A Practical Wedding

I've started reading A Practical Wedding again.  As I've been reading more and more blogs I am drawn back to this one and I kind of regret my hiatus.   To be honest, I was kind of sad that it wasn't Meg writing all the time.  She got herself a staff.  It's amazing but she was the reason I used to read it and she was the one whose writings helped keep me centered in the wedding world.  It was the reason I couldn't connect with the Offbeat Wedding blog initially.  There were too many different voices by the time I started reading it.  Not to mention that I didn't particularly like it's exclusivity--why did I have to be engaged to read it.  Sure I could have pretended to be engaged back when Katie got engaged so I could read what she was reading but it just didn't feel right to me.  Clearly, I develop opinions quickly and let them color my decisions.  

Not reading Offbeat Wedding was my loss.  Not theirs.  Who knows how many clever and great ideas were shared that I missed?  When I chose to stop following A Practical Wedding, I missed out on some pretty cool stuff.  Like the fact that she went on a book tour with her book.  She had just published it when I stopped reading the blog.  She came to Boston and gave a talk.  This person who inspired me was in my area and I missed seeing her.  My wedding photographer took pictures of the event and I know I would have been surrounded by like-minded people.   So yeah, I missed out because I allowed my hasty opinions to get the better of me. 

About a week ago she wrote a post about pregnancy (she is now pregnant, I missed that too).   In the comments someone mistakes her post as an email and someone else commented, "it also made me think how it often feels like Meg is writing to us each, personally, you know? That's why I love APW."  It was then that I realize what I love the most about her blog.  She does make me feel like she is writing to me--like she is actually a friend of mine.  Sometimes I even talk about her like I know her.  I really feel like I do.  In some ways I do through her writing but that's very different than a friend.  She doesn't know me at all.  

It's awkward really because I end up feeling like a huge fan girl.   I find myself wanting to write her an email saying things like, "Thank you for helping to keep me sane while I was planning my wedding.  I've followed your blog from the beginning and I'm in awe of how it's grown.  It's super inspiring."  No, I didn't actually send that to her because really, fan girl much?   It's kind of weird being a fan of an internet wedding blogger but I'd say I'm a bigger fan of her than I am of most actors, athletes, musicians, and other famous people.    And if I'm being completely honest with myself, I think being a fan of a blogger is rather cool.