God Bless The Internet

The internet is an amazing place.

I have no idea what life would be like without Facebook or Twitter and I don’t ever care to find out. I am so not one of those people who shuns social media or social networking websites - I LOVE sharing pictures and stories and anecdotes about my life, and I love reading and seeing bits of what other people post, too. Humans are naturally curious beings. We like glimpsing other people’s lives.

That’s what I love so much about blogging. These little online diaries offer glimpses into the lives, closets, kitchens, homes, etc. of people just like ourselves, and whether we know them or not, we become familiar with them. We look forward to reading about them. In a way, we start to consider them friends.

I read a ton of blogs everyday. Some are fashion blogs, some are food blogs, some are interior design blogs, but my favorite blogs are the ones similar to my own - written by young women, living in big cities, shopping too much, traveling all over, hellbent on having a great time with the people they love. It’s a very cool feeling to read the words of someone you don’t know, someone who lives down the block or an hour away or all the way across the country, and feel instantly connected to them, and I feel that way every single day because of the power of social media. It’s a very cool thing.

This is a very long way of bringing up the fact that last night, for the first time, I met someone in person who I had previously only known through blogging and Twitter. Grace, who writes the fantastic blog Stripes and Sequins, and who is one of my dearest Twitter pals (which is to say we chat constantly throughout the day), emailed me a few weeks ago to tell me she was coming to LA for a vacation and thought it was finally time to meet in person.

So we did - last night I met Grace and her adorable boyfriend Stefan for drinks and it was so much fun! We talked about food and vacations and jobs and celebrities and it felt like we had known each other forever - they were so lovely and friendly and genuine. I had a really great time.

And so when I was driving home, I was thinking about all this - about how if I didn’t have a blog or Twitter or Facebook, this new friendship might never have happened. So I am thankful for the wonderful world of social media, and so thankful that Queen of LA has brought me into contact with such interesting blogs and people and opportunities.

If you haven’t already checked it out, I urge you to head on over to Stripes and Sequins - every day I look forward to reading Grace’s posts. She’s full of helpful beauty advice and product recommendations (she gave me a pair of leopard print Sally Hansen press-ons that I can't WAIT to try) and she is an insanely talented DIY-crafter - you will love reading her blog!

Grace, I loved meeting you and Stefan. Can’t wait to do it again soon in New York!