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On the Road Again!

I have been blogging since March 2006 — so it’s been almost three years.  Like most mommy bloggers, I started out blogging for sport.  Or, you know, fun.  Although with my impressive lack of athletic prowess, blogging is sport enough for me!

I’d been blogging for well over a year when I started getting an occasional pitch to review a glamorous product such as Febreeze or baked beans.  Although it would be nothing for me to go out and purchase Febreeze or baked beans, I still got a little thrill to find those emails in my inbox.  Someone had noticed my blog!  Someone cares what I think about Febreeze and baked beans!  I almost fell over myself in my haste to return those emails (there’s that athletic prowess at work.)

Then came the pitch for Protect-A-Bed mattress covers.  This is the one that put me over the $40 limit imposed by BlogHerAds (I cannot accept and keep a product for review that retails $40 or more) so I started my review blog.  That was October 2007.  After that, review opportunities continued to arrive sporadically, and I was always surprised and delighted when I found a pitch waiting in my inbox when I logged on.  It never occurred to me back then to initiate contact with businesses; I just took what came to me.

Then in January 2008, the ultimate pitch arrived.  If it hadn’t been from someone I recognized from a prior campaign, I would have thought it was a joke.  Even still, I think I read it through two or ten times, trying to convince myself that it was legit.  They wanted to know if I’d be interested in a mom blogger mixer at Disney World — all expenses paid. WOULD I BE INTERESTED?  Um, is the equator hot?

I’m pretty sure I walked on air for WEEKS.  In fact, I walked on air right down to Florida where I met 20 of the most fabulous women I’ve had the pleasure of knowing including my friend Steph.  Steph and I were already friends but had never met in person, and did those emails ever fly while we were making plans (and our wardrobe choices) for the big trip. You can read all my recaps here. (I REALLY wish my pictures were working.  I’ve sent out an SOS and it’s being worked on.)

The point of this story (and there IS a point, I promise) is that trip was the turning point in my blogging journey.  It was on that trip that I realized this blog thing could actually turn into more than a fun distraction from household chores.  It could actually be a part-time job of sorts.  It could give me the opportunity to step outside my role as wife and mother and make my own little corner in cyberspace.  I soaked up as much knowledge and information as I could that weekend from bloggers who were already making something of their corners of cyberspace and from marketing-to-moms expert Maria Bailey (the inspiration behind the trip.)

Since then, many of the women from that trip have been a great source of advice and encouragement, and another awesome opportunity came as a result of that trip when Cooper Munroe invited me last fall to be one of the bloggers to represent the Generation Huggies 30th Anniversary ad campaign on her website, The Motherhood.

I can’t wait to see what 2009 holds.  My next event is the BlissDom blogging conference in Nashville next month.  And the best part is, my trip is being sponsored by Maria Bailey’s BSM Media.  This woman must not sleep because in addition to running BSM Media and NewBaby.com, she has recently published her fourth book  —  Mom 3.0, which I am in the process of reading and plan to review later this month.  The coolest thing about it is I’M INTERVIEWED ON PAGE 126!!!  Many other bloggers you may know are mentioned as well, so be sure to grab yourself a copy before they fly off the shelves.

So my next blogging adventure will be a trip to Nashville to attend BlissDom!  I’m rooming with Sarah of Genesis Moments and Sarah of Real Life, and both have the last initial P so I haven’t a clue how we are going to differentiate between them when we call them by name.  There are so many smart and talented bloggers that are going that I’m looking forward to meeting or reuniting with that I don’t dare start to list them by name for fear I’d leave someone out.  Suffice it to say, IT’S GONNA BE A BLAST!

I’ve got to ask.  Who’s going?  And more importantly, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO WEAR!?

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21 Responses

  1. I so wanted to go to BlissDom, but two blogging conferences in one year is just not in my budget (I already paid for the BlogHer conference pass).

    Maria is an amazing women. I don’t know where she gets her energy from.. though I don’t know where you get all yours either. 🙂

  2. Wow! I’m flattered but haven’t you ever heard the old saying, “good things come to good people.” You are an illustration of this. If you didn’t give off such positive energy, you wouldn’t receive it back!” It’s been wonderful meeting you and so many others along the way of this incredible journey.

  3. I love posts like this – so inspirational! I have decided that this year I want to take my blog further and put it out there more so hearing stories like yours is great! Here’s to a great 2009!

  4. God spoke and he said, no. I can’t go. 🙁

    But that’s okay. I think my priorities have shifted slightly over the last few weeks. I’m UBER happy for you!!! And we need to set up a time to brainstorm… 😀

    I’ve been thinking about YOUR site since we parted ways over a week ago.

  5. I’m going and I’m waiting on you to tell me what to wear! 🙂

    This will be my first conference and my first time meeting other bloggers…I can’t wait!

  6. Jo-Lynne, I enjoyed reading about your blog journey. In many ways, it is similar to my own. Blogging started out as just a fun way to join a community and to express myself…and now it has become a “booming business” as well. I can’t wait to see what 2009 holds!

    P.S. Thanks for the reminder about Maria’s new book. My friend Nicole {Apron Strings Aflutter} and I were just talking about that this morning. It looks like an excellent read.

  7. I can’t wait to see you again! And oh dear I hadn’t even thought about what I’ll be wearing!

    Steph

  8. Very interesting. I have been blogging for a little over a year and would just be happy to have more than 5 people comment or more that 15 people a day to read it! However, it truly is just a hobby for me, so as long as I am keeping up with memories and making a few friends along the way, I am pretty happy!

  9. I wish I could go. It just isn’t in the budge this year. Hopefully next year things will be a bit better.

    I love hearing about how people got to where they are. It is fun to see how much progress they make.

  10. I for one am super glad that you went on the trip to Disney. And that I did. Becuase you are so awesome and I’m glad we had that time to meet and hang out. And then say our quick hello at Hershey! But you’re awesome because you are inspiring and really just you. Oh, and you made me a super cute blog. Have a great time at Blissdom and report back.

  11. Thank you for sharing this inspiring message. I hope to figure out this blogging thing and have success at it as well. What a blessing for you to be able to go to this conference. I’ll look forward to hearing about it.

  12. Can’t wait to be your roomie. Thanks for encouraging me to go! Maria is an amazing woman and I sooo appreciate her sponsoring our room. We are going to have so much FUNNNN! I can’t stand it.

  13. So neat to see how blogging has changed for you over the years. I’m going to BlissDom too! I simply cant wait. I’m rooming with Stephanie from Red Clay Diaries. I have NO clue what Im wearing. What is the weather like in Nashville in February? I’m sure its a little different than Tucson. Would love to meet you in person!

  14. Jo-Lynne, you are such an inspiration in how you have realized so many goals as a mom and as a woman!

    Yahoo! Road trip! I am beyond excited to be going to Blissdom and rooming with such fun women! We’ll have to do some vlogs about which outfits to wear!

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