Friends in all the right places

Those of us that are Twitter, Facebook, and Blog happy people probably started off on the odd forum or two. That's certainly where I started as once upon a time I found myself 21, six weeks pregnant and in need of people in the same situation, I stumbled across a pregnancy forum, nine years later I still talk to the ladies I first found there.

Some of us met in person, some of us meet regularly, some of us fell out, some of us don't get on, some of us disappeared, some of us returned, some of us experienced loss, illness, heartache, and some of us are going through bad, bad times. We were kicked off our original board because we weren't mothers of babies anymore so we made our own little chatting and sharing haven, we've been there for each other for the past 9 years and I truly hope that will continue.

The internet and my friends that live on it have been a lifeline for me since moving here. It's been a steady constant in my changing world. People I talk to on Twitter, Facebook and my forum friends didn't go anywhere. They stayed right where I needed them and I for them. Those people I don't, didn't or never saw on a face to face basis were still right there day and night. This contact with people, whether it be from my old magnolia painted, beige carpeted living room in the UK is no different from this, also magnolia painted, but tiled living room in the US.

Of course my 'real life' friends didn't go anywhere either, it was me that did, but most of those friends were never into the social media scene, these two worlds I had were and still are totally separate so communication with them is old school; phone and email. I dearly, dearly miss my friends I did see on a regular face to face basis, I miss going for coffees, all round mine for wine, the school run and the long chats in the playground, hugs and smiles like nothing else and I am counting down the days until I go see them for a weekend in June.

Now one of my bestest friends whom I met online all those years ago is very soon about to undertake what I just did, although unfortunately she will only be a little bit closer to me, given that she is off to California and I'm here in New Jersey, the flight time between isn't much shorter than to get back to London! But I am planning a trip there as soon as she gives me the nod that she's settled and I can come! I hope that she feels this steady constant too and that her new found twittering and, I hope, blogging helps her and I wish her, her husband and three beautiful children all the luck in the world on their new journey.