I'm heading to The Blathering this week (hooray!) and am pretty stoked about it. I love Austin, I love the ladies I've met through the internet and through blogging, and I really love eating. Combine all these things, and the weekend's a win before it even starts.
If you're going, and we don't know each other that well, here's a little about me. (And here are the 13 Things I wrote pre-Blathering in 2009. Many of them still apply!)
1. I want to meet each and every one of the attendees. I love meeting new people, I love finding out what I may have in common with each person. Sure, it's possible we don't read each other's blogs (or don't read them often), but that's okay! We can still become fast friends, and I hope we do.
2. I like karaoke. If the night inches toward that outcome, I'll probably sing "Don't Stop Believin'" loudly and very horribly.
3. I'm training for a half-marathon, so while it's not really of character for me to get up early during a weekend away to run a bunch of miles, I'll be doing just that this weekend.
4. (So, tell me to put the third beer I'll most likely be drinking on Friday night down, ok?)
5. I co-edit and co-manage two awesome sites (Style Lush and Food Lush) that I'm really proud of, but mostly I'm ridiculously excited to have so many of the writers of those sites in one space at one time. (Not to mention, all three editors together for the first time. There will be excited screams, unfortunately for anyone with ears.)
6. I live in Texas, and I'm one of those annoying people who complain constantly about living here while getting stupidly offended if someone else talks badly about it (unless they too live here).
7. I like to have dessert on vacation. So, yeah, who's with me?
8. My phone dies a lot. I need a new, much-better battery, so if you're trying to get a hold of me and I'm not answering and that's becoming really frustrating for you, you now have something in common with my husband. I'll give you his number, and he'll probably answer, so you can commiserate with him.
9. I'll take a tequila shot. I probably won't take any other kind of shot. I don't know what this says about me.
10. I'd rather walk a mile than pay to park, but I realize that's annoying, so I'll try to curb that particular facet of my cheapness this weekend.
11. I plan to bring a big purse, so I can carry a pair of flip-flops with me when we go out at night. I love heels, I just don't wear them often, so this is how I reconcile the new me with the old. Wear the fun shoes! But bring back-up.
12. I have no idea when or how this will work, but I really want to steal away to my favorite Austin coffee shop and just read for a little while. Is there anything that screams VACATION more than reading, in a coffee shop, without anywhere to hurry off to afterward?
13. I plan to eat the heck out of some queso even though queso is readily available to me on a daily basis. (Remind me and Natalie to tell you our HILARIOUS queso story, by the way.)
***
You know, it's kind of overwhelming to travel anywhere to meet a big group of people, especially when you don't know every single person in that group. I'm as nervous as you are, but it'll be fine. We'll have a great time. We'll get to know each other better and leave with fun stories and deeper friendships.
We'll be reminded, for either the first or second or hundredth time, that the internet can be about making money and branding and social media networking and Klout and all that stuff that has its place -- and I actually enjoy a lot of those things! -- but the internet can also be about making real and lasting friendships.
The Blathering is about finally taking those friendships offline, sitting in a backyard with those friends, sipping beers and talking about life together.
See you in Austin!
