On Sunday, I had one of those experiences that is going to be challenging to explain because it involved me driving to a town 3 hours away to hang out with a gaggle of women who I’d never met in real life.

Yeah, that.

I had more than one person tell me how “brave” it was for me to just hop in the car and GO, not knowing if I was heading into a situation where everyone would be bitchy and obnoxious (and not in a fun, snarky way) and I might end up feeling like an outsider and regret putting myself in the situation. I took a chance, hoping that the connections I’d built with these women over the past year-and-a-half were based on something real, and believing that my gut instincts are always on point.

My instincts were right. The gaggle was amazing.

Maybe it was brave, or maybe it was stupid. Robbie kept tabs on me, but he never asked me not to go. He just lets me be my quirky self, and I love him for it.

This year, I’m forging ahead. I’m making connections. I’m building my “tribe,” as my friend Sarah would say. I don’t care if the members are spread far and wide, because that is what technology is for. I am going to continue to trust my gut even when my mother says, “Is this someone you met ON THE INTERNET?!”

Yes. It is. She’s a lot like me, and she’s fantastic.

This is the picture I sent Robbie when he texted to verify I hadn’t been kidnapped.