• home
  • contact
  • hire
    • blog
    • freelance
    • media kit
    • portfolio
    • resumé

lo-wren

muse. mom. maven.

  • Editorial
    • all
    • featured
  • Parenting
    • humor
    • breastfeeding
    • miscarriage
      • experience
      • healing|support
  • freelance
    • portfolio
    • resumé
  • natural living
    • cloth diapering
      • general topics
      • accessories
      • prefolds
      • fitteds
      • pockets
      • ai2s
      • aios
      • wool
      • trainers
    • ideas
    • products
    • recipes
    • events
  • blog series
    • featured WAHMs
    • guest posts
    • what we’re reading
    • sun protection
    • SIDS awareness

I Don’t Get Out Much…

2014/06 By Lauren B. Stevens 4 Comments

This post is brought to you by Zoloft: taking the edge off of social anxiety, one dose at a time…

lo-wrenBlogU

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

A few weeks ago I was able to enjoy a plethora of firsts; my first time away from my [almost] two year old son, I popped my blogging conference cherry, and it was the first time I had been in a social/networking setting since my son was born.  I knew my weekend was off to a great start as I [didn’t] cruised down I-95 from Philly to Baltimore.

I packed Friday morning, which is my version of advance preparation these days, and set off in my un-air conditioned car that afternoon. Knowing that I-95S would be a nightmare on a Friday, I decided to take Route 1, and enjoy the beautiful weather on the scenic drive. Fifteen minutes into my road trip, I was sitting in traffic (shockingly, EVERYONE else decided to take Route 1 to avoid the traffic on 95) with my fan blasting warm air throughout the car and asking myself questions such as: Why did I ever buy a black car?, Did I bring extra deodorant?, and Why didn’t I take any allergy medication?

The beauty of being a member of the non-commuting world is that I am rarely in a rush to get anywhere, so my traffic complications posed no real issues (except for the possibility of drowning in my own sweat). Traffic began to move, and soon I was driving down the highway with the sun roof open, NPR blasting on the radio (something about EPA and emissions testing regulations), and thoughts of a wonderful ME weekend ahead.

Having forgotten to take allergy meds, with a head full of cotton and eyelids slowly swelling closed, I decided to stop for an iced coffee to perk me up for the remainder of my drive into Baltimore. Finally relaxed and ready to take on the weekend, I pulled off of the highway and made a pit stop to grab an iced coffee. I got back onto the highway, and was rocking out to the radio, mushroom farm scent wafting through the air, wind blowing through my hair, and not a care in the world…until I noticed a familiar exit sign…20 minutes after I had gotten back on the highway; yes, I had driven for TWENTY minutes in the wrong direction! It’s hard to believe I used to navigate the streets of DC and Baltimore, especially since I got lost in the boondocks of Southeastern Pennsylvania!

I took this the FIRST time I passed this sign...

I took this the FIRST time I passed this sign…

I finally arrived on campus, THREE HOURS after starting my trip (it should only be a two hour drive), grabbed my registration materials and headed downtown to meet my girlfriend for dinner. This is what I encountered:

BaltimoreRushHour

An hour later, I was at my girlfriend’s house and we headed out for a relaxing dinner. We stayed up late chatting, so I needed an insane amount of coffee to kickstart my day:

BlogUcoffee

I headed onto campus for breakfast, and bumped into a couple of bloggers I only knew virtually (SO cool to meet online friends in real life). We headed into the opening session and I KNEW it was going to be a great conference.

BlogUOpening

I laughed a lot, took a copious amount of notes, and gathered a wealth of information in an incredibly short period of time (head still exploding)! I think that I was most taken with the fact that I am not out here, on my own little island, doing what I’m doing; that there are so many other stay-at-home parents choosing to use their craft to work-at-home and be fulfilled both professionally and as a parent. Most of all, we can be successful by working with each other to share information and encourage each other to become better at what we do. The Blog University 2014 looked a little like this:

I learned A LOT…

SponsoredPostSession
Ate some cupcakes…BlogUCupcakes

Met up with some bloggers I only knew virutually…BloggyFriends

Had some laughs…BlogULauren

Committed some gaffes…

LaurenAward

And had an amazing, albeit sleep-deprived, weekend; I can’t wait to do it again next year!

The drive home proved to be adventurous as well, culminating in a wrong turn that took me over a bridge with an $8 toll (there wasn’t even a nice view from the bridge for $8 – total rip-off). Note to self: just take the major routes because you suck at back roads. Seriously, I need to get out more…

Interested in finding out more about the faculty in residence?  Check out my Blog U: 1-Minute Recap!

Sharing is Caring! Please share to keep the conversation going:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Google

Related

Signature

Filed Under: Editorial

Comments

  1. Kristi Campbell says

    2014/07 at 5:45 pm

    I had a similar experience with traffic coming up from DC. It should have been less than 2 hours but it was more like 4 1/2. But totally going again next year! Such fun and I learned so much!!
    Kristi Campbell recently posted…8 ways to foster self compassion. Or, how not to be, or raise, an asshole.My Profile

    Reply
    • Lauren Stevens says

      2014/07 at 7:09 am

      I used to work in DC, and always made it a point to get out before 2:30pm on Fridays! I-95 on a Friday = mind-numbing insanity! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. I'll Bet Your Locker Wasn't THIS Cool! - lo-wren says:
    2014/08 at 7:27 am

    […] had the opportunity to meet the founder of Trim-a-Rim while I was attending The Blog University in June, and was struck by how friendly he was AND how stinkin’ cool this product is!  Not […]

    Reply
  2. Negative Aspects of Mom Bloggers says:
    2014/11 at 3:53 pm

    […] and error, and the skill set I developed was more than I could have ever imagined. My experiences networking with other bloggers have been overwhelmingly positive, and I’ve forged many wonderful relationships as a result. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

categories

BlogHer

Lauren B. Stevens is a former publishing rep-turned-writer, whose work can be found on ChildVantage, The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy and Care.com, among many other websites. When she's not chasing her precocious preschooler, Lauren pens hilarious and heartwarming stories about her life as a mother, ghostwrites blogs for businesses, and sometimes even finds the time to write a bit of creative non-fiction.
Look for Lauren's published essays in the books listed below:

i’m in these books!

  • SMITHCoverWidget.jpg
  • MMCoverWidget.jpg
  • 3534480-01Motherhood250-1.jpg
  • chicken-soup.jpg
  • SINSA-Cover-Image.jpg

Skype Yoga & Meditation

 photo SkypenbspYoga ampnbspMeditation_zps2ekj55ku.png

freelance services

 photo LBS-CONTENT-SERVICES300_zpsyehyogfl.jpg


popular this week…

  • Breastfeeding After C-Section: 9 Tips Breastfeeding After C-Section: 9 Tips
  • Best Cloth Diapers for Boys Best Cloth Diapers for Boys
  • Cloth Diapering: Accessory Must Haves Cloth Diapering: Accessory Must Haves
  • All Prefolds Are NOT Created Equal All Prefolds Are NOT Created Equal

recent posts

  • Cyber Security 101: 5 Tips for Keeping Your Kids Safe Online
  • 11 Activities To Tire Your Kids And Have Them Begging for Bedtime
  • Chicken Soup for the Soul: Military Families
  • Maximizing Marketplace Savings with Groupon and eBay
  • 4 Cost-Related Considerations to Make Before Going on a Family Vacation

here, there…everywhere

Beyond Your Blog
 photo wiamtdgreyandredbutton_zpsywkzpuez.jpg  photo huffington-post-logo_zps127a58da.png Beyond-Your-Blog-Hall-Of-Fame-Showcasing-our-favorite-writing-from-our-readers-who-have-been-published-beyond-their-blogs
Club Mid
 photo SmartBottomsAmbassador_zps2f4f2408.jpg photo NickMom_Ambassador-Badge_zps26c518c1.jpg
Scary Mommy
I'm a featured blogger on Mamapedia Voices
Featured on BlogHer.com
 photo BlogUBadge_zpsb0bffd04.jpg

Stirrup Queen’s List of Blogs

Stirrup Queen's List of Blogs

archives

Pinterest Favorites

 photo 12UniqueGifts_zps5a66546f.jpg" alt="12-UNIQUE-GIFT-IDEAS" />
 photo 4ReasonstoUseMenstrualCupjpg_zpsb15ca7ba.jpg
 photo StopBreastfeeding_zps6df818b5.jpg
budget-cloth-diapering
 photo MiscarriageBabyLossjpg_zps3a6a4ab8.jpg
 photo PrefoldPinterest_zps43c4cd6e.jpg

Copyright © 2019

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.