Certainly not the least part of the trip is the people you meet along the path of life in one capacity or another so as a huge part of #TheBigTrip, I wanted to make sure we could meet up with several people along the way.  “Friends I’ve known for a long time but haven’t yet met” is how I like to refer to them.

Meet Up One

We flew into Phoenix-Mesa Gateway on Wednesday afternoon and that evening we were fortunate to meet up with one of my favorite (former) bloggers, Instagram Diva, Rescue Warrior and Dog Mama all rolled into one.  As soon as I suspected knew that we’d be flying into Phoenix I messaged to set the stage for a possible meet up with Emily, Jay and hopefully Mercy Pi the cutest little thing this side of the Rockies.

Luckily the stars aligned and after just a few snags we were able to meet at Beer World in Tempe where we enjoyed some yummy brews, a pretzel the size of your head and a conversation that was so instantly easy it’s as if we had been friends for reals forever.

The conversation flowed as easy as the beer, but duty called as Emily and Jay not only had to dish up dinner for their Pittie Committee, but they were on the way to pick up yet another foster. Ah, the rescue life. What a great time we had, though.

Meet Up Two

This meet up was actually a combination of meeting a fellow blogger and of a Best Friends employee.  She is one of the authors of a Team  blog that I follow but she also works at Best Friends so as with many people who keep their work and blog life separate, I won’t reveal any more than that, but suffice it to say that it was wonderful to meet her and I hope our paths cross again.  If you want to read the blog, message me and I’ll give you the name.

Meet Up Three

Last but certainly not least, Kevin and I finally got to meet two people that we’ve “known” for well over a decade.  “Doc Holly Goodhead” and her sweet and soulful son, Spud have been a huge part of our lives for such a long time and it was simply awesome to finally get to give them big hugs.

Again, it wasn’t like meeting strangers but rather like friends who’ve known each other for ages who have gotten together again.  The conversation was easy and the friendship is true.  If not for them we would have high-tailed it out of Vegas and back to Angel Canyon.

Have you had similar experiences with friends from afar?