I Met Rachel in Real Life !

You can go here to meet Rachel online, but I had the rare privilege of meeting this lovely, vibrant woman in person. I couldn't help but notice the symbolism of our first rendezvous spot: Baggage Claim. But that's a whole 'nother blog post.

I intentionally chose to fly through DFW in order to meet Rachel. I could have gone through Atlanta, Chicago, or Memphis on layovers, but I had a hunch that Rachel would "put her apron on" in hospitality, even if it meant driving through the always-inconvenient maze of traffic near and around an airport.

Good thing we had cell phones, because yesterday morning the email I got from Orbitz said the flight was arriving at Gate A36. I forwarded it to her. Just before landing, however, the attendant announced that we were pulling into Gate C19. We're talking BIG difference here, because it's a 29-mile long airport (a fact I read on board) that means walking is only for those who 1) love it and 2)have nothing but a water bottle in hand and 3) have three hours to kill between flights. Those criteria did not apply to me.

But by the grace of God and modern technology, we found each other (Rachel had to leave terminal A and drive to C--think: taxi thru Manhattan). My gait was a quick trot from C19 to 15. The first thing on my mind was the bathroom, second meeting her (sorry, Rachel, I have my priorities) and third: food. I'd last eaten at 8 a.m. and was thinking she was bringing sandwiches. But I think I had mentioned McDonald's and that I'd take care of it? Whatever. All I know is that the talk time was well worth the sacrifice of lunch. Besides, do I LOOK like I could stand to miss a meal? (Don't answer that out loud.) But I should have at least glanced in the mirror and put on some lipstick. Oh well. "It is what it is."

Rachel is even prettier in real life than in pictures. She is funny, a great listener, a good storyteller, and just as humble as she is honest. I love that about her. She is finding a new gift in public speaking that she admits she has "not gone looking for," but I reminded her of the scripture that says "a man's gifts make room for him." I'm fairly sure that goes for woman, too. She'll be speaking in Maryland soon at a women's retreat that I'd love to invite myself to, not that I need a retreat at the moment (I just had one in Kansas!) but to stretch our 37 minutes into a whole weekend, for starters.

Rachel smelled nice, too. I would have liked to spritz on some of my favorite perfume, Mediterranean Breeze, because I do wonder if I smelled like the after-sausage-and-eggs "wind turbulence" created by the guy in the seat behind me (and in front of me, and beside me). Oy! I bet not even Toto passed that kind of gas on the Yellow Brick Road.

If you ever have the chance to meet Rachel, or any blogger you feel kindred spirits with, do it. Make it happen if you have a choice of airports. Baggage Claim isn't the most glamorous of backdrops, but this I guarantee: standing there with a stranger-turned-friend makes your load feel just a little lighter.