Does anyone remember that TLC TV Show, “While you were out?” where the one person would sneakily redecorate the other person’s home or “space” while they were gone for the weekend? It was on during the height of the “everyone is a talented decorator capable of creating art out of found thrift store objects, fabric, paint and copious throw pillows” reality tv phase.
In hindsight, that phase was really just glorified stupid crafts, but at the time… entertaining! inspiring! creative! I always had big dreams of transforming my “space” (aka my student-rental bedroom) into something unique! and bold! that represented ME! but then when I realized I had no on-call carpenter, my dreams began to fade. The nail in the coffin was that I also lacked the $1000 budget those shows relied upon, since this was the period in my life when I had about $30 a week for groceries…
Anyways, what I meant to say, before the reality tv tangent, is that I realize I disappeared from the blogosphere for 7 months or so. Oops. It got to the point where I felt so guilty about the abandonment that I didn’t even bother checking anymore. While I wasn’t redecorating my home with throw pillows, found objects or chicken stencils, I occasionally took on a project worth sharing. So, I present to you, “While I Was Gone” or WIWG, a series of recaps from these “lost months.”
WIWG #1
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It was one of the best things ever, so much fun, so fulfilling, but so completely unreasonable. I mean, yes, that is the whole point of this blog, to celebrate the meaningless activities that make life fun, but I feel like I can’t explain why this particular adventure was so incredible. Ok, here it is.
I met Joy the Baker.
The real thing. Joy who I have been worshiping and following for years, the Joy who creates all the recipes I bake from and shares true vulnerability about her life and her thoughts every week on her blog (*cough*not leaving seven month unexplained hiatuses like other bloggers*cough*). She published her book, and had a book tour, and the closest she planned to come to our town was Chicago, an eight hour drive to the south.
L and I google-mapped, we budgeted, we checked hotwire, we hesitated, and then, two days before we would have to leave to meet the real.live.Joy in Chicago, we booked the hotels. We left after work on Friday, spent a night in Kalamazoo, Michigan, then on to Chicago Saturday morning.
We got there early. We browsed. We bought our books. We sat in the front row. We waited.
Joy arrived. Joy talked. Joy asked us real questions about our real lives. Joy signed our books. Joy hugged us and posed for a picture with us.
It was awesome! I have never been much of a celebrity follower– I never really felt I had anything in common with the run-of-the-mill Hollywood celebs, but with Joy the Baker, I think her efforts to be truly honest and humble and kind and vulnerable allow her readers to feel like we know her, and we share something real with her. So for L and I, it was an amazing day. Thanks Joy!
stupid crafts 