Top Ten {Tuesday}: 10 Things I Hope To Do Before, During, and After BlogHer ’10

(for more Top Ten Tuesday posts, visit ohamanda.com)

Despite a week of Cub Scout Day Camp, a month-long road trip, and tickets to Wicked that I have to look forward to before the August BlogHer conference in NYC, some days it’s all I can think about.  I am SO excited!  With my mental wheels in constant BlogHer motion, I came up with today’s list:  10 Things I Hope To Do Before, During, and After BlogHer ’10:

1.   BEFORE:  After more than 6,000 miles of road travel in July, I better find some time to get a haircut!  Because freshly done, my hair looks a lot like this:

But grown out a bit, and left to its own devices, it’s more like:

NOT OK.

2.   BEFORE:  I need to make a list of all the amazing people I want to meet!  And all the parties I want to go to!  And all the NYC places I want to see!  Because if I don’t, I have visions of me standing slack-jawed and starry eyed in the hotel lobby without a clue as to what to do next.

3.   BEFORE:  I need to finalize my plans on little trinkets to hand out with my business cards.  One of my grand ideas was to burn an intricate tree design into dozens of lovely wooden nickels I bought at the hobby store.  Then I was going to put a magnet on the back and voila! – something to put on your fridge at home, to always remind you of ME!  But…you should have seen the first five tries of me burning the design into the wood.  What a joke!  They resembled horrific Kindergarten Christmas ornaments you’re hesitant to put up year after year.  After a few more ideas, I landed on handing out these little charms:

Each will have a jump ring on them, so you can use them as a pendant on a chain.  They’re actually quite adorable, but unfortunately, I only have about 45 of them (so put me on YOUR list of people to meet if you want one!).

4.  DURING:  This is going to sound truly desperate, but I WANT TO BE IN PEOPLE’S PICTURES THIS YEAR!  What this ultimately means is that I want to interact more than I have, make friends, mend my awkward non-sisterly-in-the-sisterhood ways.  I saw exactly two pictures of myself from Type A Mom last year, and I was alone in both.  No more!  And if it gets right down to it, I know Photoshop.

But let’s not let it get to THAT, ok?  If you see me, pull me into your pictures!  I may be too awkward to say it at the time, but I will be forever in your debt.

5.  DURING:  I also have a goal to not act like a total idiot while spending time with the amazing company who is sending me to BlogHer in the first place:  Mabel’s Labels.  I love all the women there, whether I’ve met them or not, because of their company’s spirit, products, and total support of the mom blogging community (and they’re just plain AWESOME people!).  I’m also in awe of the three judges from the Mabel’s Label BlogHer ’10 contest:  Kathy Buckworth, Scott Stratten, and Erica Ehm.  If I can keep the “Um”s and mumbling to a minimum, I will be happy.

6.  DURING:  I want to find my inner Carrie Bradshaw and walk a New York City street like I own it.  Which of course, I don’t, or ever will, but I would love to have an out-of-frumpy-housemom-body experience and let the magic of NYC transform me a little.

7.  DURING:   I also want to soak up as much information as my friend-seeking, respect-seeking, magic-seeking self will allow me to from the actual conference sessions while at BlogHer.  Because the circus isn’t always just about the Big Top and the popcorn and the noisy crowd, sometimes it’s about what’s happening on stage, too!

8.   AFTER:   I hope to take friendships and newfound confidence and knowledge and just run. with. it.

9.   AFTER:   I hope to add something special as the newest blogger at The Mabelhood. (my contract starts in August)

10.   AFTER:  I hope to come home and see that my family missed me, but lived without me, and that they will appreciate – as much as I know I will – these opportunities for me to be so personally and profoundly enriched.

You might also enjoy these related posts from Tree, Root, and Twig:

1. Your Voice Is Yours To Keep {Mabel’s Labels BlogHer ’10 Contest Entry}
2. BlogHer: It’s Like…
3. JVC Everio "Send Me To BlogHer '09" Sweepstakes

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