Influence Conference 2014

Just like that, Influence Conference 2014 has come & gone already...The road leading up to it was long and uncertain at times, but I am so grateful to God for making a way for me to attend.

I missed the conference last year and experienced record levels of FOMO while scrolling through all the social media channels under the Influence hashtag. I had to go back. Sadly, it seemed like every time I would get a conference "kitty" going, we'd have a financial setback.

It's challenging enough to manage a one income household, but throw in a couple kiddo emergency room visits, a minor surgery, an over-payment from my previous employer, and well, you get the idea. There was something holding me back from asking God for permission to go this year. I didn't want to get a 'no' answer from Him, so I avoided the question. But it got to the point that I couldn't do it without His help, so I humbly asked. I felt a peace that despite my circumstances, my God was capable of covering every aspect of this trip if it was His will. And you know what? Something pretty special happened...

This year, I had the great privilege of going to Influence as a Brand Ambassador for ViBella Jewelry! I didn't know something like this was even a possibility until reading a great post on conference sponsorship from Hayley of The Tiny Twig.

I already had a relationship with ViBella after hosting a giveaway on my blog for them this past summer. I prayed about it, proposed my idea to their marketing team, and was pleasantly surprised when they agreed to partner with me. In exchange, I shared the story of ViBella with other conference attendees and wore their jewelry at every gathering. ViBella also included a pair of earrings in all of the swag bags.

Left: Taking a "groupie" with my conference roommates, Kayla of Many Sparrows & Madison of Espresso & Cream. Right: ViBella Star Necklace, conference pass, & my name tag from a group exercise in Whitney English's session. 

As with any great conference, I came home with a ton of swag! Some of my favorite goodies happened to be from the SheReadsTruth gal (Rebecca) after hunting her down when a clue was posted on their twitter account.

The weekend was packed with amazing speakers...Jen Lula, Sammy Rhodes, Whitney English, Jess Connolly, Hayley Morgan, Ellen Parker. And those were just the ones I got to witness.

But can we talk about Lara Casey for a minute? Lara Casey is the editor for Southern Weddings and hosts an exclusive (& intense) workshop called Making Things Happen
. You guys. Tickets for this intensive sell for $1800. And Lara, so graciously, presented a mini-Making Things Happen in a Influence Network members only session.

I didn't know what to expect going in, but what I experienced was a soul exfoliation to the core. I was challenged to get out of my comfort zone, to ask myself some hard questions (like, REALLY hard), and to do some serious vision casting for my life over the next 10 years. It sounds pretty cut & dried, but the way it was presented was entirely unlike anything I've participated in. Just, wow.

Jessica Honegger, the Queen of Noonday Collection, was also a speaker at Influence. I am so inspired by her life and the work that her organization is doing. ViBella is quite similar to Noonday in their mission and operation, so it was awesome to talk to her for a little while about both businesses. Plus, she loved the way I styled the Star Necklace:)

The Strategy Panel consisted of seriously rockin' business ladies - photographer Shanna Noel, Rebecca of Better Life Bags, Lindsay of Lindsay Letters (YES, LINDSEY LETTERS!! And yes, I totally went nuts buying her prints in the Sashes Market), and Natalie & Mandy of Happy Mommy Box.

My "Mom Confession" in the Thrive Moms area. This entry won me an additional swag bag full of fun & pretty mama necessities. In case you were wondering, I am wearing the Priscilla necklace from ViBella in this pic:)

How do I even end this post? I feel like it is just the beginning. The conference theme was "It's Time to Build". And now, I'm back at home with this perspective and a desperate desire to be a responsible steward of this experience. There are days where the only thing I'm building are Lego towers. But it is my belief that it is all part of something greater. So. Much. Greater.

Thanks again to ViBella Jewelry, to my super supportive husband for playing Mr. Mom while I was away, to the conference organizers for bringing us all together, and to all the special ladies I made memories with. God is real, y'all. He can change ANYTHING.

Hope to see you all next year! xx

Hello, Hello! | #InfluenceConf Linkup

Hi, ladies!! Finally linking up to this online party wagon...Seriously, I am SO excited for this year's Influence Conference. I was fortunate enough to attend the first one (completely last minute) and voraciously followed last year's (via hashtag) as I was home with our newborn son. So, yeah...

A bit about me:

I'm Erin. I stay at home with my two sweet babes, Ruby (3) & Sterling (1). I wrote a pretty desperate 31 Days series on my experience as a Beginner Stay-At-Home-Mom last year. Don't worry, things have improved since then. Lately, I've been transitioning into a Work-At-Home-Mom since picking up some writing & social media freelance work.

My husband & I have been together for almost 7 years (which seems so unbelievable to type out). We share a mutual love for thrifting and spend our date nights grabbing tacos & going on Goodwill runs. He also plays drums in a pretty swell band (in my humble opinion) called Parlours. Here's a link to their music video (that I also helped style). 

1 part of the conference you’re most excited about:
I'm actually looking forward to all the things I'm probably going to miss while I'm at the conference...getting a full night of sleep, going to the restroom without an audience, not having somebody hanging on me all the time...Amen, anyone? But really, I am going to miss my kiddos SO much.

1 thing you wouldn’t leave home without: 
For this conference in particular, I COULD NOT leave home without my ViBella Jewelry. I am so honored to be attending this year's Influence as a brand ambassador for their terrific organization. ViBella impacts the lives of at-risk women in Haiti & Mexico by providing sustainable jobs in a safe work environment. Be sure to look out for a little something special from them in the swag bags;) And be sure to find me if you have any questions about ViBella. Or just come say 'hi' anyway!

SEE YOU ALL SO SOON!!!!

And the Winner is...

Congratulations to CARA COBBLE TRANTHAM on winning the Kaliko necklace from Vi Bella! To claim your prize, please email the address you would like the necklace sent to: sozealous[at]gmail.com

Thanks to everyone who entered and for helping spread the word about this beautiful organization!

[Image via lovedreamswishes.]

soZealous for Vi Bella Giveaway!!

Happy Giveaway Day!! I know I've been hyping this up all week, but I'm pretty excited about it! As I mentioned before, the lovely folks from Vi Bella Jewelry provided some beautiful, hand-crafted baubles for me to style in a blog post. With our Black Hills vacation set and cluster of gorgeous ladies at my disposal, I knew the wooded landscapes would provide the perfect backdrop for our shoot.

Vi Bella Jewelry is an organization that seeks to transform the lives at at-risk women in Haiti & Mexico by providing sustainable jobs and share the love of Christ with them. Each piece is assembled by a special woman who otherwise might not be able to earn an income in a safe environment to provide for her & her family. Vi Bella is also making a positive impact on the environment by having their artisans use discarded plastic and glass bottles, metal bottle caps, old paper and even oil drums to craft unique handmade pieces.

I am SO inspired by the work that Vi Bella is doing and am honored to share their products & mission with my readers:) You can read the full Vi Bella story here.

Penelope necklace & earring set. 

Korie Bracelet. 

Vi Bella even has a line for little girls! Here Ruby is wearing the Emery necklace & bracelet.

Kristen, my sister, is wearing the necklace, earrings, & bracelet from the Jennifer Lee collection. 

Kira, my soon to be sister-in-law, is wearing the Olive necklace and Jovie earrings. The Olive necklace, one of Vi Bella's signature recycled pieces, is constructed from old newspaper. 

Mary, my beautiful 89 years young Grandmother, is wearing the Mayla necklace & bracelet. The Mayla necklace is also constructed from recycled newspaper.

My sister, Amy, is wearing the necklace, earrings, & bracelet from the Willow collection. 

Kaliko necklace & earring set.  

You ready for it?? I'm giving away this beautiful Kaliko necklace to one lucky reader! And each person has up to 3 chances to win. To enter, you can do one (or all) of the following:

1) Leave a me a blog comment stating what your favorite piece of jewelry from the Vi Bella website is.

2) Tweet about this giveaway using the hashtag #soZealousforViBella

3) Instagram about this giveaway using the hashtag #soZealousforViBella

Contest ends Wednesday, June 25th, at midnight. Winner will be announced here on Friday, June 27th.

Thanks again to Vi Bella and may the odds be ever in your favor:)

**This is a sponsored post brought to you by Vi Bella. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience. 

High Country Rollers Pt.3

Deadwood Day! This might actually have been the highlight of my trip, mainly because the kids had such a blast. Which only proves that I am a Mom. But seriously, SUCH a blast. I learned that cowboys are way cooler than wild bears being inches from your car, according to the wee ones.

We headed into town for the Main Street Shootout, an 8 minute show that was slightly underwhelming and incredibly loud. At least Ruby's ears were covered for the gun battle...(what?).

Here I am wearing the stylish Kaliko necklace & earrings from Vi Bella. You like? Well, maybe you'll get an opportunity to win one of those pieces. Like, maybe this Friday (wink, wink).

Sometimes you think you know your kid & other times they totally surprise you. Ruby is an affable girl, however, I wasn't expecting her to have a dance-off with this Calamity Jane character. It was pretty awesome. Her gumption scored the littles in our crew some rather nice "Deadwood Deputy" badges.

I never thought I'd purchase a toy gun for my daughter. But it was hard to say no when she pointed out a pink one and said, "It's just my color!" Oh, Ruby girl. We were all feeling that Wild, Wild, Midwest spirit.

Thanks for the good times, Deadwood! I didn't get a chance to indulge in your penny slots, but I guess you've got to leave something to come back for...

High Country Rollers Pt.2

Next up on our Black Hills adventure...Bear Country USA!! I've been to this area several times over the years, but this was my first visit to Bear County. We loved it!

I don't know if Ruby was more excited to see the bears or to sit in the front on my lap (which is permitted in the park). Ha! For the price of the entry fee, I was secretly hoping a bear would try to climb up on our vehicle. But it's probably a good thing that didn't happen...they did get pretty dang close though!

Ruby's favorite creatures at Bear County were actually the buffaloes! It's probably a good thing she wasn't aware that her mama was eating them at every chance she got—Tatonka burgers, Tatonka stew, Tatonka hot dogs, oh my!

Here I am wearing the Santa Fe earrings handcrafted by Vi Bella artists from Haiti. I LOVE the way they pop with some red lipstick!

Our entire crew at the Mt. Rushmore Memorial! 

We also made a stop in Keystone for some ice cream, photo ops, & old time family portraits. Yep.

I really had to twist my husband's arm to take this photo, but I think he'll cherish it as time passes on. At least, I hope so:)