AusBlogCon -- What a ripper!

I hardly know where to start. I have about five posts in my head that I want to write and unfortunately no pictures to go with them yet as I brought the wrong cable so I can't download them from my camera (though I have a Plan B).

This past weekend has been, hands down, one of the most magnificent of my life. It was quite surreal. It began with a lunch with Mia Freedman of Mamamia and group of other bloggers, a shopping trip with Nikki from Styling You, an absolutely UNREAL evening put on by my sponsors, GSK, in which I got to speak and also meet, for the first time, many of my wonderful bloggy friends, a Nuffnang cocktail gathering, and then on Saturday the ABC conference itself and the dinner and dance that followed.

Yes. Surreal.

I will post about all of them, in more detail. With beautiful photos.

But for now I want to say... AMAZING. What a stunningly talented and big-hearted group of women (and men). And you know what I was most struck by? To a one, each person I met was JUST like I imagined them to be from reading their blogs. Their personalities really shone through in their posts, because no one seemed a bit different from their writing. There were a lot of faces I didn't recognize, but once I sat down and started talking with each blogger, I felt right at home, like we were old friends. I will repeat myself...amazing.

My only regret is that I was only able to spend short snippets of time with each person. The conference was one day and that day flew by. I wanted to sit and talk for hours to so many of my friends, but that just wasn't possible.

I read my poem Woman, A History, and it was emotional for me, especially in the aftermath of everything that's occurred since I wrote it. I fought to hold back tears. There were so many incredible presentations and readings. I just soaked up all of them and didn't want them to end.

Thanks you Brenda, for conceiving the idea and following through with it. Thank you Veronica and Tina and Nicole and Karen and everyone else who pitched it to make AusBlogCon 2011 a reality. I know it was a lot of hard work and required endless amounts of your time and energy.  But know this. This conference was a pivotal event in the lives of so many people. I know it was for me. I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me to be here and have the experience of meeting everyone.

You did this. You made this a reality. You brought us together and changed our lives and cemented friendships and elevated the Australian blogging world to new heights. God love you. You are all amazing.

...and now for a few pics stolen from the gorgeous inside-and-out Bern Morley (So Now What), because I know how to pilch photos off Facebook:

Wanderlust and Bern - GSK Event

Woogsworld, Kerri Sackville (Life and Other Crises), Wanderlust, Bern

 

And this one pilched from the Nikki of Styling You. Is she not stunning?

I now have a girl crush on Nikki. Entire post to follow.

Wanderlust and Styling You!