Blissdom recaps ~
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Without a doubt, my favorite aspect to Blissdom '09 was meeting in person those I knew before, and those I didn't know "until". There may be 50 million blogs out there, but in Nashville, last weekend, 300 women came together to network, connect, share their insights, and glean from others.
No longer are they just "imaginary friends". The beauty of the individual was revealed en masse, and I feel so fortunate to have made true connection. There was a genuine atmosphere of encouragement and enthusiasm, it was electrically palpable.
One thing I've realized about people who blog, we're passionate about this medium. This hobby. This vocation. Conferencing with those of like mind is simply opportunity to "talk blog" and not have people's eyes glaze over.
Bless our non-bloggy-friends-IRL's hearts who "listen" when we have something bloggish to share.
The only down side to Blissdom was not having enough time to have substantive conversation with "everyone". I guess it's better to leave wanting more, no?
Ok…I'll hush up with the waxing blissful and introduce you to some fabulous new friends…!
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Meet the roommates (l-r). With these girls I laughed until the point of suffocation (they know that is NOT an exaggeration); rooming with three virtual strangers is a gamble. For us? We came out winners. I miss waking up to their smiles! :
- Rachel, A Southern Fairytale – Rachel is one of the most industrious, generous, inviting people I've ever met. Her enthusiasm is infectious; she's as down to heart as they come. She loves freely, making it easy to love her in return.
- Amber, The run-a-muck – Our bond was established before we met; Amber is the "mother" of The Mother Letter Project Blog. I saw her first through the eyes of her husband, and when we exchanged emails after Christmas, I began to see her myself. This woman is an amazing wordsmith, writing with her heart; her prose is lyrical. She challenges me to be a writer first, blogger second. We share a kindredness not often found in life, and I wish she lived next door. She was my partner in crime (and I think we broke a few laws) all weekend.
- Deanna, Domestic Chicky and The Apronista. From the get-go, I knew Deanna was a loyal friend; the fact she cares about people is evident in a heartbeat. She's fun and has a depth delightful to discover. This is a girl you could sit with for hours trading stories. We didn't have near enough time together, but what we did left me wanting more.
I see more than 7 people in that elevator!! Did they get stuck too? Just kidding – I know they weren’t the elevator ladies, but I thought it was funny there were so many in that load too. Makes me glad I passed on a few full elevators 😀
I so totally miss you and wish you, Amber and I all lived next door or at least in the same neighborhood 🙂 Oh and there’s many more I’d like to live near too!! Sigh, I know. Not enough time.
I’m telling you, I’m moving there tomorrow!
Lisa, I was gonna say the same thing about how many peeps were in that elevator picture! That’s all I can think of when I think of the HP’s elevators.
I miss everyone that I was lucky enough to meet in Nashville. I think I need to move there.
Wow; it looks like you guys had a blast! I wish I could have been there. How did your talk go? I’m still trying to educate my friends in person about blogging and commenting. They are slowly learning to comment but don’t really get the blogging thing. It would be so fun to spend time with other bloggers face to face like that; people who get it! Maybe next year …
Thanks for sharing with pics – it looks like you all had a fabulous time! Good for you! I truly hope to go next year!
Looks like you gals had a fabulous time!
new friends … that is the part i loved. and kinda being your roommate (next door!) 🙂
Ah, yes, Robin! Wish there had been more time to connect with more people. I think I gravitated towards those I had gotten to know already online & there were just too many to get one-on-one time with. I’m SO glad that I stopped you though & at least we met. It was a wonderful time that I’ll never forget. Here’s to next year !