This tribute to my “online friendships” is brought to you by Hallmark.
Working from home can be isolating if you let it. Lucky for me, I have a whole crew of colleagues I can reach at the click of a mouse.
True friendship and support in the blogging world can be hard to come by… you have to navigate the waters carefully. Who can you trust? Who is genuine? Who cares about you beyond what you can do for them and how you can help them to grow their blog?
I can tell you, for me, I’ve discovered these friendships are harder than “in real life” friendships because we don’t get to see each other face to face. We don’t know if we are seeing the “real side” of the blogger or a side for show. I’ve found out through the years though that the “true” side of most people becomes very evident once you get to know them better. It’s fairly easy for me now to know who I can count on as a friend, and who I want in my “tribe”.
I’ll forever be thankful to this little blog of mine for closing the distance gap and introducing me to some of the most wonderful friends I would have never met otherwise. I have great friends… ones who I can text, skype, call, email, etc at anytime and I know, if I need them, they’ll be there. It’s so nice to have people who get this world of managing an online business, who understand the delicate balance of family and working from home, and who you can be your worst self and your best self with and they’ll love you just the same.
I’ve often said that I wish I could create a little commune with some of my favorite friends…we could share acreage, gardens and the best food blogger dinners with our families each night. Since a commune won’t happen anytime soon, I would love nothing more than to see these friends in person more often, but until then, I want to make it a priority to make sure they know how important they are to me. Even though there are thousands of miles between us, they mean the world to me.
I’ve never sent many of these friends anything other than online messages… it’s so convenient to just shoot them an email, tweet or facebook message. I decided that to honor some of my closest online friends and to let them know I was thinking about them, I’d use the Hallmark Get Carded event to send them each cards to let them know how much they mean to me.
Thank you to Hallmark for giving me the opportunity to let my online friends know how much I care about them! Hallmark has recently started a “Get Carded” program where they encourage you to send 7 Hallmark cards in 7 days to 7 special people in your life. Tell them how much they mean, how much you miss them, how you’ll never forget that time…
What do you think? What 7 friends would you send cards to – would they be “online” friends or friends nearby? What would you tell them? How do you think they’d react to receiving an unexpected card in the mail?
I’d love to challenge you to take part in Hallmark’s 7 Day Get Carded Challenge! Let your friends know how much you care about them today.
Disclosure: I am honored to be part of the Hallmark 2013 greeting card blogger campaign. All opinions expressed are my own. For special discounts, product offerings and news about Hallmark, feel free to sign up for their newsletter. Thanks for supporting brands that help Dine & Dish to be possible.
This is awesome! I love to send cards and letters through the mail and I don’t slow down to do it near often enough. Love the inspiration you always share so easily.
I’m trying to be better, but for some reason walking out to the mailbox to mail something gets me every time! Thanks for your kind words 🙂
I’ve made so many amazing friends through blogging, love this little love letter 🙂
I have too – it’s been so great!
What a great challenge! There is nothing better than getting REAL mail. 🙂 Happy to be one of your online friends. xo
When I said “who you can be your worst self and your best self” I had you and Cassie in mind. Thanks for listening to my rants when I have them and still loving me 🙂
You KNOW I’m all about letting online friends know how much they mean to me 🙂 It’s so true that it can be hard to navigate those waters initially, but what a huge blessing to get to know these women that we would never have met otherwise!
Definitely!! There are some sharks out there, but luckily it’s easier to find the good ones!
This is such a brilliant idea! I’ve gotten so bad about sending real cards since having kids and need to get back in the habit. I’m so lucky to have you in my tribe.
And I am lucky to have you as well! Thanks for being so great 🙂
Blogging has definitely introduced us and to many more beautiful friendships! Love the idea of writing cards. So personal and almost taken for granted these days.
It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it, this world we live in! I’m so thankful for all the friendships 🙂
I hope you’ll take the “Get Carded” challenge! It feels so good to send and receive a card!
This is such a lovely post Kristen, and I can identify with everything you wrote. I think it’s so important to reach out to those important to you and say hello sometimes. What a great reminder!
It really is important… and even though many of us “talk” all the time, it’s nice to get something in the mail that required a bit of extra effort 🙂
Oh yay! I will be watching the mailbox closely for my card from you!
Ha. Just kidding. I do love the idea of a challenge to motivate me to write more. I think getting a hand written card is such a personal and beautiful and special thing. I just might have to accept this challenge! (I just adore the card you have up there!)
We shall see if they actually get the stamp on them and to the mailbox…I have so many written out cards and letters around here that haven’t been mailed, it’s pathetic!
Thank you for your friendship 🙂 And yes – I hope you accept the challenge!
How sweet! I love this idea!! You are a real friend Kristen. I just love ya!
I love you too, Katrina! Thanks for being such an inspiration to me!
It’s all so true! The online friendships I’ve created from blogging it truly what keeps me doing it. I often joke with my girlfriends about moving off the grid to a large farm to start a commune. A food blogging one would be even better- we’d all eat REALLY well, wouldn’t we? 🙂
Wouldn’t that be awesome? We’d all be 100 pounds overweight. We’d maybe need to add some healthy living bloggers into our tribe!
The friendship part of blogging was something I didn’t expect going into this world. I LOVE IT! Also love this challenge! Sending and receiving cards in the mail always makes me smile!
It’s one of those things that keeps me blogging… the friendships that I’ve made and the support of so many others! Like you!
There’s not much better than a surprise in the mail, especially when it’s from someone you love. This is a fantastic challenge, and life lesson too.
Totally love this! I’m horrible about sending cards. Eh.
This is the nicest thing ever! Kristen, you are such a nice friend and I have enjoyed so much learning from you! Your constant suoport has been so nice in this sometimes tough blogging world! Thank you!
As always…. SUCH.A.GREAT.POST! I cannot even begin to emphasize how great of a post this is!! I’m such a card person {in fact I have 3 waiting to be mailed!} and I love this virtual one to all your blogging friends!! Beautiful!!
I need to get back into the habit of doing this. I use to do it a lot when we lived out of state but now that’s we’ve moved back home I’ve neglected to send cards and letters to my friends out of state.
Kristen – love this post x 1000! It’s always a treat to get a special something in the mail. I love cards, and haven’t sent one in too long. I’m thankful to have you in my tribe my friend, xo
Such a great idea Kristen, I still look forward to getting the mail everyday, and I’m always slightly let down that there is rarely anything “fun” in the mailbox!!
Love you! Can’t wait until October! xo
LOVE THIS! Snail mail is truly happy mail and what a fantastic challenge! xo
You and your online corner are always such a sweet and inspiring and friendly place to rest. I love this post, and the person that you are. Receiving a handwritten card or note in the mail is so wonderful. Whenever one comes, I let it sit on the kitchen counter or my desk for at least a week, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. 🙂
I love this challenge. There is something so wonderful and exciting about receiving a card in the mail. It is that extra step to hand write a message and put it in the mail that means so much more than a text or phone call.
Love this post! My mom gave me TONS of personalized stationary for my wedding. Nine years later, I am still using it and love writing and sending homemade cards.
Thanks for the reminder, Kristen, of the importance of friendships. They are a thing to be cultivated, cherished, and honored.
I received a Christmas card this pat year from someone I met through blogging and I can’t tell you how special that was. That one little step that said so much more than a quick email ever could. I love to send cards and I know Hallmark thanks me for it. 🙂
I love this idea! It’s so easy to shoot an email or text to my friends, but if they love snail-mail as much as I do, I should try to remember to take the time to select a card and send it in the mail. I don’t know where I’d be without my online friends. Thanks for the reminder, Kristen!