fitbloggin flashback

by

I know.

I’ll bet you thought after this post you’d be spared my conference-muzings.

Alas.

You were incorrect.

More than anything I want to again thank my sponsor UGI.

They rock, People.

Their product is amazing.

They are smart, strong, funny, motivated woman working their collective-asses off to help us work our collective-asses off (yesIsaidit.).

ONWARD.

What I learned and re-learned over the past few days.

Bullet’ed for your reading pleasure:

  • The second time can, indeed, be as fab as the first. I wont lie to you or Roni Noone.  I feared. I feared. I adored the intimacy we had at Fitbloggin10.  I was happy to see with more bloggers in attendance there was the same level of kinship & unity.
  • There is nothing like being greeted at the airport by two amazing stranger-friends. Ive known Tara & Colleen on twitter for a while & being met at the Baltimore airport by their energy launched Fitbloggin perfectly.

  • Somethings ARE worth the wait, exceed expectations and feel IMMEDIATELY comfy like an old shoe you’ve known each other forever. I was nervous-excited to*finally* meet the other Fit Chick (sans her microphone) and, well, I love her just as much in person as on skype.
  • When you have a nice thought—share it. Some may call it losing my filter, but I like to think of it as spreading the love.  With a few words you can alter the course of someone’s day or entire conference. I was on the *receiving* end of this at Fitbloggin & hope my shared words made me on the giving end as well.
  • Our tribe is warm, welcoming and MIND-BLOWINGLY supportive. I could ramble (& get choked up in the process)  instead Ill just say read this post.
  • I really don’t workout when on vacation. Roni offered an veritable buffet of fitness activities.  I worked my mouth-muscles chatting instead.  Time with blogger-friends feels all too fleeting.
  • The sessions I attended were so packed with information & discourse they could have spanned an entire weekend (Hello! Intuitive Eating panel).  We healthy living bloggers are a wise & talented bunch.
  • That said, I still think I learned more outside the sessions than in. The stories shared.  The laughter.  The tears. The blogger melding of the minds & plotting of world domination. Bloggers uniting to effect national change. All of that happen in hallways or on escalators or during snack breaks or meals or late night and it inspired me.
  • At 40+ I wont back down from peer pressure something that scares me. I ate my first oyster at Fitbloggin.  Never. Again. I dont understand the allure and have been informed some of this is the fact I gag at the mere use of the word horseradish.

  • The beef jerky I currently consume *stinks* and many of you love me enough to sit near me in sessions anyway.

  • I leave town & the Tornado gets snazzy new boots (!).

  • I possess the ability to commit to & indeed execute wearing nothing but toddler clothing jumpsuits for 4 days in a row (save your applause).
  • An impressive number of you fancy ladies own and use flat irons on a regular basis.  Im in awe.

When asked by people, as I have been frequently since Sunday morning, what did I miss at Fitbloggin?! my answer is this:

Absolutely nothing (as thanks to Roni the sessions were all live blogged), LOTS (hugs, love-fests, first time meeting shrieks of joy & shared moments which defy words) and please to come next year.

I’ve attended many conferences where I return tired, depleted and a wee bit regretting I took the time away from my family.

I returned from Fitbloggin feeling more CONNECTED than I had in a while.  To know me virtually or in real life is to know that is something this misfit really, really needed.

 

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Comments

  1. SO glad it was a wonderful experience. Great list of lessons- my favorites are that you enjoyed this fitbloggin as much as the previous and that you loved the bloggers you “knew” before the conference as much in real life as you did in blog world. Have a great Monday with your tornado and her cute boots

  2. I can’t even put into words how wonderful it was to finally meet you in person this weekend, Carla. Thanks for taking a few minutes out of the crazy weekend to spend with me and let me get a photo of us together. Can’t wait to see you again next year! xoxo

  3. Thanks so much for bringing me along virtually 🙂
    Those last sentences make me want to go next year.

  4. OMG you ate an oyster?!

    I might have gone just to see that happen.

    I watched all the tweets and will be there next year for sure.

    How was the UGI demo??

  5. Aw! I’m gonna start saving now so that I can come next year! 🙂 Thanks for sharing, sounds like an amazing experience!

  6. Um, yeah – NOT feelin’ the oysters either, but beef jerky I can do.

    Had a blast … and you were such a big part of that.

    Winks & Smiles,
    Wifey

  8. I, too, followed along on twitter and will be there next year.

    May I pick you up at the airport??:)

  9. Um, yeah – NO oysters, but beef jerky I can do.

    I had a blast … and so much of that was because of you!

    Winks & Smiles,
    Wifey

  10. This was my favorite post-conference post by far.
    Can’t WAIT to chat later this week. You helped make the conference what is was and I can’t thank you enough.

    {{HUGS}}

  12. Meeting you was the high point of my conference.

    You are precisely the same off blog as you are here.

    much love.

  14. Thanks for sharing your conference experiences with us here, on Twitter, and Facebook…it was like I was there with you in real life even though I was here wishing I was there in real life.

  15. Only way in hell that I eat oysters is if they are fried. I make it a point not to eat something that looks like snot 🙂

  17. I guess my greatest fear would be ppl not knowing who I was;). But nonetheless, I will be one of those flat iron packing bloggers next year. Surely by then I’ll be famous!:)

  21. I’ve really been enjoying reading all the liveblogs that Roni’s been posting! Sounds like it was an amazing experience for all involved! And I LOVE the TOrnado’s new boots – do I see a matching pair for you in your future??

  22. You know, I told you that i’d be heckling your page more (instead of just reading it) but I really can’t find anything to heckle here. Try harder, Miz Carla, to be objectionable!

    Well… oysters are objectionable. I’m with you — there’s no need to go there again. Slimy and gross!

  25. Love the weekend. Love the oysters. Love the camaradarie and the connection. Love the inspiration I bring home along with all the swag. Love The Miz.

  27. HAHAHA, you and I are like-minded when it comes to Oysters. I wanted to like them. They seem like a “classy” food to enjoy, but theres just something about the texture that makes me gag. Bleh!

  28. I’ve been up since 4a but am still running happily behind. Happily because it was all.so.worth.it!

  29. As an exhibitor, it is SUCH a joy to be at Fitbloggin. It’s the best group of people; all so supportive and just plain wonderful. I can’t wait to do it again.

  30. “support and unity” – I was really struck at the love – no matter what our stories or paths are – there are so many similarities and places of connection. I was struck at how similar people were IRL to their online stuff. People that write with exclamation points (uh, me) sort of act that way in person too. Yep – this is a real tribe – aren’t we lucky? xoxooxox

  31. Glad you had such a great time – sound like it was really fun (minus the oysters, natch).

    Loving the Tornado’s new boots! She is a lucky girl. 🙂

  32. It was amazing getting to meet “THE” Miz in real life and absorb your energy. Whether it was the fitness sessions, the panels, or conversations in between you were your usual no-nonsense self and more than overflowing with excitement and information. Thank you for making the conference unforgettable.

  35. Sounds like an amazing experience. I really would like to get out and meet new people that are into health and fitness. So many of my local friends/fellow moms just don’t get my fascination with it so I often feel alone. That is why I reach out through social media now. Still trying to learn everything as technology is not my forte. I hope to meet those I have made connections with online someday.

  36. Ya know, I feel the same way. I was just remarking to myself that I amazingly feel energized and not the usual drained feeling I have after conferences. Good seeing you as usual. I love you in your unfiltered glory!

  37. Sounds like a wonderful time – fantastic! It really makes me wish that I was larger part of this community, instead of a long-term “onlooker.”

  38. oyster nice haha you are brave! I did try some mussels the other day and was surprised that they weren’t too bad, haha

    Sorry we missed Fitbloggin this year, looks like it was a great time!! Hopefully next year we will be able to attend!

  40. It was SO WONDERFUL to finally meet you in person! The best part was (next to the fact you wore a killer jumpsuit) that you are exactly what I imagined you to be like in person. In other words, your real voice matched your blog voice. That’s a very cool thing!

  42. I did not attend in 2010 but am happy to read that the influx of more people did not harm the good-natured vibe it had in the beginning. This is an awesome community and I look forward to returning as well.

  43. Loved getting to hangout with you this weekend 🙂 You are amazing, kick-ass, funny, and inspiring! Thanks for being you! Love you!

  45. Fantastic recap! It was such a pleasure meeting you and thank you for introducing me to the UgiFit! Can’t wait to get mine!

    I’ve never had oysters or jerky but I’d rather try the jerky first! 🙂

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