Tag: guest post

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Everything Else Travel

Going to BlogHer part five {guest post}

Welcome back to my Going to BlogHer, now what? series! {Did you miss Alena’s post about roommates?}

It’s getting to be crunch time, so I’m featuring Miranda from Not Super…Just Mom‘s post today. I was so happy when Miranda joined up with Alena & I as roomies then even more excited as I’ve gotten to know her online. After seeing her & hearing her sweet southern voice via Skype last week, I really can’t wait to meet her & I bet you already love her too, right?

In theory my head I am an awesome, seasoned traveler.

Staying in hotels (even the dumpy ones) is fun. The little soaps and shampoos and neatly folded towels! The freshly made beds every day! Free pens! Traveling is an adventure!

I sound eye-rolling ridiculous, right? Right. I know. ::sigh::

We didn’t travel much when I was a kid. If we did, it was from one corner of the state to the other to visit family. We never went on single family vacation. We never stayed in a hotel (except that time we lived in one…) It just wasn’t in the budget. Ever.

Since virtual reality machines don’t count, I’ve only been on a plane three times. (If you count round-trip flights as one ride, that is. Six times if you don’t. And eight if you count the plane changes on my Honeymoon.)

In just over two weeks from the time I’m writing this (Monday night, a full three days AFTER I said I’d have this done, in case you were wondering) I will be boarding a plane to head west to California. Farther west than I have ever been.

Despite any notions of adventure, I’m not accustomed to traveling and there are things about this adventure that terrify me.

Things like, should I leave my car at the park-and-ride for an entire weekend? Will it be safe?

Are the TSA agents going to laugh at my mom-flab when they see it on the scanner? Will I have to get all up-close-and-personal with one of them in the name of my protection?

I am also paralyzed with fear at the idea of taking my southern accent and pearl earrings across the Mississippi. I feel all country-mouse-goes-to-the-city when I think too much about this conference.

But the excitement of traveling to a new place is like crack that I just cannot quit.

That is how this whole BlogHer trip has become for me. Crack.

I’m excited to breathe new, Pacific-coast air. I’m excited to meet new people. I’m excited to attend parties and wear dresses! Hell, I’m mostly just excited to wear clothes that don’t have drool stains and toddler snot on the shoulder!

I’m excited to learn things about how I can do this whole blogging thing a little better than I am doing it now.

How many more days do I have?

I’m looking forward to that Pacific coast air too, Miranda & a hug from you in a week & a half! & no worries, BlogHer has become my crack too! Anyone else?!

Be sure to keep up with Miranda’s BlogHer {& other} adventures on her blog & also on twitter as @notsuperjustmom. & come back next Wednesday for my third roomie’s post!

Categories
Everything Else Travel

Going to BlogHer part 4 {guest post}

Thanks for coming back for part four of my BlogHer guest post series! {if you missed Suzanne or Suzanne ~ yep two of them, read their posts & I jumped in Sat}.

Alena of Charmingly Chandler is one of the reasons I’m going to BlogHer. Back in the fall, when I learned she was going, I emailed her & BA & asked, should I go? What do I need to know before I decide & if/when I decide, who would I stay with? Alena’s resounding YES & WITH ME has had my excitement brewing since then. I’m fortunate enough to have hung out with her twice before & can’t wait to spend four days in San Diego with her soon.

Roommates.  I haz ’em.

In fact Suz, Miranda & Diana are mine, and they are awesome.

When I read about blogher last year I knew that the only way I’d be able to swing it is to have roommates.  I didn’t know who was going.  Or how to find roommates.  Or how to pick the right roommates.  But here I am, the conference is upon us.  And I have the most awesome roommates (if you have roommates and you think yours are awesome, I’m sorry.  But mine? AWESOMER!).

I know you all want to read about something that may be helpful or encouraging or funny.  But instead I’m going to tell you why roommates (especially mine) make the difference.

I have people in my corner.  If I get overwhelmed, or drink too much, or feel all alone in a sea of bloggers…I know my roommates have my back.  I know that I can text them or meet up with them if I feel like the lone blogger.  I know that one of them will surely help me back to my room if I can’t remember my room number because the cocktails were strong.  It’s a safety net.  And I don’t know if I’m brave enough to have gone into Blogher with out one.

Also awesome about roommates?  Someone is on the look out for conference/party info when you can’t be.  We are IMing, texting, or FBing about things we see so that there’s no roommate left behind.  We’ve compared plans, and schedules.  It’s really helped me feel prepared.  Again, this has been vital in keeping me from freaking out about blogher.

Another awesome thing about MY roommates?  We are all new to this.  Now to some that may come off as a disadvantage.  No one to give us advice.  But that’s what twitter is for.  To each other we can geek out, squee, CAP LOCK SCREAM with excitement, look like dorks, obsesses over things the old timers don’t care about….and it has made the weeks leading up to BlogHer even that much more fun.

The other great thing about my roommates?  I’ve gotten to know 3 fellow bloggers better.  We were all friends on some level before we became roommates.  But we know each other so much better now.  I think we’re better friends.  We are closer.  And it’s something that wouldn’t have happened if I had roomed solo.

Plus? We split the room 4 ways. WINNING!

This may not help anyone for Blogher11.  Since it’s SO CLOSE and changing plans would be rather difficult.  But Blogher12 will be here before you know it.  So if you’re thinking about going next year….roommates.  It’s the way to go.

So glad & proud that I can call Alena roomie! Go show her some love at her blog, Charmingly Chandler & on twitter as @alena29. Then be sure to come back Friday for a post by another one of my kick-ass roomies!
Categories
Travel

Going to BlogHer part 2 {guest post}

Welcome back to my Going to BlogHer, now what? series! {Here’s bebehblog Suzanne’s post, the first in the series, if you missed it}.

Awesomely this week, another Suzanne is sharing with us {I love having multiple Suzanne friends!}. Suzanne lives nearby & I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her a few times. She’s so nice & fun & makes beautiful little girls! You can see Small Fry & Sunshine at Pretty*Swell & tweet with Suzanne too. Suzanne went to BlogHer last year in NYC & was willing to share some BlogHer wisdom with newbie me!

(Almost) Everything I Learned at my First BlogHer Conference
[flickr id=”5918999356″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”medium” group=”” align=”center”] If you go to BlogHer, you may end up with a McDonald’s bag on your head. Everyone was doing it. Really.

Don’t be afraid to approach strangers.
This is the biggest lesson I learned at BlogHer. I had to wiggle out of my comfort zone and talk to complete strangers. Some I recognized from their Twitter icons or their blogs, others just happened to be next to me in line or sitting beside me in a session. It was nerve-wracking, but SO worth it. I met all sorts of people and made some wonderful new friends.

If you spot one of your blog idols, say hello (but don’t stalk).
This is the most fun. When I ran into Gabrielle Blair in the hotel lobby, I gushed all over her. She was so gracious, and it was a thrill to meet one of my favorite bloggers in person. Same goes for Jenny Lawson, Maggie Mason and Laura Mayes. We swapped cards, took pictures and chatted. And they were all nice as could be, even as I babbled and tackle-hugged.

But, be careful not to overdo it. One of my pals who is pretty famous in the bloggy world became very uncomfortable at BlogHer by a woman who seemed to be following her around. She’d corner my friend often and asked probing questions. Too much. Don’t let this be you!

Go to the parties.
Dancing, cocktails, cheeseburgers, unicorns. Enough said.

Stay in the conference hotel with bloggy roommates.
I only had a one-day conference pass, so I chose to stay with a friend who lives in New York. While I loved hanging out with my pal, I missed so much of the BlogHer action: late-night chat fests, drinks at the hotel bar, gatherings in people’s rooms. Some of the most valuable time at the conference happens outside of the sessions and parties. Don’t miss out.

Carry your business cards AT ALL TIMES.
Most folks tuck away a small stash in their lanyards, so that cards are easily accessible on a moment’s notice. Swapping cards is synonymous with saying hello at BlogHer. Be prepared.

Map out the sessions you want to attend in advance.
The sessions range in topic from techie tutorials to blog ethics. Choose wisely. And don’t be afraid to skip one if another opportunity presents itself.

Try not to get too caught up in the swag hall.
Yes, free stuff is cool. And the volume of free stuff at BlogHer is overwhelming. I got sucked into the swag hall for WAY TOO LONG and ended up missing a little adventure in the city with some pals. Get in, get some stuff, and get out. Or, tackle it in pieces. The swag will be there all weekend. Also: if you end up with way too much stuff, there’s a “recycle” room where you can leave unwanted items. And a shipping station where they’ll pack and ship your stuff home.

Stay on top of Twitter.
This is how EVERYONE communicates.

Explore your surroundings!
San Diego is a neat city. Be sure to get outside the hotel every now and then.

Do some homework before you go.
Here are a few of my favorite BlogHer-related posts:
A Newbies Guide to BlogHer, by Jill from Scary Mommy
Awesome business card showcase, by Melissa at momcomm
BlogHer Field Guide from Liz at Mom 101
A Brief History of the CheeseburgHer Party by Lindsay at Suburban Turmoil

Thank you so much Suzanne! Love your advice & awesome photo. Off to do a little BlogHer homework myself now.

Be sure to come back for the next guest posts in this series are from my BlogHer roomies!

Categories
Travel

Going to BlogHer Part 1 {guest post}

I asked some awesome ladies I don’t really know friends if they’d like to share their thoughts on the upcoming BlogHer conference. Some have been before & others are newbies like myself. I gave them no other direction ~ just to share their thoughts as the weeks count down {4 from today!}. I’m looking forward to their advice/thoughts/plans/fears if nothing else, to feel less nervous & more excited myself.

Up first is Suzanne from bebehblog. As a fellow Suzanne, she’s been memorable to me from the first time I found her on twitter then began to read about her & her two precious children on her blog. From there, I stalked found her on FB & now we’re friends. I can’t wait to take a Suzanne photo with her in San Diego!

When Suz asked me to guest post about BlogHer, I was a little worried. I haven’t actually BEEN to BlogHer yet (besides in my dreams) so I didn’t think I had too much to say about it. Well, except for 5,000 words on what I plan to wear and what shoes to bring and how many different headbands one girl needs for three days time and OMG I’m going to look like an idiot in my trendy clothes or like a mom in my mom jeans and I still don’t know what exactly one wears to a Sparklecorn and help help me Rhonda. As a BlogHer virgin I am just as freaked out as Suz is. Maybe more, since I am not so good with the talking to people in person thing. There’s a reason I am a blogger.

But actually, I DID go to a conference once – The Creative Connection Event in Minneapolis last September – and it started out totally terrifying. At least I know (internet know, but it still counts) people at BlogHer. When I accidentally won an all-expense paid trip to The Creative Connection, I knew NO ONE. I had written an essay for their contest, thinking it was like the lottery (“you can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket”) but when I got an email saying “Congratulations!” I pretty much died straight dead. My incredibly supportive husband managed to rearrange his schedule last minute – those artsy people who arrange crafting conferences aren’t so good at planning ahead – and less than a month later I was on a plane to Minneapolis. I was in my chauffeured car from the airport (once again dying dead with amazement) before I realized I was going to be All Alone. All alone and totally unqualified to even BE there – the essay that won me the chance was actually about how uncreative I was, so what the heck was I supposed to do with myself during three days of quilting and sewing and crafting classes?

Within 30 minutes of checking into my hotel I had made a friend, found the conference hashtag on Twitter, and was sitting at a table with the fantastic Amy Turn Sharp of Little Alouette listening to The Pioneer Woman give the opening keynote. Not a single person I talked to all weekend was rude or stand-offish or anything less than incredibly awesome. I made friends. I tracked down acquaintances and forced them to be my friends, introduce me to THEIR friends, and take me to IKEA. I had a super fun weekend and came home inspired.

And this was all while still being my super shy, worried about what everyone thinks, introverted self. I’m not some sort of magical friendship butterfly who sprinkles happy dust and people suddenly like her. I’m what you might call hard to get to know. Some people might call me stand-offish. Or if you’re really blunt, “kind of a b****”. (Only at first, I swear! It’s just because I’m awkward! I’m really very nice!) But I tried to remember that EVERYONE was out of their element and a little overwhelmed and probably happy to have someone start a conversation about their shoes or their purse or their hair. If it helps, you can use the old “picture them in their underwear” trick, although for BlogHer it should be “everyone in their Spanx”.

So my plan is the same for San Diego – I will hug your face if I see it. I will tell you your shoes are cute. I will be absolutely terrified. But I will have the time of my life. And so will you.

Awesome. You love her already too, don’t you! Thanks, Suzanne, for your advice. I will be counting on that hug!

Come back for more BlogHer related posts & guest posts in the next couple weeks. If you’ve been or you’re going this year & want to share your thoughts with a guest post, email me at suzstreats{at}gmail{dot}com.