I had said my good-byes, checked out of the hotel, and managed to get my entire luggage set down to the garage and into my van. With every step of this process, as I dragged and pulled and tugged, I was missing my husband. Where was my big strong man to help me with my bags? He was home, over three hours away and awaiting my return.
My drive home was flooded with thoughts, impressions, and a whirlwind of memories. I am still taking it all in. I am considering what I have learned and evaluating what to treasure. I went there hoping to meet some new friends, to shake the hands of several writers I admire, and to learn more about myself and my blog; why I do this and how to improve.
Mission accomplished.
I shook more hands this weekend than possibly in my entire lifetime. I am a big believer in a proper hand shake. Whether it is an indicator of character or simply a learned behavior is debatable, but regardless it is almost always a first impression. I met scores of strong hands, direct eyes and kind smiles; my heart continuously warmed by the mutual appreciation of getting to know so many wonderful people.
I have countless blogs to visit; my head is swimming. The people I befriended and with whom I shared a considerable amount of time; these are the blogs I cannot wait to dive into.
I laughed immeasurably, cried when moved, enjoyed swearing often when in like company, and in general found it all too easy to just be myself. Whether I meant to or not, I came out.
I am so glad that I did this, and so grateful to my husband and my family for helping me to make this happen. Thank you.
So here are a few things I learned from this conference and remembered about New York in general:
- New York City cabbies are badass, but this Massachusetts girl can take’em. Get out of my way frak-ers.
- I will never ever worry about what to wear to a conference like that again. Because truly? Nobody but me gave a crap about what I was wearing.
- When you have one Miller Lite draft at a NYC bar, be sure you are seated properly when you get the tab. That way when you see that your bill for that one Miller Lite Draft is $9.80, which is incidentally even more expensive than a bottle of said beer at Gillette Stadium, you will not fall out of your chair in shock.
- And don’t bother asking the bartender if the bill is correct, you silly little tourist you.
- I wish I had brought a stop watch, because I must have spent several hours in totality waiting for an available elevator (i.e. not packed like sardines) to navigate throughout the 40 plus floors of the conference hotel. By the last day I was pro; a brilliant mastermind. My greatest words of wisdom, the best kept secret which I shared with a very precious few at the time: Sometimes you just have to accept that to go up you first need go down.
I drove straight from New York to my parent’s house where my children were staying. My daughter greeted me with a big hug and great excitement, showing me her puzzles, drawings, and toys. My son was napping but before long I heard him crying. It was a terribly distressed wail; not the way he usually awakens. He had heard my voice and was calling for me.
I went in and lifted him from the crib. His face was wet with tears as he reached for me calling, “Mama! Mama! Mama!” We sat together and I cradled him, whispering murmurs of how much I missed him and love him.
His arms were a vice around my neck, pausing only to loosen his grip long enough to look me in the eyes before embracing me tighter again. How long did we sit together and repeat the ritual of looking and hugging? It felt like an eternity and yet even that was not enough. At one point he heard my father’s voice down the hallway and he automatically turned towards it.
“Do you want to go see Papa?” I asked. He turned and grasped me tighter, burying his face into my neck, and stated:
“No. I want to see you.”
That right there? That is the one moment from BlogHer ’10 I know I will never, ever forget.
BlogHer '10 Opening Speeches
A short walk from the hotel.
From Top of the Rock
New York City, I had missed you.
Unicorn Cake from Sparklecorn!
Please note the ridiculous amount of glee in meeting the classy and cool Lindsay from Suburban Turmoil.
Yes, I am keeping the hat.
