Last month at Blissdom, I attended a workshop sponsored by Hallmark. The topic was inspirational writing, and in addition to two card writers, we got to hear from Casey from Moosh in Indy and Stephanie from Adventures in Babywearing.
I heard lots of anecdotes and advice about sharing our most meaningful stories, and then the panelists challenged us with a writing prompt. They asked us to write about couches.
Actually, they first suggested we write about our top ten couches, but then they said we could just pick one if we wanted. It’s been a while since I over-achieved much of anything, but today I’m going to do that prompt one better.
I’m going to list my top ten couches. And then I’ll write about one. Which one? That's up to you.
Vote in the comments, and the couch that has the most votes by the end of the week will get the starring role in a post next week.
In no particular order:
Blue flowered couch I grew up with at my parents’ house
Wicker couch with blue cushions that my mom inherited
My grandparents’ brown, gold and orange flowered couch
My other grandparents’ plaid couch that is called a divan
The bright gold, ridiculously heavy couch I had in my college dorm
The first couch Mark and I bought – a blue and green plaid one
The same couch with a red twill slipcover
My current chocolate brown leather couch
My parents’ new couch
Our friends’ dark green couch
I know. That doesn’t tell you much, does it? And there’s no going back. Once you pick one, you can’t go back and read the other chapters to see if they had better endings.
Yeah. I’m harsh like that. A couch blog post reader survey rules dictator.
(Unless I decide to write about the other couches later.)
As I mentioned on Facebook, I do realize that I could not possibly look more awkward in this picture. But the fact remains: I am standing just feet away from Harry Connick, Jr. And I have a picture to prove it!
When I heard through the grapevine that our “surprise guest” would be Harry Connick, Jr., I was beyond excited. I have loved him since my days in high school jazz band, and I could not believe he would be performing for me.
You know, me and 500 of my closest blogging friends.
But I’m not to that part yet.
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? (After all, I tried to keep this simple on Facebook, saying only that I shook his hand. And you people went crazy! And demanded answers! Details! Dirt! Okay, maybe not exactly crazy. But still. I’m pretty sure you want to know more.)
Originally, Harry was scheduled to perform on Saturday night after the final sessions and keynote. But then the New Orleans Saints got in the Superbowl, so Harry had to move our little shindig back a day. To make room for his Superbowl party. Or something.
Whatever the fancy celebrity reason for rescheduling, I’m glad. I was so wiped out by Saturday night that I’m not sure I would have made it to the concert. As it was, I wasn’t convinced that Harry really needed me to put on a dress, heels and eyeliner.
But I did. Which is a good thing. I’d hate to have wobbled into the Opryland’s hip nightclub (do not even start with me about the humor in that statement), past the roped off line and security, in my stretched out jeans and tennis shoes.
The nightclub was exactly what a nightclub should be – and exactly what I don’t love about nightclubs. It was dark and crowded and loud and sweaty. I tried to be sociable; I did. I joined some of my (in)courage friends in a booth in the back. But they’d already paired off into [shouted] conversations, so after snapping a few pictures, I headed back to home base.
That worked out well, as she’d scoped out a premium spot with a great view of the still-empty stage. Not too long after settling in, the action started.
After some words from Barbara Jones, one of the conference organizers and, I’m pretty sure, the woman responsible for getting Harry to come hang out with us, we watched a video about Harry’s work in New Orleans, rebuilding the music community after Hurricane Katrina.
And then the band strutted onto the stage. I know we were there to see Harry, but I have got to tell you: that trumpet player was ahhhh-mazing! He got the crowd dancing and singing even before Harry stepped on the stage, and two songs later when he played the longest note I’ve ever heard in my life? Well, I was out of breath just listening to him!
Harry and his small band played four songs, finishing up with a football-themed When the Saints Go Marching In. He talked about strong women and building community in New Orleans, and he made some lame jokes that aren’t even worth analyzing here. And it was So. Much. Fun.
I told one friend that I’m not sure anything makes me as happy as live music. And his particular brand of live music – Dixieland jazz, if I’m remembering my Jazz Appreciation lessons right – made it impossible to even remember how bad my feet hurt or how few hours of sleep I’d gotten or how I kind of wished I hadn’t set my drink down and forgotten it.
The music made me dance. It made me sing. It made me grin a goofy grin. And it made me cry. Just a little. Happy tears, of course.
After the first couple of songs, we knew what we had to do – move to the other side of the room, so we could line up to meet him! And that’s exactly what we did – me with shoes in hand, because seriously, those suckers hurt.
I’d like to say that everyone in that dark, crowded room behaved nicely as we formed a line to meet Harry. But apparently manners didn’t fit into everyone’s little party purses. At one point, I started wondering if those women shoving and pushing their way to the front had been given more than two drink tickets. And then I thought that maybe this is what it feels like to be at a European soccer match.
Though I did get squished against the wall, I survived (thanks in part to Lisa). and got my shoes back on my feet, just in time to get to the front of the line. They took six women in at a time, and only the designated photographer was allowed to snap a quick picture.
As we fluttered around Harry, jockeying for position (yes, I lost that battle), I turned and shook his hand. And in that moment, when I could have said so many things, I said, “Thank you.”
That’s it. It’s not as if I wanted to say, “I love you!!!!!!” That would have been awkward. But still. My “thank you” and the way I said it really felt like, “I carried a watermelon?”
And then it was over.
Amy squealed and told me – and then demonstrated ON me – exactly how tightly Harry had held her as we posed. Hillary and I just grinned at each other. And I swore I’d never wash my hand again.
That declaration lasted for about 24 minutes – until we got back to our room for a bathroom break between parties. I mean, not washing would have been gross. And weird.
So there you have it. Not the most thrilling adventure, I’m sure, but it’s my adventure. And now you have all the details as I know them.
But wait – there’s more! Here’s a video of Harry’s final song, from The Southern Plate:
One of my favorite parts of Blissdom was meeting some of the people behind the handmade products sold by (in)courage.
Lindsey, Maggie and Lisa are beautiful women who create beautiful products. I love what they do, but more importantly, who they are. They just impress the heck out of me!
Check out what they do:
Lindsey is The Pleated Poppy. I mean, she’s not actually a flower herself. She’s actually a delightful, funny woman. But she makes the cutest little poppy pins, among many other crafty goods.
Lindsey gave me a cute teal poppy pin, but this isn't it.
This photo is from her site.
Maggie is Gussy. And by that I mean, yes, she is Gussy. And Gussy makes lots of pretties with ruffles.
Gussy made a cute, ruffly laptop bag for all the (in)courage writers.
This is her photo.
And Lisa is, well, Lisa. Like the photos she shares on her blog, she is colorful, peaceful and lovely. And, oh yeah, she makes some jewelry.
Lisa made a BLISS necklace for every single person who went to Blissdom.
She's amazing! (And this photo is mine.)
I’m thankful for the gifts these women gave me at Blissdom. But way more than any pretty present, I’m thankful for the chance to get to know these ladies. These artists. These friends.
Where do I even start? I got a couple extra hours of sleep last night and though I woke up with a cold or something that's making my throat hurt and my nose run, I think my body is pretty much recovered from the weekend.
My brain, though? Not even close to recovered.
So I'm not ready to share all the wisdom the fabulous panelists dropped on us at Blissdom. My plan is to get those thoughts organized by this time next week. Feel free to hold me to it!
All I can do today is tell you about some of the best moments I had at Blissdom.
Lunch with Hillary and Monica on Thursday. They met at last year's Blissdom, and I started the lunch feeling like the odd man out at their reunion. And that feeling lasted for about 30 seconds. And then we were just three friends sharing a meal.
Meeting - and getting to hang out with - Sarah Markley. She is even more beautiful in person than she is on her blog, and I'm talking inside and out.
Eating a good ol' Southern breakfast (ala Cracker Barrel) with my (in)courage sisters. Holley and Stephanie are incredible leaders and friends, and the way they've put together a group of diverse women who are somehow immediately at home with each other is just amazing.
Making a couple women's day just by telling them I read their blogs. I didn't realize how excited they would be to meet a reader and fan, but that's silly. After all, every time someone told me they read my blog, I felt pretty giddy myself!
Seeing Harry Connick, Jr., perform. In person. Right in front of my face. (Yes, I'll share more details later this week. I promise!)
Hanging out with Annie. I know I'm not alone when I say I love this girl. But I do. She's so darned funny and smart and just my kind of lady. I love her. The end.
Having a three-night slumber party with Hillary and Jessie. These girls are so sweet, so crazy, so funny, so talented, so smart! And they are SO my friends.
Meeting bloggers I've been connecting with online for several months (like Amanda, Mandi and Jill), spending time with bloggers I've met before and can't get enough of (like Nester, Emily and Jo-Lynne), and being introduced to incredible artists (like Gussy and Lindsey).
Meeting and hanging out with Lisa and her twin sister, Chrissie. These women were so welcoming and sweet and gentle and funny. And I love them, too.
Walking out of my gate at the airport and hearing the sweetest voice say, "Mommy!"
I'm forgetting some things, I'm leaving out some things for now, and the moments I just mentioned are not in any particular order. And they don't even begin to include the hotel, the swag, the speakers and the many, many times I was moved to huge laughter or quiet tears.
Blissdom was an incredible conference, and I'm looking forward to processing everything I saw, did and learned over the next few weeks. And I'm thankful for the opportunity to attend, which was made largely possible by my sponsor, United Country Real Estate.
Did you go to Blissdom? If you're a blogger who didn't go to this year's Blissdom, have you gone or do you plan to go to a blogging conference?
Yes, it's true. I met Harry Connick, Jr., at Blissdom. I'm not saying we sat and chatted over coffee. I mean, first of all, I don't like coffee.
But I did shake his hand. And I can't wait to tell you more of the story. But tonight, my brain is mush and my bed is calling. So until then, tell me: have you ever met anyone really famous?
Yesterday we talked about several ways to prepare for Blissdom. This annual women’s blogging conference shouldn’t be intimidating, but as I know from last year, it can be just that if you’re not prepared.
Don’t worry! I’m here to save you from your unprepared self. After all, I don’t want any of you to arrive in Nashville all nervous and excited, only to end up so overwhelmed and scared that you retreat to your hotel room, spending prime networking time on IM with your real-life blogging friend at home.
Not that I know anyone who did such a thing.
The first five tips for preparing for Blissdom were register (duh!), print business cards, get connected through social networks, find out who’s going and make a friend. Because I’m sure you followed my instructions immediately after reading them and are now signed up, printed, connected and hooked up with at least one new conference buddy, it’s time for five more tips.
Do your homework. This little idea of mine to offer tips for attending Blissdom? Turns out it’s not the most original thing on the planet. Not that I’m copying anyone, but the fact is, we’ve all fretted a little bit (or a lot bit) before a big event like this. And that means most of know that any and all advice, insight, suggestions and tips are more than welcome. So, Google it up, girls. (Or, if you like to earn money for your research, Swagbucks it up.) I’m including the posts I know about, but believe me, there are more. If you’ve already found them, please leave a link in the comments!
What Should You Wear to Blissdom – This is the post that introduced me to Jenny last year, and I found it immensely helpful when shopping/packing.
Blisstastic – To get ready for Blissdom, OhAmanda is featuring several top bloggers in a weekly feature. So far, we’ve gotten tips from the amazing ladies at Musings of a Housewife and Boston Mamas.
Conferences Put the “Social” in Social Media – It’s true. Going to a conference can transform these squishy, can’t-quite-see-your-face online relationships into solid, hug-your-neck-and-miss-you-when-I-go-home friendships. Sarah at Real Life Blog writes about the social benefit to social media meetings.
8 Things You Should Know Before Blissdom: Great tips from Darcy at Life with My Three Boybarians, including how to win friends and influence people with a power strip. Seriously.
Map out your strategy. So you registered, booked your ticket and reserved your hotel room. All set, right? Not quite. When I arrived at Blissdom last year, I was surprised to learn I had to choose between two tracks. This year I’ll have even more choices, but I’m going in prepared. You should, too. Choose the classes you want to attend with the agenda, and keep your eyes and ears open for events going on during the weekend.
Shop (and pack) early. I’m not here to tell you what to buy or pack. I’m just here to tell you to start early. Do your research and find out what the seasoned bloggers suggest you bring. You may not be as list-y as me, but I highly suggest making a packing list. And remember, if you must buy something, keep the receipt. One luxury of planning and shopping early is the ability to change your mind. More than once.
Prettify yourself. Don’t get me wrong; Blissdom is not the prom. (Also known, at my house, as the day my mom gave me hooker eyes decided I should experiment with eyeliner. Yes, it was traumatic, thank you for asking.) But while your fellow bloggers won’t be impressed by your painful pointy shoes and expensive trendy haircut, you will feel better if you put your best (comfortable) foot forward. I don’t know exactly what that means for you, but for me, it means Crest Whitestrips, Jergens Natural Glow and a Great Clips trim (with a coupon, even!).
Sleep. Last but not least: get yourself some shut-eye. Do not under any circumstance stay up late the night before you head to Nashville. After all, you don’t want to be spaced out and droopy at the cocktail party, do you? No. Go to bed and get your eight hours so you can be your most clever and charming self. (At least on the first day. I won’t even pretend like you’re not going to bed early during the conference. Not when my roommates and I are already giggling about our weekend-long slumber party!)
What are your tips for getting the most out of a conference?
I must have been out of my mind. Last year, without knowing a single soul who was going or really why I had a blog in the first place, I registered for Blissdom.
Blissdom is “the premiere conference for women who find and express their bliss by publishing online.” It’s put on by online magazine Blissfully Domestic and One2One Network, a women’s word-of-mouth marketing network. And it’s held each February in Nashville.
And that little paragraph up there? That’s about all I knew as I got on a plane and headed south almost one year ago.
Since that weekend in February – and because of it, really – I have made several amazing friends and had a couple incredible opportunities. All thanks to blogging and the insane, what-was-I-thinking decision to attend Blissdom.
This year, I’m excited to return to the conference that helped me see blogging as more than a random way to pass the time after putting my daughter to bed. This year’s event promises to be bigger and better with a larger attendance and a fancy-schmancy hotel. And ohmygoodness, have you heard? Harry Connick, Jr., will be there!
[Insert pounding heart and, let’s be honest, crazy eyes here.]
But more importantly than even Harry and the chance to stay at the Grand Ole Opry hotel? (Well, slightly more important than Harry…) The one-two knockout punch of information-packed seminars and the chance to hang out with my blogging friends and meet more amazing women who don’t look at me strangely when I say things like, “Wait! Can you do that again? I want to take a picture for my blog.”
As someone who went to last year’s conference completely unprepared and proceeded to get completely overwhelmed, I’m here to offer you some advice. Here are the first five ways to get ready for Blissdom:
Register. Now, this might seem obvious, but I’d be willing to be my sturdy yet cute Lands End tote bag from last year’s conference that somebody reading this post has been thinking about going for a while but has not had the nerve to register yet. Stop thinking about it and do it! Only 500 tickets will be sold, and I suspect most of those are already spoken for. So, first order of business: Go straight to the registration page and get yourself a ticket!
Order business cards. Perhaps this, too, is obvious to some of you. Last year, it was not so clear to me. So learn from my mistake. Though most of Blissdom will feel like a girls’ weekend retreat, it’s really a business meeting. And you’d never go to a business meeting without some way of helping people remember you! This doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. A basic design or even a template will do, and plenty of printers offer economical options. I printed mine at FedEx Kinko’s, but I’ve also heard lots of people talk about Vistaprint and MOO.
Get connected. Join the Blissdom Facebook group and follow @Blissdom and the Blissdom hashtag (#blissdom) on Twitter. This will give you access to all the fun chatter about the upcoming conference, including tips and insights from people who have attended before. (For example, if I’d done this last year, I would have known to bring business cards.) Following the conversation on Facebook and Twitter will also tell you who’s going this year. And that leads me to #4 . . .
Find out who’s going to Blissdom. I’m not saying you should stalk your fellow conference attendees. But I am saying you should find out who’s going, read their blogs and follow them on Twitter. You could even, if you’re as crazy organized as me some people, make a list of people you want to meet throughout the weekend. The place to start for a list of attendees would be the Facebook group, but another place would be The Nester’s link-up and Lisa Boyd's link-up at Simply His.
Make a friend. If you’ve been blogging for any time at all – or even just lurking around the blogosphere – I would bet you’ve got a bloggy friend or two. However, if they’re not attending, you still have time to make new friends who are. When you find someone you like, whether through the Twitter stream, the Facebook group or a link-up of people attending, start commenting on their posts. Or send a quick e-mail. Who doesn’t like hearing, “I love your blog and look forward to meeting you.”?? Follow that up with a quick, “I see you’re going to Blissdom. So am I! Maybe we can see each other there!” and you might just have yourself a new friend.
I’m serious on that last point, you all. When I was frantically trying to figure out WHAT ON EARTH I WAS DOING shortly before last year’s conference, I stumbled onto Jenny Rapson’s blog, Mommin’ It Up. I left her a comment, she replied with an e-mail, and instantly I felt like I wasn’t quite so alone on this conference adventure. She, of course, was super nice when I met her in person last year, and while we didn’t hang out, it was just nice to see a familiar face and to be greeted with a smile.
All right, that’s the first five tips I have for you. As my ninth grade history teacher would say each day as we fled his classroom, “Read, study and comprehend.” And then come back tomorrow for the last five ways to prepare for Blissdom.
Are you going to Blissdom? If not, have you gone to other conferences in the past year?
Shortly before I graduated from college, our school newspaper ran an article called “Roses and Thorns.” It was written by a guy in my class who I knew of, but didn’t really know. And it was about the best and worst parts of our fine university.
A few examples:
Roses: to Tutor’s Deli for being the best darn place to eat in Kirksville. Thorns: to myself for not finding about Tutor’s Deli until this year. Roses: to Sodexho for making tomato soup and grilled cheese at the same meal, just like Mom used to make. Thorns: to Sodexho for crappy Premium Night. Roses: to graduation in less than two weeks. Thorns: to having to pay $15.00 to graduate in less than two weeks.
For some reason I cannot explain, this little article touched me. As you may have noticed, I do enjoy reminiscing, so maybe it’s that. And overall, I really loved my four years at college – the good, the bad, the hard, the fun – so maybe it was just a way to articulate those feelings. But for whatever reason, I have kept that article on my refrigerator ever since. In one apartment, two duplexes and finally our house. For almost eight years.
So in the spirit of that little article, I will now tell you about Blissdom.
Roses: to getting to go back to Nashville. Thorns: to Hotel Preston for having cheesy décor, paper-thin walls, broken phones and faulty elevators. Roses: to no flight delays and empty middle seats. Roses: to me for walking up to a group of women I'd never met and asking if I could eat lunch with them. My hunger-based courage gave me the opportunity to meet somereallygreatpeople. Thorns: to me for freaking myself out and not connecting with many of the awesome women at the conference. My self-consciousness got in the way of making new friends, and that’s too bad. Roses: to all the great sponsors who made the conference possible. (I love my Lands’ End bag and can’t wait to use my $50 Crocs gift certificate. And don’t get me started again on the Little Debbie Cakes!) Roses: to Allison Worthington and One2One Network for making the conference possible. Roses: to the panelists and “mavens” who so willingly shared their knowledge and experience with all of us. Roses: to meeting Shannon of Rocks in My Dryer. Thorns: to crying like a baby when I talked to her. Roses: to Shannon telling me it was okay and acting like it really was. Roses: to the sneak preview of Yanni Voices. Most of it wasn’t nearly as lame as it sounds. Although...I'm pretty sure Ender's dancing wasn't supposed to be funny... Roses: to Disney for bringing two of the Voices, Nathan and Ender, to Blissdom. Thorns: to the ladies who forgot they were married and swooned over Nathan and Ender. I’m not kidding, people. There were catcalls and video cameras and requests for stripping and a loooong line in the hallway for autographs and pictures. I’m not kidding. Roses: to Nathan and Ender for being good sports. Thorns: to me for not being prepared this year. I had no idea what I was getting into. I had no idea I should have blogging business cards. I had no idea. Roses: to a chance to do it again next year at Blissdom ’10.
And just in case anyone out there is wondering what I actually learned at this conference, here’s the lineup of sessions I attended:
Friday
Blogging 101 – Getting Started (Turns out, I was slightly over-qualified for this one and should have gone to the other session.)
Social Media 101 – How to be a Social Media Success (I knew some of what they talked about, but this helped me really understand how social media fits into my life. And yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard you: I need to be on Twitter!)
Cocktail Party (Not a session, but a fun little party. And by “fun little party,” I mean totally scary, crowded dark room full of giggling ladies in shiny shirts. But let me tell you – they made some very tasty Blisstinis!)
Pajama Party (I heard this was fun, but I unfortunately skipped it. Thorns to me.)
Saturday
Writing with Passion – Finding Your Voice (Excellent panel that spoke to the writing part of this hobby/business – hobness? busby?)
Branding: You, Your Blog, Your Business (This is where I heard one of the best pieces of advice I got all weekend – whatever you do with your blog, OWN IT. Thanks, Megan!)
All right, I think that’s about it. (Ha! “About it,” like I didn’t just talk for-ev-er.) I’ll leave you with one thing, no, two:
As Ender of Yanni Voices shared his musical background with us, he told us where he’s from (you know, just exactly in what country he learned to swivel his hips like that): “I am from Venezuela. That’s in South America.” Um...thanks, Ender.
During the Q&A session with Nathan and Ender (because who wants to learn about blogging when there are not-yet-famous opera singers to ogle?), one woman requested the men sing Happy Birthday to a couple bloggers celebrating their big days that weekend. They wanted it in Spanish, but while Nathan reportedly speaks the language, he didn’t know that particular tune. Not to worry, ladies. “How about Portuguese?” he suggested. And so what did they do? Yup. Portuguese Happy Birthday. Yanni that.
