My trusty GPS system had me in Marie’s driveway long before I thought I would have made it.  I didn’t have to look very long for the appropriate parking area as a whimsical sign guided me to a stopping point:

I put my car in park, grabbed my box of McLaren’s treats, and got out to look around.  It was an absolutely beautiful Saturday morning, and I was here at the Lazy W Ranch to meet some kindred spirits.

I was here to get to know other Oklahoma women who also wrote and managed blogs.  I was here…because it was time to build a network.

As I made my way toward the house, a car engine begin revving up a few times.  Vroom, vroom!  The metal garage from where the noise was coming was covered with an array of whimsical signage as well.  A flock of guinea fowl immediately began clucking all together in response to the car engine noises.

“Oh, man…” I thought.  “THIS is going to be a fun meeting.”

A large parrot greeted me as I approached the front door.  He was in his cage, taking in the sun. Geese led me down the sidewalk, their heads tilted straight toward the sky while their eyes were shifted forward.

Horses were observing the scene in a lot adjacent to the house and chickens roamed the grounds.

I rang the doorbell and waited a moment.  A man’s voice called from the garage where the engine noise was coming from, “Go on in…she’s getting lunch ready!”  As I gently opened the door and called out, “Hello?” a few more cars pulled into the driveway.

We had been planning for several weeks to find a date, and our meeting was about to begin.  I walked in, greeted our host, and the day began to unfold.

As women with a wide variety of interests and subject matter began to arrive, the ranch came alive with a chorus.  The animals began talking to their guests, and the guests were certainly talking to the animals.  Marie helped us make friends with the animals by providing Chips Ahoy! and Ritz crackers for the geese, horses, parrot, chickens and…one buffalo.

I would guess we all spent a good half-hour saying hello to each other and to the animals.  It’s hard starting a meeting when the animals are so cool.  But we finally did…and I’m so glad we did.

As we filled our plates with food and settled down, circle introductions began.  Each person who came to the meeting knew at least two or three others who “should have been there.”  But we had to start somewhere.  As the discussion and introductions moved around the circle, thoughts emerged: How do I define who I am and what I do? How do I grow intentionally?  How do I balance what I do with my blog or writing with the rest of my life? What do you know about this technology…or THAT technology and how has it helped you?

Everyone in the room had something in common, and frequently the questions resonated across most of the group.

As I listened to each person, they began to become distinct, unique and real.  “This is good,” I began to think to myself.  “It’s cool to hear common threads of thought.”  I settled back in my chair, took another bite and listened some more.

I want to thank our hostess, Marie Wreath, of the Lazy W Ranch for graciously holding our first meeting.  I want to thank those listed below for attending and beginning a good conversation.  And I look forward to discovering ways we can support the projects and goals of each other as we continue to grow as a group.  And, I love the name Katie Johstonbaugh christened the group: “The Oklahoma Women’s Blogger Ball.” I also love that Dee Nash of “Red Dirt Ramblings” lists her fellow OK kindred spirits as “Red Dirt Sisters.”

The meeting was good. The discussion was good. And the animals broke the ice like nothing else could…

Thanks, “Blogger Ball Women who are becoming my Red Dirt Sisters.  I appreciate you.  More than you know.”

[kelly]

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