A Mother's Balancing Act

Ode to My Favorite Shoes

I think I've lost my favorite pair of shoes.    

There. I've said it. Blogged it even. I'm pretty sure that makes it real.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been in denial. Those are the ones you see pictured at right. Yes. I loved them so much, I even took a picture of them once to feature them in another post. I have worn them to death. So much so, in fact, that this past summer I even took them to favorite shoe guy to put a new sole and new heels on them. They were sexy but comfy, and I received compliments on them nearly every time I wore them.

I am tall, and finding "good" shoes, ones that look nice with a dressier outfit without making me super tall, can be very hard. Plus, I really don't like stalking around in stilts. These shoes were so wearable. Yet they had the look of something a little dressier and sexier.

I think I may have left them at the Westin at BlogHer. Can you believe it? I blogged about what an idiot packer I am. After leaving San Francisco and the conference, I headed up to Napa to spend some time with my folks. I didn't even fully unpack up there, so I really don't think I could have lost them there (at my parents' house). I'm thinking some housekeeping chick from the Westin with size 10 hooves is digging her sexy new shoes.

So, yesterday, when I went out shopping for a salad bowl for my sister, I wound up buying not one, not two, but three new replacement pairs. Hey, a girl's gotta' have some fun, right?! I am in mourning, after all...they were my favorite shoes of all time.

Dig 'em! The pair that looks similar to my old ones? Same brand! Bandolino.  Only this time, I got all three pairs for a little more than I spent on the first pair last time! HA! Ya' gotta' love TJ Maxx. Hit that store on the right day, and it's a gold mine. Wrong day, and it's a total bust! No salad bowl for my poor sister, but I'm sure digging my new shoes! They're not doing me much good stuck here on the elevator in my office building, but that's a story I'll be posting on our White Trash Mom site. You'll have to hop over there for that one!

Balanced Babe

BlogHer '08 - One More Story to Relate!

I have to share one more story from BlogHer. I know a lot of you are just plain sick of hearing about it, but honestly, this one is as much just a really funny story as anything else. It just happened to occur at the conference.

So, it was my first day at the conference. I think Michelle and I had just eaten lunch at the fabulous "cash-only" Thai place right around the corner from the hotel. She was waiting outside while I went back upstairs to grab my credit cards, so we could do some damage at Saks. (Yes, as a matter of fact, White Trash Moms do love Saks...)

So, I'm walking down the hall to catch the elevator, and I get behind this "tall-ish" guy wearing a backpack. He is holding the hand of a small child. A light bulb goes on over my fool head, and I blurt out, excitedly, "Backpacking Dad?!" The guy turns to me with a bewildered expression on his face, and utters a puzzled and uncomfortable, "Uh...no...?" to which I respond lamely, "Oh, I'm sorry, you looked like a friend of mine." I then zoom past him in utter humiliation and hysterical laughter, wishing Michelle was with me to share in my dorkdom.

Yeah, BlogHer, man. Good times, good times.

(Editorial Note: Later, I did in fact, meet the real Shawn Burns of Backpacking Dad fame, who totally rocked the conference, and who, by the way, has been helping us out with the winner selection process on our WTM Book Contests. If you haven't been over to vote, get on it, sister! The BOOK came out on Tuesday!)

Balanced Babe

BlogHer 2008 - Newbie's Perspective

OK, so we're here at BlogHer 2008 (that's fellow White Trash Mom, Michelle Lamar, and I), and I have to say, overall, I am blown away. So far, it's exceeded my expectations...big time. Now, I might temper that with the fact that I really wasn't sure what to expect.

Michelle tells me all the time that I continually sell myself short. I don't think that's true about me in life, in general, but perhaps because she's the one who started White Trash Mom, and I was the one she asked to be her co-author, and then she asked me to write the book with her... I don't know, maybe I do have the classic "I'm not worthy" complex. I know that I'm a good writer. I'm a professional writer by day, for heaven's sake. My degree is in communications, after all.

But Michelle has been THE driving force behind our White Trash Mom site and our book deal with St. Martin's Press. She is the creme de la creme of self marketers and is the sole reason that we have a book coming out on August 5th! So, to say that I am in awe of that is an understatement.

Did I contribute to that book? You bet. Did I work hard on it? Without a doubt. However, I came to this conference with very few expectations, with virtually no contacts, and with the purposes of meeting new people, advancing my writing endeavors and learning more about how to expand my blogging horizons.

If you are not here, and if your goals would be of a similar nature, you need to find a way to make it to BlogHer 2009 or the next BlogHer event near you. Other than taking about 6 years off to raise my children semi-full-time, I have been in the business world for about 20 years, and I can confidently tell you that I have never handed out as many business cards in as short a period of time as I have in the last day and a half. Nor have I met as many open-minded, intriguing people. I'd say "women", but there have been a few (granted sparse in number) men.

Another observation that I would like to relate is that while I am not an introvert (quite the contrary on the whole), I do not enjoy going places alone. That is to say, I do not like to arrive at a party, or any event, on my own. Never mind that once we are there, I may almost immediately go off on my own. I hate...I repeat. I HATE...arriving alone. So, this week, travelling with the Queen of White Trash, miss socially connected in the blogging world (note that she would vociferously beg to differ, but trust me, I am not wrong...), suffice it to say, I have learned to get along on my own.

And guess what. It's the absolute best thing that could have happened to me...because it forced me to venture out on my own, against my inner self that says, "I don't want to go in alone. I don't want to go up and talk to people I don't even know...they don't want to talk to me...". Guess what. They don't know anybody either. It has been absolutely awesome.

And guess what else. I've met the nicest and most interesting people.

Fabulous week. Fascinating conference. Engaging speakers. Intriguing sponsors.

And free food and drink. I'm here. I'm so here.

Please. If you are a blogger...come next year. We'll chat. We'll share a breakout. A cocktail. You will love it as much as I have. I can practically guarantee it.

Balanced Babe

BlogHer, Here We Come!

Ready or not, here we come! Mostly, it's "not" ready from this end, but I've decided to take the "who cares" approach to the fast=approaching BlogHer conference (T-17 if you count pre-parties...) and move forward. I've poured myself my favorite homemade cocktail, settled in to type you one last blog entry before departing my humble abode at the frightening hour of 6 am, and that's all she wrote...rather literally.

I have to say that normally, I can't enjoy a trip until my car has left the driveway. I always figure that by then, whatever I've forgotten is water under the bridge. Somehow, this time is different. I'm already enjoying it! I don't know if it's because we're arriving so early (my writing partner, Michelle Lamar, from White Trash Mom and I, that is) and I know we'll have plenty of time to shop in Union Hill or what. The shopping part thrills me for sure. There's an H&M within walking distance of the Westin. I know that. Yahoo!

Ah, well. Any way around it. I'm loose. Maybe it's first-timer's forgiveness. You can't be expected to remember something you didn't know you were supposed to bring, right? Especially if you didn't read any of the pre-conference materials that they emailed you all of 1 1/2 days in advance. I asked my Big Strong Man (BSM) to print off the files for me to save time, and they were over 50 pages. Wow! Just a little light reading for the plane...Yowza!

Hope to see many of you there. If anyone is reading this. This is a new blog after all!

Cheers to all, and to all a good Thursday! And remember, if you can't come this year, there's always next year...

Balanced Babe

Packing Woes

So, we all managed to get packed. Some faster than others. Of course, my excuse was that I had to work all day the day before we left. Now, I don’t know if your Big Strong Man is like mine, but BSM can come home from a full day’s work (probably having worked late just to get out of town, etc., just like me…), pop open a beer, lie down on the couch and watch some baseball, eat dinner, fill the car with gas and get it washed, do some last minute errands, come back home and tinker with some tool out in the garage, have another beer, watch a little more baseball…and then…

The thought occurs to him that he’d better do a little packing. By this time he’s already gotten his hu-mon-ga-zoid duffle out of the basement, so it’s ready to be stuffed with crap. He’s also already brought up my suitcase and a hanging bag for both of us to use (yes, he really is a love like that…and yes, I do know that I’m damn lucky).

It is at this time that my Big Strong Man actually packs his bags in less than 15 minutes. I kid you not. That…to me…is a feat of genious. Right on par with Girl 1’s (scroll about halfway down this previous post) packing genious. To pack in 15 minutes. And overpack, no less. That’s a marvel in my book.

Me? Well, being one of the worst (perhaps, the worst?) packers I know, it takes me 4+ hours to pack for a 4-5 day trip.

How outrageous is that? Total lameness is what that is. And next week? When I have to do it all over again (and fly, no less…) for BlogHer? Just kill me now.

Balanced Babe