Well, Alt. Summit is over. I am on a plane thousands of miles above the ground. Left alone with my thoughts and some $8 wifi. To be honest my thoughts are racing. It’s been a jam packed 4 days. I had the most ridiculous trip out to Salt Lake (and by ridiculous I mean TERRIBLE- do you follow me on twitter or instagram?). I thought when I got there it would slow down, but you are kind of on the go, go, go the moment you get there. Not in a bad way, it’s a go, go, go in the best possible way. It’s just very busy. Have you ever been to a blog conference before? They can be very overwhelming. So many bloggers, so many panels and so many sponsors to schmooze with. Where does one even start? Sometimes it feels like when you first get on a cruise ship and there is just SO.MUCH.TO.DO, that you kind of freak out because you want to do it all and you don’t want to miss anything. You plan your schedule to the exact minute to get the very most out of it all. But you know what I’ve found when you do that? You almost end up missing more. Sure the panels are fabulous and it’s great to head into the lounges to talk to sponsors but you know where I have found the most valuable connections? When I have been casual and have bumped in to people over lunch, or between a session. You can easily miss those special moments if you have your nose to the program, quickly moving from place to place.
I spoke on a panel about sharing without over sharing and dealing with negativity. I’ve seen more than my fair share of negativity about my blog and I have come a long way with how I deal (emotionally and practically) with it since my very first mean comment. To be honest I just don’t have room in my life for it. I never ever go read any of the comments they write about us on other sites and if they come here it’s my right to delete any hateful comment. End of story. It’s funny because my panel spent a good hour talking about all the negativity, yet all I could think about was how grateful I was. I looked out seeing so many smiling faces looking back at me and I thought this is why I blog. Here I was, sitting beside some of my favorite bloggers at a conference that was full of so many talented and aspiring women. It was awesome. Negativity aside, the blogging community is so freaking fantastic more than 95% of the time. In all my years, I would have never thought blogging would’ve changed my life as much as it has. I’ve made so many dear, dear friends that I couldn’t imagine my life without. I have loved meeting every reader who has come up and said hello over the years. Every postive email, comment, tweet. They do not go unnoticed. I know who you guys are. I may not always get to respond but if you’ve been commenting on my site then I can assure you, you have touched my life. The good will always out weight the bad. Always. Always. Always.
I shared a hotel room with 4 other girls. There was 1 king size bed and one tiny couch. Let’s just say 3 of us got cozy in that big bed together (yes, that’s us in the top picture with the animal masks. I’m the squirrel). My Dad asked me if it was awkward or uncomfortable to be in a room with girls I don’t know very well. Truth be told, it wasn’t. At all. After going to so many blogging events, I’ve realized that finally getting to meet online friends in real life is pretty much the most awesome thing ever! It’s like all the awkward “get to know you” stuff is out of the way already. You follow them online so you already know so much about them. All you are left with is the excitement of meeting someone you know you are going to love. Sharing a room with Moorea, Chelsey Whitney and Morgan was by far one of my most favorite parts of this trip. I also got to meet Lesley and oh man! I wish we lived closer. She was so wonderful, I knew we would be fast friends! These women inspire me in so many ways. Really, ALL the ladies I meet this weekend left a mark.
It was a whirlwind of a trip that’s for sure. It’s always hard being away from Kev and the girls but I came home feeling reenergized and so blessed by so many wonderful friendships. If you haven’t been to a blogger meet up or conference I would totally suggest trying it out.
p.s. it was an extra special bonus to be there along side Susan as we all watched her hard work pay off on Shark Tank. What a super fun party! So many congrats and jump high fives to such an awesome kick ass lady. Like I said on instagram, there may be lots of knock offs out there BUT there will only ever be ONE Freshly Picked.
(All pictures that don’t look they are from an iphone were taken from the Alt Flickr. Thanks to the photographers who captured such great moments through out the conference!)
It looks like you had such an amazing time!! So happy for you! 🙂
So glad you had such a fun time! I only just heard about Alt Summit last year and would LOVE to go next year. I feel like I need to blog more consistently though and build my readership. It looks like such a fun, inspiring experience!
Oh what fun! Great pics
What an inspiring post but man, oh man, does that top picture TERRIFY ME!
Wow! Looks like such an amzing time. Please tell me where you got your awesome black & white check top and the two skirts you wore! Great pics!
I’m pretty new to this whole blog thing and never knew there were actual websites dedicated to nitpicking and being hurtful. How awful!
I just felt like I needed to tell you two things 1) God bless you, woman! I wouldn’t be able to stomache the negativity. You handle it with grace from what I can tell. 2) Thank you!! As a mama of two baby girls I am so encouraged by your writing. It’s easy to throw in the towel and give up on your passions and yourself but you help me see that you can still be a great wife and mom and still care about yourself! So anyway, haters gonna hate. Keep up the good work.
great post on negativity. I agree the blogging world is an amazing life changing place. I’m hopeful that I can attend ALT or a similar conference in the future. They always look like so much fun! 🙂
It looks like a lot of fun! I have been thinking about starting a blog to blog my photos, crafts etc etc and have a question for you: I have two little ones the same ages as yours and literally have no idea how to fit in in with the crazy busy days we have right now. Do you have any tips? Maybe a day-in-the-life post!? 🙂
Can’t even imagine the overwhelming fun of Alt Summit! And, I like your blog.
Jen, where is your knee length button skirt from? It is super cute!!!
i so wish we lived closer too. how great would that be?! xoxo
Thanks so much for this post, Jen! I wish I could’ve made it to ALT but I was so glad to have met you in person at TXSC last August. You are so right about dealing with the negativity – not allowing it to have space in your mind or room in your day to day life. Bottom line is, there are a lot of mean people out there and they will never know the whole story of what’s going on in your life or who you are. You are such an inspiration to so many and I’m glad that you are focusing on that and the joy you bring to your readers. I’ve come to the conclusion that I will not let negative people steal my joy and my love for connecting with other like-minded women. My desire is only to create a positive, uplifting space that encourages and inspires other women to pursue their passions 🙂
Ohh, that looks like it was a blast. I’m sure overwhelmingly busy and all, but such a contrast from being home w/ kids, right? 🙂
One day I hope to make it to a blogger conference of some sort…Wouldn’t even know where to start, but you can help direct me when that time comes! 🙂
ALOHA!
I just watched Susan on Shark Tank (via YouTube) and thought she did such a great job! I love her little mocs and I’m surprised that she didn’t mention the celebrities that were already enjoying her product! Love them mocs – they are so adorable!
Wow, it looks like it was a lot of fun! I’m still really new to blogging and it seems like it would really overwhelming (yet fun) to be at a blog conference. I’m looking through the ALT Summit Flickr photostream and it looks like there’s a lot to do and a lot of bloggers to meet! (which sounds really exciting) Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
I’m seriously sad I didn’t get to meet you at Alt! You’re one of my favorite bloggers and regular reads! I’m so glad it was another positive experience, and I couldn’t agree more- you just connect with bloggers so quickly since you already have a background into their life and who they are.