BlogHer ’16 – Pretty Epic

On the second day of BlogHer it was not yet time to wash my hair, since I do it every other day. The night before I relaxed in the hot tub with some really good friends and part of my ponytail dipped in the warm, bubbly water as we chatted and soaked our happy bodies. Then the security lady kicked us out because it was time and there were no clean towels left. Needless to say it was damn cold in that elevator.

I went to bed that night with my damp hair.

When I woke up the next day it was surprisingly wavy, you know like lots of the ladies are wearing their hair these days. I proclaimed to my roommates how awesome it was that my hair essentially styled itself while I was sleeping. If only that could always happen…

They were legitimately happy for me, at least one of them was anyway. I will count that as gain. I think the other two laughed at me. But I didn’t care becasue I know they love me anyway, accidental wavy hair proclamations and all. 😉

They were also happy just to SEE me and hug me and kiss my cheek, as were my other close friends at BlogHer this year. They comforted me when I cried. They ate meals with me and laughed WAY TOO LOUD with me. They saved seats for me and took pictures with me. They poured wine for me into a styrofoam cup, and cried next to me at the premier of The Light Between the Oceans. They counseled me and congratulated me. They took selfies with me and advised me where to get snacks in the expo.

Anyone who reads here should already know that my main motivation for going to pretty much any conference these days is to see my REAL LIFE friends that I met online. Some of the women I saw last week are the same ones I reference in this post about how I have gotten through the last several months with my sanity in tact. So, that in itself should tell you what these people mean to me.

Of course there is a bit of a learning element too. However, I only went to two (and a half) sessions this time. They were both about writing/publishing books (except the half one was about Snapchat & Facebook). Wonder what I have on the brain… I definitely got some good info and a few nuggets of wisdom I otherwise would not have gotten had I not been in those rooms. People at BlogHer are smart.

And yes, I suppose partly because the conference was in L.A. this year, it was rampant with celebrities! It was really cool to meet “Aunt Becky”. At least it impressed my kids and my parents. 🙂

 

There were many highlights of this conference for me. One was solidifying a friendship with this lady. She’s amazing, to say the least. Jasmine is any and all adjectives that are in the thesaurus related to the words “strong” and “beautiful”. Also, I wanted to share steal her clothes and shoes.

 

Another one was Uber-ing over to Santa Monica with her and Jennifer.

 

 

Yet another one was seeing the premiere of The Light Between the Oceans (I loved the book) with some great friends. And using a movie theater napkin as a tissue.

 

And of course, receiving a Voices of the Year honor for a piece of my writing was pretty darn great too.

 

But weaved in between all of these great moments are the small connections we make when together. Having long conversations and sharing little jokes without having to email or comment on a Facebook or blog post is the best. Just being in each other’s presence is uplifting in so many ways. These women complete me. They inspire me and make me want to be a better everything within reason. And they are just so good.  Good at what they do. Good hearted. GOOD.

 

Photo by Melisa

 

We are a FORCE when we band together. This conference is organized and put on by women. It is supported and attended primarily by women. And it is an opportunity, in so many different ways to connect with people who do the same thing I do and who GET me. In this environment I feel valued, accepted and even respected. It’s one of the only places I can truly feel all of those things at once.

And I have mad respect for the people who work so hard to put this conference on, especially this lady:

Meeting Jenn from This Is My Brave was also great, although we did not spend nearly enough time together – hopefully next time!

And of course having my blogging bestie with me along for the ride is always awesome. Although she doesn’t do mornings as well while conferencing. She was happy I got her some Starbucks. That is some rockin’ bedhead, no?

She was also happy I won a VOTY award (can’t you tell!?!?) and helped me smuggle the sign to my room. Actually, she really executed the whole endeavor (because she may or may not have experience doing this for her own self) She is a TRUE friend. And that is a completely serious statement. Love you, Jifiner.

 

The last party was great except that I sweated a ton and we only got one drink ticket (not complaining, just sayin’). L.A. man, shit ain’t cheap! But I danced my bootie off so by the end of it I didn’t care. Plus I was surrounded by my friends.

I don’t know how else to wrap this up except to say the conference was awesome as usual and that I don’t need to eat any guacamole for a while (right Jennifer?)

Thanks BlogHer for the bit of education I received and the time with my friends that is so important. See you next year!