Making a connection

I wanted to introduce you to some of my new friends I met at Blissdom.  I decided I would do this in sections because I really wanted to introduce you to them and share a little bit about each one.  When you have a moment, check out their blogs.  You will be glad you did.   

If you've been a reader for some time, you know I don't shy away from talking about our infertility journey or the loss of our daughter Zoe and son Jonathan.  This little blog has become a place of healing for me and maybe, just maybe, it will help a few out there that are going through the same journey.

It all started at breakfast.  There was a sea of about 25 round tables in a large ballroom.  I picked a table at random and starting eating.  I sat quietly as I ate and couldn't help but over hear the conversation going on across the table.  All it takes are words like "infertility" or "I lost a baby" for my ears to perk up.  Combine that with talk of natural and whole food eating and I could barely sit any longer in my chair.  As soon as their conversation ended I made my way over and introduced myself to Donielle who writes at Naturally Knocked Up. 

Seriously, how cool is that name?  I love it.  We talked and talked and were eventually late to our morning session, but I don't think either of us cared.  Our journey through infertility started the connection and then she shared with me that she had lost a baby recently.  I could so relate.  I remember being at Blissdom last year on my due date with Jonathan.  It was not easy.  You see a place like Blissdom brings out all the pregnant women and those with babes on their hips.  It's awesome to see, but can be painful if you've lost a baby.  During our conversation Donielle, told me about someone I just had to meet. 

Her name was Stephanie from at Beyond Words Designs.  I made it my mission to track her down.  This is not easily done with over 700 bloggers in a hotel that is the size of a small country.  I couldn't have done it without Donielle's help.  She was able to find Stephanie so I could sit down and talk with her.  Thanks Donielle.

If you could only picture the surroundings in which our face to face meeting took place.  Large ballroom, incredibly loud music and a dance floor with about 100 women all dancing.  We sat on the floor Indian style like two little 5 year old girls and we talked and talked.  We cried. I am sure there were a few women who were sitting and staring and wondering just how someone could be crying with "Baby's Got Back" playing in the background.  You see I really didn't care about what was going on around me.  I had made a connection to someone so deep I could feel her pain.  It was my pain.

I learned she is an amazing artist.  Just take a look.  This is just one of her painting.  Simply beautiful.

This one spoke to me.  I remember leaving the hospital after losing Zoe and then Jonathan and still physically looking like I was still pregnant with no babe inside.  I love how she is reaching towards the heavens and holding her belly.  It's as if she's saying, "Oh sweet babe, how I miss you.  I long to be with you, but I know you are in the arms of Jesus until I can see you again.

Stephanie has used her pain to bring meaning to her daughter's death.  You can read about Amelia's story here and see how you can get involved to help bring healing to others.

Sitting next to Stephanie was Adrienne from Another Ordinary Miracle.  I have followed Adrienne's blog for about 2 years and really connected with her because she had gone through infertility just like I had.  I was familiar with her incredible story, but had never met her in real life, even though we both live in the same town.  I cannot tell you how many times I prayed for her sweet baby boy to live and thrive and he's doing just that, as you can see.

It was an honor to meet her and as we talked we realized we shared the same doctor.  Such a small world.  If you have never been to her blog, you must go check it out.  You will be amazed at how God took their family from 1 to 4 in 1 year.  To God be the Glory!

These are just a few of the women I had the chance to hang out with at Blissdom.  Tomorrow I will introduce to some more.  I can't wait for you to meet them. 

What I learned from Jon Acuff- Blissdom Recap

I am always so thankful after I come home from my time at Blissdom.  Thankful for the time I got to spend with so many amazing women.  Seriously, some of these ladies blow my mind.  They are so creative, funny, talented and giving of their time.  I am honored to be a part of such an awesome community. Tomorrow, I will introduce you to some of my friends.  I hope you will stop by and meet them.

I am thankful for what I learned at Blissdom.  We had some amazing speakers.  I want to introduce you to one of them, in case you aren't familiar with him.  His name is Jon Acuff and he is a National best selling author and speaker.  He lives in Nashville with his wife and two daughters.

Jon was our opening keynote speaker.  He was just the right person to set the tone for the conference.  There were so many "nuggets of goodness" that I took away.  Here are just a few examples. 

*  "Never compare your beginning, to someone else's middle".  How many times have I done that?
*  "Be selfish with time no one else is using".  I'm now getting up before the girls to get quiet time in.
*  "Fear tells you, you can do it later.  Can I get an Amen?
*  "Let your child be your child, not your blog content".  Like a dagger in the heart, but a necessary one.
*  "Look for hinge moments".  Those moments in life that change everything.

Jon told a story about his daughter that hit me like a sucker punch.  He spoke of a time when he was supposed to be helping his daughter with a spelling test.  He was getting distracted and trying to send out a tweet, when his daughter took a napkin and placed it over her daddy's iPhone.  It read, "Daddy, pay atenchun".  (I love the irony in the misspelled word, don't you?) 

I've had those moments where you basically, let me just be blunt here, feel like a pile of crap.  I think we've all been there as a parent.  Those paralyzing moments that you would love to go back in time do over. Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way, but we can change how we move foward to lessen the chances of having more of those moments. 

As soon as I got home, I asked Brooklyn and Sydney to come sit with me.  I had something I wanted to talk with them about.  I looked into their eyes and told them just how much I loved and valued them.  I told them that they mean more to me than anything in this world.  I apologized for not always making them feel that way.  For all the times I valued the contents of my iPhone over the memories I could be making with them.  I vowed that from now on, when I am with them, they will have all of me.  I would enjoy my time with them and be present in the moment.  No more iPhone when I am with them.  Period.  There is no room for compromise.  In my book, these faces are worth it.   

Technology is great, but not at the expense of our children.  They deserve more.  Thank you Jon for driving home that point.

What can you do today to show your children they mean more to you then the things of this world?

Giving it up

So Lent started today and I was tryng to decide what to give up for the next 40 days.  I knew it needed to be something really difficult, so I narrowed it down to Facebook and t.v.  In the end, I decided on t.v.  I know you all probably think I am crazy, but I'm actually excited to see how my relationship with the Lord grows as the result of laying one of my idols down at His feet.  I am saying no to t.v. and more of Him.

There are a few times that I will allow myself to watch t.v.  Well, really only one.  If we have a movie night with the girls over the next 40 days, they love movie nights, I will partake so that we can spend that time together as a family.

Are you giving up something for Lent?  I would love to hear about it and encourage you.

This post is short because I am off to pack for Blissdom.  Yipee! I leave tomorrow afternoon.  Big thank you to my hubby and my dad for holding down the fort while I am gone.  Can't wait to see all of my blogging friends and meet new ones too.

Blissdom Hangover

I have a hangover. Here's the funny thing, not one drop of alcohol passed these precious lips of mine while I was at Blissdom. So why do I feel like I could crawl back in bed and sleep the whole entire day? My brain is mentally fried, but in a good way. I literally have pages of notes I have to go back through and implement. It was an amazing conference and I am so glad I was able to attended. Hats off to my awesome hubby and my parents who held down the fort while I was gone.

We talked alot about community the 3 days we were there. I count it a priviledge to be a part of something so incredible. The blogging community is a family. We were all there to support and encourage one another. I saw that first hand. I talked to "big time" bloggers that were sweet enough to share ideas with me that they thought would work well for my blog. They didn't have big egos or attitudes, they were just real. I loved that. I made so many great friends this past week that it made it hard to say goodbye. I will be teaming up with some of the friends I made at Blissdom and I can't wait for you to meet them.

I would love to leave you with a fun little "ditty" we did at the close of the conference. It was a surprise to Alli and Barb, the co founders of the conference. They had no idea and it was so cool to see the look on their faces. The idea was spearheaded by Jana who contacted us through a secret FB profile. She then emailed us the video of the choreography. All over the country we practiced for 2 months. This was the end result. I was so proud to be a part of the first ever Blissdom Flashmob. Thanks Jana for all of your hard work. You rock girl!



Thank you for being a part of my community.

My Blissdom Friends

I had a wonderful time at Blissdom meeting new friends and old. I was thrilled that my dear friends, Chrissie and Lisa, would be coming into town from California. I hadn't seen them in over 10 years since I moved to the south. I grew up with them in youth group in high school and college back in Southern California. It was so great to catch up with them on Friday night at dinner. It felt like it was old times and that 10 years hadn't really passed. They are both wives, mothers and very talented and creative business women. Chrissie makes handmade costumes and banners, basically anything you need to throw a great party. You can visit her site at Handmade Play. Lisa has her own jewelry line that is just beautiful. Thank you Lisa for my angel wings necklace. I haven't taken it off since you gave it to me. I love it. You can see her designs at LisaLeonardOnline. With Mother's Day coming up it would be a perfect gift for mom. I can't wait for next year's Blissdom just so I can see them again.

I also had the privilege of meeting someone whose blog I have followed for over a year and a half now. She was actually one of the very first blogs I started reading. Jennifer McKinney, aka, Mckmama, was at Blissdom to give the closing keynote speech. On Friday I got to sit down and talk with her for a bit. I didn't really know what to expect, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. She is genuine and incredibly sweet. She was truly interested in hearing my story and asking me questions about my journey through infertility. I was also able to give her the bib I had made for her new little one coming in the summer. She loved it. Her closing speech on Saturday was great. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house as she shared her testimony and showed a video of the name banners people had done for Stellan when he was sick. Thank you Jennifer for your heart and for being authentic and real.

I roomed with my friend Calie from BroccoliCupcake. How great is that name? Her slogan is "Where Healthy, Meets Happy". I love it. If you have read my blog for sometime, you know I am very much in to health, so it was great to be able to talk with someone who really has lived it. It was fun to be able to swap things that we've learned and put into practice for our families. Calie also has a Women's Wellness Weekend coming up at the end of the month here in town. If you are local you need to check out her website for more details. It's going to be great.

I have many more new friends I made that I will be telling you about on another post. It was truly a wonderful weekend for me. One I will soon not forget.

What a day!

I don't even know where to start. Today has been amazing. I have met so many wonderful bloggers and my brain is a little on overdrive to say the least. I attended two really good workshops today. I can sum up in one word what they were all about. That is "community." The Webster's definition of community is described as a unified body of individuals, a people with a common interest.

There was a strong sense of empowerment as I looked across the room of about 500 women. It was really inspiring to me. We are all women, wives, mothers, united in our passion for blogging. We are women who are strong, intelligent, and striving to do the best we can do in this thing we call life. Most of us are wives and mothers, but whatever we choose to blog about, we are united because we have a voice. A voice that resonates across the blogoshpere. We share our heartaches and our triumphs. We share our victories and our defeats. We hopefully share when we've made mistakes and when we've followed our guts.

I may not have the fanciest blog in town and that's ok. What I realized today is that I have to stay true to who I am. Who I believe God has called me to be. First and foremost I am a child of the most High God. Secondly I am a wife to an amazing husband and thirdly I am a mother to my beautiful daughters. I blog about the things that have made me who I am today. Overcoming infertility to become a mom, the passion I have to eat healthier and to share what that can do for others, and the everyday struggles and joys I have being a mommy to my two little girls. I am grateful if 10 people read my blog or if 10,000 read my blog. If something I say makes a difference in someones life, than I feel like I have accomplished what I was made to do. Thanks for stopping by.