Special Visitors

"Wow, Mom, it's like the queen is coming!!"  My youngest son said, as he watched me pull out my "good" plates and the "fancy" glasses.  My oldest son was catching the excitement too, taking pictures of food and tidying his room.

bruschetta    (photo taken by oldest son)

Youngest son...waiting for the visitors to arrive!

Well, it wasn't a visit from royalty...but it was an eagerly anticipated visit nonetheless.  We were preparing to host Anneliese, a friend from Canada whom I knew only from blogging and emailing.  More about that here.  She and Lovella, who blogs here, traveled together on a book tour to promote this cookbook:  Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  They both came to our house last weekend for dinner.

Yes, that's right....the authors of a cookbook came to my house for dinner...only slightly intimidating!  But Anneliese told me "not to fuss", but of course I fussed!  If I don't bring out the good plates and fancy glasses for them, just exactly what event am I holding out for? 

My family was all excited to meet these ladies.  I had met Anneliese and Lovella already the night before our dinner, so I was now eager for my family to meet them as well.  It's kind of a difficult concept to explain...yeah, see I met these people on the internet, and they seem really nice, so why don't we invite perfect strangers into our home? 

As it turns out, we have made friends for life in these two women.  Wow, what a fun and wonderful time we had with them.  So fun, in fact, that we decided to go out with them again the next night as well!  They had a book signing at Barnes & Noble that we attended. 

Anneliese and Lovella, you weren't here nearly long enough for my liking.  But I am grateful for the short time we had together this past weekend.  A suspicion that I had was confirmed.   Yes, it's true, we would be friends if we lived closer.  But since we don't, we will continue to be friends across the miles, and I'll be forever grateful that a google search for "Russian Mennonite recipes" several years ago led me to you!

My Imaginery Friend

How many of you had a pen pal when you were little?  I did, and her name was Kris Weaver from St Paul, MN.  Do you know how many Kris Weaver's there are on facebook??  Believe me, I've tried to find her again, but to no avail.  I also had a pen pal from France, Cyril Salvagnac.  Last time I heard from him (early 1990's), he was putting together a band and thought he might visit sometime.  Hmmm....

All of that was before the internet.  Now with the internet, it's lots easier to stay in touch with people.  People you know and then people you don't know too.  I mostly keep in touch with people I know, it's safer that way! 

Meet the exception:

This is my modern day pen pal, Anneliese.  She is a contributor to the popular blog called Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  A couple years ago, I started reading the MGCC blog.  I noticed that the cooks also had their own personal blogs.  I started reading Anneliese's blog and immediately sensed a connection with this woman who lived in a different country.  She struck me as a person with whom I would be friends, if we lived closer.  I began leaving comments on her blog, and at that time, I didn't have a blog, so she emailed me with her replies/comments at times.  Time passed, and our friendship grew.  I still crack up that, at first, she wondered who this man was leaving comments on her blog!  My username is "Menno Jeweler" (more on that here), and she thought my real name was Menno.  Funny!

So, anyway...this is a long story because it needs an explanation!  Anneliese and I began to joke about visiting each other someday, actually meeting in person.  I could only hope!  Then one thing led to another, she and her fellow MGCC bloggers wrote a cookbook, which was published by Herald Press who just happened to move to an office near..... my hometown! 

So guess who's coming to visit me tomorrow??  I can hardly believe that I will finally get to meet, in person, my "imaginery friend" Anneliese!  It's surreal, and I realize, a bit strange and difficult to grasp.  As if that's not enough, another one of the MGCC authors is coming with her, Lovella!  I will meet them both!  AND they are coming to my house for dinner on Friday night!!   

Lovella is on the left, Anneliese is on the right
(both pics borrowed from Anneliese's blog)

Needless to say, I am eager and excited and a little nervous.  But mostly I'm just thrilled to finally meet my friend Anneliese, who will no longer be imaginery!

If you live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, you too can meet Lovella and Anneliese!  Go to this blog for information on a schedule of book signings they will be doing.  The cookbook will be sold at these locations, or you may bring your previously purchased book to be signed.  They will also be traveling to Lancaster, PA for a book signing before heading back up to Canada.