When Bloggers Meet & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #83

July 31, 2018 / 76 Comments
This is not a sponsored post.

When bloggers meet in real life, magic happens! Every single time that I have had the opportunity to meet a blogger friend in real life, it has been the most amazing experience. Never did I ever imagine what a fabulous group of people I would be calling friends when I first began my blogging journey. But through all the posts that we each read and share, you do begin to sort of “know” these bloggers before you ever meet them in person. And you get a good feel for the ones with whom you are sure to make a connection.

Necklace: Really old
Earrings: Asymmetrical Ear Cuff Earrings c/o Happiness Boutique

Two weeks ago, I was traveling to visit family in Pennsylvania. I had recently sent something to Monica of Jersey Girl, Texan Heart, so I had her address on hand. As my visiting schedule was pretty relaxed, I decided to search the distance between where I would be in Pennsylvania and where she lived in New Jersey. I was super excited to discover that she was only an hour away. So I sent her a very last minute email to see if she would be interested in meeting halfway for coffee. How excited I was when she replied in the positive and had found the perfect little spot that was exactly a 30 minute drive for each of us.

Dress: Torrid Runway Collection – Black Lace & Mesh Maxi Dress (I ditched the black slip lining.)

We decided to have coffee at Citispot Tea & Coffee in Clinton, New Jersey, which was directly across the street from the Red Mill Museum. As Monica had just gotten a new camera, she was excited for the opportunity to take some blog photos during our meet up. I was more than happy to oblige. I mean, nobody understands the ins and outs of blog photo shoots more than other bloggers (or their Instagram husbands/boyfriends/wives/girlfriends). And when a blogger friend suggests a photo shoot during your meet up, your brain starts reeling over what to wear! Monica is super edgy and cool and I wanted to match her sartorial bravery, so I went all out in the daring factor with my outfit that day. I didn’t even realize until after I saw the photos just how daring it was of me to be walking around town dressed like this!  But there you have…be brave, be bold, be confident, and just keep smiling.

Bralette: Torrid. Similar here and here.
Shorts: Old Navy Boyfriend Cutoffs.

Shoes: Charlotte Russe. Similar here.

Before we even met, I knew that I really liked Monica. I like that she does not just focus on fashion, but she addresses real life issues that inspire and empower anyone who reads her blog. She enlightens us about the true history of the Holocaust as she makes frequent visits to Poland each year to visit family. She shares her personal experience with epilepsy in the hopes that she can help someone else deal with a similar diagnosis. She dives deep into her own body image issues and encourages others to feel fabulous in their own skin. She shares diet and exercise routines that have helped her to cope with her epilepsy and body image. She builds computers and loves cars and she has really freaking fantastic style! So if you are looking for a new blog to follow that will provide you with a huge variety of interesting topics, Monica is your girl!

And that is all the stuff I thought about Monica before I ever met her! And then we met! She is even prettier in person! How does that happen? We angle our bodies for photos in the most flattering ways, we adjust the color and light settings to make us shine perfectly, and some of us even edit away to showcase the perfect image of ourselves…yet in real life, when you can see the beautiful personality shining through, the woman is even more beautiful than you could have imagined just from photographs. Then we got talking. And we didn’t stop talking for 3 straight hours. Neither one of us looked at a clock or picked up our phones. We drank our iced coffees and chatted like we had known each other for our entire lives. And we didn’t even really talk about blogging at all. In an email conversation after our meet up, we were laughing when I wrote this to Monica, “I knew we were all good when I causally dropped the ‘C’ word into the conversation and you unhesitatingly replied with, ‘That’s my favorite word ever. And so many people get so offended by it.’” That sealed the deal right there…Monica is my kind of girl…real, raw, genuine, smart, sassy, witty, and stylish.

Finally, when we realized how much time had passed in conversation and the clouds were moving in threatening rain showers, we headed outside to the Red Mill for a photo session. Thanks so much to Monica for making me own this bold look in front of the camera and in front of a lot of passers by! I just hope I did her photos justice when she put my lame photography skills to the test for her photos! Let’s go check her out and see how I did as photographer!  And be sure to follow Monica on Instagram @jerseygirltexanheart.  You can also follow her evolving photography skills on her photography Instagram account @monicareleasetheshutter.

Have you ever met bloggers in real life? What was your experience? Who would you love to meet? There are so many on my list!

And now the featured favorites from last week.

Tiina of Elegance Revisited shared her post clarifying Nordic style in the appropriate terms from a fabulously nonchalant, you-get-what-you-see, super stylish Finn. Check out her tips about attitude and lifestyle with regard to personal style in her post, What is Nordic Minimalism? Not only will you be better educated, you will also be inspired, and you will surely end with a smile on your face.

Tiina of Elegance Revisted

And Debbie of Fashion Fairy Dust shared a wonderful response to a recent trolling incident plus a really cute dress in her post, Boho Mini Dress & Sneakers: Keyboard Bravado. As always, Debbie speaks her mind without fear or shame and expresses her style in the exact same way!

Debbie of Fashion Fairy Dust

Monica is joining me today as co-host of #SpreadTheKindness Link Up as well.  So you can link up here or head on over to Jersey Girl, Texan Heart and link up there!

Here are some other pretty photos from our location in Clinton, New Jersey.

We loved this chalk graffiti wall but we were tired of posing ourselves so Monica just took a photo of the wall!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Ups.

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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