On Blogher 10

This was my third time speaking at a Blogher conference, so I knew exactly what to expect. It’s overwhelming. There’s a lot of swag. You start a conversation with a perfect stranger but end it with a friend.

I have really only one story, which I think sums up the entire reason I love teaching at the conference…

I was hanging out in the geek lab for my WordPress session, when an attendee from last year’s conference came up to me to say hello – I was really happy to see her and we started catching up. She then told me that she specifically came to tell me how much our talk last year changed her life and her career. I was amazed at how much she’d accomplished and more amazed that she wanted to thank me! It just reaffirmed what I already knew, the most important part of attending these conferences is the lives that we touch.

On another note, the makeover from The Gap was a pretty awesome perk as well! I just have to say long & lean jeans does wonders for the not-so-long and the not-so-lean!

Organica was here

And she brought us cheesecake!

She forced me freeze some of the slices after convincing me that it was a bad idea to consume all of that cheesecake at one time.

So. Organica. I forget that we met as bloggers. She’s an awesome person and friend, and even from the first time we met, I felt like I knew her forever.

I felt really bad this visit because I had no time to take her out or do anything fun – she basically had to live my life for 4 days! Which, let me say, as the person that does live my life, is not fun! But she was great with it, helping with the kids, and other various “chores”, like the moving of tables and chairs… out in the rain, driving all over the place… sometimes without a proper meal even – it was a very crazy week!

Sorry Organica!!! I kinda wanted to hide my head in shame when she told the story of her “vacation with shaz” to anyone.

I loved having her around, I love her company, and we did laugh a lot! I’m waiting for her to move to Ontario!

Oh, right, the blog…

So. If I stopped blogging, would anyone notice? I’ve been giving some thought to ending this blog. I mean, it’s almost 4 years old, it’s helped me articulate a lot of my feelings, I’ve met many, many wonderful and amazing people because of it, but… What I’m trying to say is that it’s served me well, it’s been totally awesome, but I don’t have much to say anymore.

It’s not really that I think I’ll completely give up blogging – I am going to start another blog on being single again, but a bit anonymously – and I don’t think I want to get rid of adventures in motherhood because it’s very much a part of me, but I am pondering making it different. Thoughts?

In the meantime, I love this space on apartment therapy – not the decor choices, but I just LOVE the actual space, all white, bright, and a huge dining table. I adore really big dining tables, just something about having a lot of friends and family over for big meals… one of my favorite things for sure! Anyway, I would totally live there, just, you know, without some of the artwork and that rug!

Happy Monday!!

Thank you gps!

I drove for a few hours in this…

Yes, it was pretty exhausting. And after about 3 hours sleep! But, after many many miles, and stops for the kids…

‘

We finally saw a sign, and we all rejoiced that we were getting closer, and confirmed that our 2 gps units (not, sexy mandy, as she was lost in the separation) were doing a fine job.

However, we didn’t realize that at 5pm, Chicago time, we would be heading into downtown, and it would be about a million hours before we could actually exit into downtown. But, eventually, there is was, all pretty and sparkly and full of life…

“Thank you gps!” said my 6 year old.

Tomorrow – Blogher Geek Lab!

Apparently this is not a photo blog

So, tonight rating/shoveling guy had a talk with me about the status of my blog. He was completely disappointed by the lack of words; I said “dude, I just don’t have words right now”, to which he said “but you must think about us, your readers”.

Thing is that my brain might be on overload at the moment. Sick kids, sick me, work, money – or lack thereof, job insecurity, increase in clients (great thing, but tiring), household chores, homework, projects, commuting, chauffeuring kids, walk-in clinics, divorce agreements… you get the idea. O-V-E-R-L-O-A-D.

That said though, thank God for small mercies (and everything else), but those little things really seem to be the glue that keeps us from falling apart. Like, “Penne Piquant Rose” aka spicy penne with rose sauce, or my 3 year old knocking on the bathroom door urgently to tell me “a bus is called a maxi-taxi" and proceeding to laugh out loud, or my sister making sure that I don’t starve myself, or a really great friend who check on me everyday almost without fail, or increasing temperatures, the sounds of trickling water and the lack of snow outside!

I owe my blog some new digs now that we are not totally covered in snow anymore! Enjoy your own small mercies and happy Sunday y’all!