Vacation Archives » Laura Lohr

A Mother Daughter Weekend at the Oaks at Ojai

October 11, 2016 by Laura Lohr Leave a Comment

There are some things in life that happen at just the right moment. One of these things happened last weekend, when I was invited for a complimentary spa weekend getaway with my mom near Ventura, at the Oaks at Ojai. It couldn’t have been better planned. My stress level was a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10! I love the area around Ventura, but had never been to Ojai and I’d NEVER had a spa weekend. It was due time to connect with my mom and I was so excited! They offered us one complimentary spa treatment, as part of our package and I was counting down the hours until my appointment!

20160924_174343_29931338255_o — My mom, touring the beautiful grounds at the Oaks at Ojai.

We left Friday afternoon, enthusiastic and ready to indulge all our senses in Ojai. We had a blast on our road trip and arrived about 2 p.m. in the quaint, lovely city of Ojai. My mom and I immediately took a sigh of relief when we arrived, imaging what heaven was in store for us!

The entrance to our amazing bungalow! We LOVED 302!

We checked in at the front desk and were given an orientation about what to expect, where the important amenities were, like the sauna, the jacuzzi, the dining room, the pool, where we would be getting our facials, and finally, our room! The atmosphere immediately put us at ease, as did the friendly staff. We were escorted to our room, just a short distance from the inviting pool.

The view of the pool, where I spent a few quiet moments. There is a canopy that partially shades the pool and it was so nice!

Our room was absolutely stunning! First, you walk through this beautiful, private courtyard, complete with lounge chairs for enjoying the sun and a patio area to enjoy our morning coffee, or dinner, they actually had the best backyard design ideas for patios in Julian CA. There was a lovely water fountain right near our door. My mom and I were giddy with anticipation to get inside and commence the pampering!

This gorgeous fountain was right next to our front door. It made it so serene! Our bungalow was so private!

Our own, private patio, where we could enjoy our morning coffee or bring our lunch back to eat on the patio.

My mama, opening our door to our beautiful bungalow.

Beautiful Rooms!

The interior of the room was as amazing as the exterior! The living room is spacious, complete with a wet bar, fireplace, refrigerator, and comfortable sitting area. The bedroom is roomy and the beds are like sleeping on a million feathers! I slept so well each night! The bathroom had a fantastic shower, full jacuzzi bathtub, and was beautifully adorned with Spanish style tile which is similar to the tub we had home, although that one we needed to repair it for the use, luckily we found hot tub repair denver that did a great work for us. If you’re dreaming of a beautiful bathroom too, you’re lucky since there’s an budget bathroom remodeling company at grandbathroomrenovationssydney.com.au. I felt at home and I was pretty sure I was never going to want to leave!

Here is our spacious bedroom. The beds were heavenly! I slept like a baby!

Being very health and fitness conscious, we were pleasantly surprised with the preparation and care that goes into providing a wide range of healthy food options and ways to stay fit. There was always fresh fruit and snacks available in the lounge, as well as activities going on throughout the day.

I am sad I didn't get a chance to use this tub! It was so pretty! — I am sad I didn’t get a chance to use this tub! It was so pretty!

Lots of Activities!

We participated in several of the fitness offerings that go on throughout the day, including yoga, meditation, and a history walk through the lovely area of Ojai. You are free to choose whatever exercise or activity you choose. With 15 different class offerings per day, you’re sure to find something that suits your desires. We opted for a nap one afternoon, although we had originally planned on taking a water aerobics class. You can be as active or relaxed as you like. We were given a blank schedule form to fill out with all the activities we thought we might like to do during the weekend and we enjoyed almost every one of our choices (except for the time we napped!).

The gym had a little of everything. Right next door was the yoga/dance studio. — The gym had a little of everything. Right next door was the yoga/dance studio that used to be a ballroom when the building was still young.

Great Location!

Saturday morning, I got up early to go for a ten mile run. I stopped off at the dining area to grab some breakfast and met some ladies that were hiking some of the local trails, with one of the Oaks at Ojai’s guides. I almost ditched my run to join them. It sounded like so much fun! Ah, well. Half marathon training continues! Next time, I’ll take that hike! What a beautiful run it was! I took the bike trail, which is 16 miles long. It starts in Ojai and ends at the ocean. It was all downhill and the views were breathtaking! About 3 miles into my run, I met a group of four runners that let me join their group. It was a gorgeous run! I ended up running 9.5 miles and then had Uber take me back to the resort.

The sun was still coming up when I left for my run. It was beautiful, watching the sun rise.

The mountains along the bike trail were so beautiful. There was a lot of walkers, runners, walkers, and dog walkers out, even that early.

I loved this foot bridge. There is a little river that runs below it.

bike_trail — Here’s the trail, near the park where I completed my run.

Healthy and Delicious Meals. No Cooking for me!

We enjoyed many healthy and delicious meals, but my very favorite, was the dessert! We had this dessert that was so good, I couldn’t even believe it was low calorie! It had a cherry pie-like filling, with some granola sprinkled over the top, then drizzled with some vanilla yogurt, then topped with a strawberry. It was so tasty and it looked amazing! The recipes for a lot of the meals we ate are on the Oaks at Ojai’s website.

dessert2 — My favorite! I’m SOOOO making this at home!

Spa Services.

My mom and I both decided to try Fit & Firm VitAD Fortified Lifting Facial w/AHA. This was 75 minutes of absolute bliss! I was so relaxed and my skin looked 10 years younger afterwards! My mom and I both kept complimenting each other on how great the other’s skin looked. We looked amazing! We both had a glow and our dark spots seemed to have faded a little. I did feel as though my face was firmer than it was before the facial. It felt so nice!

Sunday, we both got a pedicure before we wrapped up our day at the Oaks at Ojai. Oh! I could have spent more time there, for sure!

The City of Ojai

Saturday morning, my mom took the historic tour that the hotel manager leads. She had such a great time, learning about the history and the unique characteristics of the little city of Ojai. Ojai is very community-oriented and the park was built by the residents. Most of the shops and stores in Ojai are locally and privately-owned, as the city prefers to keep the big corporations out and the unique, small-town feel preserved. On Sundays, there is a farmers’ market, that boosts locally sourced foods and goods, including many organic, Ojai-grown fruits and vegetables. If you want a relaxing place to stay, then check out this hotel & spa St Austell.

We spent some time here. Ahhhh. Relaxation!

Saturday evening, we took the short drive to the coast and walked along the boardwalk in Ventura. It was a gorgeous night and we strolled along the pier. This is such a beautiful area of southern California. We stopped back by Ventura on our drive back home and got my dad a bowl of clam chowder to take home.

We walked to the end of the boardwalk. It was so peaceful and quiet.

I am so glad we took the time to enjoy each other’s company! This was a perfect opportunity for me and my mom to connect in a very meaningful way. My husband and I often get together with my family, but I don’t always get time with just me and my mom. We got to talk, uninterrupted. We got to relax. We got to relax. We got to eat. We got to exercise. We laughed until our bellies hurt. I had such an outstanding time with just me and my mom. It is time I’ll cherish forever and I can’t wait to do it again!

The Oaks at Ojai is such a great destination! My mom and I met many other moms and daughters staying when we were there. It is an affordable destination for anyone looking to find their inner zen, lose a few pounds, relax, take some extra exercise, or just lounge around.

Who would you take with you on your spa weekend?

We got to enjoy the mother-daughter weekend. Three times a year, the Oaks at Ojai offers a 40% discount off of their program rate for moms that bring their sons or daughters. What a deal!

November 1 – 20 Bring a Friend: Guests enjoy twice the fun and a 25% discount for both guests who share a room. Workout, chat poolside, explore Ojai and stay up late catching up!

Our spa treatment and weekend at the Oaks at Ojai was complimentary, in exchange for my honest review. All photos opinions are my own.

BlogHer 2014 Recap

August 16, 2014 by Laura Lohr 8 Comments

At the end of July, BlogHer had their tenth annual blogging conference. I hadn’t planned on attending initially because the last time I went, in 2012, it was so crowded that it was nearly impossible to attend a conference session and then, there was the Martha Stewart affair, where there was a near stampede of 5000 or so bloggers trying to get into the room that hotel staff would not open. That gave me such a panic attack. Don’t get me wrong, I had fun in 2012. It was in New York City and that, on its face, guarantees a level of enjoyment, simply because of the location. Nevertheless, 2012 was disorganized, a lot of chaos and not at all what I anticipated. There was bad behavior of bloggers trying to nab swag from the tables in the Expo hall and rude behavior from the hotel staff. It was insanity. In spite of all of that, there was networking, exciting parties, great food, tremendously positive experiences that did compensate for some of the pandemonium that ensued.

This year, I decided to give it another chance. I had the good fortune to receive a gratis conference pass, in exchange for volunteering at the registration desk. This was much to the credit of my dear friend, who was, sadly, not able to attend the conference and volunteer. Thank you, Melissa! *smooches* Mr. Bear and I had previously discussed possibly driving up to San Jose (where the 2014 conference was held) for BlogHer, then extending our trip to various other parts of Central and Northern California. This fortuitous set of circumstances lined up for us and away we went!

ROAD TRIP!

We set out from San Diego to San Jose at 4:00 a.m. Even with our potty breaks, coffee breaks, driver switching breaks and a stop at a road side fresh produce stand, we made it to San Jose by 11:30 a.m. Somehow, we missed the L.A. traffic on the 5 freeway. Win! I think I went to bed at 2:00 a.m. *Yawn* I was tired, but we pressed on and made it in record time, in spite of following the speed limit.

Once we got through Los Angeles, it was a lot of farm country. We stopped off to get some fresh fruit. It’s a long road!

The Good of BlogHer 2014

The conference was held at the San Jose Convention Center. This made for a positively wonderful venue because there was plenty of room to spread out. The ballroom was large enough to accommodate all conference attendees. Further, there was a fixed number of tickets to the conference sold. This meant that no area would get crazy congested, therefore, no panic attacks for yours truly.

The food was good. There was a reception the first night, where the appetizers were plentiful and delicious! This was my fourth time at BlogHer, so I knew that I needed to eat dinner. The food at the reception was probably enough to serve as dinner and very well did, for me.

Working the registration desk was a lot of fun. It did tie up 3 hours of my day both days, but it was worth it! I met a lot of interesting people checking in and people working the desk. I’d definitely do it again!

This year, they did not have any out-boarded parties. Every party was a sponsored BlogHer party. Some parties were invite-only. Some parties were open to all. There was definitely a noticeable shift in focus from the parties and the swag, to the conference itself. This was a pleasant change in many ways, because people were more centered on blogging and networking than they were about the out-boarded aspects of years past. For the first time, I was not concerned about what party I was missing or who had a plus one invite that could get me into a party.

There was a great line up of speakers! Friday, was none other than The Bloggess—the witty and entertaining Jenny Lawson was the Keynote Speaker. Who better to open the conference? (Conference videos, session notes and photos should be coming available ) From there, was Arianna Huffington and Kerry Washington. I caught a glimpse of Khloe Kardashian and got my picture taken with her at the Expo. The closing party entertainer, was no other than Rev. Run of Run DMC. Squee!

I had a lot of fun seeing familiar faces and getting acquainted with new blogging friends. I had breakfast with my amazing and talented boss, Barbara Feldman of Surfnetkids.com. I spent some time with my dear, dear friend Jen of Losing the Shadow Behind Me. I met a Stanford professor and talked to him about his class in entrepreneurship. I got to chat with Cecily Kellogg at the closing party (the party formerly known as CheeseburgHer). I saw my friend and fellow San Diego blogger, Kari, who got me situated with a hotel, when most of the hotels near the conference were sold out. I got a stack of business cards from many new friends I met (I still haven’t gone through them!). Of course, I saw/met many other people. Please forgive me for not giving everyone a shout out!

I made a lot of awesome connections with different brands at the conference. I loved chatting with the PR reps from the different brands and trying their products. I LOVED the Nescafe Dolce Gusto coffee maker and I’m pretty sure I have to have one. I am pretty sure I NEED a carmel latte macchiato every day. Yummy! I loved the Skype people, who gave out phone battery back-up packs. I used it every day! The Samsung refrigerator is OMG! Since a new fridge has already on my wish list, they had my undivided attention.

The Bridgestone people were AMAZING! I got a fabulous massage, which was then followed up with a manicure. I got silver nails and Allie got red. How awesome are they?

I WON!

I won a PlayStation 4 at the Chuck E. Cheese booth at the Expo! I couldn’t believe it! Allie and I had been through the Expo once before. She won Monopoly and I won Scrabble. I decided to spin the wheel one more time and BOOM! PlayStation 4! Ohhhhh, yeah! We’re anxiously awaiting its arrival. Thank you, Chuck E. Cheese! We also received an abundance of tokens and coupons for free food and free play at Chuck E. Cheese’s. Allie is over the moon!

I won, again! On Saturday, I was notified that I had won a Lightscoop for my Nikon camera. Lightscoop is a little tool you attach to your camera to avoid direct light, red eye and harsh light. It evenly distributes the light from the flash, so pictures come out more professional. I can’t wait to attach my Lightscoop!

Were Previous Years Better, or Was BlogHer ’14 Just Different?

The parties.

Going to BlogHer, to me, has been all about the social networking opportunities, as well as making brand connections. The parties were there, they just weren’t the same. There is something exciting about hopping in a cab with a few blogger friends and making it to a party off-site (BlogHer sponsored Ford picnic, for example) in the past. I missed most of the parties because I was exhausted and went to bed at an embarrassingly early hour on Friday night. That’s not BlogHer’s fault. That is the nature of hopping in a car at 3:30 -4:00 a.m. from San Diego to San Jose, then attending a conference as soon as you arrive. They just didn’t have the same vibe.

Saturday night was the Mc Donald’s BlogHer Closing Party, formerly CheeseburgHer. I have to say that as much as I enjoyed a 6 piece chicken Mc Nugget and a strawberry smoothie, there were some things I missed. There were no Mc Donald’s bag hats. The photo booth of 2011 and 2012 was missing. It didn’t have some of the traditional elements that made the party one of my all-time favorites. I know I am being nostalgic, chasing the dragon of my first BlogHer, but it didn’t have the same feel. I did have fun and seeing Rev Run was pretty awesome! I spoke to several people that were first time attendees and they seemed pleased with what the conference offered. Perhaps, it’s really a matter of my own nostalgia.

Uhhh, Sparklecorn—where were you? I missed Sparklecorn! No Sparklecorn. No Sparklecorn cake. No dancing with glow bracelets. Boooo.

The Expo—it wasn’t as big as it has been in the past. I think this was a total shame. There were many brands that weren’t there that have been there in the past. Usually, it takes a few hours to get through the Expo, if I’m moving fast. This year, I was able to get through in about 30 minutes. I heard rumors of why it was smaller, but I don’t know for sure why.

The sessions—I think I’ve been blogging for so long now that I find that the sessions don’t pertain to me the way they did in the past. I didn’t see anything that really grabbed me and skipped going to sessions altogether. Also? The number of sessions seemed to have diminished. I remember there being a lot more sessions to choose from in the past. There wasn’t as much variety.

The good and bad of being at the convention center was space. It was nice to be spread out and have space, at the same time, everything was spread out and it made networking more spread out. If that makes any sense (No).

Overall Assessment

I think for any conference, or event, it is what you make of it. I had fun. I enjoyed myself. I saw what I wanted to see. I Like with anything else, you get what you put into it! connected with those I wanted to. I prioritized what I felt was important and that’s what I did. I found a lot of value in in attending BlogHer. I love an opportunity to see my blogging friends and to make more friends. I love visiting a city I don’t live in and exploring. I love connecting with brands and finding out about their products. I love all of those things. In the end, the conference was what I made of it, like anything else. Will I go again next year? I don’t know. There was a lot of speculation from BlogHer veterans that this might be the last year of BlogHer. I might be inclined to go again if there is another one.

Anniversary and 40th Birthday Celebration in Sonoma with The Wine Road, Day 2

September 6, 2013 by Laura Lohr Leave a Comment

I posted about the anniversary and 40th birthday celebration we had in Sonoma on The Wine Road back on this post HERE. Today, I want to continue sharing our adventure on day two. We had such a great time and one blog post just wasn’t enough to cover all the fun we had!

On day two, we woke up and had breakfast at the Hilton, where we stayed. After searching for the best online deals, we used the hotel shuttle to take us back to the airport to rent a car. We picked up a Ford Focus and headed to our first winery of the day—The Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville. The winery was over-the-top awesome! The grounds are beautiful. We felt like we had arrived on a Las Vegas casino property playing boom town bingo, with the beautiful grounds, the resort-style pool and all its grandeur.

Entrance to Francis Ford Coppola Winery. We decided to call our Ford Focus rental car, Francis Ford, after seeing the winery. From there out, our little rental was Francis Ford. (We’re nerds!)

The beautiful Francis Ford Coppola Pool, which you purchase a day pass to swim in

When we arrived at Francis Ford Coppola Winery, we went to the concierge to find out where we should go to redeem our three day pass to The Wine Road, which entitled us to complimentary tastings at over 80 different wineries. We were directed to the inside of the main building, where we found a friendly wine host that was more than happy to share the lovely wines that FFCW had to offer. We fell in love with several wines and had a lovely chat with our lovely host, who was a Southern California transplant to the area. She was informative about the area, attractions we should not miss and we had a great conversation.

Mr. Bear standing in front of the concierge at FFCW

This was one of the prettiest bottles! I loved the bottle and the wine!

This was the bottle we settled on. There were so many great wines, but this was the one we liked the taste of best.

After our tasting, we walked around the grounds and got to see some awesome memorabilia from several of Francis Ford Coppola’s movies, including:

The desk from the movie, “The Godfather”

The car from the movie, “Tucker”

Memorabilia from the movie, “Apocalypse Now”

It was a great day and we were so impressed by the grandiosity of the winery. It’s definitely a “must-see” for anyone visiting Sonoma. It was our first winery we visited in Sonoma and it left quite an impression. LOVED IT! I think we could have spent all day at Francis Ford Coppola, enjoying all they have to offer, nevertheless there was much more wine tasting ahead of us!

Next, we visited Quivira Vineyards and Winery in the Dry Creek River Valley of Healdsburg (Pronounced heels-berg. It would take 4 days for us to master the pronunciation!). The location was recommended to us by Mr. Bear’s step-brother and it was a fabulous recommendation, indeed!

We spent some time sampling the amazing wines and learned about the various varietals that Quivira has to offer. The Dry Creek River Valley is beautiful—as is all of Sonoma.

The breathtaking vineyards of Quivira

Mr. Bear at Quivira

Selfie of Mr. Bear and I at Quivira

The grapes were very close to harvest everywhere we went. We would have loved to be there for the Sonoma Valley Crush Festival that is happening at the end of this month.

Unfortunately, it was getting late, as the wineries usually close at 5:00 p.m. daily. We cut our visit much too short at Quivira to squeeze just one more wine tasting in. We found our way to the Raymond Burr Vineyards. It was equally beautiful, driving around the Dry Creek River Valley. The vineyards were especially gorgeous, with the grapes so ripe on the vines. The weather was perfect!

They were getting ready to close, so we didn’t have as much time as we liked to visit, however we got to see a lot of Perry Mason memorabilia. Like this:

Raymond Burr’s awards for the television series, “Perry Mason.”

Mr. Bear, holding one of the many awards Mr. Burr won for his role as Perry Mason. It was extraordinarily heavy!

Before we left, I caught one last view:

Beautiful!

We went back to our hotel to get changed for dinner and came home to:

Milk and cookies from the Hilton!

…and lastly, we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Monti’s Rotisserie and Bar, courtesy of The Wine Road.

Monti’s is one of five Stark Restaurants in the Santa Rosa area. There food is delicious. The atmosphere is amazing. The service is phenomenal. Did I mention the food? Because, nom, nom, nom, nom:

Mr. Bear ordered this delicious dish.

While I, on the other hand, opted for the mussels and fries. The food. Oh, the food!

We finished the day with a dip in the pool and jacuzzi, then a nightcap (or two) at the hotel bar. It was a long, wonderful, amazing day. I couldn’t be more relaxed if I tried.

This is Part Two of our Sonoma Wine Trip. Click below read about other parts of our trip:

Anniversary and 40th Birthday Celebration in Sonoma with The Wine Road, Day One

Disclaimer: The Wine Road generously provided us with complimentary three day wine tasting passes and gift certificates to the Stark Restaurants, including Monti’s Rotisserie and Bar. Regardless, I was truly pleased with all the products and services we received and only recommend those that I can honestly recommend to my readers.

Anniversary and 40th Birthday Celebration in Sonoma with The Wine Road

August 29, 2013 by Laura Lohr 10 Comments

Back in June, not only did I turn 40, but Mr. Bear and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We were trying to choose the perfect spot to vacation, so I turned to Facebook. Sonoma was the hand-down winner for the perfect vacation. The more feedback I got from friends and family, the more I was convinced! A fellow blogger recommended The Wine Road. I contacted them and they offered some complimentary services for our anniversary, including a 3-day ticket to the Wine Road.

We went out LAX, as we had to drop the kiddo, the dogs and the cat off at my parent’s house and it was closer than San Diego. We took a one hour-ish hop from LAX to Santa Rosa. It was so easy! Much better than flying into San Francisco! We flew Alaska Airlines, which allowed for us to bring back a case of wine with us on the return, so BONUS! Please, they were giving complimentary cocktails on the flight. Wooohoo!

We stayed at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country Hotel, which has fully furnished apartments and where the service was amazing from the moment we called for a complimentary shuttle from the airport. They did not have a scheduled airport pick-up for another hour after we landed, but came and got us anyway. When we arrived at the hotel, The Wine Road had this amazing package all ready to go for us, complete with maps, a cookbook, a lovely bottle of wine, coupons from various Wine Road participants and we immediately opened the bottle of wine.

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Vegas or Bust—A.K.A. The Best Conference Ever #BBCVegas

October 17, 2012 by Laura Lohr 12 Comments

Over the past three years, I have been to many conferences. For me, the blogging conferences are my excuse to have a girl’s weekend out in whatever city the conference is being held in. Last year, I went to Bloggy Boot Camp in Denver, Colorado, which meant a few days with my best friend who lives in Denver and lunch with a sorority sister. This weekend, I went to Bloggy Boot Camp in Las Vegas, mostly to spend the weekend with some of my favorite Southern California bloggers, but what I got out of it turned out to be so much more!

I have to say that with all the conferences I have been to in the past couple of years, this year at Bloggy Boot Camp in Vegas was my favorite conference yet! Not only did I get to spend time with some of the smartest women I know, I learned so much!

Friday night, about 10 of us got together for an ice cream social downstairs in the Southpoint Casino we were staying at. We had great conversation about blogging, networking, husbands, working with brands, and being moms. There were not many topics we did not touch. We ended up laughing, talking and hanging out until 3 a.m. We weren’t drinking, gambling, dancing or anything like that. We were enjoying great conversations and everyone was excited about the conference the next day. I did not get a full 8 hours of sleep and it was totally worth it! It is so important to me to connect with other bloggers and to network. The result has been that I have a really fabulous network of friends.

The San Diego Bloggers

I came back home with so many ideas in my head and so much gratitude in my heart. I am so grateful to have found this community of supportive women that I have had the privilege and honor to know. I have so many plans in my head, I do not know where to start, but I know which direction I want to go. I feel inspired and I am excited to start moving on! It is going to take me a week or so to synthesize all the information I got out of the conference.

Me with Melissa

I got to see many San Diego bloggers I have met many times, as well as some Southern California bloggers I know from Facebook and Twitter that I have not met before. I loved listening to all the women speakers of the day. I was inspired by the strength and courage of the women in the room, including the Warriors in Pink that were at the conference sharing their stories.

Me and Lolo

Some important lessons I learned (that I may or may not have applied yet!)

1. Set working hours. I think my working hours are going to be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. I need to make myself wholly available to my family during the hours I am not working.

2. I need to come up with a business plan. No more of this throwing things on the wall and seeing if they stick. I need to focus on where I want to be and work my way backwards.

3. I need to find ways to simplify my life so I can focus on my work during my business hours. I think this means a housekeeper is in order. I need someone to come in and do the deep cleaning so I can focus on my business and get this enterprise feedback management to help me keep track of my client´s reviews.

4. Wednesday nights are for Mr. Bear and I. We are going to have a date night every Wednesday. We need some time together, without interruptions from our little bundle of joy.

5. I do not need to worry about my critics.

“Don’t try to win over the haters. You’re not the jackass whisperer.”

— Scott Stratten, author of Unmarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.

Some of the people I hung out with that I think are AMAZING!

Tiffany of SITS and one of the women behind Bloggy Boot Camp. She is one of the funniest women and I love her! I left the conference so inspired and ready to put the work in to get where I want to be. I found out she is also my friend Tracey’s neighbor. We will have to invite her over at our next get together.

Gigi of Kludgy Mom. I got to bend Gigi’s ear for a while at the conference and she is awesome. She has so much knowledge and I learned so much in such a short conversation.

Melissa of Miz Meliz She is one of a kind! I had so much fun with her! She seriously has one of the most contagious smiles of anyone I have met before. She and her husband joined Mr. Bear, me and a few others at the Hofbräuhaus in Las Vegas. It was a lot of fun and I am so glad she joined us!

Danielle Smith of Extraordinary Mommy She inspired me so much, listening to her speak at the conference. She is one extraordinary woman for sure! She inspired me to pursue my dreams and to make them happen. She also reinforced the working hours rule that I will be soon implementing.

Carolyn West of This Talk Aint Cheap and founder of SoCal Lady Bloggers. We got to chat about a lot of things over the weekend. Carolyn was inspired over the weekend too and I cannot wait to see the incredible things that result! Carolyn joined us for dinner at the Hofbräuhaus after the conference. (We got to see quite a bit of spanking, which was very interesting. Every time someone ordered a shot, the servers would swat the shot-taker.)

Lolo of Crazy About My Baybah. Lolo is one of my good friends and although this is only the second time I have got to hug her in person, I feel like I have known her forever! It was great to see her!

Bibi of Bibi’s Culinary Journey. Bibi is from Canada, but joined the Southern California ladies meet-up on Friday night. She is a lot of fun and I am so glad we got to meet. She and her friend also joined us at the Hofbräuhaus Saturday night. She was kind enough to give us a ride over.

I also got to see Ali, Theresa, Surferwife, Laural, Wendy, and many other bloggers. Unfortunately, one day was not enough time to get to hang out with everyone.