Thursday, June 3, 2010

Lost Friend, Found





The internet is a magical thing. Not only can you immediately view the menu of a restaurant you're considering patronizing for dinner, you can also do things like determine who's voice it is that you're recognizing coming from that weird lizard alien in "Land of the Lost" (for the record, Leonard Nimoy). The best part, though, for me, is the people you meet. I met my husband online. Highly auspicious and well-timed, meeting him has been, by far, my greatest use of the world wide web to date (and, having just celebrated our 3-year anniversary on Tuesday, continues to be).

I also met Sara Jensen online. After reading a witty tweet she wrote to Grace Bonney of Design Sponge, my interest was piqued. Like any good voyeur, I went to her Twitter page, wherein I discovered her location detailed as "a tiny island on a big ocean." I knew I needed to know more about her, and so, in my typical quizzical fashion, I wrote her, inquiring the whereabouts of said tiny island.

And that was that. We became fast friends. Turns out that island is Friday Harbor, one of the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, an area that I've become increasingly interested in over the past year. We've kicked up a regular correspondence, IM'ing each other, twittering back and forth, and writing good old fashioned e-mails (the fact that she's shared my enthusiasm for a certain sparkly contingent of Pacific Northwest-situated bloodsuckers has only endeared her to me more). She's also mom to 2 year-old Henry (and wife to husband Thor-THOR, friends, THOR!) and has been an indispensable fount of wisdom, advice, and laughs on the topic of pregnancy and motherhood.

You can only imagine my profound delight, then, when I received the above canvas tote in this weeks' mail. Sara had written last week, asking for my mailing address, so I knew something was forthcoming, but I had no clue as to what. Her business, Lost Bird Found, produces some gorgeous goods, from textiles to book plates. I invite you to check it out. While you're out it, take a gander at her blog, a veritable visual feast of artistic inspirations and musings. I plan to fill that bag with any and all manner of groceries, purse-like items, and "Nugget" essentials. I love a big bag.

I hope to meet Sara one day, real time. In the meantime, I'll settle for the wonders of the internet. Like her business, she's one "lost" friend, now found.

12 comments:

design*sponge said...

Ashley

It's so nice to read about "internet connections" turned real relationships.

I met my husband online, too and have felt so fortunate to have also met Sara (and you!) online. For all the muck and negatively online, there's always a silver lining like these friendships to make everything worth it.

I'm so happy to have found you and your blog online- and I'm even more fortunate to have now finally met you in person :)

Happy belated anniversary!

xo
Grace

dz_g said...

You must make the trip to Friday Harbor! I just went to a smaller island (Friday Island) for the holiday weekend; it's great up there. I'm biased, but the NW is hard to beat.

nicole said...

such a beautiful, optimistic post. i, too, have made incredible and lasting friends online. i come from a rich tradition of pen pals and correspondence art, and the internet is just a different branch off that tree.

grace is right. with so much negativity online and the urge for so many to lash out through the ether, we have the power to uplift, unite and embrace using the same tools.

and a very happy anniversary to both of you. you're one of my favorite couples in the whole world, and i celebrate your love now and into the future.

Renai said...

You really need to venture this way! The Pacific NW is magical.

Angel Funk said...

Team Edward?

Elaine said...

fyi, Friday Harbor is the largest town on San Juan Island, which is part of the San Juan Islands archipelago. Def worth a visit, the area is magical.

ashley english said...

mamaangel-but, of course. is there even another team?

Anonymous said...

This post made me a little teary. So sweet! Thank you. I too met Thor online and accidentally started to date him. I met Grace and you too! I feel lucky. We cant wait to meet you this summer. We are specifically coming to show Henry the old lady chickens at your place! I cant wait to see the person that you raise!
xooxoxxo

Shalet said...

What a wonderful story of friendship - virtual and yet very very real. I have some wonderful online friends that I've never *yet* met in person. And still I love them so.

Now off to inspect a new blog. Thanks for the link!

Rachel said...

So wonderful to hear such good stories! I'm always afraid to comment or contact people whose things I like because I'm convinced they'll think I'm a creepy stalked. (For the record, I'm not. Although lurking around peoples' blogs and not saying anything might define stalking actually. Oh dear.) Anyway, I thought I'd go out on a limb and drop a note to say how much I am inspired by your blog. Thank-you! I may live in a big city, but that's not stopping me from getting chickens!

ALFIE said...

SO SO lovely! thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

go see your friend. the san juan islands are magical.