Alt Summer 2014

6.21.14- 

  Where to begin?  My head is spinning, reeling & racing.  So grateful for the amazing opportunity I had to attend the Alt Summer Conference.  I've felt very fortunate ever since I won a ticket & knew I wanted to just go for it & take advantage of every single second.  

I wanted to share some pics with you of my fabulous 3 days in the city & then share a few favorite things, lessons  & food from the Conference.   

The Grand America really is the most beautiful hotel.  Everytime I go there I'm just in awe of everything.  Attending Alt was really a step out of my comfort zone.  I was going by myself, I just knew one other person that was going, so that was really a fear to overcome.  I'll be honest, I was worried about the fashion, not having anyone to hang out with all day long, being overwhelmed. Not to mention I knew that I was going to be a tiny fish in a great big sea of amazing & very well known bloggers. 

All my fears, anxieties left after attending the first class. It was amazing!  It put all my worries aside & I was ready to rock the conference.  Tiffany & Bethany couldn't have been more perfect to teach this class. They were fabulous speakers during the class & sweet friends outside of it.  Enjoyed talking & getting to know them both. 

-LoTS & lots of notetaking. Old school for me, paper & blue pen- 

-The perfect thing for me to hear during the 1st class. It became my motto for the entire Conference- 

-True!-

-Opening Speaker, Oh, Joy.  Such a great story!- 

-Inspiration was everywhere!  This was the cool hang out lounge.- 

 -Sidewalk art as we walked to dinner in the park, provided by local food trucks & Swig.  Such a fun summer night in the city -

-Dinner, Yum! My first ever waffle sandwich, more about this in a bit. - 

-Wanted to include this pic to show you how close I was to Martha.  I really think she was looking at me the whole time.She was angled perfectly, just saying - 

-Great interview & funny things said from the Queen of all Good Things.  Have always loved, admired & respected her.  She has truly been an inspiration to me. Grateful for what she has taught & encouraged me to try do in my life, business & home-  

 -I've heard about the Alt cards & boy, they didn't disappoint.  All great cards, textures & styles.- 

-The garden party, it the courtyard, was simply delightful!  Lots of color & happy little surprises everywhere. My favorite just might have been the cherry stems in the flowers.  The perfect summertime combo. The hanging ribbons in the trees were genius too- 

Alt was a sweet ride for me from start to finish I have to say.  Meeting & getting to know these ladies was a treat too. 

A few of my favorite things: 

-Color & inspiration everywhere 

-Churros & carmel dip for an afternoon snack 

-The gorgeous flowers & lounge area

-Meeting & making lots of connections & many new friends

-Realizing how many amazing local bloggers there are! 

Favorite Moments: 
-Getting into a spur of the moment photo op. with 3 people I didn't know very well who quickly became great friends the whole conference long. {Thanks Bethany, Jessica & Mitzi} 
-When I would introduce myself & people would say, Oh, yes, I follow you or I wanted to make sure & meet you. So sweet! {too be honest, blew me away!  Couldn't believe it when people would say that, felt like my heart was going to burst}  
-Educating my foodie friend {Mindy} on what a Swig Cookie was.  
-Dinner in the park, on a picnic bench, surrounded by all new friends 
-Being in the right place, at the right time to run into a friend that I think I was destined to met 

Favorite Words of wisdom: 
-Don't compare your beginning to somebody else's middle 
-Content is King but promotion is Queen
-If your blog is a story than the branding is your cover {Meg in Progress}
-Give yourself a warrior name- Susan {Freshly Picked}
-Learn something new everyday -Martha 

Favorite Class:
How to Alt Summit {Thanks Tiffany & Bethany}
How to grow your small blog {Thanks, PJ, Tan, Ceira, Mariah & Melissa}

Favorite Food: 
-The Bees Cheese {Off the Grid SLC foodtruck}  Ok... so I picked this sandwich strictly because of the name & Oh, my word it was heavenly!  Cheese, basil & honey sandwiched between 2 parmesan crusted waffles. Delicious! 

I am so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone, did something a bit scary & hard. I can see the benefit & blessing of doing so.  Many talented, creative & amazing people are now in my life & as a result I'll forever be  grateful for the connections I've made. I would attend Alt again in a heartbeat, & I plan too. Loved the energy, the community & the spirit of awesomeness that was there.  It has inspired me to look at my business, blog & wonder what else is out there & how to get it.  Encouraged me to not be afraid of change, move forward to put into place things that up until now I've only envisioned.

Thanks Alt for the connections, education, friends, inspiration & memories you have given me.   

{M}