scenes from BlissDom :: day 1

holy energy!  i arrived at BlissDom…without my side kick Jessica.  she’s trying to use the “i have an 8 week old baby” excuse.  ok, fine.  🙂

walking solo into a conference of 700 women is a bit intimidating….most who know me wouldn’t guess that i’m an introvert, but the truth is, there’s a reason i hide behind the camera.

i’m an observer and need to assess and strategize….make a p.o.a….plan of attack….

and i realized that my plan didn’t include bringing the right charger for my phone!  doh!

luckily, the Bliss Chicks hooked me up with the most incredible charger that has connectors for any type of device!

my plan also included wearing some cowboy boots. you know, the kind you buy at Nordstrom?  right, cuz those are legit and everyone would believe that a beach girl from the O.C. who’s allergic to horses would have a clue about real cowboy boots.  and while i love Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman i am not!

but seriously, how cool are these boots!?  clearly the woman wearing these is from Texas and knows her boots!

i’m guessing this glass atrium is a signature architectural element for the Gaylord hotels.  both Texan and Nashville hotels have this cool infrastructure.  i’m sure the greenhouse effect in the summer is an interesting one.

my group leader on our photo walk has a lens that could easily be used at an NFL game.  #legit

how precious is this shoe shine dude?  notice his bluetooth ear piece?  he promised not to laugh when i bring my O.C. boots for a polish tomorrow.

this gal’s wondering why everyone’s taking her picture…

my boys would love the trains.  oh how i miss my boys…

yup….you know you’re at a blogging conference when everyone’s shooting pix of seemingly banal stuff.

but i promise there’s beauty everywhere you look…my lens isn’t quite right for these macros, but i’m trying!

i stumbled on the most amazing lotions and soaps by Skull Soap in the Handmade Marketplace.  this was by far my favorite scent…Dark Angel.  yum.  hopefully this will change my alligator hands to luxuriously soft and unwrinkled.

and this display by Love Feast was stunning….BlissDom truly knows how to showcase and channel people’s creativity!

even the carpet pattern includes cowboy themes!  where am i?

finally, the night ended with stars from the newly revived All My Children.  my Nana lived with us for 5 years.  she watched Days of Our Lives and would yell at the tv.  i found it odd, but hey, i now do the same with the Jersey Shore, so who’m i to judge?

in the all new AMC, the cast is somehow all brought back to life.  that’s right…soaps always find a way.  there were some potty mouth parts, but if you’re ok with that (again, i do watch the Jersey Shore!), then you can check this out on Hulu and iTunes.

so we’ll see what tomorrow has in store….lots of great speakers and sessions lined up, but will i be able to break out of my comfort zone and shake some hands?

whatever happens, i do miss my rugrats!