You know what I love?

Blogging. But more than that, I love you, the bloggers. I love the community. I love how everyone is so different, and so the same. I love how I have met so many new friends, friends I would never have had were it not for blogging.

Truth is, I don't have a whole lot of friends anymore. Motherhood can be really isolating, especially if you tend, like me, towards the introverted. There are many young mothers in my neighborhood, but the vast majority of them work. The stay-at-home moms that I know I have not connected with, for a variety of reasons, among them my inability to plan or attend outings unless I feel really comfortable.

When I met with Y yesterday, I was nervous, but also excited. It is so rare for me, to spend any part of my day talking with other adults. I arranged for my mother-in-law to babysit Isaac, and set off, determined to make the most of the opportunity. It was just the two of us, with our two daughters, who happen to be around the same age.

If you have ever read Y's blog, you know what fun she is. I am sometimes intimidated by funny people--all that pressure to be clever!--but Y was friendly and genuine, and put me right at ease. It was wonderful. We met at a Mexican restaurant about 1/2 way between our homes and had a quick lunch and some great conversation. We chatted about blogs and blogging, about our kids and our husbands. What a relief, to talk to someone who cares about the same things that I do. That sounds wrong. I just mean that talking to her was easy, and felt nice.

Gabby is completely adorable, of course, and just as friendly as Y. She immediately tried to pet Vivian's hair and give her a hug. Vivian, for her part, acted a bit like me (sadly): slightly stand-offish, and intimidated. She refused to show off her new walking skills even though (or maybe because) Gabby was walking all over the place.

All in all, a fabulous first-time blogger meet-up for me-- and fish tacos, besides.