Alt Summit 2013 Recap

 I’ve been home for a few days now and I still don’t know exactly how to put into words my experience at Altitude Summit.  But I feel like I need to jot down a few notes here, so that I can move on with life and inspiration and this blog.  Why did I go to Alt Summit?  Well, mostly, I wanted to see what it was all about. 
Girl. Inspired. has moved beyond “just a hobby” and I am looking to continue growing in a number of directions.  I wanted interpersonal and tangible access to information and the other people that are also taking their blogs beyond an occasional personal outlet.  There’s something so intriguing and inspiring and terrifying about stepping out from behind our computer screens and actually talking to people who do what I’m doing.  I’ve had a lot of ideas and questions bouncing around in my head over the last few months and Alt Summit provided a great forum for talking to other people about those things.  What I learned through some of the classes and conversations was that 1) my ideas and questions are common among my peers and 2) there are some excellent tools available to help me make decisions and take action.  This was exactly what I needed.  Another goal of mine was to connect with people.  Not necessarily the “big people” like so many attendees were maneuvering to do, but other bloggers in general.

I roomed with Lindsay of The Cottage Home and Jess of Me Sew Crazy.  Seriously, these girls are like forever friends even though we’d never met in person.  It’s sort of mind-boggling that you can share a room with someone you’ve never met and stay up late into the night talking for hours as if you’ve known them your whole life.  Love those girls!  As wonderful as it was to branch out and talk to stranger after stranger, I think it would have been way too overwhelming if I didn’t have my girls to debrief with throughout the day.  It was also wonderful finding a “home base” with Susan from Crafterhours and Natasha of Little Pink Monster.  They are such friendly, talented girls; it was nice to find them in a sea of strangers and know that I could hang out for a bit.  I’m a quieter person in general.  I like smaller groups of people, I like getting to know others rather than just exchanging business cards and running to the next person.  I met a number of truly kind, incredibly talented, and genuine bloggers and creators and that made the trip so worthwhile.  Among them were Sarah of Sarah Jane Studios, Melissa of Polka Dot Chair, Jamielyn of I Heart Naptime and Monica Lee of Smart Creative Women.  I just really enjoyed talking to these women.  I think it takes a special gift to talk to someone you’ve never met and make them feel like they’re just as important as the next person, and I’m thankful to them for making me feel seen amongst the very large crowd.

Let’s see…what else?  The food?  I do love food and there were so many fun, unexpected treats to enjoy.  Eye candy and edible treats everywhere!  My kind of party.  The decorations and lounges were out of this world.  The fashion show that is Alt did not disappoint.  Wearing heels for hours and hours day after day was maybe not the wisest move for my feet, but wow!, it was sure nice to leave my “mom clothes” behind for a few days.  I also MADE and WORE a dress for the Clue theme party one of the nights – pretty pleased with myself on that front – I’ll share more on that later. 

 One of the very best parts of the weekend was sneaking away from the conference to get together with a group of fellow seamstresses.  These are the girls that I interact with on a regular basis through our blogs or Instagram or Facebook.  I wish you could have been there to be part of the energy in that restaurant – it was truly amazing!  You would seriously never know that most of us had never met before; meeting these girls was just good for my soul.  I cannot wait to see you all again!

And then, after all the craziness and preparation and being there and being swept up in the excitement of Alt Summit, I came home.  And my sweet family was waiting in the airport with open arms.  I seriously have it made.  A husband who encourages me to go out there and pursue my passion and who holds down the fort while I’m gone and doesn’t flinch at my five new pairs of shoes?  And the sweetest girls in the world?  Made.