When Opportunity Knocks, Answer the Door!

I was fortunate enough to go to Blogher for the past 2 years. Both years were amazing, but you might be surprised why.

Blogher to me is not about swag.

It's a nice perk, and I don't refuse it, but the event is more than that.

It is about opportunities that I do not have on an every day basis. I was able to hang out with a bunch of women who are "tuned in". It was not weird that we were on our crackberries or iphones constantly. It was not weird that we were all depending on wireless connection in the hotel so we could use our laptops whenever the mood struck. It was not weird that while one of my roomates was in the bathroom, 2 of us were in bed on our laptops and one of us was on her crackberry. (Well, ok, it was a little funny.) It was not weird that my roommate, 2 years running, took some time to catch me up on a few computer/blog oddities that I had not figured out. Typical life on Cape Cod is a little less dependent on blogs or twitter.

Before last week, I had been to NYC for 2 days. Those 2 days were all about my girls, so I saw all the toy stores in the area and the Rockerfeller Christmas tree. This trip, I literally walked my ass off. I saw so many sites, tasted so many great foods, and took so many pictures. I would never have made the time in my daily life to take a 5 day trip to NYC with a bunch of friends, which is why I am grateful for Blogher. I attended sessions, hung with old friends, met new friends and talked to representatives for many fantastic businesses.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to 3 special events during the weekend. These events will get their due deserve of a full post soon. In my quiet life on Cape Cod, I do not get these opportunities every day. I was able to enjoy a day on Ellis Island with Liberty Mutual, I was able to attend a Penthouse Christmas party with Hallmark and I was able to go to the Scholastic Head Quarters to hear about their new initiatives and new books that are launching this year. Did I get invited to ALL the special events were offered around Blogher? No. I am OK with that. What I got invited to was incredible, special and these are memories that I will have forever. Hopefully they are contacts that I will have forever, too, since these companies are ones that I have always supported.

Will I be at Blogher11 in San Diego next August? Yes, because I love my bloggy friends and couldn't imagine missing a year learning, growing and experiencing life outside my backyard.