Blissdom 10

I just got back from my longest road trip as a blogger and I am exhausted and exhilarated!  My journey began last Thursday when I departed for Nashville to attend Blissdom.

I was so excited to go back to the place where it all began for me, Blissdom.  Blissdom is where  I met my bloggy friends in real life for the first time just 3 short months into blogging.  Although I have seen these fantastic women throughout the last year at other events, attending Blissdom was like coming back home and having a big family reunion.  Barbara, Allie and Paula really know how to throw a party!  The keynotes, the wisdom workshops, the sessions, the parties, and of course all of the fantastic sponsors were all very top notch and well planned out.  I have decided to tell my story with photos rather than a ton of words, I hope you enjoy it.

On Thursday there were a series of specialized Wisdom Workshops available and I decided to take the Photography workshop.  It was conducted by Dawn Camp, Mishelle Lane, Angie Arthur, and Deanna Garretson .  I learned a good bit from these fabulous ladies about using my camera more effectively, I could have stayed in this session all day!

Thursday night there was a great welcome reception at the Jack Daniels Salon in the hotel.  I didn’t take any photos there, not sure why, I guess I was too busy catching up with everyone!

click here to see more about my Blissdom experience

On The Road (Sky) Again

I have always enjoyed traveling but never really got to do much of it.  We would goto the beach each summer and that was about as far as I would get.  I have always  wanted to travel more and since I have started blogging my wish has come true.  Over the last year I have been fortunate enough to visit the following places

Nashville, TN ~ my first blogging conference  Blissdom! It was so exciting to meet all of my Twitter friends and form new friendships that have continued to blossom.  The wealth of information was so overwhelming for a newbie, but without it I don’t know where I would be today.

Austin, TX ~ SXSW Interactive, what an experience this was! Felt like a lost fish in the sea but made some FANTASTIC friends and connections.

Chicago, IL ~ Blogher! What a great time, so many faces, so little time. And who could forget BowlHer! BEST party EVER!

Click here to see where I have been and where I am going!

A Night Out With Yanni Voices and Mom

You may have seen my previous post about my opportunity (thanks to One 2 One Network)to go see Yanni Voices last week, I’m back to tell you it was FANTASTIC!!!

As I mentioned before, Yanni would not have been my first choice of music but, I have changed my mind. Maybe it’s because I am older and I appreciate music more now, or maybe it is because I felt connected because I met Nathan and Ender at Blissdom, or maybe it’s because everyone on that stage was so incredibly talented, I can’t really say for sure what has changed my mind, but I will tell you if you have the chance to go see this concert you really should go. You can see if it is coming to your city here. Going into it my mom had no idea what to expect and had never really listened to Yanni but she too was very impressed and had a great time.

Yanni Voices is the result of Yanni teaming up with producer Rik Wake and some very talented vocal artists including Ender Thomas, Chole, Leslie Mills, and Nathan Pacheco. The 4 “voices” have written words to Yanni’s classic songs and they sing those words beautifully and with passion.

Click here for some amazing photo's including behind the scenes

Why Moms Matter

While I was at Blissdom I met the greatest couple, Josh and Rebecca Unfried. I got to know a lot about them as we made lunch for 500 homeless men in downtown Nashville at the Nashville Rescue Mission with Mom it Forward . They are so sweet and I think it is great that they have a combined vision in their site MomFaves. I hope to someday see them again!

Here is a little more about Josh, Rebecca and MomFaves:

Rebecca and Josh Unfried are proud parents and the founders of MomFaves.com, the new mom word-of-mouth network™ that reveals what moms love most.

Josh and Rebecca created MomFaves to honor Josh’s mom who died from cancer in 2004 and to empower moms in every neighborhood across the country with an easy and fun way to share and discover their favorite things together. As a result, moms have a free resource to rely and depend on daily for trusted mom recommendations.

The moms of MomFaves.com are in a position to spark a word-of-mouth revolution. What they are doing will not go unnoticed. They are building a universal brand for moms, a modern mother’s seal of approval behind the things they love most.

I also met Danielle Smith from Extraordinary Mommy at movie night at Blissdom, I was drawn to her because of her cute bunny slippers! After chatting with Danielle I found another great person I hope to see again someday, but for now its great to be her friend in the blogosphere

Here is a little more about Danielle:

Danielle Smith is a wife and Mommy to two young children. In her ‘free time’, she balances work as the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com as well as co-anchoring the new Blog Talk Radio Show – Why Moms Matter. She is also the Editor for StLouisKids.com and is a regular contributor to FamilyFoodies.com.

ExtraordinaryMommy.com is a website designed to remind moms of the Extraordinary work they do daily while loving and raising their children. The site provides resources as well a regular blog chronicling life as a Mommy – as Danielle sees it.

In her previous life (aka before children) Danielle was a Television News Anchor and Reporter as well as a Wedding Planner. Therefore, much of her life’s experiences have been in writing, talking and listening. Both career paths have served to make her the author, organizer, social media addict and right-brained, creative girl she is now.

Recently mentioned in USA Today for her relationship with children’s publisher, Mackinac Island Press, much of Danielle’s energy is focused on teaching and sharing gratitude and ‘giving back’. Through her Give Good, Get Good Project, Danielle hopes to help parents learn new ways to make a difference, and by example, to teach their children one of the most important traits they can possess – a kind and giving heart.

So, now we come to the fantastic project these 3 extraordinary souls have created: The Why Moms Matter Project and The Why Moms Matter Blog Talk Radio Show.

Being a mom is easily the most rewarding and the most challenging thing you have ever done. You love, you experience joy, you sacrifice – every day. You live a million ordinary moments…and each one of them combines to make you the Extraordinary mom you are. You might have one child or ten. You might stay home, or maybe you work – but you have something in common with millions of other mothers – You Matter. You are a teacher, a friend, a chauffeur, a cook, a craftsman, a doctor, and the best medicine a child could need. You put your family first and yourself last. Your challenge may be potty training, a toddler who throws regular temper tantrums, or something more painful – like balancing the grief of losing your own parent with the raising of your own little ones, or you may be putting on a brave face watching your very own child receive treatment for Leukemia. No matter what your day holds – You Matter.

The Why Moms Matter Project recognizes the beauty and the significance of Mothers. The Why Moms Matter Blog Talk Radio Show will highlight a new mother every week on Fridays at 12:30 Pacific, 2:30 Central. You will hear stories that will make you laugh and make you cry – but every story, every woman, will remind you Why Moms Matter. Each week’s featured mom will also be highlighted on Extraordinary Mommy as well as Why Moms Matter.

Join hosts Josh and d="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Rebecca Unfried of MomFaves and Danielle Smith of Extraordinary Mommy as they uncover the stories that will remind moms they are living Extraordinary lives.

If you would like to nominate a mom you know with an Extraordinary story, go to Why Moms Matter . Nominated moms do not need to be bloggers, nor do they have to be ‘young’ mothers. Grandmothers have fantastic stories as well.

You can meet the first Why Moms Matter Award Recipient, Norma Unfried and hear her story here. Norma will be showcased on the first Why Moms Matter BTR show on Friday, March 6th at 3:30 Eastern Time. Tune in to hear all about this great mom and the great project Josh, Rebecca and Danielle have created.

Good luck guys!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Chris Mann!

CHRIS MANN!!!
Thank you Secret Agent Mama http://www.secretagentmama.com/ for taking this great photo for me at Blissdom!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Yanni Voices

Me with Ender Thomas and Nathan Pacheco at Blissdom09. These 2 fabulous singers are part of the upcoming Yanni Voices Special coming to PBS in March.

What's That I Hear? NOTHING!!! Blissdom

Let me start by saying, I normally do not do things for myself. My kids have great clothes, I don’t. They have all the cool toys, I don’t. (I did just get a Flip though! Thanks NewBaby.com!) So, when I decided I wanted to go to Blissdom I thought I was being selfish we could do a lot other stuff for the family with the money I was gonna spend. Let me tell you, I have been here less that 24 hours and I am so glad I decided to do this for myself!

The number of kidless nights I have had in the last 7 years could be counted on one hand. When the kids have slept over at Gammie’s house I was still only across the street. I live across the street from my parents!

I am fortunate enough to also be making this trip with my great friend Beth @plussizemommy. When we arrived yesterday around 3:30 we were picked up at the hotel by my BEST friend for 25 years, Wendy. She lives here in Nashville and I haven’t seen her in over 4 years! I got give her 6 year old daughter a huge hug, and meet her to adorable boys ages 2 1/2 and 9 months who I have only seen in photos! We had a great night with them and came back to the hotel around 10 pm. I can’t wait to see the again Sunday before we leave to come home.

When we got back to the hotel, we started tweeting looking for other gals in the hotel. We ended up at a party in someone’s room and there I met some great gals, some who I talk to on twitter and some whom I have never met. Here they are (in no particular order LoL) @carissa_momif, @sugarjones, @vdog, @sammanthia, @rachelferrucci, @mrsflinger, @jareason, and about 6 other really fun women who’s names I can’t remember right now, sorry . It was a lot of fun.

When we got back to our room, I snuggled into my extremely comfy bed, with 4 pillows and crisp white sheets and was whisked away to dreamland! I haven’t slept in a bed in over 3 weeks, since my basement flooded and my son (who’s room is down there) has been sleeping with my hubby while I sleep on the couch! Needless to say it was heaven!

I woke up this morning after sleeping for 7 uninterrupted (count ‘em 7) hours of sleep to a bright sunny sky and feeling like I could run a marathon! I finished my morning off with a LONG, HOT, shower and I am sitting here now blogging this for you in my comfy hotel bathrobe in peace and quiet.

We are getting ready to go register and meet everyone and I can’t wait to share the rest of my adventure with you!

Have a great day