September 2nd, 2010
State Fair, Blog Girls & Wishing Everyone in my Google Reader Lived on a Tropical Island
I live in a small city, come from a small school and have worked in offices where I’m much younger than my coworkers for a long time. I love my life and my friends, but in the past year my core friends have moved to opposite coasts or have very limited time to be in touch, which has left me with some friend shaped holes in my life. It’s been something that I’ve been working through since the spring- I’ve been developing new friendships and putting myself out there a lot more.
Sometimes it’s so good to put the getting to know you aside for a little while and see people who already know your back story, where you don’t have to explain because the knowing smiles are already on their faces, and your quirks just make you more yourself.
Last weekend I went to Minneapolis to meet three girls I’ve met through blogging over the past three years – Mandy, Nora & Lisa. This is what our weekend looked like from my lens…
We had an outstanding time, from buying way too much wine to my packing my suitcase full of Old Dutch Ketchup Chips so they could get a taste of Canadian kitsch. It was a crying at the airport & wishing there was an island that all my favourite bloggers could live on kind of weekend, and the perfect end to a breathless summer.
As soon as I buy that island, I’ll let you know. Bring lots of books, reality TV show recommendations & polaroid cameras, okay? :)
Y’alls weekend sounds like it was absolutely INCREDIBLE! I am so happy that you got to meet up!
Aw, it looks like so much fun! I hope to one day meet some blog friends.
Sounds lovely. I wish I lived in the US to be able to hang out with fellow bloggers as well. Great pictures!
Screw WATCHING reality television – if we get an island to ourselves, we’ll make our own! x
Cone of cookies?! Funnnnn! I’m so glad that you got to go down to visit with your girls, and I’m so glad that you had so much fun!!
oh wow, the pictures of the cookies in the cone made me so so happy.
Looks like an amazing trip Ky! Can’t wait to catch up on Saturday :)
Aw Kyla – it looks like an amazing time!!!! I’m so jealous that you made it out for the State Fair again this year….unfortunately this east coast girl will have to pass till next year…{hopefully}…hope you had some delicious deep fried cheese curds!!!
I can’t even tell you what this does to my heart! I’m so glad you spent some time at the state fair – it’s my favorite 10 days in Minnesota (well, other than that time between Christmas and New Year’s… cold as that is!), and this is the first year in MANY that I’ve missed the State Fair. So glad you had so much fun, and I adore your pictures!
I’m quite jealous, both that you met such wonderful bloggers & went to such a wonderful place. I ADORE the Ohio State Fair & haven’t been in years… deep-fried everything, please. :)
sounds like such a lovely meet up! plus with snow cones and cookies how can you go wrong?
A blogger’s paradise on an island – sign me up!!! That sounds like an awesome idea.
i absolutely love these photos, kyla… they totally tell the story of your amazingly fun day. :)
I love that cone of cookies! :) Very cute photos of a good time.
the pictures are fantastic! and i love meeting blog friends in-person…hopefully i’ll meet many more in the near future!
Ah, all your pictures are absolutely wonderful! You are such a brilliant photographer. <3
I'm trying to work my magic to make it up to Orlando at the end of September, because I want to meet you even more now that you wrote this post! We shall see!
What an exciting trip! It all looks so yummy and blissful.
PS I’m so totally coming to that tropical island.
Just say when. I’ll bring peach bubbly, board games, and my instax.
That’s one thing I want to do soon, have a blogger weekend where we all go away. I’ve done meet ups, but not just hanging out w/ bloggers, err, friends.
With bells on! I hope there will be paper cones full of cookies there, too.
Oh my gosh, this post makes me grin ear-to-ear! Seriously! You captured it so well. You have such a great eye, my dear! Love it! Makes me miss you girls already, though!!
Hugs!! Miss you, friend!
Glad y’all had such a wonderful time :) yay for friends!!
I am so jealous you got to meet Nora, sounds like a wonderful time!
It looks like you all had such a wonderful time! I’ve been missing so many of my friends lately and it’s been harder and harder to keep in touch. It gives me so much hope to know that with all the wonderful advances in technology, I don’t have to “make friends” in the traditional sense, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know you and many others by blogging :-D
I love seeing how different worlds intersect … it leaves me with a slightly bittersweet feeling of nostalgia and hope for the future. As a MN girl I often made my way down to the particular fair and meandered along the roads. My first college was even just down the road a piece. It’s fun to think we walked the same roads. I also am happy to see that ya’ll indulged in the food on a stick love we Minnesotans have!
My favorite place. Oh how I love that fair…
What Kyla is not telling you is that Sweet Martha’s cookies also come by the PAIL. I kid you not.
Sweet Martha’s Cookies
And I want to come along to the island. I’ll be like the professor, just not quite as good at cobbling together coconut-powered contraptions.
how fun! I would like to take a road tip &/or meet up with blog friends!!
and by tip i mean trip.
An entire paper cup of chocolate chip cookies!!!
I like how you do road trips, Kyla!
I’m so jealous! Looks like you guys had a blast, I love the snow cone cup of cookies!
The island sounds delightful…I wonder if we all pitched in if we could make that happen, ha!
Aw, sounds so sweet! Glad you ladies had a wonderful time.
This is why I love the interaction through blogs so much… because sometimes you can just escape, meet up with some ladies – that you have never met before, but who still KNOW your story… and the world stops for a weekend.
Let’s make that island happen… I’ll pitch in ;)
Wow. Looks like the most perfect trip! Cookies in a snow cone cup? Awesome!
That looks like an amazing trip. Love the cone of chocolate chip cookies!
I adore these photos.
I’m totally up for living on the island!
Are those chocolate chip cookies in a CONE? O m g, that looks divine!
I love your photos and I’m SO HAPPY to hear you brought them Ketchup chips!!!! Hahahaha
The weekend looks pretty great from your lens, it’s decided :) Looking forward to the next time we meet again! Big hugs, blog love and lots of wine, of course
This sounds fabulous. I’m so glad you girls had a good time. I can’t wait until the day we can meet. :)
I love this island already. My books are packed.
I love this post, Kyla and it makes me want to go back to Minnesota ASAP. Your pictures are spectacular and I miss you so much already. We do all need to live on an island together. And it was so awesome to not have to explain everything to you girls, you all just knew. XOXO
I should also tell you that the ketchup chips and the fuzzy peaches both the trip back to OH very well. They certain can hold up! =)
Love the pictures. Sadly, I can’t remember the last time I had the chance to go to the Minnesota State Fair but the next time I’m there I’m sprinting to the dairy building for a shake. So much “Minnesota” hiding in your pictures. They skyways of Minneapolis, the (I’m guessing) Sweet Martha’s cookies, and the sign that calls the carbonated beverage “pop,” not “soda.” It all makes me really happy and homesick at the same time. Sounds like you had a blast!
The final piece to the puzzle — I’ve been waiting for this recap post all week! The four of you are darling. It looks and sounds like such a wonderful time. Too bad you can’t bottle it up to save for later (or to share with me!). =)
Oh! I’m so jealous – meeting blog friends sounds brilliant! I haven’t met anyone as yet. New Zealand seems so far away sometimes. Glad to hear you had a brilliant time! And the island idea is a brilliant one. :)
Aww that sounds like so much fun!
Ah, such great pictures! Mandy and I were just saying we need to all move to one location and open up a bookstore/coffeehouse/creative place – buy that island and we’re all there!