First of all, I want everyone in the universe to know that I had a GREAT great time at Fitbloggin. This conference was a great opportunity for me to get to know personally many of the faces behind the blogs that I read on a daily basis. In addition, it offered the opportunity for me to learn about great blogs that were not already on my radar.
There were a few things about this past weekend that left a huge impression on my life:
- The things that we write everyday touch other people’s lives. I was struck by how many times people that I didn’t ‘know’ came up to me and knew who I was, and told me that I had made an impact on their life in one way or another. The fact that I have the ability to inspire others to do things that they might not otherwise do is very inspirational for me personally. That is truly the reason why I blog.
- Just because someone is a ‘blogging rock star’ does not mean that they’re going to act like one. I’ve been to another blogging conference. I felt like an outsider. I felt like I didn’t ‘belong’ at the conference because my blog is not uber-popular, and doesn’t receive 10,000 page views per day (more likely around 25!). As soon as I entered the cocktail party on Friday, I felt welcome. I felt loved, and as I was chatting with MizFit (LOVE!!), I was surprised when Workoutmommy (LOVE!) immediately recognized me and came over. So, excuse me…but I think that constitutes two bloggie rock stars for the price of one. Amazing, and nice, and absolutely NOT elitist. They wanted to talk, they engaged, and they had no delusions of grandeur. Thank you very much.
- I can socialize without being socially awkward. I’ve mentioned it before…I’m passionate. If I like you, there is no question about that fact. I come on too strong at times, and some get the impression that I’m ‘trying too hard’. I realize that good friends are very hard to come by, and I guess I become overzealous when I find someone that I connect with (it doesn’t happen often). For that reason, I tend to turn people off at times. I ramped it back quite a bit for Fitbloggin’. I basically wanted to invite you all up to my room for a slumber party, but I voted against that. As fun as it would’ve been, I didn’t want to be annoying. I know that I was still myself, made many friends and connections, but I didn’t go overboard. And I didn’t feel self-conscious or awkward. In my book, that’s a smashing success.
I did, however, almost walk out of my room on Saturday morning with this on my pant leg.
(Nearly Awkward Size Sticker Left on Leg)
That would’ve been uncomfortable.
Besides the deep realizations from above, I was also very happy with the extremely generous swag that we all received.
Free Runners!
Not only did we receive a brand new pair of New Balance running shoes, but we also got a pair of NB socks and shorts, as well as several other cool things inside of the swag bag. Clearly, I was really impressed by the swag!
In addition to the swag bag, we also got the opportunity to receive another pair of New Balance shoes by mail…the ones that shape your booty and legs as you walk around. This is very exciting news in my world because I’ve been wanting a pair of those bad boys.
My only regret from the entire weekend? Not taking any pictures of people that I was hanging out with. I don’t know WHY I missed this minor detail, but I think I was so caught up in the whirlwind and having so much fun that I forgot! Hopefully someone else took pictures and they’ll turn up in blog posts to come.
There are some that I wish that I had more time to chat with, and some who I laughed with for hours! Thanks to everyone for making my Fitbloggin’ experience such a fun one. It really wouldn’t have been fun without you.
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