You Capture - You

Ohmygosh. It has been weeks upon weeks since I participated in You Capture. That makes me so sad, because I so look forward to seeing what everyone has captured and hearing what everyone has to say about my captures.

I wasn't going to participate this week, because frankly, I've been so busy. We just got home from a trip to Georgia and Tennessee, a trip that was on the coattails of my trip to Blogher. But I love this photo so much. And I love the moment it was snapped. I was with two great friends site seeing in Chicago on the Sunday after Blogher. We took a CRAZYASSTAXIRIDE down to Millennium Park so I could show my girls it's wonderous beauty. And the Bean.

So I give you, me:

And me and my hookers:

These kinda cover the weeks I've missed, right? Black and white, and friends :)

For more fantastic captures, head on over to Beth's. NOW.

Blogher 2009 - What it was for me

I've had a few days to recover from Blogher. Only, I haven't really recovered, since I'm on another trip now. Holy hell. My feet are still swollen.

Blogher was, without a doubt, amazing.

In the days leading up to my departure for Chicago, I have to admit I was a little nervous, and even more intimidated by all that Blogher promised to be. I mean, the official program was 50 pages long. I knew I would be hanging out with my girls, but would anyone else even know me or care to meet me? Would I really get anything out of the conference? Would I be able to keep up with the rigorous schedule of parties?

The answer across the board is YES! Mostly. I met so many wonderful people. I finally go to me April. Of course, it felt like I'd known her for ages, but we finally got to hug and it was great! Rooming with her and Lisa was the best experience ever. No one even snored!


I met Heather, who is so soft spoken and angelic (her halo is under that paper bag), but don't let that fool y'all. That girl can do some pretty amazing things with a cheeseburger, yo.

I met Midwest Mommy, who was not soft spoken, but had the best mid-western accent EVER. OMG, I wanted to pack her in bag and bring her home like a fine piece of swag.

Elaine, who was all that I thought she'd be and more-so warm and friendly like only a Texan could be.

Kim was so special. Just like I thought she'd be. Funny and sweet, and she had such a wonderful smile. Libby was so cute and happy.

I got to ride in the Wienermobile. Can you tell I had a hot doggin' good time?


And right up there with riding in the Wienermobile was meeting Deb and Lee. If you haven't read Lee's post about Blogher, it's a must read. I had never even heard of these ladies before Blogher, but I feel so fortunate to have met them. Even if they didn't remember who I was 30 seconds after meeting me.

To answer your question, yes, they always looked that HAWT.

Attending Bowlher was definitely a highlight as well! I got to walk the red carpet with some of my best hookers.

See Brooke White perform.

Watch Ivy and Libby dance and clap.

And holy hell, I met the Pioneer Woman. Ree was so kind and friendly. Totally what I expected. She was even nice enough to pose for a picture with Lisa, April and I. I was just about to grab her and shove her into my pocket when the Marlboro Man pulled her up on to his horse and they rode off into the sunset.

The best part of the whole trip was hanging out with old friends and new. Party hopping, bar hopping, sightseeing. It was so much fun rolled into a nice long weekend. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Well, after my feet recover.




To see the rest of my wonderful memories from Blogher, you can check out my Flickr set.

I'm going

There are so many details involved with getting ready for Blogher. So many. If I wasn't so darned excited about it, I might be a little overwhelmed. Oh, who am I kidding? I am overwhelmed, but it's the best overwhelmed feeling ever.

Clothes. Since I've been shrinking with the Sisters, I pretty much have nothing that fits. Well, nothing that doesn't involve drawstrings, coffee stains, and holes in the armpits. This week, I've spent lots of time shopping, and for the first time in a long time, I've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed stripping down to my skivvies and trying on countless pairs of pants, dresses, tops, and even bras. Normally, this would make me want to poke both of my eyes out. There are so many choices that are so much fun to make when you actually feel good about your body. I cannot wait to get dressed up in some of my new threads and step out at some of the great parties. Oh, the parties...

Parties. Holy hell. It almost seems like Blogher is a destination for partying. Luckily, I'm not opposed to partying, at all. There are so many choices, People's Parties, Sparklecorn Parties, Cheeseburger Parities (who wouldn't go to this one, really?), room parties, bowling parties, etc. I know I'm not even scratching the surface. All I can say is I'm glad I'm going childless so I can party hop all night without a care in the world.

Swag. Oh the swag. It's going to be everywhere. I've attended SO many conferences, and even organized a few, and the swag from those probably won't hold a candle to the Blogher swag. This is going to be way more than the typical stress squeezey balls, logos pens, and lame-O t-shirts that are always XL, and I've been told to bring an extra suitcase so I can haul it all home, and that it will be totally worth paying the extra bag fee.

Sessions. Yes, this is a conference after all. There are keynotes, breakouts, lunches, dinners, cocktail parities and not many breaks. It seems the days will be packed with wonderful information and speakers. From what I've seen of the agenda, there is definitely something for everyblogger.

Friends. This is the best part of the whole thing. Seeing friends I love and meeting friends I'm sure to love. I cannot wait to connect with some of the wonderful peeps I've met in the blogging world. Hell, if it weren't for blogging, my repertoire of friends wouldn't half of what it is today. If you're reading, and you're going to Blogher, please let me know, because I'd LOVE to meet you.

It's less than a week away, and already I'm a little melancholy because I know it will be over in the blink of an eye. Memories will be made and the shutter will be clicking out of control, and when I'm on my way back to reality, I'll always remember the amazing time I'm sure to have.

New do

I'm a simple girl. I live in the country, I wear flip flops and pony tails. I love my life. But I'm going to Blogher, and I didn't think flip flops and pony tails will really cut it. Heck, I don't even want to bring a hair band or a flip flop. I want to be pretty and girly and fancy!

So, today I sat in a beauty salon chair for 4 hours while a lovely, but troubled young lady painted and wrapped my hair in foil. (Do all hair folks have very dramatic and troubled lives?) Then I moved on to the cutter, and he used very quick snips with sharp scissors and a razor. Huge chunks of hair flew to the floor. I was more than a little nervous because he talked really fast and I couldn't understand half the stuff he said. Plus, his lip twitched with every snip. He kind of looked like an Asian Elvis, with something that looked a little like an overprocessed mullet. Oh, he wore a short shirt and had Calvin Klein underwear on, too. It was kind of comical. He talked about how unbelievably thick my hair was and how the cut I had was so WRONG for me. He waxed on and on about his vision for my hair, while I just nodded and smiled while more hair hit the floor.

When he was finally done with the blow dryer and flat iron, and I got my first glance in the mirror, my breath was taken away. Not in a good way. My heart was racing and I panicked just a little. I tried to smile, because I really didn't want to offend him because after all, I had just paid him 80 bucks to work his magic on my head. After I paid the bill, I pretty much bolted from the salon while dialing Lisa on my cellphone. I couldn't wait for her to see it so she could reassure me it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. You see, I'm used to having alot of thick and somewhat unruly hair in a ponytail. Not streamlined, flatironed, shiny straightness. I felt like I had NO hair left. None at all.

Lisa assured me it looked good. BJ asked me if my painted hair was going to go away when I washed it. Mia just looked at me a little strange. I decided I wasn't going to chop my head off and throw it in the garbage can afterall.

As the day has worn on, my new do has grown on me. I like it. I might even love it. The color IS amazing. The cut is so precise.

Here are some pictures I took. Obviously I need to practice self-portraits in the mirror.

Enjoy, because it won't ever look like this again. I am looking forward to hitting the windy city with my new hair.

p.s. please ignore that HUGE zit on my forehead. Hopefully it will move on before Blogher. If not, I'll introduce you to it when I meet you.