Mom 2.0 In Summary-if summary meant longwinded

Alternate Title- I met people and learned things

Last week I attended part of the Mom 2.0 Summit. Unfortunately I was only able to attend two evening events. It actually worked out well since Mom 2.0 is really designed for bigger bloggers and marketers and I am not there yet. Also, if I am going to take several days off of work it’s going to be to go to Mexico, not to BlogHer. Full disclosure: despite being both a blogger and an avid photographer, I have relatively few pictures. I'm bound to leave people out of my summary. Forgive me, this was my first blogging event; I'm trying to do it justice.

Mom 2.0 was easy for me to attend since it was held here in Houston and I knew awesome women hosting and speaking at Mom 2.0. The really strange part of Mom 2.0 was how incredibly stressed I was Thursday. I am a very social person. I was in a sorority and involved in politics for years- I've never met an awkward social situation. So, why was I so nervous? I think it boils down to the fact that the women who attended the conference were, for the most part, the women I first found blogging many years ago. Basically, all the popular mom bloggers from 2004 (when I first found blogs) were there- walking around-around me! These are the women who created the Internet community we have today. These women pioneered the Internet journal medium and first translated blogs into businesses. I really admire their determination and business savvy. Obviously my summary of Mom 2.0 is going to be different than everyone else since I didn't get to attend the sessions, and am not ready to attend those sessions yet. (I feel like I need to define my blog more before really soaking in Mom 2.0).

For me, it was important to meet these women and let them know how important their stories have been to me. How much I appreciate their honesty, humor, and their well deserved success. The best way to describe the night events is like a sorority rush party or class reunion; there is a commonality and no one cares anymore who the "cool" kids are.

*Here it is important to note that without Karen's encouragement, I would never have had the courage to attend any part of the conference. Once I was at the parties, Karen was so kind and wonderful to me as always. Karen's introduction of me gave me a credibility I would not have had without her. Karen has this great peaceful easy feeling about her that is contagious. I think everyone kind of has a girl crush on her.*

I met Lindsay from Suburban Turmoil, who is just gorgeous. I know its shallow, but Gorgeous. I think I might have scared a few women like Yvonne and Heather when meeting them. I definitely scared Sarah when I tackled her; there aren't alot of mom/lifestyle bloggers who also profess their love for sports and Sarah does. She doesn't blog about college football or the supremacy of Texas, but I'll forgive her that (at least until I convince her otherwise). Stefania had me convinced she was from the South, that's how gracious she is. In fact, we should give her honorary Southern designation-she's that nice. Just a wonderful warm person and she made me feel instantly better-Miss Congeniality Award. Susan is so lovely, classy and nice. Susan's fashion posts over the past few years have helped me examine what I am wearing and what I should be wearing. I was super psyched when she complimented my my skirt. It would be second only to Tim Gunn remarking that I had nice shoes. Oh, if only....I can't tell you how excited I was to meet Mir, I big pink puffy glittery heart Mir. Did you know she has a Masters from Stanford? So, on top of being an astute business woman, she's great to talk to (and funny). Also, she can tolerate more nonsense than I ever could. She’s my Internet shopping idol and I got to hang with her- squeeeeee. Obviously she has great taste in accessories, maybe that is a shared superpower?

I also met some crafty ladies who I love and follow like Marie and Laurie. Laurie was just like her site, full of great ideas, so natural, so perfectly perfect. Laurie, I am organizing a trip to Canton, you me and whoever will make the trip! Also, please can you tell me who made that headband (above)? I have been dreaming about it since Friday night! *Updated, she got it from Sweetgrass Mill on etsy.

Of course, I made it a point to meet Gabrielle. Her design aesthetic was clear in her Mad Men outfit; she wore this great vintage orange caftany thing. I would have looked like Big Bird, she looked like a Kennedy wife. I had to find her since my card designer (Pretty Smitten) said how much she admired Gabrielle. I thought, I have to show Gabrielle these cards because I know that would make Elizabeth happy. And I did, and it did. Mission accomplished.

Speaking of gorgeous, the ever gorgeous and perfectly coiffed Laura gets “Most Fabulous” not only for her absolutely fabulous effort in putting the conference together, but also because I have never seen her looking anything but fabulous. Never. If you can work a full length brocade jacket and come off looking that awesome, you have serious fashion prowess.

The Mad Men party Thursday night was so much fun. I missed getting my hair styled (I had to work the next day), but it would have been fun to get a big tease or updo. One attendee said I looked just like the character from “Mad Men.” Thank you. I tried-not that I know any of the characters. I should have taken a picture, but I think my lipstick was half off all night. I'm inspired to throw a theme night party-maybe the ladies from Cheeky Vintage can help me?!!

Friday night was the photo/art exhibition at FotoFest and it was amazing. The photos were laid out to tell a wonderful story; each image was captivating. Katherine Center's very powerful video was playing on a continual loop. I might have cried through it as it played...twice... I met the very talented Tracey Clark at the exhibition. I am going to sign up for Tracey's Spring photography class-you should too. I love meeting people who are following their passion, like Tracey and Karen. It makes me believe in the promise of possibility.

The photo exhibition really drove home the point that the blogging movement is a movement. We control our ideas and our actions. How we make the difference is our choice, but we can, and we should make a difference.

My only issue with the conference was from the marketing perspective. I met several marketers and was surprised at how little they seemed to know about these women. All of the bloggers in attendance have put their lives online for years; it is relatively easy to figure out who has kids, what their content is, audience, etc. I did not attend the day events, so it is entirely likely that the marketers were better prepared during the full day sessions. I know there were a number of events and promotions going on during the day, but I didn't get to witness those...this year. Next year I will be ready, prepared, and a full participant.