GO BLOG SOCIAL CONFERENCE 2015

Hi, there. Been awhile. I can't say that this blog has been very high on my priority list lately, especially since much of my time is spent mom-ing and interneting for other people. But when a last minute opportunity to trek down to Kansas City for the Go Blog Social Conference with a friend, I figured--why not??

This gorgeously curated event was held at the Berg Event Space in downtown KC. There were INCREDIBLE swag bags, succulents, shiny garlands, a photo booth...no detail was left untouched. It truly wouldn't have been a lifestyle blogger conference without so many pretty things to photograph and post to Instagram.

Heads down, devices up. Welcome to the world of lady bloggers. 

My partner-in-con(ference), Kayla of Many Sparrows. We could pass for sisters, don't you think? 

Due to a parking lot fiasco involving faulty pay-by-smartphone apps & jacked voice recognition systems, I missed half of opener Alissa Circle's presentation. The silver lining to that cloud was finding a $100 bill in an alley on the way back in to the event space, which H&M later confirmed was NOT counterfeit. From the little I did catch of the Pollinate Media founder's talk, I was reminded to make time for myself—that I can't fill another person's cup if mine isn't full.

Laurie Davis (pictured above) shared how she launched her business, eFlirt, with $50 and a Twitter account during the recession.

Additional #GBS2015 Gems:

Only good can come from supporting other people. @withgracegold

Your network is your net worth. @AleaLovely

Only 3% of people write down their goals—that 3% accomplish more than than the 97% combined. @sugarbeecrafts

So many of the GBS speakers were just regular people who decided to make their dreams a reality by appointing themselves to the position they wanted to be in. They recognized gaps in the system that could only be filled by their authentic selves. They took huge risks and saw equally huge pay offs. It was inspiring. The opportunity to go to this conference couldn't have popped up a better time. I was fresh off a week of nursing sick kiddos, so I was definitely in need of a little pampering & refreshment. GBS delivered.

I would recommend Go Blog Social to anyone looking for encouragement in their blog journey. The internet is bursting with amazing blogs and there's not enough hours in a day to read even my favorite ones, let alone consistently maintain my own. But you shouldn't feel like there isn't enough room for you on the web if blogging is what you love to do. In the words of speaker Mandy Beyeler, "By being yourself, you put something wonderful into the world that wasn't there before."

KC Anniversary Weekend!

Last weekend marked Wayde & my 5th wedding anniversay, which is just totally surreal to say the least. We wanted to go somewhere we didn't feel obligated to meet up with friends or family and since we've never been to Kansas City together, Kansas City became the destination.

We got some solid recommendations from friends ahead of time and found ourselves on W 39th Street, a hip little area full of kitschy shops & restaurants. Late lunch at d'Bronx followed by coffee and dessert at Rm. 39.

Rock Candy was a vintage boutique we popped into. Though I'm not in the market to buy a lot of clothes right now (28 weeks pregnant, hello!), Wayde had a few sweet finds by the end of the day.

I'm super thankful that my guy enjoys and could kill more time in a secondhand store than I even could.

We also checked out Donna's Dress Shop, which is pretty much the ultimate new & vintage ladies clothing boutique. Like, if I ever aspired to be a boutique owner, Donna's would be the living example of what I would like to open. Even the shop girls were dressed to the nines with their retro hair & ensembles.

Boomerang was another shop we hit, which reminded me of a Buffalo Exchange/ Ragstock type place. Wayde walked out with a pair of Allen Edmunds shoes, so he was a pretty happy camper.

After checking into our hotel, we walked towards the Power & Light district for dinner. There are few restaurants worthy of a 45 minute wait, but the Drunken Fish is one of them. I had Asian lettuce wraps, BLT sushi (yes, you read that correctly), and green tea fried ice green. Bloody fantastic.  

We stopped in a fancy grocery store for some snacks where I stumbled upon this selection of local, flavored milks from the Shatto Milk Company. I got a pint of the cotton candy. Seriously, cotton candy flavored milk!!

It was kind of a bummer for this pregnant lady to fall in love with so many food & drink items this trip and not have ready access to them back home:(

Since we didn't do any major traveling for this trip, we splurged on our accomodations by staying at the beautiful Hotel Phillips in downtown KC. And I am so glad we did.

It was actually more cost effective to do the in-room breakfast package which included valet and a $35 food & beverage voucher. Room service just might be one of my favorite things in the world.

Nothing like a lazy Sunday morning eating potato pancakes while watching HGTV...

Later that day we hit The Plaza, bought stuff at H&M, and grabbed some more food at Westport Coffeehouse before hitting the road home. We did NOT visit the art gallery which apparently is the thing to do while in Kansas City. Maybe next time...xx