…the Arkansas Women Bloggers conference, held this year in Hot Springs at The Arlington Hotel. I worked for The Women Bloggers founder, The Park Wife. She created the most fabulous community and I’m honored to work with her. Mostly, I enjoyed meeting her at 6:30 for some Starbucks before the day crazy started and when neither one of us was wearing concealer.
Nobody puts Buckley in a corner.
I helped stuff swag bags.
I shared and shouted out on social media.
I took a selfie with a cow.
Someone remarked on my “power walk.”
Cow, courtesy of the Arkansas Farm Bureau. Photo bomb, courtesy of Meredith Lowry.
At the Foodie Friday event, organized by Debbie Arnold, I listened to Georgia Pellegrini. She’s done several cool things, not the least of which is to tell us during her speech that she had five specific pieces of advice. And then she proceeded to give us five specific pieces of advice.
I love it when people do that.
Our Friday night conference speaker, Lela Davidson, talked about her new book, Faking Balance. Lela is VP of a company.She is a wife and a mother. This is her third book. She knows a thing or to about balance, and faking it. (Psst: before she was famous, I used to meet her at a coffee shop.)
Conference keynote speaker Rhea Lana Riner talked to our community on Saturday. Several years ago she started a little consignment business. It’s now a big consignment business. You may have heard of it.
I really enjoyed meeting new faces and talking with other faces I hadn’t talked to much before. Of course, I would have loved more time for that. We all would have.
But life conference goes on.
I helped lead/crowdsource a session with Allyson Twiggs Dyer whereby we threw out a bunch of apps and tools for everything from productivity to scanning papers to exercising. I learned a few things from our fabulous crowd.
On good days, I run the apps. On not-as-good days, I let the apps run me. (Don’t do that.)
I was able to talk with and get to know my web designer, Nick, a little better. He came to the conference and led a session in which he pointed out that it’s important to get to know your web designer & for your web designer to know you.
Heather gave me more photo-taking/camera advice. I worked across from Julie as we packed over 10,000 meals for people who need food in cooperation with The Pack Shack. I witnessed to the awesome dancing ability of Stephanie Clinton. I took a selfie with Nancy, my friend from church and my children’s piano teacher.
We’ve never seen each other wearing a shower cap thing.
10,000 + meals. We’re tired, but smiling.
I did Zumba led by Brittney, also quite the dancer.
I caught a few minutes of sessions here and there and learned good stuff.
But as Stephanie always reminds us, people are the most important. Not things. And it’s the people I remember most, even as fast as I may have gone speeding by them with my power walk.
Hello! I'm Rhonda. Welcome to Captain Mom.®
The house is full of boys, the life is rural, and the pilot life schedule is always up in the air...
Loved reading your recap! I enjoyed doing the session with you and always enjoy working with you. That power walk is serious. 🙂
Thanks, Allyson. I enjoyed it, too. My power walk is a necessary part of (my) life. I do it at home, also, just in a smaller space & with boys underfoot.
So many fun memories from that weekend. Great recap of highlights!
Great recap! So glad to have been a part of it!
Thanks, Nancy. I’m glad you came!
Great Recap- So glad to know you!
Rhonda, seeing you is always a highlight for me! Love your post, friend! 🙂
Thanks, Mari.
Great recap, Rhonda! It was a wonderful conference. “Nobody puts Buckley in a corner.” Love it.
Thanks, Talya. The phrase just came to me… (showing our age, aren’t we?)
Your pay will be docked because of that photo. haha.
I adore you. This would not be possible without your heart for our mission and I am so blessed to have you as my friend.
Right back at ya. (In hindsight, I probably should have asked about the photo, but you looka beautiful!)
I love this. And for the record, I’ve been trying to get you to meet me at a coffee shop for like a year.
Oh, yeah. Oops. That’s true. I’ll check with my people. Loved hearing you speak at the conference!