A  tutorial… and other BlogHer11 anecdotes.

Sometimes You Are A Walking Billboard (and don’t know it)

Nothing like riding around beautiful downtown San Diego in Pedi Cabs. With hilarious bloggers in Cocktail dresses (And no the sweater did not make it in time for BlogHer- thankyounotverymuch LOFT!)

And then several minutes later realizing that the pedi cabs are um.. sponsored. Branded if you will. With Softcup. I’ll let you read the fine print. We were so pleased at that moment.

Roommates Rock

Some folks refuse to share a room (much less a bed) with 3 other bloggers. NOT ME. My highlight of any bloggy conference is hanging with my roommates.

I always bring earplugs just in case. This time I totally forgot.. but there was no need. Not a snorer in the bunch! And look how cute they all are! (Besides Etymotic was handing out earplugs!)

Please meet @colosciencemom @maryheston and @mommie911 All DARLING!

15 Hour Road Trips are VERY Long

What a shocker huh? BUT. If you find someone like Mary Heston who loves driving and just drives and drives and drives and you mix that with my super hero ability to literally talk for 15 hours straight—it’s a match made in heaven. Well for me anyway. (Poor poor Mary.)
But remember WE were able to bring home all our swag (and anyone else’s who couldn’t fit it in their carry on). Now who’s the lucky one?

Oh and the picture here? We ordered a rental car online. When we went to pick it up it turned out to be a Cadillac. No. I am not kidding.

Meeting Jane Lynch and Rosalind Wiseman is such a  … did I just say JANE LYNCH?

Yes. I did.
Preface: Here I thought I was ‘showing’ Mary the ropes this year at BlogHer, since I’m a one year veteran and all.. I introduced her to fun bloggers, smart bloggers and super funny bloggers. I added her as my plus one to several off site events. I got her into the HTC sweet suite (which netted her a new HTC phone BTW!). But alas…She was really showing ME the ropes.

Mary already knew Rosalind Wiseman from her work with Wiredmoms.com. They both have passion projects about technology and family and education about both. Rosalind wrote the book: Queen Bees and Wannabees. (You know?  The one turned into a movie screenplay by Tina Fey… Mean Girls… I KNOW! How cool is that to meet her right?) Mary contacted Rosalind and told her we could meet up with her at the conference where she is working on a PSA campaign with LG about Texting issues called: #TextEd.

(GO SEE the hilarious short videos Jane has created with LG about getting Parents to realize THEY are the ones who need to stop texting while driving. Great stuff.)

Our instructions were to meet Rosalind for the ‘interview’ at the LG suite at 11:30AM. Great, we figured we would catch her quick outside the suite, say hi, and get out of her way.

WE. WERE. WRONG.

When we got to the suite, we were told there was a short wait and then the door opened and Jane Lynch walked out and up the hall off to the bathroom apparently. We were a bit FREAKED to say the least! When it was our ‘turn’ we walked into the room and there wasn’t really anyone in there? (We still think we are stopping in to chat with Rosalind for a second and that there might be maybe like 30 other people in there vying for attention?) Yeah. No. Just us.

Rosalind greets Mary who she knows of course and I get to meet her and say hi (I’m firmly the sidekick at this point). She then tells us to sit on this nice couch cuz she needs to use the little girl’s room.. Oh, okay.. we sit.

At this point.. Jane Lynch walks over and sits down opposite us on the couch there.
(We die a little bit.)

We resurrect ourselves and Mary proceeds to talk coherently and ask real questions. (She also whips out a black sharpie and a Glee T-shirt and a season 2 Glee DVD, and Jane autographs.) I’m still on mute. Which is a not normal for me. (Read the 15 hour road trip story above!)

Rosalind comes back and we talk to her for a second, and a ‘producer’ comes to tell us there isn’t much time for our ‘interview’. Our what? I think. Mary isn’t worried, she has her ONE question all prepared so we expect the producer to tell us you have 2 minutes here… NOPE. She says you have about 15 minutes.

15 WHAT?

Mary shines on and asks real questions and shares thoughts about technology and parenting and texting. Rosalind answers with amazing brilliance and Jane pipes in with witty comments and thoughts on parenting a ‘new 9yrold step daughter’. Jane was real, and funny and (though will never remember us) genuinely cared.

I do remember speaking at one point. But I’m afraid I was speaking in another language, cuz I can’t remember a dang thing.

And THAT my friends is how you accidentally interview a celebrity.
(You let Mary do all the talking.)

Links are my own, Nothing sponsored here.

It’s time to start packing for BlogHer.

Okay… I’m THINKING about thinking about packing.
And in case you didn’t know.
I’m a MORMON.

And this means a couple things when it comes to blogging conferences.

1. I always have extra drink tickets at parties – (Sit by me, I share!)
2. Cocktail Party Dresses make NO sense for me.

See—we crazy Mormons have a couple DON’Ts.
We don’t wear strapless ANYTHING. We don’t wear spaghetti straps. We don’t wear tank tops. And below the knee is pretty much required. Sometimes I get an ‘AT the Knee’ dress, please don’t tell on me.

Hello, have you shopped cocktail dresses? They pretty much seem to shout, HEY! Here I am! Ready to be picked up on the Las Vegas Strip. Well… gee? Guess what? I am also that OTHER M-word: MARRIED. Oh and most of the BlogHer parties are filled with other women. So yeah, I’m not interested in showing off lots of cleavage and nether parts… thankyouverymuch.

Enough boo-hoo for me.

Here’s the dress I found for San Diego!

Eddie Bauer saved me.

Wait.
It’s a tank dress you say?
And that’s the third Mormon Fashion don’t – right? No problemo.
I found this White cardigan from The Loft.

I’m still stressing about shoes. But since I’m driving Road Trip style with Mary Heston (Oh my gosh if you haven’t met her PLEASE find me at BlogHer so I can introduce you!) that means I can pack ALL the shoes I want. Amen!

See you there! I’ll hold my drink tickets for ya!

Disclosure: If Eddie Bauer were to ever contact me and want to pay me to wear their stuff, I would be thrilled! I would say yes. But first I would ask them: WHAT is the deal with your ‘so called sales?’ Cuz the whole ‘Up to 70% off‘ posters in your stores are um.. well.. to put it nicely… LIES. I once asked to see the 70% off rack advertized, and they said, oh… that? There isn’t one. And no. The Loft did not pay me to write about the shoulder saving cardigan. But if they did I would so tell you all about it.

Time to start packing… okay time to start thinking about packing.

I’m heading to BlogHer next week… IN NEW YORK CITY!

I’m super excited to:

• Meet @ScrappinMichele, @MultiTaskingMe, @RealLifeSarah | My room-mates for this big shindig!
• Run the BlogHer 5K, #TutusForTanner, I’ve been training for all of 2 weeks. If I complete the ‘race’ it will be a miracle. But dangit, I’m gonna rock my tutu!
• Bathe my face in the NYC August summer heat and humidity. Oh how I’ve missed it! (NOT!)
• Re-acquaint myself with the NYC subway system, while hauling my luggage, and walking in tennis shoes and dress pants. Nothing shouts TOURIST more clearly, eh? I’ll pull out my camera to be more obvious.

I used to live in Brooklyn, my oldest was born there, it would be awesome to connect with old pals there. But I won’t  have time because all THIS is on my agenda….

Social Luxe Lounge Tutus for Tanner

Social Fiesta People’s Party

OpenSky CheeseburgHer

Green Affair

Does it look like I’ll be doing anything but party-ing?
This is hard work I assure you!
I’m sure I’ll have the blisters to prove it.

And pictures… ! I’d love to connect with you if you are going!