They Are Not Just My "Online" Friends.

August 19, 2008 has turned out to be one of the best days of my life.  At 11:59 AM I registered with the Ivillage January 2009 Snugglebunny Pregnancy and Parenting message boards. I think at that point I had finally come to terms with the fact that I was at the half way point in my pregnancy and would actually be having another baby. I had no friends currently expecting, so I felt alone. I needed just one person to talk to and know exactly what I was going through. I didn’t expect to find as many great friends as I actually found. Shyanne was actually born early and joined us in December 2008, but she will always be a January 2009 Snugglebunny. Of course, the original group has decreased, but there is still a great group left.

I cannot believe the friendships I have formed with women that most I have never met face to face. I have been fortunate to have in person meet ups with 6 of them and they were just as great in person as I had imagined them to be. My goal is to eventually meet them all one day. I find I can share things with all of these ladies that I probably could not share with some of my “real life” friends. There have been ups and downs in the group, but we always pull together in the end. When times get tough I know I can just post a message on our page, and they will all come to the rescue with an encouraging word. It may not always be what I want to hear, but that is how they feel and often what I really do need to hear.

I know God had a plan for me the day he decided to create Shyanne. I didn't understand that plan and questioned him often. I truly believe his plan included all of these ladies. I no longer call them my “online friends”; I call them my lifetime friends.