The best thing about blogging

I can't believe I missed my blog's 5th birthday! It was on Monday, and I was busy doing our taxes & cleaning out closets & focusing on getting a million things done, and before I knew it, April 16th was over. It was a good, productive day. But there really should have been cake. Because what's a birthday without cake, right? Cake and friends.

Cakes at Magnolia Bakery, Grand Central Station, NYC

I love this little blog. It's become a pretty huge part of my life over the years. It's been a place for me to document my hopes and fears, and thousands of photos of the goings-on of my little family. I love to write and take photos and share all the awesome things I've found online, and to get feedback about the things I've written. But the best part about having a blog is all the amazing friends I have made. I got to spend some time with a few of them on my recent trip to New York City, and I couldn't have been more excited...

The Sunday of our stay in NYC was all about the blog friends! Sunday morning, I headed out to Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side to meet up with my lovely friends, Brandi {who came to visit me in Victoria last July}, and Kayla {whose blog, Exquisite Banana, is a daily-read and one of my very favourites}. We had a delicious brunch and spent several hours talking about pretty much everything over many, many cups of tea, just like old friends. It was perfect.

 I had the breakfast tea... and oh boy! was it ever good!

 Kayla, who is every bit as charming in person as she is on her blog

 Bloggers who brunch

After brunch, Brandi and I hit up a flea market and wandered around a bit, and then made a promise to meet up again soon, maybe on the West Coast next time? I headed for Central Park to meet my mom and Amanda for a horse-drawn carriage tour {yep, we were full-on tourists, and it was so much fun!} When our ride was over, I finally got to meet another dear blogging friend of mine. Karina lives just a few blocks from the hotel where we stayed, and we kept missing each other on our regular trips to Zabar's Deli and the Starbucks at 81st and Broadway, despite being on the lookout for one another constantly! So it was especially exciting when we finally met at Columbus Circle. She brought her adorable son Miguelito along and we all went out for a fantastic Mexican lunch.

 Kary and me at Chipotle, with matching smiles

 Me & Miguelito near Columbus Circle- isn't he a cutie?

I can't say enough good things about Karina. She is just about the nicest person I have ever met, and I can't wait to see her again one day {and New York City! oh, how I miss it...} We had a lovely lunch and lots of fun, and she sent us off in the direction of the Plaza Hotel later in the afternoon {more on that in another post}. We spent the next morning together as well, when she met my mom, sister and I for breakfast, midway between our hotel and her apartment. I still can't get over how close we were to each other! In a city that huge, what are the chances? We didn't have much time, as it was the day we were flying home, but we had a lovely visit over breakfast, and then she took us for a walk to Riverside Park, brought gifts for all of three of us {and for my boys and Amanda's!}, and treated us to cupcakes from Baked by Melissa. She also showed us the gym where Matt Damon works out {alas, despite our best efforts, we didn't actually get to see him...} Thank you, Kary!

A really big breakfast at Sarabeth's on Amsterdam Avenue, before a really long flight home

And thank you, Pughs' News, for filling my life with so many fabulous new friends whom I adore! 

I miss you, girls. Let's do it again soon, shall we?