Blogging, Chicago, Friends, Humor

For Crap Sake Pull Your Dress Up- How I Survived Blogher 2013

Kari
Over the past three years since I started writing here, I have seen bloggers attending these things called conferences.
Where bloggers meet other bloggers.
And take lots of pictures on Instagram.
Of their cute outfits.
This is what I thought blogging conferences were: just getting Starbucks, tweeting activities, dressing really cute and wearing lots and lots of chevron.
So this is the expectation I had going into my first blogging conference, BlogHer ’13.
And that was also the reason I didn’t want to go.
I didn’t take it seriously until this past December, when I met up with 30 Chicago-area bloggers in the city for a cool blogging event.
For a long time, I was afraid of meeting bloggers in person.
I had heard horror stories of meeting these “amazing” people you loved to read and banter with online, only to realize that they are only really “amazing” on paper.
Or in our case, on a computer screen.
But when I actually met some amazing people in December, it felt a lot less scary.
Three of them became good friends: Melisa, Marianne, and Jeanette.
I literally went home and bought my ticket to BlogHer that week.
With Jeanette in December 2012.

Melisa, my new friend, told me on the cab ride we shared to the hotel that I needed to go to BlogHer. And that I totally needed to get roommates. And that she had been in the fetal position crying on the last night because she had so much fun with her friends there.

I laughed about it, but in my mind, I thought—no way will that be me.

Here’s the thing: as much as I love my female friends, I’ve never been one of “those” girls with huge groups of girlfriends who love spending massive amounts of time together. I just don’t do well with that whole dynamic. So crying on a bed or being sad to say goodbye? Not going to be a problem for me.

Tracey and Marianne.
December 2012

Fast forward one month to a fateful lunch on an unseasonably warm late January day. Melisa brought together a group of women under the ruse that we all needed to meet each other.

Here’s what you need to know: the night before this lunch, I had a friendship breakup over the phone, and I was really sad. I even thought about canceling. Unbeknownst to me, I would meet two of my future roommates at that lunch. Jennifer, Shannon, and I hit it off instantly.

Over the course of six months, my new friends (Marianne, Jeanette, Jen, Shannon, and I) spent hours texting about our favorite side of the bed, messaging on Facebook about what pranks we were going to pull, and tweeting little jokes only we understood.

Basically, we bonded and established rules for our room. I can’t remember most of the rules, but there’s one I feel compelled to share.

Rule #1: no pooping in the room.

 

View from our room.

Here are the highlights from my first ever blogging conference:

That is a full-size bed- for two grown women.

I ate Combos for dinner on my first night there, washed down with two glasses of white wine and a Twizzler.

At the expo, they had free booze samples—three different wine companies and a frozen alcoholic slushie company. How welcoming of BlogHer!

Marianne marked her booze

On the shuttle bus to register at McCormick Place our first night, I said to Shannon that we were in a “bus full of bloggers.” That made me chuckle out loud. I am totally using that as my rock band name if this blogging thing doesn’t pan out.

Me, Shannon, and Melisa

 

 

having a Blair Witch moment in the back of a cab, while Jen sat in the front trying to figure out where the hell we were going.
she has chevron on…of course she does…

I saw Ree Drummond in the hallway, said hi, and didn’t ask for a picture because I was afraid of being “one of those people.” She was lovely.

I loved walking the expo floor with my friend Marianne and our new friend, fellow Chicago blogger Tammy.

 

Watching Voices of the Year- proud of our friend Shannon for her piece being selected among the other amazing pieces.

 

actually getting a picture taken with Ree Drummond—and flashing her my boob.

 

Going to Portillo’s on Ohio Street with Julie, Jen, and Tammy.

 

Yes, we hit all these parties.

Going to all the BlogHer after-parties in the hotel, roaming from room to room and meeting some really cool bloggers.

Having a fellow blogger recognize me in the hallway as we were leaving for another room party. This was the conversation:

“Are you Kari from A Grace Full Life?”

“Yes!”

“Oh my gosh! I love your blog!”

Made my year.

And I have witnesses!

I don’t know who you were because honestly, the cocktail was heating me up and I was just so overwhelmed—think tears in my eyes. Whoever you were, you really made this little blogger feel like a superstar for a few minutes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Enjoy Flat Sue enjoying her first taste of Portillos.
Jen and I stole the huge cardboard sign with Shannon’s entire blog post written on it from the Voices of the Year reception for our room.
tee hee

 

I miss pooping, as shown by my bloat.

 

Spilling hot chocolate all over my cool green Capri pants during Randi Zuckerberg’s conversation. Then writing that I “crapped my pants” on two forms of social media and uncontrollably laughing the “ugly” laugh during a quiet moment in the session—so much that I needed to leave the room.

 

Dancing for two straight hours
friends

Takeaways from Blogher

I am short.

I am standing on my tippy toes in this one

I am much better in public situations than I thought.

It was overwhelming, but not nearly as much as I expected.

Marianne giving me some moral support.

I love my blogging community.

What a big clump of awesomeness.
Clockwise: Tabatha, Natasha, Melisa, Tracey, Jen, me, Liz, Jennifer.

I want to take this time to talk about my closest blogging friends.

Particularly my roommates: Jen, Shannon, and Jeanette and our honorary roomie Marianne.

I am so glad I had all of you to go through this with.

And had I not been so exhausted, I would have sat in the fetal position and cried the last night there.

With Marianne and Jen

You were right, Melisa.

Shannon sent me a text the next day mentioning something about being emotional, and I felt the same way.

It was emotional—sharing this time with these women: an artist, an entrepreneur, a columnist, and a hometown hero. Beautiful, strong, cool women who also write blogs.

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35 thoughts on “For Crap Sake Pull Your Dress Up- How I Survived Blogher 2013”

  1. I feel a little like the Wizard of Oz or Tinkerbell or some kind of bedazzled fairy Godmother. I'm so glad that you…well, frankly, that *I* was right. :) I knew you'd love it.And I love this recap. I almost went fetal. xoxoxoxoAnd I love you.

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  2. Kari, you are making me emotional again. And I am just going to fess up right now for all of your readers to see. IT WAS MY UNDERWEAR ON THE COUNTER. And I have no idea how it got there. One last thing…I love you.

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  3. Awwww. So glad you had such a great experience at a big, scary BLOGGING CONFERENCE!!! :-)So awesome to be able to be connected with people on many levels! Looks like FUN! Not sure if I'm wild enough for that group! (although I would have been ALLLLL over the karaoke I saw on the schedule!! : )~Miss chatting more! Hope all is well otherwise!HUGS!Bec

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  4. Laughed so hard I cried, and then cried because it's perfect and I miss you. Props to Melisa FOR BEING RIGHT. And props to you for being awesome and amazing. Anyone that doesn't want to be your friend can go scratch – because you are FAN-FLIPPIN-TASTIC! xoxoxo

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  5. I laughed, I cried, this post was better than "Cats." Seriously, you got it all right. And you, my friend, are ALL RIGHT! xoxo Walshie

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    1. Better than Broadway?? I am honored…..now just put me in the credits for the movie, k?

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  7. Shannon – SHOCKED. JUST SHOCKED. *wiping tears away with laughterMarianne: I was going to use that line, but I left it for you, my Broadway partner in crime. MWAH!

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  11. Shannon admitted to the underwear-gate! I love your recap, and I had no idea you ended 2 friendships back then. How weird that life takes these twists and turns, eh? It's awesome to have stumbled into the whole blogging world and everyone that goes along with it. XOXO

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  12. So glad that you had a great time! Good friends will do that for you. I'm with you, in the fact that, I usually don't do well with large groups of women. But bloggers AREN'T women (did I just say that?) they are AWESOME!

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  13. Hysterical LOL post, Kari! What a great Blogher13 recap. The pic with Ree? Priceless. I mean with her. You know, standing next to you and all. :) It was so nice meeting you!

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  15. I'm kicking myself for not going this year, and already putting my pennies aside to save up for next year's conference.

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  18. You are really making me kick myself for not attending. What was I thinking? Sounds like you had a blast. I sort of think when they made the no pooping rule that they just meant in the room, not the whole city of Chicago. You could have ran to the 7-11 or something :)

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  19. I loved this post! I have to say, my own fear kept me from going to BlogHer. I said things like, "Is it too expensive? What if I'm all alone? Is it worth it? I am outgoing, but am I outgoing enough?" This post made me feel better and I may consider a blogging conference in the future. Thanks for sharing all your fun times and letting me live vicariously through your photos. :)

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  20. Okay, first off… I love you! Meeting you in person was one of the highlights of the entire weekend for me. And I'm not typically someone who runs up to random women at parties, squeals and hugs the crap out of them (sorry, that probably didn't help with your poo situation). I had so much fun with you and your ladies that I totally want to start a commune somewhere where we can all live and drink wine and raise each other's children. That's not weird, right? Okay, that's weird.Thank you for adopting me into your group! And introducing me to Chicago SAUSSSAGGEEEE!Oh, and I don't know why I decided to go all Charlie's Angels in that picture… apparently the multi culti cocktail makes me think I am some kind of crime fighter.

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  21. suuuuper super super jealous!!! someday i will be able to and i will meet all you ladies and have a blast until i have to poop:) best post ever, kari!!! i felt like i was there :)

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  22. Apparently I was excited to meet Momo….Joules I love you. And am pricing moving vans from Baltimore. Sue, you are going next year. I will pay for the sitter.

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