#BlissDom09 Rocked!

I had the opportunity to attend BlissDom ’09 in Nashville, TN over the weekend, with over 250 fun and energetic women (mostly moms) who blog. It was refreshing to see that many of the moms decided to bring their babies, who behaved beautifully and contentedly accompanied their mommies throughout the conference in their cozy slings.

As an apprentice blogger attending her first blogger conference, I thought I’d feel out of place, but then quickly felt that I might actually fit in and also get the opportunity to meet some of the amazing bloggers who've inspired me over the years.

After a warm welcome by Beth from TheMidlifeWife, Erin from CouponCravings (who was also expecting) and Liz from SuccessfulAndOustandingBlog on my way to Hotel Preston, I couldn’t wait to experience the next couple of days. It was also great to see that I wasn’t the only one carrying a baby bump. Esther from FaintStarLite was already on her 7th month, and clearly empathized with another new future mom.

With a full schedule ahead of us, the event kicked off with a fun “Opening Holla”, and I had the privilege to finally meet in person some of the blogger friends I made over the years; Shannon from RocksInMyDryer, Allie from FussyPants, Michelle from WhiteTrashMom, Leighann from TheFullMommy and my one and only fellow Latina blogger, Carrie from BilingualintheBoonies, which I grew to adore during my short stay. It was great to also meet up with 3 of my favorite mommy bloggers, 2 which I met at the Sony Mommy Blogger Event last year, Jenny from MomminItUp and Deanna from DomesticChicky, and the fabulous Amanda from Ohamanda from the Pampers Mommy Blogger Event.

After some really interesting sessions and panel discussions by a few distinguished bloggers, we headed to the cocktail party and a great chat with some really fun and vibrant women; Renee from CutieBootyCakes & Joy and Kate from HappyToBeAtHome. The day ended with a fun PJ & Mamma Mia movie party, where I shared many laughs with Tara from IQuitForLijit and one of my favorite mommy bloggers, Jill from TheDiaperDiaries, while indulging in bite size Snickers and painfully watching Pierce Brosnan attempting to sing a tune to some of my favorite ABBA songs.

The workshops were inspiring, and the energy in the room left me wanting more. I was glad we still had tomorrow, a full day of sessions and an unrevealed surprise after breakfast.

The “two” of us slept like babies. Who doesn’t love hotel beds? I had a healthy breakfast and shared great discussions with Debba from Girlfriendology and the wonderful and inspiring Amber from TheRunAMuck. Barbara Jones, our delightful and comical event moderator, introduced the morning surprise; a short preview of a PBS special of Yanni Voices, followed by a surprise appearance from two of the artists. Brazilian Nathan Pacheco and Venezuelan Ender Thomas managed to leave all the married ladies in the room, including me, flabbergasted and flustered.

A productive and informative 2 full days of blogging and PR sessions, with inspirational women and devoted moms, further reinforced my decision to start my first blog. More to come, so stay tuned!




Featured Photo Credits: Secret Agent Mama