In which I compare blogging to snow

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True story.

There are roughly elenventy-bazillion blogs on these interwebs. Mommy blogs and daddy blogs, pet blogs and food blogs. DIY and where to buy it blogs. What to wear, what not to wear if your life depended on it blogs. My life is awesome blogs, my life is the worst thing ever blogs. More blogs than, well, something that there's a lot of.

So lets say each blog is a snowflake (a unique, individual snowflake, just like everyone else). Blog conferences are like snow. Some of them are huge, roaring blizzards, if blizzards were made of free samples and swag whores. Some of them are annoyingly, cloyingly fake. Like a souvenir snowglobe from the Caribbean.

And some of them are perfect, movie quality, Christmas morning snowfall. Make everything pretty but don't keep you from running errands or getting to work kind of snow. The pretty kind, that makes your cheeks pink and your shoes crunch, but you're so dazzled by its beauty you don't even notice the dirty slushy parts around the edges.

THAT was this past weekend's Aiming LowNon-Conference. With less than 100 people, we had a chance to really connect and create relationships with amazing women (and the token dudes). We ate, and talked and drank and laughed. Oh my Gawd, we laughed.

This is NOT a judgment on other people, but by its very definition, being an Aiming Low conference already made sure that we were a certain crowd. Generally speaking, the don't-take-ourselves-too-seriously, love-making-others-laugh-as-much-as-we-love-food-or-wine-or-chocolate, we-totally-know-what-we're-doing-so-don't-talk-down-to-us-please kinds of people.

It was, in my opinion, blog conference perfection. I learned some, I taught some, I cried some (eff you, Leila!) and laughed a helluva lot. And ate a bunch of southern-y food. (For the record: Sweet tea is gross, grits with cheese is delish)

We were a motley crew; mostly moms, but not everyone. From all over the country (and Canada too, eh?) Uplifting, inspiring, make you wanna sit and write for days keynotes from both JC Little and Ree Drummond. So the coffee was pretty much terrible, but what it lacked in quality, I made up for in quantity. My biggest complaint is time. Can't we just open a commune? We can all write and share and entertain each other, analytics and stats be dammed.

So basically, the Non-Con sucked, and you totally shouldn't go next year. It's so intimate and close-knit, you'd probably totally hate it. You get all inspired, and you're suddenly neglecting your household duties in order to write. And because I'm worried about the mountain of your laundry, the entertainment level of your children and the cleanliness of your bathroom, I'm telling you not to go. I mean, unless you're into that whole inspiration, brilliance, knowledge, superhero costume party thing.

Wanna see more photos? I took a bunch, both on a group photowalk on Friday morning, and throughout the weekend! (Hence the artsy fartsy stuff mixed in with random candids and craziness)