BlogHer12!

BlogHer12 was my very first blogging conference. Prior to attending, I read blog post after blog post, talked to people who had gone before, chatted with others who were going, perused the BlogHer website at length, and made myself a rather detailed agenda. But I still didn't know exactly what to expect.

I did have some goals and things I hoped to accomplish. Things like networking, making connections with brands, meeting some of my favorite bloggers, attending some sessions that I felt were important, and yes, going to a few parties.

I have to be honest and say that I never made it to any sessions. But I also don't necessarily regret that. At future conferences I'd like to make sure to attend at least one, but this time around I was so overwhelmed that I just couldn't fit it in. 

I did however accomplish many of the things that I had hoped to do. Some of the highlights from my trip, in no particular order, are:

~The car-ride down. I was lucky enough to road-trip with some fabulous women, and we had a great time chatting excitedly about our upcoming adventures as we drove to NYC.

~My roommates. I roomed with Sarah and Melissa, and the three of us had a blast. We got along great, and although we spent a lot of time together, we never felt obligated to spend every minute with each other. They are awesome, and I feel so much closer to them after experiencing our first BlogHer together. 

~Parties. Both BlogHer sponsored and private. It was fun to mingle with other bloggers, meet people whose blogs I was familiar with and some I wasn't, meet some brands, and just enjoy grown-up time without the kids hanging on me!

~The Expo Hall. I loved going booth to booth and chatting with reps. There were so many brands that I was excited to talk with, and hope to have a further working relationship with in the future. 

~Katie Couric's key-note speech. I found her to be such an inspiration, and listening to her was definitely one of the highlights of my weekend. 

~Meeting Jenny from Karma Continued. Back before I was blogger, I faithfully read each and every piece of work that Jenny wrote. When I decided to start my own blog, she was my inspiration. Her writing is absolutely beautiful, and I feel honored by the fact the we have become good friends online over the past two years. One of the things that I had looked forward to most about the weekend was getting the chance to meet her, and it was definitely one of the best parts of the conference for me. I actually ran into her several times, and at one point we were able to chat for about 40 minutes over a glass of wine. I'm delighted to say that she is as wonderful in person as she is online!

~Listening to the Voices of the Year readers. When I found out that Jenny was chosen as a BlogHer Voices of the Year, I knew that it was one part of the conference that I absolutely could not miss. Being in the audience and listening to her read her beautiful post brought tears to my eyes. 

~Watching Brack Obama address the BlogHer attendees via live video conference. 

~And best of all? Being at the conference with the best group of blogger friends I could ever hope for. I've mentioned before that there is a group of us who are local and get together every month or so. Spending time with them for 4 days in NYC was just so much fun. We shared meals, partied together, walked around together, sat and chatted over beer and wine, and just generally enjoyed the experience together. I feel so blessed to have this amazing group of women who all get along well, and I know that BlogHer would not have been anywhere near as much fun had it not been for them! In fact, this wouldn't be a complete re-cap if I didn't give shout-outs to all of them. 

I was lucky enough to attend BlogHer with:

Melissa from Filling Our Bucket (Roomate and co-road-tripper)

Sarah from Soxy's Diamond (Roomate and co-road-tripper)

Joanna from Baby Gator's Den

Jen from Keekoin

Sarah from Sweet Lil You

Candice from The New Modern Momma

Melissa from The Mommy Hood Chronicles

Audrey from Mom Generations

Kameron from My Wrinkle In Time (Our fearless road-trip driver)

Liz from Learning to Juggle (Another road-tripper)

Jessica from 30 Something Mother Runner

Jodi from BlushMamas

Liza from Cira's Lyrics

Catherine from Twins With Tots

Elizabeth from Documama

And here are just a few pictures from this amazing trip!

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