I went to BlissDom because of an impulse. I saw something my girl Shell said on Twitter. It stirred something inside of me. And the words in my head were clear as day: you have to go.
A series of not so random events took place that had me on a plane late Thursday morning and meeting up with women that I’d only chatted with on Twitter, at the airport. The first lesson? DO NOT underestimate the relationships built within social media. I felt like I’d known these women most of my life. And it’s most likely because we are kindred spirits. I was completely at ease and that allowed me to take everything in more completely.
It’s hard to do a recap because I feel as if so many of the attendants have already done so and have said everything I was thinking. I have been sick with a cold since I got back and this is my first chance since Monday to sit, think about what I got from BlissDom and put it down into words.
I walked into Jon Acuff speaking on Friday morning and I felt like perhaps he’d been stalking me these last few weeks. Everything he said, my heart had felt. I’d give you a recap of that but Molly captured it best. About prioritizing. About our kids wanting to be our kids and not just our content. I remember I tweeted out a quote from him: “Learn to disappoint the right people”. If you take a moment to think about that, it’s deep. The second lesson? YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
We got some fantastic swag! I never expected that my trying to “pack light” and take a small bag would not work this time around. A great big shout out to Extra Space Storage for giving 150 of the bloggers a free 10 lbs to ship home. So my third lesson was a practical one: Take a BIGGER bag to blogger conferences!
For me, Blissdom was about God answering my questions with clarity:
Should I go to this conference?
Can I make a living doing what I love?
How can I make that happen?
Am I on the right track?
How am I going to get a tribe?
Who will I turn to for jobs?
Can I really connect with other women?
And after each question was answered uniquely, He also said: “SEE! Told you!” I am feeling blessed beyond belief. It’s taking me a while to even write this because I cannot put words BIG enough to capture the enormity of this.
My BIG fear is that I will forget to mention some of the people that reached out and touched my heart and my spirit. First off, Gigi, what can I say? I am eternally grateful for that fateful Tweet where she said that perhaps I could room with her and Natalie. Gigi is no nonsense and that speaks to my spirit. Thank for your listening, for your words and for caring (and, I love your #fatballs). And Natalie? Her giving spirit reminds me so much of my own. She is an amazing human being who stayed up with me late at night and listened to my dreams even when she was tired (because she’s boo-jah-jah like that). To my girl Julie who is trying to find her way: I have been there and I promise you, I will be here to help you through it (oh and, I love that you miss my ass, literally!).
The #wingingit Crew
My Girl Julie!
I love that I met bloggers from Orlando at BlissDom. Melanie and Jennifer, ya’ll know we’re going to get together! The spiritual connections were great! None like Miss Lucrecer, though. We will be keeping in touch as we move forward through this path that has been laid before us.
Holly, Nicole, Natalie C., Angela, Jen, Jessica, Carri, Erin, Julie, Morgan, Kim, Deb, Frelle, Carrie, Kimberly, Tonia, Tawanna, Vanessa, and countless others that I will kick myself for not remembering as soon as I hit publish: you made me laugh, you danced with me, you grabbed my ass (don’t act like you didn’t!), you smiled, you chatted with me and most of all, you made me feel right at home within your very own tribes. I am eternally grateful for the gift you brought into my life. And so we come to the fourth lesson: connectedness. I say it on my little blurb on the side bar. I believe it and I try to live by it. But BlissDom reminded me shouted at me that in the end, it is all about being connected.
New Friendships, New Shoes!
And because I firmly believe in the fifth lesson, I leave you with it and pray that you receive it into your life: there is no such thing as coincidence. From the way I made it to this conference to all of the nuggets that I picked up along the way, it was made clear to me that I am doing what I am meant to do and that I am on the right path.
I have been sick all week. Feeling miserable that I haven’t followed up and haven’t been on my game. But every time I think of one of these lessons (and one of these people that for whatever reason were put on my path) I can’t help but smile. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s some Theraflu waiting in my wine glass.
Wishing you bliss and blessings,
I love. love. love. seeing the ways that Blissdom moves people, touches them, changes them, inspires them.
This conference and it’s people are SO close to my heart.
Lucrecer is one of the best people that I know
Love this post… so glad that everything aligned and you were able to attend
Rachel – A Southern Fairytale recently posted..Blissfully Wordless
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
It was AMAZING! Thank you SO much for doing the link up!
oxoxox
Twitter: nataliehoage
says:
I heart you and you are a part of me now…you know this. And coincidence or not, I am SO GLAD we found each other. Here’s to whatever the future holds, though I have a feeling that it is going to be very bright for us!
Boo-jah-jah and xoxoxoxo
Natalie recently posted..My First Blissdom Experience: Blissdom 2012
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
You just made me teary eyed with that comment! This means my head is even more snotty now. Thanks, Nat!
oxoxox
What a lovely time away… and thank you for sharing your moments with us. Life is always full of surprises.
Savira recently posted..Comparison: The Thief of Joy
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
Isn’t it? Like how I found your post in my spam folder even though you’ve been here a gazillion times?
Thank you so much for stoping by Savira, you don’t know how much I appreciate it!
oxoxox
Twitter: thechattymomma
says:
I’m so glad we tweeted until we found each other. I’m even more excited that we hit the dance floor together. My best friends meet me on the dance floor! I can’t wait to see you again. We definitely need more chat time. I love all the girls from last week. Some I’ve known, but many I just met. Like you said though its as if we’ve all known each other forever. I love that! Miss ya girlie
Tonia @TheChattyMomma recently posted..Take a Stand for "FRESCH" Pizza! – Yeah, I spelled that right!
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
Yay! We are going to have to plan for a dancing crew next year. I see personalized t-shirts in our future!
oxoxox
Twitter: thechattymomma
says:
Oh for sure. I’m all about dance teams. Did you see the photo I posted of us doing our flashmob dance from last year’s BlissDom?
Tonia Sanders @TheChattyMomma recently posted..New VeggieTales: Robin Good DVD Coming Soon
So glad you were able to go!
Loved hanging out with you again! xo
Shell recently posted..Pour Your Heart Out: The Positive over the Negative
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
I wish we’d spent more time together. You and Ashley really gave me a lot to think about at BBCATL. It’s always good to see your smiling face and fabulous outfits. Next year, I’m totally gonna need you to dress me!
oxoxox
It was a total delight to room with you…I just knew it was the right thing from the moment I saw your tweet.
Now, I can take credit for you and Natalie being boo-jah-jah and all that jazz
xoxoxo I’m so glad I could share the experience with you!
gigi recently posted..Forget Everything You Knew
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
Thanks, Gigi! Oh and by the way, the wine glass made it here without incident in spite of the fact that I had to lie down on my suitcase to close the zipper! lol
oxoxox
My only regret about meeting you? That I didn’t get to do it earlier in the weekend! Your dancing self and your smile were just wonderful to see; I could feel your joy for the weekend, and I am so glad I got to spend time with you
angela recently posted..A Few Steps Behind
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
And see what I was talking about in the post?! I forgot to give you a shout! Wow, I’m glad my joy showed because I really felt blessed and happy to be there. We are going to have to get a dancing crew together for next year!
oxoxox
Twitter: inkledpink
says:
You summed it up perfectly! I was wonderful meeting you at this awesome event. Be better soon! Willing to bring some chicken soup!
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
I wish I’d seen this earlier! I haven’t had the stomach for too much. Chicken soup sounds good right about now. I will see you soon, hopefully!
oxoxox
Twitter: JameeTMiller
says:
So jealous! It sounds like an amazing time! Counting down the days to Type A in June!
Jamee @ A New Kind of Normal recently posted..Yellow Shirt Day 2012!
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
Don’t look now but, I might be there! (fingers crossed)
oxoxox
There were so many fun and amazing women at Blissdom that I’m afraid I’ll miss some, too! It was great meeting/dancing/planking/mobbing/etc with you!
Carri recently posted..Top 5 Things I Learned at #Blissdom 2012
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
Next year, we are getting shirts that say #PlankMob!
oxoxox
Twitter: wellroundedhome
says:
Lucky you! I want to make it to a blog conf this year. I keep hearing so many good things about them. I came across your page from the #contentbrew chat. When I read your about page and saw that you were a soror (guess I should’ve figured it out from the colors on your blog), I just had to keep reading. Your writing is da bom–love your trophy wife description!
Twitter: mymamihood
says:
Thank you sooo much, Soror! Funny thing about the colors: it’s lavender and green but after the redesign I took one look at it and thought: HEY! I know those colors! lol
You must make it to a conference. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Type A and for Bloggy Bootcamp Las Vegas! I so appreciate your kind words about my writing! Don’t forget to sign up for the RSS feed!
oxoxox
Im so glad we met and got to spend time together!! You are a beautiful woman with a dynamic personality and some badass dance moves, my friend. I’m so grateful we connected, and look forward to more opportunities to get to know each other. *HUG*
Frelle recently posted..I Need Your Love