High on Altitude

Last year I got a quick e-mail from Samstermommy. Okay, she’s not Samstermommy, she’s Natasha of Little Pink Monster, but in my head she’ll always be Samstermommy and not the CEO of Little Pink Monster. Would I like to come with to the Altitude Summit, aka Alt? In that moment, it was as much a “yes!” based on my desire to take a fun mommy break as to attend a conference about blogging.

But before committing, I did some googling. The conference site itself is pretty seductive to a crafty mommy blogger, but would it be worth the investment? I found a few posts that recapped what bloggers learned at Alt, and that was what hooked me. Bloggers love to talk about blogging, but in my everyday life there isn’t much of that. Most of the people in my world don’t even read blogs, let alone write one. And have things to share that will make me a better blogger.

So we set out yesterday, dragging ourselves out the door, brushing away tears at the reality of leaving our little girls behind. It’s only a few days, but walking out the door was so much harder than I’d pictured. (We both brought drawings the girls had given us and made a tiny gallery in our room.) By the time we landed in Salt Lake City, my first visit here, we started feeling the spirit of the conference. One attendee wrote a beautiful description of the conference here. And I was downright gleeful to get picked up at the airport like this:

I don’t think Natasha minded either.

And when signing in for the conference we each got this:

 

Natasha was already scoping out the goodies.

And then I got distracted by the cuteness of the sweet shop-

 That sells lattes and cappuccinos, gelato, and….

washi tape!

Before the conference began, lots of attendees got to go out last night for small-group dinners hosted by Alt sponsors. I went to the New Yorker event hosted by Squarespace, and it was a night of fantastic food and meeting fun bloggers who are so much more friendly than you’d ever even hope. And getting to know strangers isn’t necessarily high on my things-to-do list. Among those my dinner group? A celebrity stylist for Ellen and a designer for Timeless Treasures! Not a dull moment in conversation.

So after the conference there will be a “what I learned” post, I think. The conference only officially begins this morning, and my lineup for today includes… Amy Butler! Fairly sure I’ll sleep well tonight, trying to digest all of this. And we’re supposed to be dressed and ready in just a few. I’m trying to pull together a look that’s 180 from my everyday mom job appearance– which I’m finding is so much easier when there aren’t sweet girls swirling through to grab for lipstick and hot flat irons.

Can’t wait to tell you more. Maybe I’ll have more to tell you if I get out of the room? A bit intimidating to dress to be surrounded by design people. But I think I’ll get through it.