Harry Connick Jr. Performs When the Saints Go Marching In and Who Dat?
Thank you, Harry Connick Jr. for delighting us with “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “Who Dat?” at BlissDom 2010.
Get your Bliss ON!
One year ago, I approached the Blissdom Conference with mixed feelings. I was excited, but markedly nervous. I’m a pretty social person and yet, I was so……afraid. The thoughts and emotions jumbled in my head and heart: I don’t know anyone. What if they hate me? What if they laugh at my blog name? What if I stumble while telling them my blog name? What if everyone knows waaaaaaaay more than I do? What if no one talks to me?
If there is an insecure thought in the world….I had it the day I walked into the Preston Hotel in Nashville last year. I was brand new. I didn’t know a soul.
Five minutes among these women and I was reborn. The confident ‘me’ surfaced. My smile became a permanent fixture. I introduced myself. I shook hands. I told people about my blog, that I was new and here to learn. No one laughed.
In fact, they opened their great big Blissdom arms and wrapped me in the comfort of new friendships, of shared dreams, of inspired camaraderie. People were kind - like the special kind of ‘kind’ that only comes when you are right where you are supposed to be. I felt as though I was a part of something huge.
And this year, I know I am.
I am a member of this community. I laugh when you laugh and cry when you cry. I rejoice in your successes and wipe tears when things go wrong. I arrived in Nashville today and have hugged and been hugged dozens of times. I am thrilled to be back at Blissdom, I am awed by the way my new friends have embraced my dreams and my weaknesses. I am spurred on by their desire to teach me and willingness to drag me along when I just can’t catch up.
I am looking forward to an amazing weekend. I hope you are too. (Looking forward to giving you a huge hug!)
I am Blissful. (and, I’m thinking…..so are you.)
Make a Difference Monday
In just a matter of days I will pack up my car and head to Nashville - setting my sights on the Blissdom Conference.
This will be my second year…
Last year I knew no one and was absolutely petrified. And if the Twitter chatter is any indication, there are a lot of people in that exact same frame of mind heading into this year’s conference.
How does this fit in to Make a Difference Monday? Well, there is something you and I can do to make a difference for some of those people, mainly women, brave enough to venture away from their computers and engage face to face.
Start here: Smile. Ohhhhhh….the relief that climbed from my toes when someone smiled at me. That simple gesture says a million things: “nice to see you”, “I like your dress”, “we’re glad you’re here”, “come on over and chat”.
And you know what? All of those things make a difference. Especially when you are new, especially when you don’t know anyone, especially when you are looking for someone to confirm that you made the right decision to come.
This I know for sure - some of those people who first smiled at me are among those I adore today.
(I’m looking at you Rachel, Mishelle, Megan, Alli, Amber, Robin, Jyl, Carissa, Josh and Rebecca, Anissa, Kim
Smile. You have the power to impact an entire event for someone…..and they just might turn out to be your new ’somebody’.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they remembered your ear-to-ear?
What are you doing to Make a Difference this week? Do share. I’m always most inspired when I hear what others are doing for good.
Blissful Learning and Laughing
You know what I did this past weekend? I learned a lot. I laughed a lot. It was Bliss.
Pun intended. It has taken me the better part of the past few days to process. Which is why I am late to the ‘Blissdom Wrap Up’ game.
I was in Nashville at the Blissdom Conference….put on by Ali - MrsFussypants and Barbara Jones of One2One Network.
If you read my site last week, you know I was nervous. Nervous in that wow-I’m-about-to-walk-into-a-room-full-of-women-and-what-if-I’m-transported-to-an-episode-of-Mean-Girls kind of nervous. You know what I mean, right? I hoped it wouldn’t be bad. I mean, how could it be? I was going to be surrounded by people who ‘get me’, right? Most are moms, we’re all close in age, and we do the same thing - blog. Some more ’successfully’ than others, but some aren’t blogging to be successful in a monetary way, but in a peaceful, centered way.
My goal, as a relative new kid on the block, was to sop up the information I expected to be falling from bloggers mouths like a mouse on a cheese hunt. I also hoped to make some friends. Both missions accomplished.
I met and learned from some of the best and some of my personal favorites: Velveteen Mind, MomAdvice, SecretAgentMama, Rocks in my Dryer.
But I also made amazing new friends: JustPureLovely is just that: Just. Pure. Lovely. We arrived within seconds of each other, and she made sure I was never lonely.
SugarJones made me laugh non-stop. Amber told me a beautiful story I will never forget. Josh and Rebecca from MomFaves felt like family. And Carissa and Jyl from MomItForward reminded me what it is like to ‘be on the same page’ as someone else.
It would be impossible for me to recount for you every wonderful person I met, every amazing opportunity to ’share my voice’ I have discovered, or everything I learned.
But, for me, the mom who spends the better part of her waking hours surrounded by small people (and by small, I mean 3 feet and under) who love me unconditionally, yet, don’t quite ‘get me’, it was truly pure heaven to be in the midst of strong, intelligent, hard working and KIND women. (And men - thanks to Josh from MomFaves and John from WalMart - he is an expert: working with the ElevenMoms)
As a final thought, I must address the KINDNESS I felt. Seriously…I have not had that many people be so truly NICE to me since I was pregnant. I must have appeared vulnerable. Was it the bunny slippers? Was it my dancing to MamaMia ? That’s it, isn’t it? You felt sorry for me and my lack of dancing abilities. At least I didn’t make you listen to me karaoke. That alone may have brought the elevators to a standstill.
I’m including a few of my favorite pictures/memories below. They include Chris Mann (seriously - his voice could make a girl melt), the darling Ender and Nathan from Yanni Voices and the Fabulous and hilarious Jen Lancaster. (Yes!! That is a picture of Jen and I!) If you haven’t read her books, get there. And, of course, some fabulous Bloggers. (I Should be Folding Laundry, A Southern Fairy Tale, Real Life Sarah, CoolMom Guide, Bargain Briana, ClassyMommy, Katja, and Pensieve Robin are in some of these pictures, but there were so many more!) Thank you, new friends, for making my first serious venture into the bloggy world so very memorable and smile-filled.
