Have you ever met a person or group of people that you first met through social media?

I know there are a lot of online “predators” that ruin the experience, but there are also many genuine people out there. Social media provides a great way to connect with like-minded individuals that live in your area that you may otherwise never know.

I’ve been part of a dad bloggers group on Facebook for several months now and have come to enjoy the many personalities that are members there. It’s a great outlet for us dad bloggers to go and share stories, ideas, rants, successes, and completely random crap with each other.

The sense of community within the group make me feel comfortable conversing with the guys who are from all over the world. It was in this large group of ~800 members where I met several dad bloggers that live around my home and we decided on a day to meet up.

We planned the day over a month ago, and it finally came this Saturday where one of the dads had the rest of us and our families over to hang out. I won’t mention names here, but Going Mom, Avery, and I met three other dad bloggers and their families that day.

Upon our arrival, we met two of the dad bloggers, one being the host, and the other was on his way with the wife and kids in tow. Everyone was out back lounging under the shade of a large tree as several kids were playing in his pool. Kelley sat with Avery who was determined to get some beer.

While hanging in the back, we engaged in conversation on a multitude of topics and we all had something to share. The mood was light, the kids were loud, and the beer was good.

At one point there was a giant flying insect that resembled a wasp with an abdomen (the butt-end) almost the size of my thumb that the kids were weary of. Being the idiot that I am, I thought I’d pick it up by its wings and toss it away and save the day.

Nope, instead it stung me as I yelled an expletive aloud while shaking my hand. Pain subsided quickly, but embarrassment lingered.

Shortly after my failed attempt at heroism, we huddled inside to escape the rising temps from the sun breaking through the clouds. We aren’t used to having more than one kid, who can’t walk, mind you, in the house, but today there were 4 rambunctious boys of varying ages running around.

I’m not complaining one bit, because that’s what all kids should do, run, move, play, and have fun, but it was a shock to us. We let Avery roam the living room and she immediately took to the basket of toys and made herself at home.

Our host was awesome and didn’t mind her getting into things, but we still kept a close eye on her anyway. Actually, his eldest son, in preparation of his sister’s birth in 3 weeks, took interest in Avery and kept a close eye on her for us.

Avery was well behaved most of the time we were there, and she had a blast trying out all of the cool new toys.

Our host had the grill and smoker going with some marinated meat that looked and smelled delicious, but since I’m overly cautious about anything cooked, marinated, handled, etc. by anyone other than myself, I didn’t partake in the smoked goodness. I did, however, eat plenty of fresh produce picked right from his garden.

With his permission, I actually went home with a giant bag of cucumbers and a lot of jalapenos! He set out a big bowl overflowing with a mix of both and said he wanted it all gone. Several humongous cucumbers and a festive mix of green and red jalapenos all for the taking? Christmas in July for this fresh food foodie became a reality!

Before I greedily took everything he had, I left a few cucumbers and jalapenos since one of the couples wanted at least one cuke, and couldn’t fit anymore into the bag I had. Probably for the best since we already had more than enough!

Most of the red jalapenos were more sweet than hot, so I was snacking on several, seeds and all, while we hung out. My joyful snacking came to a screeching halt after biting into a seemingly harmless red one, my 6th for the day. The first bite gave notice that it was no ordinary red, but I ignorantly tossed the rest in my mouth and felt instant regret.

I have never dripped sweat from eating something spicy, but that day, I dripped a lot! My insides were burning and to make matters worse, a few seeds were stuck in my teeth so that every time I swallowed, the burning flared up from my mouth through my esophagus and into my stomach.

It was almost time for the meat to be done and food to be served when the other dad blogger arrived with his family. Another round of intros ensued and we shared a few words over the energetic kids competing for the loudest scream. I already explained my food ways and how I didn’t need anything to eat, but I had planned on staying longer except that G-Ma let us know she was on her way over and we never pass at the chance to see G-Ma!

So, we said our farewells, but made sure to snap a group photo first. With my insides still on fire, and legs weak from that fiery jalapeno, I put on the best smile I could muster.

Yes, I’m a Texan with a Boston shirt. I ran the marathon in ’09 and I’m damn proud! What I’m not proud of is that Going Mom drove home since I was still recovering from the burning inside of me. It finally subsided when we made it home and I drank a swig of raw apple cider vinegar; it’s a cure-all!!

I’d like to express many thanks to our host and I’m glad to of met other dad bloggers in the area. Hopefully we’ll all find a time to meet again, and if we do, I’ll go easy on the jalapenos!

Do you ever have meet ups from people you met online?

Any scary stories about a meeting mishap?