BlissDom 2013 in Pictures

I need to take more pictures. I suck at taking pictures. BlissDom taught me I need to take more... so enjoy my BlissDom experience in photos. (note to self: TAKE MORE PICTURES)

Bits and pieces from The Gaylord Texan

That 'Swag Bag' was FULL to the brim. The BlissDom sponsors really know how to spoil a blogger.

 

Top: 1) Mandy, Meg, Heather 2) Meg 3) Heather

Middle: 1) Johnson & Johnson Promise Tree 2) GoGoSqueez 3) Amber

Bottom: 1) Neely 2) Traci 3) Crafty GoGoSqueez goodness

Can I just say- I la-la-LOVED meeting Heather? Here's what a simple person I am- I was apparently meeting all these H-U-G-E bloggers and had no idea what was happening... I was just so excited to meet my blogging best friend. Someone asked, "Did you meet Lisa?" My response- "Maybe". Shame on me for not knowing who she is. Kiiiiiiiiiiiind of a big deal.


1) Alli Worthington 2) Kelly 3) Beth 4) Nancy

 Let me just say - Kelly and Beth totally took it in stride when I completely geeked out about the two of them. I can guarantee you they are both warm, friendly, and genuine. Plus, they didn't act like I was a crazy lady for having my own spaztastic moment. I literally gasped when I saw Kelly in the Handmade Marketplace. Not only is she fashionable, she is SOOOOOO nice! And Beth- I knew who she was - but not from her blog. She's one of the first Instagram stores I started following. She likes vintage, which means I like her.

1) Ashley   The only other Oklahoma blogger I knew... 2) Danica  (so friendly) 3) Kate (have you pinned her? I'm the dork who said, "Oh my gawsh, I've pinned you!)

Inspirational Authors? 
Each speaker I heard was credible, taught me something, and most importantly, blessed my heart.

Jon Acuff

Scott Stratten

Jeff Goins - Check out his book Wrecked

Celebrities? You want Celebrities? 

 Check, check, and double check.

Heather, Me, Stephanie, Chris Mann (from NBC's The Voice), Amber P. Riley (of glee fame), Ashley, and Whitney

Oh hey- have you met my homie, Elton, oops, I mean, Jeremy Sisto?  

Here's  a cool story:
Jeremy: What's your blog?
Me: Every Day is Your Runway
Jeremy: Cool. Fashion?
Me: Yes!
Maybe not the coolest story, but it's mine and I love it.
Not to be left out - I also met the incredibly, down-to-earth, genuine, funny Ana Gasteyer.  They are both on the ABC comedy, Suburgatory. It's witty. It's funny. And you should definitely check it out!

Lastly - the immense, unreal, awesome blogger swag I came home with. Companies continued to give, give, give. One of my favorites was the VO5 (hoping to get around to a review soonish)


After seeing all this, you want to go too, right? BlissDom was a whirlwind of excitement and I hope I get the opportunity to go again.

BlissDom 2013

I've made a cardinal mistake of reading recaps of BlissDom before I was satisfied with my own... I am torn between the flowery truth and the grisly truth because I have both to say about BlissDom.



"Never compare you beginning of someone else's middle"  

 " You have permission to be horrible." ~ Jon Acuff

I recall a quite empowering moment for myself. I know I am called to teaching and I've always thought of it as a permanent fixture in my life. But it was freeing to glimpse the possibility of other things. I did not know there were careers to be made from social media. This is not to say I want to quit teaching. Please hear what I'm saying - as long as it's what God has for me, it's what I'll do.  BlissDom helped me realize, I feel comparably passionate about both 'frugal-fashion blogging' and teaching. It now seems less scary to imagine possibilities.

"You can choose to be afraid or you can choose to trust." ~ Jeff Goins
This was one of the many moments that brought tears to my eyes. This was for me. Jeff Goins was poignant. Eloquent. I connected immediately. He's a self proclaimed "word nerd" and he was speaking my language.  "Risk being misunderstood"? Okay. I can do that. I've always been a little different. As young as first grade, I said, "I'm not weird, I'm unique." 

"You look the best when you look like you." ~ Scott Stratten

And here's some of the 'grisly truth'. The girl I was in high school who felt awkward around the "popular kids" - I was worried that girl might show up. She did not disappoint in rearing her insecure head. Casual observers probably had no idea. I'm pretty good at flying solo but when I would come back to my room at night, I'd air my insecurities with my husband. Women are clique-y. As much as we don't want to be, as much as we'd rather not be, and as much as I'd like to say I'm not clique-y -we all are. And it sucks.

Have you ever met someone and your heart skipped a little because it recognized a friend? An instant connection was made? I met some of those heart-skipping friends at BlissDom and made some incredible connections with people I want to see again. Phenomenal men and women who made my heart and face smile. People who made me feel accepted for the real Jana.

Being around people who not only understand, but also relate when you talk about blogging, Twitter, Instagram, SEO, numbers, and blog traffic- and don't think I'm crazy- it's a liberating, empowering experience. To have fellow bloggers celebrate with me when I say, "Oh I only have 104 followers"- wow. What a feeling! Before  BlissDom I felt like I had no business being there but after BlissDom I realized the old adage "we all put our pants on one [insert trendy color her here] skinny leg at a time" has never been more true. (Ya know, since we're all into wearing skinny jeans these days.) It's a joy to be around people who want you to succeed.

I learned blunt truths about blogging and learned useful strategies from one of the breakout sessions I attended.  

"Suck it up and act like business people." ~ Shelly Kramer
Blogging is strategic. SEO (search engine optimization - which I learned that acronym at BlissDom) doesn't compromise your integrity as a writer. In fact, it helps get your awesome writing out there. Do it. Blogging is a business. It's okay to be strategic.

(Um, sucks to be me though because I got a migraine and apparently missed some awesome sessions on Friday.)


When it's all said and done- BlissDom is what you make of it. You can choose to make it an awesome, memorable time or you can choose to sit on the sidelines and let insecurities win out. I chose to find my Bliss and I left with plenty of happies in my heart. So much happy it spilled out my eyes.