Sarah was home from school this weekend. She had been away for a month which seemed like 79,000 years to me but that’s in Mama Years.
I hope you appreciate the great framing of this photo; I made sure to include little stashes of junk on either side of her, just to let her beauty shine through more.
As always, she and I have so enjoyed our mama/daughter time together. We watched an episode of the Great British Baking Show, we sat around and talked, and we even took a trip to Urgent Care. (She was having some problems with her ear.) Our lives just aren’t complete without some sort of trip to the doctor.
We thought it would be funny to take a picture in front of the sign because it’s not your usual Outer Banks touristy-type photo.
As a fledgling Photoshop user myself, I was especially fascinated by her creation.
The assignment was to make a Photoshop compilation that showed different sides of each student’s personality. All the pictures had to be taken in one place. Sarah took her photos in the living room of her apartment using a cobbled together tripod for her cell phone.
Each photo shows a different side of her personality. Here are her descriptions.
Talkative when I get on a subject I’m passionate about.
Good listener.
Creative side: writer, graphic designer, video editor
Daydreamer/thinker
Introvert; enjoy time alone.
And here is the final compilation.
I love that she and I have so many things we share in common: photography, graphic design, writing, editing, reading, etc. She is a joy to my heart.
because she and Steve and I had the unexpected chance to meet a blog reader in person!
I was running around in the church auditorium yesterday before service and noticed Steve talking with someone across the room. After a couple of minutes he called over to me, “Becky, this is one of your blog readers!”
Of course, I was fascinated to know which one it was. After reading so many of my readers’ comments through the years, I would immediately recognize your names and the stories you’ve told about yourselves.
Turns out it was Kristina Creek who has been following Smithellaneous since the Caring Bridge days, which is at least 10-12 years. years. She is most recently a 10-year resident of Alaska who is currently in the middle of a move to the East Coast. Kristina is a writer and editor and has lived in a cabin outside Fairbanks with no water or plumbing. She is one adventurous lady. (And she has adventure in her DNA; her 93-year old grandpa is about to leave for an African safari!)
She had been on vacation with some of her family out here last week and as they were all driving off in their separate directions Sunday morning she thought, “Hmmm. I bet Becky’s church is not very far from where I am.”
And sure enough, it was only about 10 minutes. She came to our service and then we invited her to lunch afterward.
I’ve always enjoyed Kristina’s comments through the years; getting to meet the person behind the comments was so cool.
Kristina left Alaska a few weeks ago and has been driving in this direction (with her sweet dog, Kira)) ever since. That would be a dream of mine to get to travel through such amazing parts of our world. Many of the nights she’s been traveling, she has pulled off at different campgrounds and pitched a tent. I have to say that’s where our dream trips would diverge. I would definitely be pulling off at a Holiday Inn instead.
I hope you love my gray fuzzy socks with outfit. They are the latest thing.
So after a great weekend, Sarah heads back to school this morning and I head back to busy island life, counting the days until her next trip home.
I am so thankful for new friends and sweet daughters and all the things that have made up this last week of September.
(P.S. I mentioned in a previous post that I’d had a chest C.T. on September 20. Believe it or not, I STILL have not gotten final results back. It’s been a stressful period of time, to say the least. Hoping to hear something soon.)
What about you? Have you ever met someone in person that you only knew through letters or through the internet? Tell us about it!
What do you have in common with people you love?
I have commented before that I started reading Sarah’s Spot when I was in college in the early 2000s. I now live in NC myself after having spent 34 years as a northerner. Maybe I’ll make it to Manteo one day.
I have a dear friend I met online when I was 15 and she was 13. She was from Bombay, India, so needless to say we couldn’t readily meet. But we’ve talked almost every day since then and we’re now 37 and 35!! We ended up meeting for lunch once when we both found ourselves in Philadelphia at the same time and it was great. She’s precious to me and I hope we stay in touch all our lives.
PS I now have a 9 month old son. I just know I’ll blink and he’ll be off to college and I’ll be counting down the days like you are, so I’m trying to soak up every minute while I can.
Xoxo Ellen
Ellen,
That is so amazing (and touching) to me that you have been following along with our story for this long. Thank you for honoring us with your faithful readership.
I LOVED your story about your friend from India! And what an amazing turn of circumstances that you were both in Philadelphia at the same time and got to meet. I can’t imagine how excited and nervous you both must have been. That friendship is a rare treasure; I look forward to you writing on here in ten years and saying you are STILL friends.
In the meantime, enjoy that boy of yours and treasure the baby moments. They will come and they will go and they will never be seen again.
I work in a doctor’s office now and I hate to keep patients waiting for test results. Praying you get good results soon.
When my father died when I was 11 we learned that I had a half brother somewhere. Well 30 years later my friend and I found him with the help of the internet and a great aunt i tracked down. Anyway we happened to finally contact him just 2 weeks before he had a planned trip with his mother( my fathers 1st wife) to our citySyracyse, from his home in. Charlotte! This was in 2000, We were able to meet and got together a few times since. Unfortunately he passed aware 2years ago but I got to know him candy gained a whole new family in NorthCarolina! funny how life works out
Monstaxi4sports@aol.com
Michele,
What a wonderful story! Thirty years is a long time to wait but it’s worth it when you finally get to meet a member of your family you never knew before. I love that you were persistent and it paid off.
Good for you!
Well, I’m from the ‘No news is good news’ camp. Fingers crossed!
I love Sarah’s project….very creative!
How fun that you got to meet one of your readers. We used to camp all the time when I was growing up. Tent, cooking over the fire, sleeping bags, etc. I’ll go now but an airbed is an absolute MUST! 😀
Lee Anne,
Yes, if I ever went camping, sleeping in a sleeping bag on the ground would be the first thing to be jettisoned from the official Camping Activity List.
But parts of the camping experience actually sound kind of interesting to me–but not so interesting that I’m going to go out and do them!
Ha Becky: Even though we have never met, I picture you breaking out into hives just thinking about calling or e-mailing more than once a day. 🙂 I can remember my brother having to go sit in our MP’s office (Member of Parliament) to get some action on my dad’s disability case after he was diagnosed with cancer. He did get action and a phone call from the disability office that asked that he not get our MP involved again. His response was that if they hadn’t ignored him to begin with, he would not have done that.
I would truly love to do what Kristina is doing, tent and all. We camp twice a year for Nascar races and we are “rustic” campers. Love the thought of sleeping outside with just a tent between me and nature. Sometimes “nature” comes in the tent in the form of bugs and rain but that is what camping is all about.
I loved Sarah’s compilation. I also give her an A+.
Have a great week and Happy Thanksgiving from Canada as it is our Thanksgiving weekend.
Mel,
You are EXACTLY right. I would rather wait longer on results than have to contact an office frequently; not really in my introverted comfort zone.
Good for your brother, going to camp out in your MP’s office to get action! I know that must have meant so much to your dad to know that his son cared enough to do that. I loved his response to the disability office. 🙂
I love nature best when it is seen through my camera lens. Sleeping in the middle of nature? Not so much.
Happy Thanksgiving!
They say, “No news is good news” but think this might be extreme in not calling you. Did they lose your file? That progression that Sarah did was very creative. Great job kiddo! How wonderful to meet up with one of your bloggers. When our kids were little, we did the tent camping. It was wonderful to wake up and smell coffee and bacon in the air, BUT give me a nice bed with running water and maybe a pool, I am then a happy camper. Excuse the pun.
Sharyn,
Yeah, coffee and bacon smell just as good inside a Holiday Inn as they do outside a tent! 🙂
I was impressed by her creativity, too. I would have had no idea where to even start on a project like that.
How exciting to get to meet a blog friend in person. I’d love to get to meet you some day…especially in the OBX. I love North Carolina beaches and I would really enjoy visiting with you.
I’m sorry you are still waiting on your CT results, hopefully you’ll hear positive news soon.
I really enjoyed Sarah’s Photoshop assignment!; she’d get an A+ from me.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful week and I look forward to your next blog post – always a Monday highlight.
Sue Ellen,
We would love to meet you! Since this is a prime vacation spot and sometimes blog readers do come this way, I make a little statement a couple times a year that says if I know you’re coming to the area (for instance, I see it on FB) I won’t initiate a meeting because I never want to impose on someone and assume they would want to meet. But if someone is coming this way and initiates a meeting, I would love to make it happen if at all possible.
So happy to know that you look forward to the Monday posts. Thanks so much for letting me know!
I love how kind you are to your readers and treat us as friends. I was shocked when I commented a while back and you took the time to visit my blog and even email me. You Smiths really spread happiness around and I hope you continue to get your fair share.
I love the final picture of Sarah with all the different facets of her personality displayed…so weird and cool at the same time. You can tell that Sarah is her own person just by her chosen haircut and personal style. I like people who don’t just go along with everyone else and have a mind of their own.
I hope you get good news about your health soon. Scares like that are no fun…Anyway, I hope this comment will go though because when I tried the last time I got an error message.
Blue Rose,
I am thankful to know that something I have done has brought you joy. Thank you for letting me know!
Yes, Sarah has definitely found her own style to reflect her quirky personality. I’m like you–I admire people that pave their own path and do what is true to themselves. Too many copies in this world; we need more originals!
From what I’ve read on your blog, you strike me as being an original. God did not make anyone else like you; you are a rare edition.
Hugs!
First off, I agree with a reader above. I would call the doctor’s office. I know I was waiting to get a CT Scan approved for my knee. I finally called the doctor’s office and they said it had already been approved a day or more before. Not sure how I was supposed to know that.
Second, I love Sarah’s project for school. It shows a lot of creativity went into it. Maybe a tripod is something she needs for Christmas.
I don’t think I have ever met anyone I knew only through internet or letters. However, I have met people that I have worked with for months or even years. I worked in a market office so there were times I eventually met people I had been on calls with for quite some time. Some never looked like I thought they would. 🙂
Phyllis,
Sarah actually does have a tripod but she accidentally left it at home. Definitely something that would be good to have along!
I know just what you mean about meeting someone in person who you’ve only talked with on the phone. It’s amazing how different the “real person” often turns out being!
I talked to a guy on the phone once about needing to come in and get a car battery. When I arrived 30 minutes later he said, “Wow. You sounded a LOT younger on the phone!” I’ll take that to mean that I have a young voice instead of that I look old. 🙂
Sarah looks great! I love how she’s wearing her hair too. Becky, your doctor absolutely has those results.lBased on person experience there’s likely nothing remarkable on the scan. One One of the docs would’ve called you in for an earlier appointment or at least to go over the results. Furthermore, the radiologist would’ve contacted your doctor before you got back to Manteo if there was really a concern (personal experiece)! However, why not call the docs office tomorrow, anyway (Mondays are always crazy busy)? I’ll continue to be thinking & sending positive thoughts your way! In the meantime, be good to yourself which may include but not limited to COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF CHOCOLATE EACH & EVERY DAY! NO EXCUSES! Hugs, Jodi
Jodi,
Thanks for your encouraging words. Even though I know what you’re saying is probably true, I would sure breathe a lot easier (pun not intended) to hear actual words from an actual doctor. I have emailed three times and called once already. Not sure what else I can do.
I agree–Sarah sure DOES look great. She’s a cute one, all right!
Me, personally? Not that you’re asking…..But, I would continue to call back twice a day & email daily until your call or email is returned. Anymore than 24 hours (excluding the weekend) to return your call and 48 hours to return your email is UNACCEPTABLE. Definitely continue to call @ 9a (when they open) & at 1p (when they return from lunch) until you get an answer. I’m sorry you’re having to wait like this. Truth be told, the wait is making me a bit nervous as well. I tend to worry when friends worry. Hugs, Jodi
Jodi,
That sounds like a logical plan, although it makes me feel stressed (more than I already am) to have to start being nag-y. 🙂
But yes, I agree, previous phone calls and emails should have been answered. Even if they didn’t have results ready, they could at least have given me a time frame as to when to expect them. I think today I will send another email and see what happens. Thanks for waiting along with me!
Ok well just let me start gushing straight away.
I loved your mama years line. We moms definitely measure time differently in regards to our kids.
Then I adored Sarah’s picture project! That was very creative. I’m impressed by people who are techy cause I have zero skills that way, so I’m pretty sure Sarah is a genius! And her mom!
Finally, how great to be able to meet a blog reader! So nice she made a special effort to come see you. What an interesting story she has too.
Now, as far as your non-forthcoming report, maybe it’s time to go stage a sit-in in the waiting room till somebody gives it to you. That is beyond stressful. I’m so sorry.
So there you go, I guess I’m done going on. Love you Smiths bunches! ? Love, Deb
Deb,
Your comment brought me a smile; thank you!
From a creative daughter to a visiting blog reader to a sit-in at the waiting room–you did a good job covering the bases.
Three years ago I just happened to google a long lost cousin’s name and found her on Facebook. She is from Denmark which is where my grandparents immigrated from in 1903. A year ago she messaged me that her and her husband had booked a tour of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming and would only be about 2 hours from my home. I drove down and met with them for a few hours. We exchanged family pictures and our genealogy research, What a joy and blessing! On a side note I did the tent thing when my boys were in scouts and now I opt only for motels with continental breakfasts. Ha!
Mary,
How great is that? Facebook can be annoying at times but it is wonderful for finding and getting to know people from the past. I’m so glad you got a chance to actually sit down and talk with her for a while. It’s a lot easier to carry on a long distance family relationship when you have actually met someone face to face.
Let’s hear it for motels with breakfast!!
You and I agree on motel, no tent camping for me. My family and I share a love for photography but I think I am the only one who enjoys counted cross stitch. Love it that you got to meet a blog friend. Her trip sounds great. Glad Sarah got to visit and enjoyed her pictures. Take care and relax!
Ann,
Although I truly admire people who camp out, it is just not in me to do.
Photography and cross stitch are two great hobbies. Well, I KNOW photography is great; never done cross stitch so I will take your word for it