Sorry for the delay in getting the winner posted… we went out of town this weekend to see my grandfather and I actually didn’t get online at all.
Can you believe it?
Shocker, I know.
But The Sarcastic Mom is the winner. I’ve emailed her and will get that ring ordered and in the mail.
If you have a business or know of someone who does who does, I’d love to be able to offer more giveaways from mom/blogger businesses. (And if you want to be gracious and offer something for a giveaway here on Desperately Seeking Sanity, please let me know. I’d be more than willing to help you get some exposure!)
Now, one more thing about Sarcatic Mom. She couldn’t make it to BlogHer.
But her boobs went.
And if you go here, and scroll down, you might recognize a familiar face.
Congrats!
Until next time…
At some point in time I decided that I was going to start taking random pictures of things that struck me as funny, odd, or down right insane.
I’m not sure when…
Oh yes I do.
It was here…
When Burger King wanted me to PAY to pee. Wasn’t happening. I’ll hold it before I pay a quarter to use the facilities.
As I snapped the picture, because this was so foreign to me, I decided that I was going to start taking random pictures… just to take.
Lucky you, this is where they will end up.
So, here are all the things that I found fascinating while I was in San Francisco….
The ferry was extremely cold, but it didn’t seem to bother her…
One of my favorite things about San Francisco was the street performers. I could’ve gone broke if I paid then what their talent deserved because they were all just so darn talented… and adorable… like this gentleman, who posed for me and held the note as I snapped the picture…
I’ve always wondered what I should do with the drain rack and the pots and pans in the kitchen and now I know. I can set them all up in the middle of a big city and play them. Because honestly? That would be so much more fun than actually using them for what they were intended for.
While this gal was certainly interesting to look at, I’m not sure that she deserves any money for standing on the sidewalk completely still. Well, yes she should. I could never stand still for that long with all that crap on. She really did look like a robot.
And this guy? Sure, he looks like a statue. But might I offer some advice? Next time, don’t spray paint yourself where you’re going to stand…. it kinda gives it away.
And when I saw this? I stopped dead in my tracks because all 31 year old women get excited when they see pirate ships.. don’t they? They do when they are hopping Captain Jack Sparrow is aboard. Actually, I thought more of the ending scene of Goonies… and then I searched my pockets for rubies. But there weren’t any. I think that’s when I snapped back into reality.
Here is the perfect definition of a multi-tasker. He plays all this stuff at once. How?
and is this not the coolest Mickey D’s sign that you’ve ever seen? Seriously.. isn’t it?
And while we’re looking at signs… do you stop in the middle of busy city streets to get the perfect angle of a photo that you want to share on your blog?
I do.
Now, did I mention how cold it was in San Francisco while I was there? (Apparently, it’s warmed up this week.) Some people must not have checked the weather before venturing outside…
I’m thinking he asked what he should wear while riding a bike… and the person he asked was not aware that his bike was a MOTORCYCLE… and i think he has a fake tan. He’s awfully orange.
At least she’s smart and is wearing a hat… because you know that’s where all the heat escapes your body.
This is a tour… can you believe it? I was amazed. There’s a little tour guide up there talking into a helmet mic and then all these little people on wheels following her. I have never seen anything like it.
I would like to tell you that these people were ones that I met and spoke to but they aren’t. They are just two random people that I shutter stalked on the ferry on the way home. I would also like to tell you that they are just huddled together because it was so freaking cold and windy, but they are obviously very much in love….
Gag me.
And does it look like that ship will fit under the bridge? No. I didn’t think so. But apparently it did and it was just the angle that concerned us because I checked the news in San Fran after the conference and the Golden Gate is still intact.
Now, I’m going to warn you about this next (and last) picture. If you have small eyes peeking over your shoulder because my new design is so bright and colorful and your children can’t stop looking, make them not look now. Because it’s not exactly kid friendly but I was so in shock when I saw it that I couldn’t help but take a picture.
I was sitting on the floor at my gate at SFO. I was so tired. I was near tears. All I wanted to do was get on that plane so that I could go to sleep when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something shiny; something sparkly.
From my floor view, I saw the gold heels first. As I looked up, I saw her cheeks and dimples.
And all I wanted to scream was “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should…” and I have to wonder if she knew that she was the talk of gate 82 at SFO that night…
Until next time…
I realize my past BlogHer posts were pretty much all about me… but I really did meet other bloggers, new bloggers and bloggers that I love while I was there…
And I have a few pictures.
Not many, but a few…
So…
Here we go….
Jenny Lauck from Three Kid Circus and BlogHer Ads… she recognized me because I might have violated some terms of service with my BlogHer Ads… not on purpose, mind you, but everytime she emails me, she’s so nice about it…
Jenifer from Not Calm (Dot Com)… she takes really pretty pictures… :D And she’s funny and an awesome writer, so you should go see her.
Jenny from All Eyes on Jenny is a dork. She claims that she invented it, but I didn’t know this about her when I met her… it’s only since I’ve been back and been reading her blog. So, being a dork makes me want to be her friend.
Lori from Spinning Yellow is a doll. She was one of the first people that I met at the People’s Party and I remember her because we talked for a little while on what Spinning meant… nevermind that she has a picture of a mother (presumably her) in a yellow dress and a child (presuabmly hers) also in yellow, spinning them around. I never claimed to have common sense.
Katy from My LA Blog and Constant Chatter is someone that I met the first night at the Newbie party and then kept running into her for the rest of the weekend. I like her alot. She’s from LA. For whatever reason, this was very cool to me and I’ve yet to check out Constant Chatter, but I will, because, well, we all know that I am constantly chattering… so I think it will fit me well.
Nicole from Apron Strings Aflutter was just as sweet as sweet can be and we had dinner at Lori’s Diner Saturday night along with some other bloggers… It was one of the highlights of my trip…
Stacy is the Laptop Television Mom and she talks alot about TV. And I’m in TV so it could be a fit… 
Staci was new to blogging and blogs about Practical Spirituality. I had the pleasure of speaking with her at length Friday night at Ruby Skye when we were at the bar trying to determine what we were going to have to drink. Then I lost her and never met up with her again.
Alex from Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting actually approached me after the Privacy session when I talked about MySpace and teaching our children the responsibilities of being online, especially when we, as parents are so involved with the internet. I enjoyed talking to her then and I enjoy her blog alot.
I have decided that I want a tee from Couture Moms. Dana’s got a great shop and perhaps I’ll use them for my next giveaway…
If you’re traveling to Italy anytime soon (Don’t I wish!) then you’ll need to go over and see Jessica at ItalyLogue. She’s got the inside scoop on Italy, how to get around, what to do and what not to do. (How awesome would it be to have THIS job?)
Funny thing about Stephanie Klein…she’s the author of Moose a Memoir of Fat Camp. I remember speaking to her. I remember her giving me her card. I remember thinking that I liked the name of her book. I also remember the two people who spoke at the closing Keynote address on Saturday. However, I did not put two and two together until I got home. Because I’m smart like that.
I met Amanda from GoodyBlog and bless her heart. She was in control of the drink tickets at the People’s Party. But that automatically makes her the most popular girl at the party.
And then there was Papa. Who, hands down, gets my vote for most creative business cards. They were larger and they were diamond and not square. And he’s dancing on them and they say “I met Papa!” And he was so awesome to talk to. For the record, Papa’s real name is Brian, but he will forever be known to me now as Papa. And he’s funny. So go read him.
Genie from In a Bottle (how cute is that) not only had a pretty cool business card layout, but she also gave out keychain bottle openers. And I collect keychains. All of this is nice, but what really makes me remember her is that she has a MacBook Air. I would’ve liked to have beaten her up and steal her MacBook Air, but she was too nice. So I sat behind her the entire session and daydreamed about what it would be like if I had my own MacBook Air. In my dreams it was nice.
Loralee from Loralee’s Looney Tunes is hysterical and she’s got the most gorgeous eyes. And she’s a good mic wrangler. Oh and she’s funny. The back of her business cards stated “in an ideal world, this space wuld contain a perfectly written tidbit designed to lure readers to my blog with its pithiness and humor. (Reality sucks a duck, yo,)” And it drew me to her blog. She’s funny. I think I already mentioned that.
I’ve talked about Erin from The Vintage Pearl. Cutest baby on her blog… seriously.. and her Jewelry is awesome too! If you’ve not entered the giveaway here for the pearl ring, then do so now.
Elaine is the Wannabe Hippie. She’s adorable… so are her kids… and her house is awesome. (I only know this because I got lost looking at all of her blog one day when I got home and saw a picture of it.) And she knows how to craft her words.
Jennifer from The Smart Mama is very green. And we had some interesting talks about living green and the like while at BlogHer. In San Francisco you hear about “living green” everywhere. BlogHer went green. But here in the southeast? There’s not alot of talk about it. I was very much educated about “being green” while I was there and alot of it from Jennifer. And she’s not in your face about it. At least she wasn’t to me, so therefore I listened to her. I’ll have you know, our last 5 loads of laundry have been washed with Soap Nuts (which I picked up there) and it was nice to know I was doing something good for the environment.
Oh and then there was Tanis, the Redneck Mommy. (Did I mention that her boobs are not as small as I expected them to be? And I only say that because she keeps talking about how they are small. But whatever.) She bestowed the title of Honorary Canadian on me. So now I walk around, ending every sentance with the word “eh”. I had an enjoyable time with her… and rolled when I saw someone’s award post that had her and Backpacking Dad as the cutest couple that wasn’t really a couple. And there’s a picture or two on her camera that need to make their way over here… perhaps if I emailed and actually followed up with the people that I met, it would happen. I’m working on it.
Amy from Mums The Wurd was awesome and funny and I’ve talked to her in the past online and then as we were twittering back and forth in the Mommyblogging being a Radical Act session, I finally stalked her out. Then we sat together at the keynote session on Saturday. She’s the type of girl that if we were in school and sat together we would be separated before too long. Both of us had little side comments going the whole time and they usually ended with stiffled laughter so as to not disrupt the rest of the group who were either listening or pulling celery out of their purse.
Jean from Stimeyland gave us luggage tags. Now, when giving swag, I appreciated the luggage tag for no other reason that I could put it ON my luggage and not IN my luggage… because there was no room for anything else in that suitcase that was 1 lb under the limit they would let me on the plane with it. And I like her blog as I’ve been reading it since I got back. I wish that I would’ve gotten to talk to her more while I was there.
Apparently Susan (aka “WhyMommy”) from Toddler Planet is a celebrity. I didn’t know this until I came home and I started seeing all these people blogging about her. I stared at her through the entire presentation thinking that I knew her, but not from blogging. I never did figure it out although after talking to her, we realized that we’ve been a lot of the same places, just not at the same time. And I admire her. Because her card is for Mothers With Cancer. She’s a fighter. Go see her.
Lucretia is the Geek Mommy and we spent most of Saturday morning hopping the Exhibit hall together and getting to know one another. Geeks are cool and I’m a good blogger, because I got the good blogger card.
Uppercase Woman (aka Cecily) is cool for many many reasons. (1) she gave me the username and password to get the internet in the session. (2) She’s from Philly. (3) She’s HYSTERICAL (4) she gave out tattoos with her blog on them. Definately creative. I’ve been reading her blog since I’ve been back and I love it, love her, foul mouth and all. She’s definately really good at expressing herself.
Skye has lots of blogs. Overachiever. However, what caught my eye about her was her dating misfires blog. And we all know how I’ve been in the throwes of online dating in the past and how much I love the blog I Can’t Believe He’s Still Single. However, in addition to her bad personal ads blog, she also blogs at Flooded Lizard Kingdom, All Access Blogging, Herione Content, and Crafting a Green World. I’m sure there’s something for you among her many homes on the net.
Mary from Owlhaven was another blogger that joined us for dinner Saturday night. Or did I join them. I think I joined them. She’s amazing. Lots of kids… adopted and she’s as nice as nice can be. And she’s another blogger that’s making the leap to self-hosted wordpress from wordpress.com. She’s got someone working on it now and I know she’s going to love it!
And of course, I got to meet Melanie (aka Chilihead) from Blogging Basics 101, Bloggy Giveaways, Don’t Try This at Home and her newest venture Behind the Blog with Karen from Simply A Musing.
Scribbit is tall. That is not a bad thing and she’s who you want to walk into a crowded Macy’s with because if you ever get separated or distracted and wander off from the rest of your group all you have to do is look for Michelle. I told her that too, in a non-offensive way. In addition to being tall, she’s got a lot of awesome stuff on her blog. But most of you probably already know that because you’ve been reading her forever. I? Have not. But I will now.
Clair from Clairnation is such a wordsmith. I did not get to talk with her that much at BlogHer but I’ve been reading her blog since I’ve been back and it’s amazing to just read what she has to say… even if it isn’t my typical style of blog. (Do I even have a style? I don’t think so.) But she’s funny, and insightful, and real. And I like real.
I met Christine from Home Team Wins and she was part of the dinner party. LOVED her. Like I want to be her Bloggy BFF. She was a hoot and I liked her alot. And she doesn’t look as old as she is. I won’t tell you how old she is. But she looks AMAZING. I’m so glad that she was sitting at my end of the table as I really got to know her a little more and her blog, obviously, now has a home in my “must read” folder in Google Reader.
Oh there were a few more bloggers that I met… like Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer. I’ve heard that she was just a sweetheart and she was. I liked her and she’s actually the one that invited me to dinner with the gang. For that, I am forever grateful because I know that I wouldn’t of had fun at that Macy’s party and I was only in there for 10 minutes. It was too much, too many people, and loud. By that point in time I had had my fair share of people. And she wasn’t shy about ordering that big sundae at the end of the meal… I wish that our end of the table would’ve had the brains to do that as well, but we didn’t.
Of course, Susan wasn’t shy about sneaking a bite either…..
Back row, left to right: me, Janice of 5 Minutes For Mom, Shannon of Rocks in My Dryer, Christine of The Home Team Wins. Front row, left to right: Steph of Adventures in Babywearing, Arianne of To Think Is To Create, Susan of 5 Minutes For Mom, Mary of Owlhaven, Melanie of Blogging Basics 101. Not pictured: Nicole of Apron Strings Aflutter and Stephanie of Metropolitan Mama.
Now… there’s who I met. I think I encompassed everyone that I had a card for. Although, I can tell you everytime I turn around I’m pulling another card out of somewhere…
It was great meeting all the bloggers…
Until next time…
BlogHer was fun.
Spending time with Sally, Celia and their kids was even more fun.
Seriously.
While I never felt that I found my place at BlogHer, I definately felt at home and a part of the home that rested on the top of a mountain in Marin.
For those of you who don’t know, I met Sally online several years ago. At first it was a business acquaintance but over time, she became a friend. She’s been through a lot with me including spending time on the phone with me and the BFF right after the dramatic end of my last serious relationship. She’s also given me sound advice on men since then. Which is comical for many reasons, but I love Sally to death.
And now, I have a place in my heart for the rest of her family.
After picking me up from the airport, Sally and I went to the BlogHer Newbie Mixer where I practically attacked Backpacking Dad. It wasn’t for any other reason than I actually recognized him and I only started reading his blog after his fan-freakin-tastic chapter over at Chapter Bytes. After we both admitted that we were the type of people that would gladly stand and talk to the same person all night so as to avoid actually TALKING to other people, we parted ways. Sally and I went to grab a bite to eat and I had to see just how much Sally would appreciate my humor… and my camera.
She passed the test. She even told me to stop apologizing after I would catch myself acting like a complete child while walking through San Francisco… that was followed closely by “Becki told me you’d be like this.”
And I was.
Then it was off to the People’s Party where we collected more SWAG and met MORE people… and then I got separated from her as I followed Redneck Mommy down the elevator. Apparently Sally saw me get on the elevator but I didn’t see her… so she tracked me down and politely mentioned that it was 1am my time and that I should probably get some sleep.
Thank God she was my voice of reason that night. Knowing me, the type of person who fears she will miss out on something if she is not the last person to leave OR goes to bed early, I would’ve stayed way too long and been tired for the rest of my trip. (So I saved the late night out for when Sally wasn’t around… lol)
Then we were off to meet the fam and for me to see the house that Sally lives in.
Celia is more of a dork than I am. I met my match. And I wasn’t even in the house for longer than 5 minutes when I realized it.
She asked Sally if I was the same in person and when Sally said yes, Celia asked if I looked like the emoticons that we are always using when conversing via Skype, complete with her own rendition.
She proceeded to act out several more emoticons and just as I was starting to turn around and act our this one, 
she beat me to it. I could not stop laughing.
It was then I realized that I needed to step it up a little alot if I were going to be able to compete for talk time and laughs around this house.
While I didn’t get to spend much time with them my first night, and I stayed in the city Friday night, the entire family, minus Alejando (the girlfriend was more important than the virtual friend visiting) came to pick me up. And I laughed the whole way home. We made fun of each other and I was proclaimed a dork.
The people in the 7-11 where we stopped to get ice cream stared at us and rightfully so. We were a sight. And I was in my element and my comfort zone.
Sally and I sat and played with our new Zivio’s (which we both LOVE) while Celia entertained.
And Celia was very sad that she didn’t have a new Zivio like we did….
Build a bridge, Celia…
Celia left us to balance her chi…. I don’t know what that exactly means. (You know those California people are weird.)
And before long, my chi was being balanced…
(Note: I have decided that I should lay down in all my pictures because I think I look so much thinner…)
And before you know it, we’re hanging out and Celia is playing a mini-guitar. Sally told me what it was… it’s a cuatro from Venezuela… and it’s cute and Celia has an awesome voice.
It was hard for me to focus on that at first because I was laughing so hard… the song was a catchy little tune and it might have been about how a bedet is better than a BOB. (This is a family friendly blog, so I’ll let you figure that one out….)
And then she pulled out the big guitar. And again amazed me with her talent. I shouldn’t be… the whole family has more talent in their little finger than I have in my whole body… see that art that hangs above the bed? Yeah… their son did that.
AH-MAY-ZING… seriously.
And then we talked some more. And laughed some more. And talked. And laughed.
And then we HAD to go to bed because we needed to get up to head to the city for a day of being a tourist.
Which excited me (and my camera) to no end.
The girls joined us in the city and we had the best time. It was a lot like hanging out with my youth girls at home. I got to be silly and girly and let loose in a city that I knew no one.
So here are just a few pictures of our time in the city….
On the Ferry… they were cold and I was taking pictures… wusses…
Me and the Golden Gate Bridge… do you know how many pictures I have of the Golden Gate Bridge? ALOT. Of the 428 I have, 300 of them are probably of the Golden Gate. Don’t ask me what my obsession is… I’m not sure. But bless Sally for making sure that I was actually in some of these pictures.
Nicole and I… (and the bridge)
Sally and I… it was cold. Did I mention that? And windy. I might have wished that I had a brush.
Sally on the street car. She thinks I’m crazy but she secretly wants me to be her neighbor
Sally and the girls… waiting for the ferry…
Nicole, Me and Andrea being goofy. They like me. I love teenagers.
Sally and I and the Bay Bridge… I now like that bridge too… but not quite as much as the Golden Gate.
Are they not the most gorgeous girls? I want to adopt them.
Now, some of you may be notcing that the family dynamics are, well, a little different from the norm. Whatever the norm is. Quite honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Honestly? I see them as normal. Their house is filled with laughter and love. So much love and laughter. Their home is warm and inviting. They are open and loving. I felt very welcome in their family and have already told the kids that I am their new Aunt. I want them to come and visit me. I want to go back and visit them.
Soon.
And as Sally was driving me to the airport, I felt the tears forming behind my eyes. I knew that one phrase or one view of the city would release them and I told Sally how I felt. I told Sally how welcome that her family made me feel; how a part of their lives that I felt.
I didn’t feel like I had just met her in person and while I have known her for 2+ years, I never expected to bond or click with her like I did.
As I watched Sally pull away from the United terminal after depositing me and all my SWAG, a tear escaped. I knew it would. I knew that it was a matter of time.
But in my core being, I felt as if I was leaving a weekend visit with family, knowing that it would be a long time before I was able to see them again. I didn’t like that feeling. But I was ever so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend with them, to fit in, to laugh, to be welcomed, and to feel like I belonged.
I can’t wait to be able to visit again.
Until next time…
It’s no secret that I’m a dork. I even have a whole category called Dorks R Us.
I’m comfortable with that and I’ve received confirmation of my dorkhood.
(Like when Sally and her family picked me up from the city and within 5 minutes her oldest daughter proclaimed “you are such a dork!” I like her. Alot.)
HP was very present at BlogHer. And their way of contesting was pure genius in that you had to follow their tweets in order to win.
We all know that I was not present to win the laptop, but I was around later on Saturday to partake in some of the other giveaways.
For example, when the tweet came through that prizes would be given to people who came to see Ann and Marco at the HP table and sang two songs that had the word touch in them, I was thinking all the way up the stairs and when I arrived at the table (the first one there) I had two in my head.
The problem was, one of them I DID NOT want to sing. Especially in front of a man.
So, they told me to sing.
Not only did I sing, but I danced and performed my rendition of “Can’t Touch This”.
One song down, and one to go.
I hemmed and hawed. I kept trying to think of something other than the song that was in my head.
But I drew a blank and yes, I sang “I touch myself.”
After some laughter and admittance that they had not though of that song, I was able to chose my prize… a PC back up photo program. Won’t work, I’m a Mac girl. (And I had no problem telling them that followed by I would gladly give up my Mac if they gave me one of those fancy touch screens they had…)
A pretty pink USB mouse. Eh. Not a pink person and I need another mouse like I need a hole in the head.
How about one of those webcams back there? Yeah. I’ll take that.
We have a webcam and I have an iSight on the Mac but the PC one was crap and Matthew can make his little videos now from the comfort of his own computer and stop kicking me off the Mac.
Off I walked with the new Webcam.
Happy.
I won something. I never win anything.
But today?
The prize Gods were shining down upon me. Brightly.
Later on, during the day there was another tweet that came out that said the first two people who brought them a limerick would win a 7″ digital photo frame. I took off, and up the stairs I composed my limerick in a text message. This was after I had to stop and think of how a limerick was constructed.
And after I knocked into several people trying to type a limerick out on my cell phone between the lobby of the hotel and the HP table in the mezzanine. (If you were the one carrying the freshly poured cup of coffee, I apologize profusely!)
I was the first to the table and they said I could win as many times as I wanted.
So I presented them with this:
There was a blogger who has a Mac
Who came to San Fran for the Blogging Track
But she loves the Touch Screen
It’s so very clean
She might never want to go back
Yes, I realize that I will not win any poetry awards in the near future, but it was good enough to get my picture taken with my new photo frame which currently sits on my desk displaying all 428 pictures I took while in San Francisco.
Until next time…
Staying at the hostel Friday night was really cool. While I was a wee bit nervous that I might have been placed in a co-ed dorm (thanks Becki!) I was not. When I checked in, I asked, and she told me that no, I’d be rooming with 3 other people who all had the same parts as me.
Whew. (But you could you imagine the blog fodder that might have accompanied that?)
I dropped my stuff off before the closing keynote and then ventured back to the conference. As previously mentioned, when I came back to my room I met one of my roommates, but the other two beds were unoccupied.
When I came strolling in during the wee hours of the morning, my other roommates were sleeping peacefully.
The following morning I was awoken by a conversation of which I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming it or if it really was happening. That followed with the text messages going off and while one might think that a vibrating cellphone is quiet, mine is not.
And because I can’t stand knowing that there are messages, I had to look at them. Most of them were the tweets that had began with the conference at 8am. There was just no way that I was going to be there. Three hours of sleep after being up for 22 hours and my body confused as to the actual time warranted a little bit of sleep in the morning.
There were DMs from Lisa B. who was following the tweets of HP throughout the conference and this one…
Please tell me you are following HP_BlogHer2008 — you have a chance to win a laptop right now at BlogHer
As if I hadn’t gotten the tweet from HP and didn’t know that I was missing my shot as retiring the craptop for a pretty new addition to the family. I thought about getting up, getting dressed and hoofing it there for my chance to guess where Ann’s necklace was, however, I know that it had to be some obscure country, otherwise it would’ve been too easy to guess, hence, not making the contest as fun or drawn out.
I responded to Lisa, mustering up every bit of energy that I had to rub my eyes and actually type the response, making sure that I had the text code right so that it would go just to her and not to everyone else. I managed to get out
hi I’m not even there right now……i just got up….didnt get to bed until 5am pst
For the record, Ann’s necklace from was from Cambodia. I don’t even think I know where Cambodia is. I would’ve never guess that, so choosing sleep over trying to win a laptop was a wise move on my part.
Shortly there after there was another text from Bri. Remember Bri? She was the one that I was planning on attaching myself like a leech to. The only problem was that we didn’t find one another Thursday night or Friday night and only shared a brief text encounter Friday afternoon. Why I thought that I would run into her while mingling through 1,000 attendees and exhibitors, I’m not sure, but I did.
And the conversation went a little like this…
Bri: Good morning are u up and around yet?
Me: sadly, I just woke up….
Bri: That’s ok im still laying here too. Just thought id see if you wanted to walk over together for the first session
Me: How long you need to get ready?
Bri: Not too long. 20-30 minutes
Me: Same here…how about 945-10 in the lobby?
Bri: Sounds good. See you there.
This conversation, throught text, lasted 10 minutes. That’s important.
And now, because I’ve promised someone that I will meet them, I knew that I HAD to get up and get moving. It was now twenty after nine.
As I got up and sat on the edge of the bed, my roommate from the bunk across the room got up as well. She was the one that wasn’t home at 1am and sleeping soundly (as most people would be) when I came in at 5.
I wasn’t sure what to say to her as we had both just gotten up. I know how I am when I first arise so I just started going through my bag to pick my clothes out for the day.
I’m not sure who started the conversation first, however, she did talk to me first and explained the morning phone call. It was then I realized that I wasn’t dreaming and she started to explain the phone call while she dug through her suitcase.
And then I asked the question that I asked everyone all weekend.
“So where are you from?”
“St. Louis,” she replied.
NO! Bri was from St. Louis. What are the odds?
“Bri?” I asked…
“Heather?” she returned.
Yes. We ended up being roommates. Neither of us were in a “blogher room” but we ended up being roommates.
Is that not the weridest thing?
So we got ready, had breakfast, I checked out and we walked to the conference together. And that’s the last time that I saw Bri. We never crossed paths again.
But it made for a super interesting story for the blog… and I wish that I had gotten to spend some more time with her. The brief time that we talked, I really liked her.
Until next time…
I’m not even sure to be completely honest with you…
I have a list of blog posts, things that I encountered while in San Francisco at BlogHer. I shared a lot of what I thought while I was there but I wasn’t able to share with you the pictures or the memories… who I met or how I made a fool of myself on more than one occassion.
I came home to a spotless house and a freshly mowed lawn because I have the bestest friends near and far. I am ever so grateful for that. I wasn’t expecting it but I can tell you that just coming in, sitting down, and being fussed over was awesome.
The kids arrived home a few hours after me and were full of energy and anxious to show me the loot that made the trip from their great-grandfather’s house home to ours… including a guitar. Which they now want to learn to play but it’s terribly out of tune.
Terribly.
But, I will probably find them lessons. Because seriously?
An out of tune guitar, a harmonica and two children singing “free credit report.com” is enough to make me want to ship them off to my mother again.
But I still missed them and am so glad that we’re all home again.
No, seriously. I am.
They just need to sleep in their own bed tonight.
So, I’m off to take care of a few things… like clean up the kitchen because we made milkshakes and I want to keep it all sparkly like when I found it yesterday.
More stories and pictures coming soon. I promise. I just need to sleep for a few days.
Until next time…
Last night, while I had every intention of going to bed right after I posted, I didn’t. I ended up going back out. First for a drink and then on a walk through the city at night. We just kept walking and walking and walking. We ended up at the Bay Bridge and it was breathtaking and eerie and the most phenominal thing that I have ever seen. The city was quiet. The streets were bare with the exception of the “residences” we past of those who make their home on the street.
It was sad because it’s not exactly warm here. At least not like it is back home. And these portable “homes” were everywhere.
I don’t know how far we walked. I guess I could look at a map but I’m sure that would make me even more tired than I already am. I know it was far because the few people here, locally, that I shared about my walk, they just looked at me like I was nuts.
I guess I am.
But it made me feel alive. There is such an energy when walking through the city, and for me, it’s any large city. It makes me miss Philadephia. Not that I don’t love Roanoke; not that I don’t KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has me in Roanoke for a good reason; not that I WANT to move. But there is something ingrained in me, something that I can’t explain that comes out when I’m in the city. It’s a confidence that I don’t have at home. It’s a sense of feeling like I belong.
Until I walk by places like BCBG, DSW, Barney’s, Saks, Tiffany’s and then I look down at my Payless shoes and my Williamsburg sweatshirt with an unexplainable hole in it and realize that while I love the city, I’m not accustomed to these fashion trends that accompany it.
I did not feel like I was able to walk into Saks or Tiffanys. I did not feel like I could just look in a store like Gucci or Louis Vitton. To be honest, I’m amazed that I even know of these labels, of these designers. While I know of them, I do know know them. And so I chose to walk by, envisioning my life if these designers were an intrical part of it.
And it made me uncomfortable.
I did manage to browse through DSW because I’m a shoe whore and there were some that I could afford and some that I could not but what I don’t understand is why do I need a $400 pair of shoes? What makes them worth that amount of money?
Due to sleeping in this morning, and not wanting to sit on the floor at the first session, I chose to walk some more. I spent more time thinking, discovering, looking, watching, wondering, imagining. I came back to the conference for lunch and when there was nothing that interested me in the second session, I decided to go exploring again. I never ventured far from the hotel, but I ventured far enough so that I could take in more of the local sights and sounds, thriving on the energy that is expelled with the hustle and bustle of city life.
And I’ve enjoyed every single minute of my time here. I don’t regret coming alone. I don’t regret not finding the feeling of “fitting in” (although this whole honorary Cannuck? I’m digging it!). I don’t regret not finding value in some of the sessions.
Because through this whole process, this expereince, this trip… Through everything that I have encountered, I’ve been able to discover more about me, Heather Jacobson. I learned things about me… things I like, things I don’t like — things I can improve upon and things that I am proud of.
And that, dear readers, is something that I could’ve NEVER put a price on. It’s something that I wouldn’t have gotten without this trip. And it’s been worth EVERY single penny to come here.
It’s also truly been the BEST part of this trip. Well, that and the free stuff!
Until next time…
I’m an honorary Canadian. Just so you know.
There’s a story… there always is.
It involves a homeless guy and time spent with the Redneck Mommy.
But I’m just too tired. I’m in the hostel in the lounge and it is nice.
My roommate is nice…one of them, but I haven’t met the others.
I can tell you that the people next door came and asked us to be quiet. It was a couple. Apparently the walls are paper thin.
I wanted to say “yes we’ll be quieter, just remember that if you’re thinking about having sex” but I didn’t. But that made me wonder if loud sex was international. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be, but these are the random thoughts that I have.
I guess it’s like trying to figure out how people can have sex in an airplane bathroom. (Although the bathroom on the plane over was a tad bigger than those that I had been in before, but still… and I SWEAR there was a couple that was headed back to join the Mile High Club…they went back to the bathroom together and had that “look”.)
But why am I talking about sex?
Having a blast. Hostel, so far, is tres cool.
Looking forward to meeting more bloggers tomorrow.
This was a GREAT experience for me and I can’t wait to explore the city on Sunday with Sally.
And tonight, someone said they would totally read my blog because I am energetic and lively and interesting. I do have to admit that as I was talking tonight there were a few moments when I thought to myself “who is this woman?”
But then I looked down at the sweatshirt with the hole and realized it was just me.
Until next time…
I have to chuckle when I think that Becki asked me if her post was TMI. Come on? Me? I’m all about TMI.
Which is comical since I just came from the online privacy session at BlogHer. I’ve now listened to all the advice given on whether or not to post pictures and use real names and here’s the deal. I’m me. Therefore, you know my name, you know my kids’ names, you know where I live.
Come rob my house. You won’t find much. At least not anything that can’t be replaced with my homeowners insurance. I’m sure you won’t take the millions of pictures that I have laying around because those wouldn’t be important to any of you. But they are to me.
So now, I’m sitting in the Writing Workshop which will finish out the break out sessions for today. My first session was Is Mommy Blogging Still a Radical Act. I didn’t take notes. I thought the panel was interesting but I’m still not sure that it affects any of what I’m doing or not doing. I am me.
Here’s the theme in my life that has been reiterated to me over and over this weekend.
As I mentioned before, I sat through the Privacy online session and I actually spoke up. Yes. I actually spoke up. In front of other bloggers. And I didn’t stumble over my words.
But the fun part? Afterwards, Sarah from Single Mom Seeking approached me. Me. I’ve read her blog and I love it. (for the record, someone else approached me to ask me about allowing Matthew to have a MySpace page. I apologize, I’ll link up later. I have business cards EVERYWHERE…. )
In fact, there was a time when I was entertaining the idea of writing a book about single mothers and the online dating world. I did a little research and that’s when I found Single Mom Seeking. I stopped. She did it already.
So I told her that.
She told me to do it.
But now I don’t want to. So we’ll keep searching for something to write about. I know that it’s out there and I know that when it’s time, the idea will be presented to me. It’s just a matter of time.
But that was cool.
After this, I’m going to check in at the hostel and drop off all this SWAG (Stuff We All Get) and I have to tell you…. there’s ALOT. An inordinate amount of SWAG. I will NEVER need to purchase another flash drive. Ever.
I can’t believe the amount of books I’ve received. And the bag that we got today? Have NO CLUE what’s even in there. I just know that it’s heavy and that I’ve been carry it around all day. I can’t take it into the night club.
Although, I’m not sure that I even want to go. Here’s why.
This whole conference is full of cliques and I haven’t found mine yet. I’m not even sure there is one here for me. There might be, but maybe not. I’ve talked to people. I’ve talked to LOTS of people. But I’ve not clicked with anyone yet. I’ve not met the virtual soulmate like I have with other bloggers that aren’t here.
And that’s okay. I thought that I would not be so cool with that, but I am.
I’m okay with going out and doing my own thing. I’ve done it all day today. And it’s been cool.
Really cool. I can sit in the hostel tonight and be okay with it all.
I have lots more to share. I have a few handwritten posts that I have to get out there… but not now.
This is exciting.
This is tiring.
This is fun.
And I?
Am ready to move to San Francisco…. but I’m not sure San Fran is ready for me…
Until next time….