Guess who I met last night?

Suz! I had dinner with Suz and her two absolutely adorable little guys, one of whom I think was flirting with me all night, but that's OK because I was flirting a little, too. We had a wonderful, relaxed dinner, ate ice cream at Ben & Jerry's, and then walked through Old Town Alexandria and down to the Potomac with the kids. And we talked. Oh, did we talk.

I loved Suz right away when I first read her blog. My respect for her grew over time, through her writing and her willingness to talk to me offline, answer my questions, educate me. And meeting her in person writes it in stone, because Suz is warm, funny, and incredibly easy to talk to.

We both commented on how interesting it is that you can meet someone online and very quickly reach the point at which you can discuss serious issues. I think this is because you don't have to waste time with social protocol - you can cut right to the chase. Plus, in an environment like the online adoption community, we all know why we're here. And it certainly is the case with Suz - I was able to talk with her about everything.

It was interesting to me, too, that although I'm much older than Suz (I learned that I was heading off to college the year Suz was born - ouch!), we had no trouble connecting and talking about all kinds of subjects. Yes, adoption was a big part of the evening's discussion, because our time was limited. But we talked about kids, and schools, and work, and family, and life in general, and we understood exactly where the other was coming from. It made me feel really good, because I often feel like the old lady of the adoption world, although I don't view myself as over the hill quiet yet. Nearing the top, maybe - but not quite over to the other side.

Suz is incredibly sharp - that was evident thoughout the entire evening's conversation. Whatever the topic, it was clear to me that Suz does her homework. And seeing that, I know see why the work Suz is doing to reunite families and bring down unethical adoption agencies is so successful. She knows the facts, she knows how to get things done, and she is incredibly tenacious. The combination of warmth, intelligence, outspokenness, and determination is amazing.

It was fun, and I hope it's not the last time. I'm glad I met you, Suz. You're good people.