I am still recovering from BlogHer08. There are so many stories to share.  So many giggle giggles* to document.  But I won't detail all of them.  I have decided to highlight my trip as best as possible.  And let me tell you..trying to pull together all my thoughts of BlogHer08 has proved to be challenging.

Lets go:

Overwhelming: The first night I was there I was paralyzed by my social anxiety.  So much so that I disappeared into a corner and was texting home that it was too overwhelming.  There were A LOT of people.  I was lucky to have a friend to hold my hand and tell me to breathe, slowly. As soon as the crowd thinned out I felt comfortable going up to bloggers I had not met or tapping ones on the shoulders that I read to say hello for the first time.

Self-Validation: Sitting in on the panels that discussed blogging help me come to some sort of direction.  Allowing me to become settled with my feelings of wanting my blog to evolve but questioning how much I want to reveal.  It was comforting to know that almost every blogger I had the opportunity to have intimate conversation with felt they were also having the same anxiety.  As a blogger I let all of you in a very tiny pinhole of my life.  A daily recap of memories, or feelings and stories; but 98% of my life is still not shared because life is to big to squeeze through a pinhole. 

Perception:  This is one area I am still struggling with on how to handle.  This is my blog. My space.  But my ego is still concerned on how my posts will be received.  Judgement is easily concluded when you are sharing your pinhole of a life in a blog.  So my struggle of where to go and how to direct my stories intimidate me sometimes because I know me and I know how my history has shaped me.  But being a people pleaser that I am, I censor myself because I am nervous of how it will be received.  And what I took from this conference was that there are so many women who have the courage to blog for themselves and nobody else.  It was inspiring to see that kind of courage.

Community: Blogging is making a difference.  It is giving women and men a platform to share and create a dialogue between the blogger and their audience.  It has given Moms and Dads dealing with parenting struggles a place to find an outlet/support. The blogging community support is real.  I saw it first hand. I watched my roomie, Mr. Lady, up on a stage packed with over 1,000 bloggers.  She read this post with so much emotion that her voice shook, ad-libbing when needed, body language expressing just how proud but uncomfortable she was up on stage sharing such a personal post with strangers she has never even met.  Then imagine the roar of the crowd as they ALL stood to their feet and gave Mr. Lady a standing ovation.  Every single blogger had tears in their eyes, standing and cheering. Then I watched these same bloggers come up to her and hug her to let her know how her post affected them personally. 

Yes, I have heard about the trolls (and thankfully I have yet to encounter any- whew).  But for the most part the blogging community is filled with extremely supportive understanding people.  This same blogging community is why I decided to fly half way across the country; to experience meeting the bloggers that I called friends prior to ever meeting them face to face. 

Joy:  The pictures from BlogHer Part 2 show smiles.  Tons of smiles.  They are true genuine smiles.  I did not get a chance to take a picture of all the amazing bloggers I had the chance to meet.  But I know I would extend my house to anyone of them to come stay for a visit if they ever phoned saying they are coming to Long Island. 

It was hard to say goodbye to every single one of the bloggers I had the opportunity to spend time with at BlogHer08.  I sat on the plane ride home reflecting on  them and how easily it was to open up and talk to each of them.  I never felt awkward.  A dork maybe, but never awkward.  I will never forget this experience.  It was not about the clinking of the cocktails, or the late night dancing. For me it was about confirming that the relationships we are building with one another online, through comments, emails, twitter, plurk or Cre8Buzz are real.  They are not just friends in  your head.

And lastly, BlogHer08 helped me define my blogging addiction.  It helped me gain clarity of how to use this space. Regardless if I use it to post pictures, silly stories of my kids or sharing stories from my past of how I became me.  This is my blog.

And again, thank you all for chose to visit me daily, or weekly, or monthly.  It means so much to me.

Hugs to all of you who have helped create this addiction!! :)  And I have already started to save for next years BlogHer. I would not miss it for the world!


*totally lifted this from my roomie.

Part 2 of BlogHer- Pictures!!
Here are some of the pictures that we collectively captured on my camera this weekend. It was an incredible experience to actually hang out with each blogger!! (And notice how incredibly good looking they all are!!)

SoapBoxMom, Me, OhMommy, Magnetoboldtoo(picture) BusyDad & VDog


Mr.Lady, OhMommy, BusyDad


BusyDad, OhMommy & VDog


Mr. Lady, OhMommy, ME


OhMommy, Maria, DonMillsDiva, BusyDad, Me, VDog


VDog and AWholeLotOfNothing


Maria & Me

Sarcastic Mom is the wonderful hostess of the Weekly Winners meme. Please go stop by and check out her awesome photos.

I am going to do a three part series to detail my adventures in BlogHer. 

Part One:

Where to begin?

This post is not going to highlight stories of my adventures here at BlogHer.
This post is not going to share one photo of all the awesome bloggy friends I have met in person.
That post is coming. Soon.

What I wanted this post to say, very simply is if you did not get to attend BlogHer this year, make sure you do what you can to get there next year.

It is that worth it.

I mentioned in my Crossroads post how my blog has become such an important piece of me. Being here at BlogHer just reaffirmed that blogging is a HUGE part of me.  My words will not do justice how being here makes me feel like I am apart of a force.  Yes, a force.  

Sharing this adventure with the bloggers I flew out here to meet has only enhanced this entire experience.  When I take a step back and realize that I am actually spending time with such amazing women and men bloggers it literally makes me shake my head in astonishment.  

Why?

Because these people are my friends.  Real friends.  They are not a 10x10 avatar.  They are not just a comment box.  They are real genuine people.  Hearing their stories, their journeys, their voice in person is something I will carry with me and treasure.

So I promise to share the stories of how I witnessed Mr. Lady bring an entire ballroom filled with every type of blogger to their feet with a standing ovation with tears in their eyes.  Or how I had the pleasure of shaking my ass with some of the sexiest bloggers in blogland.  I will share the amazing pictures of all the blogging superstars I got to hang out with all weekend.

But for now, this post has a simple message:

If you can get to BlogHer next year.  Do it.  You will not be disappointed.

Way back when, before I had the boys (big and little) I had a career that allowed me to travel all over the United States.  Online marketing was just taking off and my company had a very large budget to send me wherever there was a conference to land business. I was able to visit some amazing places.  It was at least twice a month I was off in San Francisco, New Orleans, Hawaii, Florida, Chicago; heck there was even a Reno Nevada trip.  And there was never a problem jumping on a plane and flying alone.  Flying always brought a great adventure.

Fast forward to present day where I now have a husband, two amazing boys and it all adds up to me being afraid to jump on a plane alone.

Today I am getting on a plane to go to the BlogHer conference in San Francisco; alone.  I have not been on a plane alone in eight years.  I am leaving my heart at home.  There are so  many emotions going through my head as I type this post.  I am excited to experience three days of being "me" that the thought leaves me feeling breathless at moments. I am giddy knowing I have six hours on a plane with just my thoughts, my iPod and book.  But my heart.  My heart is so heavy.  Heavy because I will be experiencing something that is important to me without the most important people in my life around me.  I can't come home and share my day, or get kisses because "MOMMYS HOME".

Um, yeah, I know I am missing the big picture right now.  Right now I am wallowing in that "I am going to miss my boys something terrible feeling".  It is my first big girl trip all by myself since I met Mr. JoggingInCircles.  Someone please slap me with the blaring fact that I am going to get the chance to meet some amazing women.  Little ol' Lawng Island accent is going to be around some of the most bad ass, creative, talented, fearless writers in the blogosphere today.  And I am going to be surrounded by new friends that I have yet to even get to know through their blogs.  Excitement is too little of a word to express how star struck I will feel when first walking up to any of these ladies.  Their blogs mean something to me.  This entire BlogHer, blogging experience means something to me.

I need to share how sad I am that not everyone I love in blogland is able to be there (shout out to Angie, ZoeyJane, Boss,  Huckdoll, Karen, Sassy, Mish and more!!)  Hell, I have ebayed my ass off (no mom, not literally) to be able to go myself.  But I do know that my short career as a blogger makes me know that I want to be a veteran. 

So here I am diving head first tomorrow as my plane takes off from New York to San Francisco.

I just wish it did not hurt so much leaving my heart at home.

**I promise to send updates when I can about the BlogHer experience while I am there.  And I pinky promise to catch up on all the blogs I have been missing because of how crazy life has been..

Okay, Not So Wordless, but I am leaving for BlogHer tomorrow afternoon and I am so excited to get this baby packed!!!

WE HAVE A WINNER! WE HAVE A WINNER!

Well, I did not have a winner the first two times I hit generate a random number from Random.org.

First it picked comment number 3. And I am bummed that this blogger is not actually going to BlogHer.. but it was Kristen at LovingOurSimpleLife.. but like I said she is not going so I had to hit the AGAIN button to pick a new winner. 

This time it picked comment number 10. This time it was my newest blog friend Tiffany at ZookClan.  But ... she is not going either.  And so I hit the AGAIN button again.

Third time a charm?

YEP!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

4

Timestamp: 2008-06-30 18:23:28 UTC

And I couldn't be happier for this amazing blogging goddess to win the $250 FREE scholarship money from HP.

So step on down Maria at Immoral Matriarch.. cause you are the winner of the first ever Jogging In Circles giveaway and I cannot be more excited for you!!

Thanks to everyone else that entered.. see you at BlogHer!

BIG NEWS!

I am going to BlogHer next month!  Words cannot describe how excited and nervous I am about attending this conference. 

Now for the BIGGER NEWS..

Everyone knows who Hewlett Packard is right? Well HP is helping women bloggers get to the BlogHer conference in San Francisco next month.  Yep, they are offering a cool $250 for FREE.   The $250 dollars can go to any US or Canadian women blogger.  That is right.. a free $250 to put towards your expenses for either hotel, airfare or conference ticket. 

So if you are thinking of going, here is a chance to knock $250 off the expense.  Already going to BlogHer?  Use the $250 towards the hotel room.  Maybe towards your airfare?  It is your money to apply to whatever you want as long as it is towards a conference expense.

Guess what you have to do?  

Practically nothing.

Well almost nothing.  First you have to pinkie swear the money will go towards the expenses of the trip. Second, just leave me a comment.  Yep, that is it.  Just leave me a comment saying you are going or that you will use the money towards booking the trip.  Easy right?

On July 1, 2008 I will draw one name as the winner.

After you leave a comment if you get a chance visit NewBaby.com.  It is a cool new site for Moms to learn, share and create memories with video!

Good Luck to you!!!