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Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Meetup with Cryslyn & Andy!

We did it!  Cryslyn and I finally met!  A year ago I read a post about how she had travelled into Iowa for a Wissmann concert, so I emailed her mentioning that I'd like to meet up some time.  We exchanged phone numbers and chatted once, but didn't find any other concerts that would work for both of us to travel to.
Yours truly with Andy, Cryslyn, and her brother Noah.
Then Cryslyn's blog became suspiciously quiet for months.  (Fortunately for me, I could stalk her on Facebook!)  She had met her (now) husband, Andy, at a Civil War ball; they had a beautiful resort wedding in Florida, and then...she announced they would be hosting a reception in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin!  And, she invited me!

Yip-ee!  Was I happy!  Who could pass up an invitation to meet a favorite blogger at her wedding reception--and enjoy a view of the beautiful Mississippi in what just happens to be the town with my family's favorite hamburger stand in the entire world?  Certainly not I! 

The meal would be a potluck, so the evening before I made my favorite recipe for brownies.  I succeeded in talking my whole family into coming, and we left early to visit a few interesting spots along the way.  
At around 2 p.m. we crossed the Mississippi into Wisconsin, and drove to the park shelter.  I spotted Cryslyn, and we met her and Andy, her mom and dad, and brother Noah.  The food wasn't quite ready, so I chatted with Cryslyn about blogging, talked with other guests, and watched the many boats on the river.

For dinner I enjoyed cheesy potatoes, barbecued chicken, salad, and plenty of dessert while visiting with Andy's aunt and uncle and a couple girls, Faith and Grace.

Then Cryslyn, with occasional helpful remarks from Andy--who was playing catch with a younger relative--gave us the juicy details on how they met and the most epic moments of their engagement.  Her blog is exciting--and an accurate two-dimensional representation of her life (that part she wrote in a Liebster award, "What are some things that scare you? Spiders, spiders . . . and, um, spiders . . ." is true!)--but the 3D version of Cryslyn beats it all!

We had a great time trying to keep a volleyball alive, and then we switched to a variation of a game called Spud.  After a delightful afternoon, my family and I headed to our favorite hamburger stand, and then we crossed the river again, back into beautiful Iowa.

Be sure to check out Cryslyn's Blog and her husband Andy's brand new blog, Dare to be a David!  
Cryslyn's Blog  

64 comments:

  1. Oh that's SO lovely! I love it when bloggers meet up! =D
    Sounds like you had a blast!
    ~Evie

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  2. It was a fun afternoon and I am so glad that I got the chance to meet you! You're such a delightful soul, Bethany. ;-)

    Oh, and I thought I should ask if it would be possible for you to e-mail me with some of the pictures you took from the reception? I didn't really get an opportunity to take any photos (other than a few low-quality ones on my cell phone) and my family forgot to take pictures also . . . so if it wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience, I'd really appreciate it!

    Thanks & God Bless!

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  3. Yay, how exciting! :D It sounds/looks like you had a beautiful time. Cryslyn looks beautiful (marriage suits her well!) and Bethany, you look great in the yellow top with flowers! Fun times.

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    1. For sure! Too bad you live all the way over in CA; I wish you could have joined us! :)

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  4. Bethany it is a nice possibility to meet a blogger friend and take part in the party

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    1. It was a nice possibility that became an even nicer reality! :)

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  5. Lovely!! I'm so glad you got to meet IRL! It adds a whole new dimension to the blogging experience.

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  6. Hello Bethany, nice story! It is wonderful that you were able to meet your blogger friend and enjoy the party.
    Have a happy day and week ahead!

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  7. WHAT FUN! I popped over and looked at the beachy wedding, too. How sweet is that! I am so glad you two were able to meet in person. xo Diana

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    1. They really got some awesome pictures at their wedding!

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  8. Oh, how fun! What a delight for the two of you to meet :) Thanks for sharing your wonderful time with us. Happy 4th of July, Bethany!

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  9. Looks like it was a lot of fun! And how nice to finally get to meet someone you've liked and admired from afar, in person. ;)

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  10. How fun Bethany! How cool that you met a fellow blogger!

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    1. I thought it was pretty nice. ;) Thanks for stopping by, Kelly!

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  11. Sounds like a wonderful time! I've met a few internet friends over the years. It's always so neat to meet in person because it feels like you've already been friends for a long time even without having ever met.

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    1. True, plus when I've known someone for a while online I get somewhat of a mental picture of his/her personality--it's neat to see how accurate (or not) that picture is.

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  12. I've been able to meet a few blogging friends and it's always been wonderful. I love that you got to go to her reception.
    I never heard of the Wissmans but I checked out your link and listened to them on Youtube. They are good! Now I'm off to visit Chryslan and David.

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    1. We first heard the Wissmans about 10 or so years ago where they provided a concert after our local REC meeting, and we were impressed! Since then the group has changed a bit as different ones of the children have married and left the group and others have grown up. I think they actually have one more child than they did when we first saw them. It's been a while now since we've been to a concert of theirs, but we should find another to attend one of these days!

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  13. Always fun to meet good people!
    Glad you got to see your friend, Bethany.
    Have a Beautiful Day!!
    Peace :)

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  14. Lovely! I'm glad you got to meet Cryslyn and Andy, Bethany. Meeting folks with common interests has been an unexpected benefit of blogging for me. I will check out Cryslyn's and Andy's blogs :)

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    1. Yes, it has been amazing how many wonderful people I've crossed paths with through blogging, and it was so good to meet a couple of them in person!

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  15. What fun, Bethany! It's always wonderful to meet fellow bloggers. And in such a beautiful setting, too. I bet you took some amazing photos.

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    1. I do have some photos I have yet to share from other stops on this trip!

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  16. Hi Bethany,
    It's very nice to meet a blogger friend in real life.
    Beautiful pictures.
    Best regards, Irma

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  17. Hi Bethany, What a neat meet-up! "cheesy potatoes, barbecued chicken, salad, and plenty of dessert" ... I see that I truly missed something! :-) Seriously, sounds like a wonderful event and glad you had a good time. Thanks for sharing! I will check out the other blogs!

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  18. Oh how fun. It sounds wonderful to meet a fellow blogger in real life. I'm glad you had the opportunity.

    I hope you and your family have a great 4th of July... :)

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  19. Sounds like you had a good time...and the food sounds yummy. I am hungry right now, of course, and this just made it worse!

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    1. I've read so many posts on other blogs that have made me hungry! Hope you find something good to eat soon! :)

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  20. Palavras gentis podem ser curtas e fáceis de falar, mas seus ecos são
    verdadeiramente infinitos.
    (Madre Tereza de Calcutá)
    Que linda amizade!!!Você também é muito bonita, sorriso bonito, amei a postagem!

    Um abençoado inicio de mês!!!!
    Beijos Marie.

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    1. Beautiful quote from Mother Theresa! You have a great month as well!

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  21. How exciting!!! To meet....at a wedding reception no less. That is such a wonderful story. I'm happy that you two finally met. It's great fun meeting friends you've made online....not always blogging, but none-the-less, FUN!!!

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  22. Meeting other bloggers is fun - even if I have only managed it once!

    Trying to catch up on visits and comment while I wait for a flight - one busy week to go and it's back to normal!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Heathrow Airport UK (for the next couple of hours!)

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  23. Such a nice story with a happy ending!! Good for you, it is wonderful to meet blogging peeps in real time!!

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  24. Ooooh and such a sweet picture of you all!!

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  25. How lovely that you could meet another blogger and she invited you to her wedding reception. It sounds like you had a wonderful time - and I will sure check out her blog.

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  26. Hello. What delightful thoughts indeed and lovely photo.

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  27. That is so exciting! Your description of Chryslyn makes me want to visit her blog. Great pics and wonderful tale of your adventure.

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  28. The pictures are really good and it was very kind that your friend invited you. I took a look into the blogs and I like the contents of them. Further the pictures of the wedding are amazing.

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    1. I enjoyed browsing them! Thanks for stopping by!

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  29. Hi Bethany, It's been a while but I'm happy to see that your life and blog are both going along happily. I love that your family was game to join you for the trip to meet Chryslyn and her loved ones. What an adventure! Love the group photo! My only experience of the Mississippi River is the reading of Tom Sawyer with my students (before I retired). I see it as such a romantic setting.

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    1. Northeast Iowa and Wisconsin along the Mississippi is beautiful.

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  30. They sound like such fascinating, sweet people! I'm so glad you got to meet them!

    Btw Bethany...we'd love to have another book review from you on the Book Club blog!

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    1. I haven't been reading any new books lately, but perhaps I could look through all my notes on previously read books and come up with something. :)

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  31. Wow, how exciting! Yay for meeting blog friends in person! :D Just found your blog btw! Excited to see more!
    God bless,
    Ashley

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    1. Thanks for visiting! Always great to meet another inhabitant of the blogosphere! God bless you too! :)

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