Blissdom is Bliss

Yes, I attended Blissdom, yes I fell in love with women I not only knew but women that had previously given me their opinion on a matter of……difficulty.

I wrote this post and this post and this post way back when..that would be way back when I was a jealous blogger.  And, those 3 posts are the very reason why I have chosen to put my Blissdom photos and such here.  I’m linking to this page on my main page but for those who simply do not want to read another Blissdom post nor do they want to hear how people were so nice to me even though I was afraid they wouldn’t.  Or you they don’t want to hear how I was soooo wrong when I wrote those previously mentioned 3 posts…..so here goes.

People, Blissdom was da bomb.  I met people I had read their blogs and already was in love with such as Tanis at redneckmommy who was so kind to me.  Here’s her comment to me from the post last summer where I accused her along with many others of being snobs.

I started writing my blog four months after my almost five year old son died in my arms.

I was isolated, lonely and in the greatest depths of despair a human being can ever face.

Initially, I wanted to reach out and connect with someone…anyone. I wanted to document my journey so my children would understand how deeply I loved them and their brother and how damn hard it was to carry on and put one foot in front of the other.

I was, and still am pleasantly surprised when people take the time to read and comment on my site. I’m just a woman with access to a computer who likes to exercise her writing muscles and finds joy in reading her words and the other words of other great writers using this medium.

I blog not only for myself, but to be able to continue to reach out to other parents who find themselves raising a handicapped child and feel overwhelmed, or worse yet, have had to face that same sea of grief I find myself swimming in every day.

I blog to help remember there is joy out there, no matter what the circumstances life has thrown at them. And I love being able to share that joy with who ever stumbles across my blog.

I wouldn’t consider myself famous, nor would anyone else who knows me in real life. And I’m certainly not an A-lister if Dooce is the standard with which that is being set.

I am, however, filled with gratitude and joy for the out-pouring of friendship and love I have found online and in real life. Swallowing my fear and attending my first BlogHer conference was a life changing event for me, and I will be forever grateful for that.

As for making enough money to support myself or my family, I’m still waiting for that to happen.

And for the record, any and all (small … oh so small) profits I earn off the ads I run on my site go straight to the local children’s hospital as a donation in my son’s name.

I really wish you would have come to BlogHer. I would have loved to have met you.

Does that sound like the comment of someone who is too snobby to be-friend someone like me?  Of course not.  But, you know, we call all write things, putting our words into action are 2 different issues.  Just look, she meant what she said…

And, of course I look like a complete dork, but I was that enamoured to meet Tanis, I’ve been reading her like a mad woman and she is just as down to earth and awesome as she looks in this photo.

Then, there’s Allison from Fussy Pants who left this one sentence to me…

I don’t think it is nice to call people out on your blog.

Do you think this lady holds a grudge?  Absolutely not.  When I asked her if she knew who I was, she said, “yea, Jerri Ann” because we had been chatting and hugging and all that for 3 days…..(Saturday afternoon when I finally asked her) and I said, “remember my train wreck from last summer” and she yell, “You are Mom~E~Centric” just as she grabbed me to hug….

Hello, wonderful woman.

And, I could go on and on and on and I am going to as soon as I see the complete list of people who were there, but there’s one more person that I want …no wait, 3 more, that I want to make sure you understand were as honest in person as they were on my posts here and were absolutely as awesome as I could have ever dreamed them to be in my mind.  Even if I thought it out all wrong originally.

This is the first comment from Casey at Moosh in Indy from that train wreck

Oh heavens, first of all I’m flattered to be on your list. Second of all, I had the sheer good fortune to meet almost everyone on your list and I’m pleased to say that all of them would say hello to you, have you sit at their table and be genuinely interested in what you have to say.
It only takes a passion for blogging to start a conversation with another blogger.
I think the reason a lot of “cliques” seem to form is because when you reach a certain point in blogging, it’s nice to be able to relate to others who have the same issues. Like trolls, or endless emails about “ADVERTISE FOR ME! SELL MY STUFF!”
But, your question was how to get to that point.
I dunno.
I can tell you I’m blessed to be where I’m at with the lovely readers that I have. I don’t know how other people do it. I guess a lot of it is writing honest content and hoping the “right” people come across it.
For example, I was just writing about my life when I got a comment from Jess at Oh, the Joys. Then she linked me. Then more people came, then more people linked.
Two years later here I am. (Not that I’m anything great by any means.)
You have to write in a way that will hook a wide audience if you want to appeal to a lot of people, however there is something to be said about the smaller communities of bloggers who support each other in things such as miscarriage, infertility, death and grieving.
I am not rolling in the dough like some bloggers. And yes, even I get envious of what other people are offered and the opportunities that they have, but along with the popularity and the offers come drama, strings, trolls and attacks on yourself and a lot of times your family.
Uh, no thanks.
I’m hoping someone else will answer your question first before I hit submit. I don’t want to look like the eager dork in the front row with all the opinions and my hand in the air.
Good on you for having the balls to post this and pose the question I think a lot of people really want to know.

People, this is probably the most down to earth person I met at the entire conference.  Her life mirrors mine more than anyone else I met and she is simply an awesome woman doing an awesome work.  She was a speaker/moderator at the conference and I still wasn’t sure about her.  She seemed so glass house like even then.  But, when I approached her later when she won a set of pearls that were given away at the Mom It Forward function that came from Peachbutt Designs Studio .  I mean, does this look like a glass house glamour girl….

Ok, because Casey is so awesome, I’m ending this post with her…..

There will be more, have no fear…