of a fraud I am. There was a reason why I was trying hard –clearly unsuccessfully – to be anonymous. But I wanted to go so badly. I felt I knew these women and wanted so bad to meet them in person and shake hands and really SEE them too.
That’s when I decided to really come out of my comfort zone. I tried hard not to think it was going to end up like in the movie “Carrie”, you know, the part were you think it is going to be awesome and then things go so badly and it was just to humiliate you. I know, paranoiac over here! But seriously, I really thought that perhaps they were teasing me to join such a cool bunch of women to leave me ditched in the middle of nowhere.
As I said, I moved from my comfort zone and said YES! I’ll attend. Now, where is the gathering? – I asked. The Boathouse in White Rock, Bruna said. My jaw totally dropped right there. And why you may ask. Well, I have not felt the need to drive beyond my living area (Van, Burnaby…maybe New Westminster or Coquitlam) and crossing the Patullo Bridge was an urban legend to me. So no, I was not comfortable driving in the dark to meet a bunch of strangers in the middle of nowhere. I double gulped!
This is a map of the route (red dots are the areas of beginning and end):
I talked to the husband about an upcoming TweetUp from my bloggy world and how hard was for me to do the the a) appearance when I wasn’t comfortable to go ‘public’ and b) the long drive to an unfamiliar road. Anxiety people, it’s called anxiety. Anyway, hubs was so supportive that even offered himself to drive me and wait for me somewhere. That just pushed me to really do it and see how much capable I could be. So I kept looking at the map in google and tried to figure out the best route. Back and forth in Twitter to read all the comments from the rest to see if the meet up was cancelled or miraculously moved closer to my hood. But no, no way Jose. Everyone was still IN and still in the same place reserved. Then, something funny happened, hubs walks in my computer room and gets closer to me when he sees me reading Bruna’s blog and said “That’s Bruna”. For a minute I thought they were twitter friends and recognized her, then I thought “Is Bruna a celebrity?” but as I was still running thoughts through my head he keeps saying “I went to high-school with Bruna”. I did not hesitate and said “Are you still in touch with her?, If not, that is MY Bruna!”.
To be continued…[click here for Part 2]
