Super Serious Blogger Conference

I am so lucky to live within a ten mile radius of four fantastic bloggers.  Deb writes Confessions of an Ugly Mom, and she lives the closest to me, only about a half mile away.  We discovered each other because of mutual friends who said to me, “You have to read Deb’s blog.  She is so funny!”  I believe they were also telling her, “You have to read Beth’s blog.  It will make you feel even better about your blog.”

I was friends with Stephanie and Wendy before they became bloggers.  Stephanie blogs on Conversations from the Cul-de-Sac and Wendy authors Relatively Unique.  Although both write “Home” blogs, Wendy specializes in home décor and crafts, whereas Stephanie loves photographing architecture and whining about her sweet, innocent puppy.  So she has to replace a carpet here or there.  He’s adorable!

Tara writes Taradactyl.  I met her because she left a nice comment on my blog once, which made me look up her blog, which I read and loved.  She writes about stay-at-home life and is hilarious.  She also writes about her scary mother.  And strangely enough, she and Wendy are neighbors!  (Now I’m singing “It’s a Small World After All” in my head.  Are you?  Sorry.)  Tara is the “new girl” as the other four of us all knew each other before Tara started stalking us (her words, not mine).

We had all been communicating through Comments and Facebook and finally we decided it was time to meet and make sure Tara was not a crazed axe murderer discuss some Important Blogging Issues.  So of course our Super Serious Blogger Conference met at The Axe Murderer’s House Tara’s house.  Deb and I drove together and there was excitement in the car as we pulled up to her house.  “I don’t see any dead bodies laying around,” said Deb.  “I will park here for the fastest escape route and leave the doors unlocked just in case,” I said.

Kidding!

Did I mention Tara’s scary mother was going to be there?  I almost peed my pants waiting for someone to answer the door.  Crazed axe murderer or scary mother?  Ack. 

Kidding!

Tara answered the door, minus an axe, and shortly after that  I met her mother who, in person, was not at all scary, and in fact, I think I may have liked her just a teensy bit more than Tara herself (shame on you Tara for making up stories about your lovely mother!)

We had a fantastic afternoon.  It was so nice chatting face-to-face with four people I love to read.  We enjoyed a delicious spread of food (Tara’s Stuffed Pepper Soup and Spinach Salad, Wendy’s Antipasto Platter, Deb’s Pumpkin Bread, Stephanie’s Breakfast Crack and I brought plain, boring bread), we laughed, we cried, we…well, we really didn’t cry.  But we laughed and chatted the afternoon away until I realized that I was already going to be late to pick up Maddie after school!

You would think a blogger would have brought her camera.  You would think wrong.  Tara’s Not Scary Mother did take a picture of all of us with my phone, but Tara’s picture turned out better, so I will “borrow” that picture for you to see!

From l-r:  me, Stephanie, Deb, Tara, Wendy. 

It was probably the best (though admittedly only) Blogging Conference I’ve ever attended.  Thanks so much to Tara for hosting a bunch of people she’d never met and trusting that we weren’t a bunch of Axe Murderers or Craig’s List Type Burglars or Meanies.