Haven

Hey friends!  I'm finally getting around to my actual Haven post! Thanks for your patience!

After the Southern Blogger's Conference in October last year, I knew I really wanted to try to attend Haven.  Many of the same bloggers that I love and adore would be there AND it would be in Atlanta!  Just a short 2 hour trip from home (or a 25 minute trip from work).  I wasn't able to purchase the tickets when they first went on sale, but was fortunate enough to get a ticket and a hotel room a couple of months before Haven thanks to one of my best and oldest (in time, not in age) blogger friends, Barb of The Everyday Home.

Well, as the date came closer, I seriously doubted even going. I am definitely not a social butterfly, and being in a strange place with hundreds of people I don't know sends my anxiety level through the roof. As the days got closer, I became more anxious.  But, just as I would make the decision not to go, Barb would send me a message about how much fun we were going to have.  She just wouldn't let me say no!  I am so glad she wouldn't!

The week prior to Haven ended up being extremely busy for Blueberry Hill Handmade. Most nights leading up to Thursday, I would be up until at least 1 am working on orders.  I had planned on getting a hair cut and pedicure, shopping for some awesome new clothes, and making a bunch of cute little things to hand out, but I ended up doing none of these things.  I literally didn't even have my suitcase packed at 10:00 Thursday morning!  Somehow I managed to get myself together, load up the car, and hit the road around 12:30...only 30 minutes later than I had planned to.

Atlanta, here I come!

I know this is probably dorky to all you travelers out there, but this is what greeted me when I walked into my hotel room.  I thought it was pretty cool!

SWAG!

As soon as I checked in, dug through my swag bag, and freshened up a bit (after being stuck in ROAD CONSTRUCTION for an hour!), we were treated to an awesome party thrown by Homes.com and Rent.com.

Photo by Karen from Dogs Don't Eat Pizza.

This is Barb (she is SO going to kill me for posting this!).  She said she was only in the chair to "look for a friend", but I KNOW I saw a little arm slinging and bootie shaking going on up there!  And this was DAY 1 FOLKS!

OK, OK, here is a much better picture of Barb, with the cup I managed to finish, that has her blog logo on it.

Thursday night, a few of us decided to go and have some great Italian food.

The steak was really fabulous, but difficult to get a good photo of in the darkness.  The most interesting thing about that night was the lady sitting next to me who decided she liked the way my food looked, and decided to help herself to my potatoes and mushrooms.  

Sunrise on Friday morning.

I know these photos are horrible, but Ana White was the keynote speaker on Friday.  She was awesome!

Y'all, there is SO much going on in this photo. Let's just say, all the Haven attendees now know an awesome social media dance!

 Fabulous lunch on Friday!

  

Here is a picture of Suzy (in the pink in the back) from Worthington Court, Amy from Atta Girl Says, and Barb from The Everyday Home.  These ladies took me under their wings and let me hang with them the whole time.  I thank them SO MUCH for doing so. I know they have no idea how much that meant to me!

After lunch, I went to a presentation sponsored by Cottonelle, and let me tell you, they had me the second I walked in the door.  They had scrapbook paper, Modge Podge, scissors, and paint!  MY KIND OF PRESENTATION!  After one not-so-appealing fail, here is my finished product:

The tray is simple, but it will match my bathroom perfectly!

I thought this was an awesome idea.  They had a huge chalk board and encouraged everyone to sign it or "Leave your mark"!  It was really beautiful, especially the more signatures that were on it.

I left my mark....TWICE

And these next two pictures are the highlight of my Friday (other than my friends and CRAFTS!).  I sat in on the Basic Blogging class taught by Heather from At the Picket Fence

KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms

and Tauni, the developer of the SNAP conference!

Even though I've been blogging for a long time, I still learned a lot!  I met both of these awesome ladies at the Southern Blogger's Conference last year and love both of their blogs.  If you ever get the chance to listen to either of these ladies talk, jump at the chance!

Well, after my 1 1/2 full, hysterical, entertaining, and fun days with my blogging pals, I headed back home.  I missed Saturday's events, which by the looks of it, was AMAZING, but am still glad I got to spend the rest of the weekend with the family (and finish up about 18 Blueberry Hill orders).

Even though I was filled with tons of anxiety, I really enjoyed this trip!  This was the first time I've ever traveled and stayed in a hotel alone.  I managed to have a wonderful time without a haircut, a pedicure, or new clothes.  And the best part, I wore my CROCS the whole time and even got a few compliments on how cute they were.

Thank you Barb for encouraging me to go and thanks most of all for letting me follow you around like a puppy!  You are THE BEST!  I can't wait to do it again next year!