{on speaking at Blog Sugar — yeow!}

It’s been about 2 weeks since I got home from Blog Sugar. One of the things that amazed me the most about visiting Long Beach, CA was the way the city smelled. To me, everything smelled like fresh air. WHICH WAS AWESOME! I loved that outside could be brought inside by keeping the windows open 24/7. California was such a fun adventure, I can’t wait to go back and bring my man!

So about Blog Sugar… —wink! It was my first time speaking {have I mentioned that yet?}, and although I was pretttty nervous, let’s be honest, I thought it was a really great first-time experience. Everyone in my 3 sessions was so sweet and encouraging. I loved the 1-on-1 conversations, the questions & answers, the photos, meeting so many bloggy friends in-person. It was also amazing to see nearly 200 women in attendance at a Christian conference. Warmed my ♥ right up, that’s for sure!

A FEW THINGS I SHARED DURING MY SESSIONS:
* when others think: wow, her life is perfect! — NOT true! I have perfected balance & home life

* every interaction needs to have a purpose ~ this is a smart business practice!

* how does one get a steady following with twitter & Facebook, without asking for it? be yourself, update “regularly”, share little snippets of your life; invite your readers & customers into it

* I needed to decide how I spend my time. if I spend 100% of my time on twitter then I won’t have time for something else. and I don’t want that, I want to engage in many different ways. I want to meet my customers where they are, and they aren’t all with one Social Media site {so important to know!}

* how do I balance my time? some times I use social media for just 15 minutes, others for an hour {it all depends on what I need to accomplish that day}; every day I make an achievable list of what I need to accomplish ~ and I stick to it! if I don’t, I don’t feel productive (blah!); set fun goals to motivate myself, like a half day off!

* how do I find the time to sew, blog, post on facebook, tweet, use pinterest ~ without losing my marbles? I *NEED* to prioritize my time and tasks, and I need to remember I can’t do it all (realizing this has been so important and has allowed me to grow my business)!

Before the conference, which was on Sunday, I was lucky to squeeze in an entire 24 hours with some friends that I don’t see nearly as often as I’d like to: Ruthanne, Lindsey, Jeannett, Mique, Jess. We met up Friday afternoon and chatted // giggled // snorted // laughed ’til we cried. Then we shared a meal together, and then all 6 of us crashed at a hotel and again, chatted // giggled // snorted // laughed ’til we cried. These girls are such dear friends. They’re such lovely people and I love that we’re able to share weekend adventures a couple times a year.

Blogging events are really special to me. They have allowed me to meet new friends, chase dreams, face fears, travel the country, brainstorm new ideas…

What kind of “events” are special to you? What’s your favorite way to travel?
xoxo

PS. there’s a new Gussy Sews giveaway out there ~ click here to enter!