It's All ABout Me Women's Conference 2009

Eight of my friends gathered for a weekend of fun, food, conversation, and sharing. The idea for the conference came about over dinner one night when we all started sharing our tips for food storage and we realized that we all had a lot to share but we never seem to have enough time to talk about everything we would like to. From this our own women's conference was born (thanks Nancy!). Our fantastic organizers Nancy and Jeni took care of the location (thanks for letting us use the house Jeni), the food (everyones favorites treats, drinks, and all sorts of great homemade meals from breakfast to dinner), and the swag (see above). All the participants had to do was prepare a small workshop on any topic they wanted and show up, preferably in sweats with no makeup!

We started the weekend with dinner where some realized this was one of the few times they had eaten out without worrying about kids and trips to the restroom and food fights and everything else that can happen when kids descend on a restaurant. We got so caught up with talking that we closed the place down and the waiter was too polite to kick us out.

For the workshops we learned how to use coupons to get the most out of them, how to play Bunko, talked about great books to read, made our own cards, played the name game, got a little more organized, answered some deep questions (with laughter and tears), got spiritually regrounded, and rocked out with Guitar Hero.


It was an excellent way to spend some time, to get to know each other better, to get to know ourselves a little better, and to just relax and leave the every day cares behind for a moment.

Thanks Ladies! Can't wait to do it again next year:)

2009 - A Year in Review

One of my New Year Resolutions for 2009 was to stop procrastinating so, in the spirit of the goal, here is my 2009 year in review:

10) Rang in the new year by toasting with a very fine 2008 sparkling Goose Island Orange Cream soda and watching the ball drop. Not a bad way to ring in the new year.

9) Spent the first 60 minutes of the new year awake and then slept for 8 hours - clearly 2009 was an exhausting year.

8) Spent the year straightening out things in my life - specifically my closet, office, and kitchen.

7) I thought my run with college football ended in 2008, but 2009 brought the Gator bowl, the Rose Bowl, and the Capitol One bowl. What can I say - it's tradition.

6) I also spent the year reconnecting with family and friends I hadn't spoken with since 2008. It's always great to get back in touch with people.

5) I managed to carve out some me time this year and spent time with a good book and the Bones marathon.

4) Found the right work life/home life balance and worked less in 2009 than I did in 2008.

3) Ate healthy - managed to get in veggies, dairy, poultry, and fruit. Good thing I went grocery shopping for the first time in 4 months.

2) Laughed a lot. Mostly watching Oprah Winfrey and a segment on Laughing Yoga. Really, if you get a chance, watch the clip - hilarious!

1) Wrote my 2009 year in review 364 days ahead of schedule.

Whew! What a year 2009 has been! Wishing you and yours a happy, productive, and prosperous New Year!