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Homeward Bound #CoffeeTalk

purple cactus

This morning I’m packing up and heading to the airport. It’s the worst part of the trip, the packing up.

I have a little bit of time before I have to head up to the lobby to grab a cab, so I’m sitting here on my little porch, enjoying the cool morning air and the view of Camelback Mountain rising above the palm trees and the main hotel.

It seems like I just got here, and now it’s time to leave, but I guess I’m ready. I love this area, I love this conference, and the resort has been fabulous, but it’s always nice to get home and hug my family and sleep in my own bed.

I’ve decided that I really enjoy rooming alone at conferences. I’ve never done it before, although I’ve roomed alone plenty of times on press trips. Conferences are different, though. Press trips are highly scheduled, and you are with a small group of people the whole time.

Conferences are quite large, and you only know a handful of people. It can be intimidating to walk into every meal and event alone, but not having a built-in conference buddy has forced me to mingle and meet new people. Plus, there is certainly something to be said for having a private bathroom, ahem…

Last night I skipped out on the Iris Awards (a big award ceremony celebrating bloggers for various accomplishments — think the Oscars for blogs) and went to dinner with a small group of friends. 

Life is weird. Last year I watched the Iris Awards unfold on Instagram, curled up on the couch in my living room, wishing I was there. This year I could have gone, and I decided to forfeit my spot.

I think I made the right decision, though. Those small, intimate conversations are always the best part of a conference. That is where you make the most valuable connections, truly get to know people, and learn new ideas and strategies for our biz. (And the mojitos don’t hurt either.)

amy and JL

And anyway, I already bought my ticket for next year’s Mom 2.0 Summit, so I’ll get another chance to attend the Iris Awards if I decide I missed out on something valuable. Truthfully, I think I just wanted the fun red carpet picture. Ha!

This week has been good for me. I’m feeling like I have a new lease on life and blogging. I was starting to feel a little burned out. I think it was a combination of the stress of our family “vacation” that wasn’t, the depressing “spring” weather in Philly, and just a general realization that this blog really is a job.

I hope that doesn’t bother you to hear that. Sometimes I fear calling my blog a job makes my personal posts and anecdotes seem less genuine. I assure you, they are not. But once I made the conscious decision to build by blog as a business, like any hobby-turned-occupation, I started to have obligations and deadlines… and I have to be careful to keep a healthy balance so the business side doesn’t steal the joy of the writing.

It’s all good, though! We are headed into my favorite time of year — summer, then fall, then the holidays. Oh gads, I did NOT just say the holidays are coming, did I!?? Let’s just think about summer for now. I’m excited for the warmth, the sun, the lazy mornings with no school busses to catch or lunch boxes to fill.

But first, I need to finish packing my bags and hightail it up to the main lobby so I can catch a cab to the airport. See you on the flip side!

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6 Responses

  1. Always happy to see you. I went to the award but left early to have a fun movie night with my rooms mate. It was my first time at the conference so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I enjoy your personal post, that’s what makes your blog unique.

  2. I’m so glad we got to spend some time together–even though I feel like it wasn’t long enough! The good news is that you already bought your ticket for next year and I did, too! Looking forward to seeing you then if not before 😉

    1. YAY! The Ritz at Laguna Beach is AMAZING. I mean, I can’t EVEN tell you how amazing. The views… I CANNOT EVEN WAIT.

      And yes, there is never enough time, is there? So glad we got to hang out some, though.

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