2010 Gratitude Challenge - November 7

Today I am thankful for the friends I have made over the Internet. Many of them I have never met in person and likely never will. I have met some via Yahoo groups and some via blogs I read. While I hesitate to name names or list blogs, there is one in particular I have to mention simply because she was the first friend I ever met on-line.

Deb & I first met almost ten years ago. I was a new stay-at-home homeschooling mom with two little boys at the time. My oldest was just five and I was trying out homeschooling to see if it would fit. Thankfully it did.

One of the first projects I ever attempted online was a "Flat Stanley" traveling project. In a nutshell one would create a paper person and send it out to "visit" other families. You would host their visitor in exchange. You would write a journal of all the things they did, take photos to send back, and include other paraphernalia and/or souvenirs of their visit.

Deb & her family were one of the firsts we exchanged with. In fact, I still have the original letter. Deb e-mailed me shortly after the project and had some questions about scrapbooking - something I was passionate about at the time and spent oodles of time (and money) pursuing. One thing led to another and we began exchanging e-mails and chatting. Soon we made plans to meet in person.

I remember connecting with Deb immediately and our hubbies didn't lack for conversation either. At the time we each had two kiddos (Deb now has five and I have three). Life has changed a lot in the last 9-1/2 years we've known each other but we've remained good friends. I've been to her house in upstate New York 3-4 times and she's even managed to come visit my home me a time or two. Typically we meet somewhere in Maine when her family comes to vacation. In fact, we're hoping to be able to get together next summer and are already planning for it (right Deb!?!)!!

So today I'm thankful for those cyber-friends I have made...both old and new and those yet to come.

Be sure to head to to Garden of Learning if you'd like to link up to others who are participating in the 2010 Gratitude Challenge.