I think I've died and gone to Haven!

A few years ago one of my best friends, Jen, introduced me to an amazing website and she kept saying "you have to read this blog, it will change your life!" (What is this "blog" thing she spoke of because I didn't have the foggiest clue.) Needless to say, Jen was right, this "blog" was nothing short of amazing, we're talking world changing.  Jen from IHeart Organzing became my new virtual best friend. Much to my delight new stuff would appear and it all spoke to me! Ever since I was little I would watch episode after episode of "This Old House" with my dad. I loved watching my grandfather build things- the smell of sawdust, and I was OBSESSED with decorating and making things better in my room. (Not my closet, that was a hot mess.) As the years went on, I fine tuned my love of anything home decorating, organization, and I still had my love of building/DIY shows. So when my friend introduced me to the blog, I instantly fell in love and it got me thinking, maybe I could do this!?!

Last year Jen mentioned in her post something about a wonderful conference she attended and my ears perked up. I did a little research and that's where I found Haven. The more I read the more I realized that I needed to be there, I HAD to be there!! I approached my husband and told him to mark his calendar because next summer, we were going to Atlanta and I would be attending Haven!!! While he had no clue what that meant, he was on board because, well he loves me and that's all.  I made a promise with myself that I would have my own blog launched by the time that Haven came around, but I instantly froze up. I had all these great projects that we were doing, and my husband would lean in and say "that's blog worthy." I couldn't do it! I signed up for my own blog page and then nothing, nada... zilch. Time ticked on and as the first of the year approached so did the announcements that Haven would be opening up soon for registration. (Cue sweaty palms...) The day came when I mustered enough courage and before I knew it, I had signed up!  For Haven. And I didn't have one. single. blog post. (Yikes) I decided right then and there I would do my first official one, you know- to kick things off. That was in February and again I froze. How in the world could I EVER be taken seriously if I can't do the one thing that's sort of a requirement for blogging, you have to actually post things. Somehow, someway, and 4 months later, I managed to squeeze out two more posts and did what could probably be considered the worst introduction of my new passion, I launched my site on a Wednesday at 10pm.  I sort of did it, ran to bed and prayed by morning I still had friends. I woke up and what I saw made my jaw drop. People gave me positive feedback!!  Maybe I can do this! Crud!!!! The conference is NEXT week!!!! Ahhhhh!!!!

I packed up our stuff, my family, and my freshly printed business cards (with very basic information) and we were off to Atlanta!!! Say what!?! I was nervous as heck! What if they didn't like me?? What if they thought I was a total joke because obviously I was an infant in the blogging world! I had that feeling of "freshman on the first day of high school around the senior girls I had admired from afar", but I did feel a smidge better knowing that maybe I'm not the only one in my predicament. And you know what, I wasn't! I met some of the sweetest people and quickly we discovered that we all felt the same way.  Sure there were some that had been blogging for about a year or even a little longer, but we were on each other's side! The best part, the more experienced bloggers were excited to have us there! Speaking of which, I met the most adorable lady who was extremely down to earth, Karianne from Thistlewood Farms! Little did I know she was about to wow me in a couple of days!  We all connected with one another, exchanged business cards, and for the first time in I don't know how long, I felt this breath of confidence and new life! It felt amazing!!!

The first day it was like walking down the halls of a DIY/ blogger dream!! Table after table of smiling vendor faces and all the pretties made my heart flutter. It was extremely overwhelming, I'm not going to lie. I didn't know where I wanted to go first or what I wanted to see! Breakfast felt like the first day of school, "which session are you going to?", "where is this session located?" Jon Acuff kicked off the conference with a bang, and if you ever get a chance to hear him speak, trust me, do it. He's a wealth of knowledge that one, entertaining, and motivating all in one sitting!

Everyone, meet Jon!

By the end of the first day I had played with power tools, learned about turning my blog into a brand, and what I already sort of figured, I need a better camera. I was trying to absorb so much information that I literally felt my head trying to pound it's way off of my body. Then it happened, I rounded the corner on my search for coffee and there she was, the very person who had inspired me from the word go! The person who still inspires me to this day and has introduced me to more amazing blogs that I also follow faithfully. Jen from IHeart Organizing! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Great, so not only did I have to keep my head from jumping off my body I had to keep my inner fan girl on lock down. Trying to play it cool, I walked up to her (it's like I don't even know myself anymore) and I simple introduced myself. Despite the fact that at this point my hair and makeup were in their end of the day disarray, and inside I was screaming with excitement which was also aggravating my head, she was very warm and friendly. Then double shock she was with Cassie from Hi Sugarplum!  Seriously amazing!

Jen!

Cassie!

                               

The second day exceeded my expectations and was just as informative as the first. I took notes, and just incase my notes failed me, I took pictures. The whole time I was in awe of the information that was available to me in those two days. The people that I met blew me away and we exchanged ideas and gave each other suggestions. The experience was uplifting, empowering and humbling all at the same time. I ran into Karianne later on the second day. I told her that I was brand new, but she had given me hope that I CAN do this. Better yet, she said to contact her if I needed any help! Me! She would help me!! Blown away....

At the end of the day, my room looked like Home Depot had taken residency from all the super cool stuff they graced us with as well as all the free products from the numerous vendors. I was lucky to have won a bench in a raffle made by a very talented blogger Gail from My Repurposed Life. As well as winning the NEW Nolita chair from La-Z-Boy!  I walked away from the weekend feeling like I had struck gold. I was armed with new information and a renewed sense of why I wanted to go to Haven in the first place. The ladies who put this conference together took notice of every single detail that made the experience well worth the trip. From the set up, to the decorations, to the session subjects, I could go on and on. I felt like I was something of value in a world that often times isn't as caring.

After it was all said and done, the venders were gone, we still had a chance to have one last hoorah before we all parted ways. I made memories, I gained knowledge, but I also met new friends.  Life. Changing. Those opportunities don't come a long very often, but when they do, you have to soak them in. But before it was time to say goodbye, we danced!

Katie - Fun Home Things