I’m heading to Blissdom!

I’ve been busy packing for a big trip to my very first social media conference! (Special thanks to my husband’s parents for taking my children to the park so I could make that happen!). I haven’t been to a conference since my pre-kids years, and look forward to soaking up some adult energy and making some new friends while developing my thoughts on how Tinkerlab might grow.

Hmmm, to say I look forward to this is sort of an understatement.

I’m sooooooooooooooo excited! Woo-hoo!

There are some great sessions that I’m dying to attend, like DO LESS as a Life Strategy (can I tell you how much I need this? And to be certain of just how much, I’m sure I’ll be taking copious notes while uploading photos to Instagram. Sigh).

But maybe the part I’m the most full of anticipation over is that I’ll be rooming with Jean Van’t Hul of The Artful Parent. We’ve become online friends through our blogs (see my interview with her here), but have never met before. Crazy, right? In the last year I became good friends with Jen from Paint Cut Paste, and I have to tell you how strange it is to first come face to face with someone from your online community. Have you ever experienced this? It’s like seeing a movie star, right? But then I know that weirdness will soon fade into familiarity, and we’ll hang out deep into the night like Jen and I do now 🙂 I promised Jean that I wouldn’t share any embarrassing photos of her next week, but maybe I’ll post a photo of us in our fancy clothes. What do you think?

So my bags are almost packed and my business cards ordered. Thank you, Tiny Prints, for shipping them in one day!

But in the middle of all this excitement, it dawned on me that I’ll be away from my little friends for such a long time. I watched them chat and play last night at dinner and all of that cuteness overload made me want to pinch them and eat them right up. I know it’s just a few nights, but it’s hard to envision how it will be on the other side. I’ve only been away from my youngest for one night, and that was sort of a big deal, which seems to makethis a super big deal. We talked a little bit about how I’ll be on an airplane, but I’ll come back. She enjoyed this story, and I hope she can find a way to cope with the situation when she learns it’s more than just a story.

I set up an invitation for my kids to make and design things after I go. I’m sure this will be totalled within minutes, but it makes me happy to see it like this, ready for their ideas to take a physical form.

Although I’ll be away, I’ll still be here. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a fun roundup of creativity education ideas and resources that inspired me this week.

Have you taken any life-changing trips? How have you dealt with leaving your little ones behind?