I totally went to BlogHer….and I had a tremendous time….and thanks to some wicked fabulous companies, I got to enjoy my trip just THAT much more.

Not anything that would make or break my trip, but things that made it easier to go….things that made me feel prettier and more self-confident walking into a sea of new faces…things that made my trip just a little bit more fun. These companies asked me to be one of their ambassadors, to give their products a face and name and so I did, with much appreciation.

**This is where I tell you that I was supposed to take PICTURES of all these things…but I only remembered to take about twenty pictures the whole weekend…so, dear companies, I’m sorry I totally failed you!**

So, here’s the business portion of my BlogHer recap!! I know. Hold on to your hats.

Seriously? They let ME on the production floor of the Ford plant. While they were making cars. I mean, actually putting them together ten feet away from me.

They even let me try on their virtual reality gear that the engineers use to BUILD.THE.CARS. Yeah.  I’m totally cool like that.

I got to test drive and sample their new 2010 line and HOLY CRAP! Can I just tell you that coming home to my van that does NOT parallel park itself…does NOT send a warning when it senses a car in my blind spot or if a car is coming from the side that I cannot see…does NOT have the MyKey technology and, frankly, does not look like THIS little piece of heaven

….well, color me unsatisfied.

Ford wanted to know “What Women Want” in a car and it wasn’t all about pink interiors and cup holders…we let them know loud and clear that YES, we do want style in our vehicle…but we also care about the environment…we care deeply about the safety of ourselves and others on the road…we want to feel secure and know that our vehicle is dependable and trustworthy. And Yes. Cupholders are awesome.  But the next time I go to buy a vehicle I know that Ford is working to make their vehicles what I want and need them to be will weigh heavily into my decisions.

And you know what? When they asked me what my image of Ford is, I was totally honest and told them I had always known Ford as: Fix Or Repair Daily and Found On Road Dead.

Now? Ford Outright Rocked, Dude!

THANK YOU, SCOTT, KAREN and FORD!

I told you all about my fantastic Lane Bryant dress….this one….

Well, I was just dorky enough to NOT get a single picture of myself IN IT at the any of the parties…but REALLY? Does this dress need talked about anymore?  I can tell you that I felt wonderfully comfortable and sexy in it…it fit like a dream and I could not believe that Lane Bryant carried something so beautiful.

I just want to send a huge thank you to Ritter and Lane Bryant for giving me this opportunity to wear your product…..because I sure felt like I got more out of it than you did.  I border between too large for regular sizes and too small for plus sizes and I struggle to buy clothes.  Knowing that I DO have options at Lane Bryant is a wonderful thing.

THANK YOU, RITTER and LANE BRYANT!!

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The unspoken secret in women’s circles is what you’re wearing UNDER your clothes.  We are some crazy, secretive shapewearing fools…we try to suck it in, flatten it down and tighten it up.  Some work better than others and at BlogHer I got to try out Yummie Tummies.  They were so good that I even loaned one to a friend that *conveniently* got packed up and taken home with her….and I am a little bitter.

Because these things worked!  I will admit that after a night of dancing and admiring unicorn-shaped cakes, it was HOT…but nevertheless, it kept things sucked in that needed to be sucked.

Please no comments on my square butt…there are reasons I never let pictures of my hind quarters be taken. EVER. I’m talking to YOU, AMY!

I had limited chances to wear the pieces AT BlogHer because the tanks didn’t work with many of the shirts I’d brought for either neckline or strap issues (which HELLO! They have style options on their website I’m crossing my fingers to get to try)…but I’ve worn them since I got home so I could really tell you what I think of them and they are fantastic for muffin-top issues.  Which I have. My daughter told me so.

THANK YOU, CAT, STEFANIA and YUMMIE TUMMIE!!

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Bling? Oh, I HAZ IT!!!

Sorrelli Jewelry was kind enough to bestow up on me these gorgeous pieces.

A bracelet and a ring that brought incredible amounts of praise and for someone who’s not a jewelry hound, these pieces go with everything and anything.  And REALLY? Do these pieces not totally speak for themselves?  It made me feel like a princess to put on my beautiful dress and wear this incredible jewelry.

Can I just tell you that there are never enough opportunities for 35YO women with three kids to feel like a princess.

THANK YOU, LILY AND SORRELLI JEWELRY!!

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On a quieter note, with no stinking picture to mark the occasion, I finally got to meet Angela while I was in Chicago.  Angela is the amazing lady I met through one review opportunity and friendship blossomed.  Angela’s friendship and generosity led to my chance to attend BlogHer with HP’s support. And I cannot thank her enough…and you too, HP!  BTW? Don’t forget, Angela, I totally licked that one computer, so it belongs to me now, right? RIGHT?

]]> http://freeanissa.com/2009/08/ford-asked-what-women-want-and-apparently-its-to-look-hot-and-wear-beautiful-jewelry-well-duh/feed/ 10 http://freeanissa.com/2009/07/the-scent-of-blogher-still-lingers-on-my-skin/ http://freeanissa.com/2009/07/the-scent-of-blogher-still-lingers-on-my-skin/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:00:04 +0000 Anissa Mayhew http://freeanissa.com/?p=112

Because I’m totally a follower, I’m going to do what my beloved friend Janet did and NOT post links to every single thing because a) I don’t want to leave anyone out b) I’m stupid and lame and can’t remember every person’s name {even with the help of business cards} c) if you THINK I’m talking about you? I am.

Well, BlogHer.

I went!

I ditched a bunch of parties I had planned to go to.  I didn’t get the swag bags that caused unfortunate amounts of whining…dude, I even gave one of mine away to someone whose plane landed late and she wasn’t there in time.  I ate cheeseburgers for too many of my meals. My grooming went downhill the more conference fatigue set in….sorry for all of you about the lack of bouncy in my hair on Saturday, I just couldn’t be bothered anymore. All that convincing of the husband about how I was going to come back a smarter, savvier blogger because of my time there? YEAH. I went to two panels the whole weekend and I was speaking at one of them.

However, these are the things I learned about conferences.

1.  Tweeting/facebooking/emailing about how I can’t wait to meet you was not sufficient….apparently I needed to be more specific and say “I’d really LOVE to have more than three minutes to spend with you and really get to know the person I’ve talked to so much online.”  I know there are definitely people I have sadface about not getting to spend enough time with, so if for any reason I am one of those people for you, I too wish there’d been more hours in the day.

2.  Shoes suck.  I am wearing flip flops or going barefoot the next time.  I woke up with a wicked headache this morning and I have a sneaking suspicion one of my feet finally got fed up and kicked me in the face.

3.  ALWAYS wear a bra…because the one time you don’t because the straps show under your shirt (planning FAIL on my part) a drunken friend WILL bite you on the boob. OUCH! but forgiven.

4.  Swag.  Holy product mafia!  I wanted certain bags because they had great toys that I could give to my kids, but not enough to smack a baby in the head….STEAL them off tables….or pitch a fit for the rest of the weekend because I didn’t get one.  Can we please remember that the majority of us are there to meet people and reconnect with friends and learn from each other?  Not to pay for flights, rooms and registrations so we can score a sample sized bottle of shampoo. I could have bought a crapload of laundry detergent for how much this conference cost.

5. Cameras…I brought my big mack daddy camera and it never left the room. I snuck my kid’s little point and shoot and took fun pictures and didn’t feel totally weighed down with the hugeness.  So glad I made that choice.

6.  Talk to everyone.  Even if you don’t know them, didn’t plan to know them or even have any idea who they are.  I met some of the most stunning people in the down moments…sharing a lobby couch…waiting for a plane…elevators (I now totally understand why SO much of Grey’s Anatomy takes place on the elevator)…and the *gasp* smoking section.

7.  It’s ok to skip the BIG events to spend quieter quality time with just a few people with whom you’ve just cemented friendships that will last.

8.  It’s totally awesome when a listener at your speaking panel steals the show with a story that breaks your heart and makes you realize WHY you do this in the first place.

9.  Parties.  Oh the parties. The Partaaaays!  Dance like no one’s going to take incriminating photos of you and post them on Flickr.

10.  Pick good roommates.  Roomates that don’t mind if you snore and let you snuggle anyways…the kind of roommates that can pump breastmilk and it doesn’t even bother you. The kind of roommates that will TELL YOU when something does, in fact, make you look fat. The kind of roommate that will leave the room unoccupied because you cannot “make a potty” if you think someone might come in.  I love you, ladies!

And a few final notes.

Dear Readers, whether you read Hope4Peyton, FreeAnissa or Aiming Low you left a thrill in my heart every time one of you were able to mention a site by name. When there are so many awesome writers in the blogosphere, thank you for letting me be a part of your days.  Means the world to me.

Dear Sheraton, THANK YOU for making sure I couldn’t use my computer 80% of the time and my phone practically at ALL…because REALLY? WHY would a thousand bloggers want an internet connection that works…just keep those hamsters running in the wheel, I’m sure it’ll be good enough for the next conference group.

Dear Chicago, your city rocked my socks.

Dear BlogHer, I’m totally drained and exhausted and HOLY CRAP did my laundry load totally quadruple, but you were so worth it.

*SIGH*  I wrote this the morning I left for BlogHer, but apparently the wi-fi connection was so lousy in the hotel, it never actually posted. Tech hotel FAIL! So better late than never, right?

I’m writing this from the Atlanta airport…drinking a cup of mediocre coffee, a man who needs to rethink his commitment to deodorant on my left and the poor frazzled mother of five youngsters playing wrangler on my right.  Did I mention that the Jonas Brothers are booming from the TV?  Stellar!

I have found the ninth level of hell.

The level directly after being taunted onto a trampoline and realizing mid-jump you HAVE to pee.

However, I can’t even be bothered by it.  I just keep drinking my crappy coffee and smiling at the thoughts of what’s to come.

This trip is so many things.

It’s an opportunity for fun, yet very much a business trip and every stop between those two.

It’s also another big scissor step into a life that isn’t weighed down by cancer.

I took the first trip without my kids in February and felt like I was going to have an anxiety attack the entire first twenty-four hours.

Yet, last night I was able to kiss and smoosh and goodbye each of my children with less guilt than expected and more confidence that this trip was a good thing for me to do.

Partly because I know that they WILL survive without me, and as hard as it is to believe, I can survive without them. In fact, I am a BETTER mom when I’ve had the chance to miss them.

I’ll get home and just burst into sparkly fountains of joy at the sight of their familiar faces.  I’ll think they may have actually managed to grow in five days time. I will soak in the sounds of their voices and be overwhelmed with motherlove so intense it makes my teeth hurt.  I will wonder how I ever managed to breathe so far from them.

And then one of them will do something completely jackass and I will sigh and get back to the business of being their mom.

But for those SIX minutes it’ll be utter BLISS!

Don’t forget to check out the new posts over at Aiming Low!

My niece went to camp and got sent home early.

She did not get in trouble. She did not break the rules.  She was not caught creeping out of her cabin after hours in an attempt to make it  to the boys’ side of the camp.  Unfortunately!

Nope, what she did get was exposure to Swine Flu.

SWINE FLU.

Then she got sick.

But not with the flu.

Nope. No flu.

I think she has mono.

Seriously.

And this is the daughter of my sister who was supposed to be watching my kids for BlogHer.

Take a minute to think about that.

I have an immune-compromised kid and my sister’s kid is S.I.C.K.

I have moved to a new city where I know no one.  All my family is elsewhere…as are my friends with babysitting-aged younglings.

SCREWED!!

I ARE SCREWED!!

I panicked. I Facebooked it and Tweeted it and cried and threw a big-ass temper tantrum.

It truly meant that there was a very good chance that BlogHer was just beyond my reach.

And I? Became a six-year-old who was just told there was no ice cream for dessert.

BUT I WANT IT!!!!! YOU PROMISED!!! I HATE YOU!!!! YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!!!

Oh yeah, those awesome coping skills I  pretend to have? Gone.

I spent several hours bemoaning the fact that I would not be in Chicago enjoying the company of friends old and new….not getting the chance to promote the new blogs I’ve worked so hard on…not get to speak at the panel with my peers….and no swag for Anissa.

I know. You could almost cry.

And then it REALLY hit me.  That meant having to give back the money I’ve already spent on the registration/hotel/flight from HP, who’s kind enough to feel I’m worthy to attend on their dime.

And THE dress from the ever-surprising Lane Bryant? I would not be wearing it to the cocktail parties…I would, in fact, probably be require to pay them for it.

There would be no Ford test drives, no awesome jewelry from Sorelli meeting me in Chicago along with the Yummy Tummy garments sure to make me look svelte in the dress that I would no longer get to wear.

My sadness was large.

Then it hit me. This is July!  July, the month of my daughter’s cancer diagnosis.  July, the month I had a stroke. Seriously, if THIS was the worst July had to throw at me, I could deal, right?

It didn’t stop me from being ridiculously disappointed…from feeling bereft to know I would not get to do the hugging and laughing and talking and meeting I have been anticipating for months.

But I could cope.

Then? My knight in shining armor came in to save the day.

Nope, not my husband, even though I love him to bits.

My friend Chris.  He’s going to come down from north Atlanta every day and spend the day with my kids while Peter’s working!  He’s going to watch the kids, take them on bike rides and teach them to play Guitar Hero.

I am going to BlogHer…but now with it all in a little more perspective.

Yup, still wicked excited and full of glee.

Still anticipating a time so fun I may never recover.

But, I also know that in the grand scheme of things….to not have gone would not been the end of the world.

Cause, dude, I have been to the brink and trust me, no one cared about SWAG.