Attending the Haven Conference

I just returned from a jam-packed trip to Atlanta to attend the Haven Conference. This was the second year of this conference and it is geared towards home and DIY bloggers. In a nut-shell, it was two and a half days spent with like-minded people and like-minded brands. Just what this girl needed.

Realizing that readers here are not all bloggers, I thought I would share some of the personal side of the conference.

I started the first night at dinner with some bloggers. Some who I already knew and some who I was meeting for the first time, but all who made for a lovely evening.

Heather, Jessica, Brittany, Holly, Kelly, Kim, Kari, and Beth

There are certain people who I talk on the phone regularly with but never get to see, so this a great chance to catch up with my sweet and dear friends. Like Bonnie – I am not sure why we were “striking a pose”, but this girl is the greatest. I am sorry I do not have a picture of her partner in crime Tricia who is just as amazing.

And the hilarious Kari of Thistlewood Farms. And yes, she really is funny.

This trip for me was a lot about balance. You see, Friday was my Peanut’s birthday and yesterday was my husband’s birthday. I did not want to have to choose between the two, so the whole family came down to join me.

I have to say, the support my husband gave me this weekend was amazing. First of all, he was super Dad. They went to a Brave’s Game, pet dolphins at the aquarium, toured CNN and did the Coca-Cola museum. We had meals together when it worked, but otherwise they did their own thing and supported me doing mine. He went along with it encouraging me every step of the way.

There is no way I could have been away from my girl on her birthday and she made it real easy to celebrate her away from home. Thanks to my partner in crime, Bonnie, we were able to surprise her with balloons in her favorite colors when she woke up.

By the way, the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta is beautiful and top notch.

It was a great experience to introduce my family to my blogging friends and to give them a peak into the world of the blogging and what it is like at a conference.

Here we are for Peanut’s birthday dinner. The sweet KariAnne and Bonnie joined us when I know they had many other invitations – thanks ladies, she was so happy to have you join us!

Last year when I went, I struggled with feeling confident and putting myself out there. But this year, I walked away knowing I was truly myself and relaxed. As a result, I was able to meet so many more people and my experience at Haven was even better.

I am sure that having these three around the whole time certainly helped with that.

The world of being a blogger is a unique one that so many people do not understand. It is also a world that is constantly changing. To be able to attend sessions to be more educated and to be able to meet with brands that want to partner with bloggers is an amazing opportunity.

Having the opportunity to meet, speak with and learn from fellow bloggers was priceless.

And I can’t wait till next year

And thanks Rhoda for scheduling it in July and not during our birthday week!

To the Haven Team – thank you so very much for all you did – you have much to be proud of.

And to all of you sweet friends still reading - if you ever have the chance to put yourself out there and be surrounded with like minded people - do it!

Thanks for reading!