What BlogHer Meant to Me – Part 1

It’s Saturday afternoon and one little one is napping while the other one is playing on his laptop – and I can sneak back into my BlogHer memories long enough to write Part 1 (there will be several parts – but I promise there is a lesson for you in each one).  Today’s lesson is taking the first step.

I arrived in NYC on a plane all by myself with no plan on how to get to the hotel.  I had seen tweets all morning saying people were arriving and looking to share rides so I thought I would try it out.  I tweeted hopeful of finding someone to share a ride with – and to my surprise I found @DebMomof3 who was already at LGA and waiting on @ConnieFoggles to arrive.  Ironically @ConnieFoggles was on my plane from TPA – what a small world!  I had never met either of these women and didn’t even follow them on Twitter yet.  After mechanical problems we finally deplaned from the rear of the plane and found each other at baggage claim.  We chatted and learned a little about each other as we waited for a taxi and headed to the hotel.  I was so busy chatting that I found myself paying very little attention to the city around me. 

Then we arrived – to the Hilton NYC – and the sea of women bloggers!  It was all a little surreal actually – lots of women standing around the hotel lobby tweeting one another – trying to find a connection or a friendly face.  Luckily I’m a Hilton Honors member (I travel a lot for work) and got my room right away (most had to wait for a clean room) and escaped to my safe haven.  I tweeted a few times to see if anyone I knew (virtually) had already arrived.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find anyone – now what?

I was unpacked and starving – I had to escape my room and come out from behind my laptop.  I wasn’t here in NYC to sit in my room all weekend and tweet.  So I stepped out of my room, went down the elevator, and back into the lobby.  I tweeted a few more times looking for someone else who was starving – to no avail.  No one was biting at my pleas for a friend.  I finally tweeted about how insecure this was all making me and went outside to find food by myself.

I stopped to call my best friends back home – only to get their voice mail – now I was even more alone! 

Which way should I walk?  Walk around the building and stop to breath – trying not to cry with insecurity.  Then it happened – I saw her – another young woman staring at her phone and staring at the big city trying to decide where she was going. 

So I did it – I stopped her and asked her if she was with BlogHer – I guess we’re not hard to spot with our phones stuck up our noses.  I asked if she was hungry and if she would like to grab a bite to eat – thankfully she said YES!  So @LoneK8 and I walked to the nearest pub and sat down to regroup.  While I had made friends in the cab I finally felt like I had make my first ‘real’ friend  at BlogHer!  Kate and I chatted about our blogs, our families, and this madness that was BlogHer! 

This is a picture of Trump Tower which Kate and I found on our walk!  We liked the trees growing on the side of the building.

Registration didn’t begin until 4pm so we had plenty of time before we had to step back into the Hilton.  We decided to walk the city for a few blocks – and I think we even ended up on 5th Avenue.  We were actually looking for a drug store which we finally found – across the street from our hotel!  LOL!  We passed each other a few more times during the conference and both said hi as we continued on our way but we didn’t really see each other the rest of the weekend. 

My first experience was well tweeted by another woman blogger at BlogHer …  “It’s like showing up to the prom….alone!”  It was exactly like that – showing up at BlogHer, not knowing anyone, just trying to find a friendly face.  I don’t do well being alone so I’m very thankful to Kate for joining me at lunch that first day. 

Next time you find yourself at the mall, or park, or conference alone (or with your kids) look around and see who else is around – chances are that someone else is alone just waiting for someone to make the first move!  I’m so glad that I did! 

This is Kate after our hot and sweaty walk around the city!  Still beautiful despite what she thought!

To follow my new friends:

@DebMomof3 Blog:   http://www.momof3girls.net/ 
@ConnieFoggles Blog: http://brainfoggles.com/businesscard/
@LoneK8Blog: http://www.lonek8.com/

And a special thank you to my sponsors who helped me get to BlogHer this year.  Franklin Goose, Bamboo Bums, and Teething Bling/Smart Mom Jewelry all sponsored me financially.  Lillunia LLC and Rockin Green Soap both purchased ad space that I used to help with my trip.  Eco Chic Parties accepts payment for some parties – and that money has been used for trip expenses as well.  Mommy Doodles is my one and only graphic designer and technical expert.  Melanie is AWESOME and always willing to help me (sometimes I even pay her) with my blog(s).  She even designed my awesome business cards for me!