So Long Old Friend

Recently I posted about how good it felt to come away from an afternoon spent with friends and colleagues.  It was the SVMoms Group DC Metro Moms Symposium and I needed it.  Weeks later it was announced that SVMoms would soon cease to exist.

I can't tell you how sad this has made me.  Being a part of SVMoms/DCMM was one of my favorite parts of being in this field.  I not only enjoyed the camaraderie of other women, writers and friends but came away from each meeting and get together feeling revitalized, smarter and more accomplished. While DCMM didn't pay, it provided something so much more invaluable to me than monetary means.  There were adventures that happened because I wrote for that group, opportunities presented themselves that created more adventures like syndication, the BBC in our house and then there was actual paid and exciting work. 

Over my years with SVMoms/DCMM I forged friendships and watched other women grow and create amazing groups that I am not sure would have been possible if we had not all found each other through this little ol' LLC.  I'm partial to thinking that if Gayle hadn't sent me to Memphis one weekend in November I never would spent a day with Kristen in a Chevy Malibu learning about Twitter but ultimately creating a friendship that a year later would be such an amazing blessing.  She's an angel that, Kristen.  Did I ever tell you about the time she read a desperate blog post of mine and within an hour was at my front door with hugs, food and help?  Oh yeah, she did that. She rescued me big time that day and I'm still grateful.  Then there's Sarah, Devra, Jodi and all the others who make me laugh, teach me continuously about our blogging community, this "thing" we do for fun and work and our locale.  They are women I'm proud to call my friends and cohorts.  They have made my life richer in ways I never would have imagined was possible just a few years back. 

And it all started with SVMoms and I will always be grateful I got to be part of something so great that gave so much to me and so many others.  So long dear friend, I will miss you, but you have created something so special that is leaving other great things in its place. 

Finding My Way, Again.

I admit that lately I have felt uninspired.  I have ignored my blog, been busy with life, work and incubating the Fifth Element the last few months.  It hasn't left a lot of room for contemplation, new ideas or much of anything but the bare necessities.  I have felt removed from the blogosphere too.  I have tried to attend events only to have to cancel from exhaustion. 

Last Sunday changed all that. I managed to get myself dressed and have the energy to attend the Silicon Valley Moms Group/ DC Metro Moms event that two of my friends put together.  After a brunch that I missed (The Comedian got sick, that's life) there was a ssymposium of companies and professional bloggers that allowed me to not just eat some damn fine cheese but to sit in a room full of women I admire, who inspire me and I am friends with IRL (in real life for you non-Internets).  We talked with companies who were equally interested in our ideas, social media and professional women bloggers.  Feelings of motivation, new ideas and excitement brewed within me as I listened to everyone share their ideas. 

Later at an event with these same bloggers and companies I was able to sample their wares and be among friends, make new ones and work in a way that I have missed so much in the last few months. This event made me realize why I got into blogging in the first place.  My love of writing, being part of a community, being among other writers and women who love to share information with others like I do and providing a service to others via reviews isn't something that just happened. It's all what I made happen when I decided to change my life with the support of my husband and in turn change our lives for the better.  It's led us on a journey we never could have imagined. Given us opportunities we never dreamed of and proved to be more than outlet for me, but an actual career that I adore. 

I just want to thank SVMoms, Sarah and Devra for putting this event together.  It was fabulous. It opened new doors for me that day, once again, in ways I never expected no matter how many times it happens.  It makes me realize how fortunate I am and blessed.  It made me feel refreshed and alight with new ideas and why I made the decision to start a new path for myself and in turn my family all those years ago and why it is still the best decision today.  This blogger was feeling a little lost but my amazing community brought me back and I can't thank them enough.

Some of those fabulous women include-

Baby Brewing

Uppercase Woman

Tech Savvy Mama

TeachMama

PunditMom

Stimey

WhyMommy

Jodifur

and so many more, I'm sorry if I missed you.