Thanks for the memory of things I can’t forget

July 31, 2009 | BlogHer

I went to my first BlogHer conference in Chicago.

I need this sign at home. It was on the back of a Time Out Chicago van.

Thanks to Anne-Marie Nichols (@amnichols) of The Write Spot, I caught a ride with a GM carpool groupthat included Anne-Marie, Amy Peck (@fruitlady) of Inherent Passionand Jenna Goodwin (@MommyJenna) of For the Love of Baby! That Crazy Tattooed Mommy. Anne-Marie and Amy started in Denver and picked up Jenna and me in Iowa.

General Motors provided nine Chevys for carpools to and from BlogHer09. Our group had a 2010 Traverse, which was equipped with OnStar.

Our Chevy Traverse.

Anne-Marie drives and Jenna helps navigate.

For those bathroom emergencies.

Jenna and Anne-Marie at the Great Sauk Trail rest area.

Thanks to Erin Groh (@ErinRoseGroh) of BlogHerfor organizing everything with carpoolers and companies. Thanks to Lesley Hettinger(@lesleyhettinger) and Connie Burke (@connieburke) of GM Communications, Kameya Shows (@kamkam) of OnStar Communications, Robyn Henderson (@robnh) of Design Communications for setting everything up and for treating us to food and drink (I had margaritas, thank you very much) once we got to Chicago. Here are some pictures from that party. You know, before I lost my camera.

Amy Peck (@fruitlady) of Inherent Passion, Shannanb (@Shannanb) of Mommy Bits, Lucrecer Braxton (@lucrecerb) of Art Slamand Kameya Shows (@kamkam) of OnStar Communications.

Deb (@DebMomOf3) of Mom of 3 Girls, Lisa (@blm03) of My Thoughts, Ideas and Ramblings, Shannanb (@Shannanb) of Mommy Bits, Elizabeth (@Table4Five) of Table for Fiveand Amy Peck (@fruitlady) of Inherent Passion. I can’t remember what Amy and I were talking about, but it must have been a hoot.

Thank you so much to my roommates, Devra Renner (@ParentopiaDevra) and Aviva Pflock (@ParentopiaAviva) of Parentopia. I met Aviva for the first time in Chicago, but it feels as if I’ve known her forever.

For those of you who liked my round business card, Deborah at Candice n Katie’s Art made them for me.

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

July 30, 2009 | BlogHer

KINDNESS

We are the leaves of one branch, the drops of one sea, the flowers of one garden.

~ Jean Baptiste Henri Lacordaire

Remember how I said the first lily that bloomed in my back yard was on my camera? Here it is. For Kelly. Thank you!

I love to take a photograph, so, mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away

July 27, 2009 | BlogHer

I went to BlogHer09 in Chicago and lost my camera.

OK. So much more than that happened, but I’ll write about all that later. For now, here’s why I’m lost without my camera. Without it, the only camera I have is on my cell phone. Pictures from my cell phone? Suck.

See?

Here’s Carson Kressley showing everyone in the Expo Hall “how to look good naked.”

Here’s Michele Lepe, Nina of Nina and Star on Sprout’s The Good Night Show. She autographed a photo for the kids, and they hung it on their bedroom door. They think I met a superstar. I think so too. She was very nice.

Here’s Elizabeth of Table for Five. We were at the Shutter Suite and I think PunditMom snapped our picture with my phone. Or was it someone else? Elizabeth, do you remember?

I’m sad. Those are the only images I have from BlogHer09. I also don’t have the images that were on my camera: the first lily that bloomed in our back yard, my carpool buddies, the Chicago skyline and pictures I took of some of the first people I met at BlogHer … until I put it down at either the People’s Party or the Room 704 Party on Thursday night. I had so many straps on my arms (purse, tote, camera bag, swag bags) that I didn’t notice the camera strap wasn’t one of them. So … maybe my camera ended up in someone else’s bag. Do me a favor? Could you check when you’re unpacking at home? It’s a Konica Minolta DiMage and looks something like this.

UPDATE: The most awesome Mocha Momma has my camera!

Someone found it and recognized Kelly from the night I was asking around about my camera. (They had been sitting on the same sofa.) She didn’t know how to find me, but she ran into Kelly, who said she would return the camera to me. Thank you, Kelly! I’d love to figure out who “this woman” is so I can thank her as well.

Now it’s all covered with flowers

July 23, 2009 | Iowa

Forty shades of green

July 22, 2009 | Iowa

No, it’s not Ireland. It’s Iowa. But, dang. The greens are amazing.

Along with the sunshine there’s gotta be a little rain sometime

July 21, 2009 | Iowa

Swiftly fly the years, one season following another

July 20, 2009 | Iowa

Take that, skunk!

July 19, 2009 | Iowa

This is where the trash goes now, instead of the floor in the barn. Which means we haven’t seen the skunk in the barn for a while. But … it apparently lives in a drain pipe next to the barn. Gah. Not sure what to do about that. Maybe the corn will call it back before harvest …

Which, by the way, is sky high now. With tassels.

Hit the road, skunk, and don’t you come back no more

July 12, 2009 | Iowa

Yeah, it’s a really bad picture, but I was afraid of getting the critter all excited. But, yes. That is a skunk in our barn. It’s bigger’n a cat. [shudder] Anyone know a good way to get rid of them?

O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

July 4, 2009 | Holidays

Happy 4th of July!