She Likes Purple

A belated Blathering recap

I've written about the Blathering before (a blogging/social media meet-up that happens once a year in a different city), which is why I was in Charleston earlier this month. This was my fourth Blathering, and every year has been more good than bad for me. That's enough to keep me organizing, keep me coming back. Often a lot more good than bad. I mean, why else do it? It can't be perfect, it can't be stress- or drama-free, but it has to be mostly enjoyable right? I agree. 

This year, though?

This year was practically perfect. 95% good to the 5% bad, and the bad really only consisted of giant palmetto bugs (THOSE ARE ROACHES, NO MATTER HOW CUTE A NAME YOU GIVE THEM, SOUTH CAROLINA) and the weekend having to end. Oh, and the one time I dropped a tray of food in the hotel parking lot. Oops! 

I don't know if it was the desperate need for a girl's weekend away, the charming city of Charleston, the smaller group this year, all of us being at the same hotel, the more casual events, all those biscuits I ate. (Damn, SC, you know how to make a biscuit.) A combination, I'd guess. It was just a really lovely weekend.

I've had a stressful year. So stressful that I got a little weepy on Saturday night while lying in bed with my roommates. Caitlin gave me a hug, while I sat there and sniffled, and I think I unloaded on two trusted friends like that because Charleston was the exact opposite of all those stressful feelings. It was the exhale to so many tightly-wound days, the warm hug to feeling misunderstood so often. It was laughter and relaxation, two things I don't think you can ever have too much of and two things I'm having to really seek out these days. Every time I laughed, I wanted to keep laughing. I stayed up until 2am (MULTIPLE NIGHTS, OMG, I'm still so tired almost a month later) because I couldn't get enough laughter. I couldn't get enough of these ladies. I was ready to get home, always am, but I could have had a week with this group and still felt warm and happy and content. 

We're heading to Seattle next (no dates chosen yet) and I hope you can make it. 

What to Do in New Orleans: A Cocktail Tour!

(Wow, is this belated. I started this post on 11/14! That's...many days ago.)

When we got to New Orleans last Thursday weeks ago--Kristie, Elizabeth, and I drove from Fort Worth, extending my Road Trips to the Blathering record to three out of three--we drove straight to the waterfront for a cocktail tour.*

I don't know if you know this about me, but I was a history major in college. You know, one of those lucrative degrees that earn you a ton of money and respect. Anyway, this tour combined my love of history with my love of fancy drinks, and I was a big, big fan.

We started off near Jackson Brewery (which is not a brewery at all, apparently, which I learned when I asked the window agent if our first stop was Jackson Brewery and she said to me, "THAT'S NOT A REAL BREWERY.") and walked to Pirates Alley Cafe. At the first stop, we got a history lesson of absinthe and the period of time when New Orleans embraced it as their alcohol of choice. Something about wine being too expensive or prohibition or I DON'T KNOW, I WAS HUGGING EMILY AT THIS POINT. Then we were offered either an absinthe cocktail (HAHAHA NO) or a Pimm's Cup (sure!). The latter was delicious. I'd never had one before, and I loved it.

We then went to the Court of Two Sisters, which was hilariously where we'd already booked our group breakfast the following day. Here we got a history of....stuff. And we had...sangria, I think? (Note to self: This is why bloggers write posts more timely, so they can remember things.) (I'm also regretting telling you I was a history major since I obviously RETAIN HISTORY INFORMATION SO WELL.)

Anyway, then we went to Arnaud's, where we got a tour of the bar's Mardi Gras Museum and a history of the restaurant and bar and owner and his (interesting) daughter. It was fascinating, actually. (A little bit more on all that here.) We had French 75's, which we've already established I'm a fan of.

We had to skip out on the last place (The Carousel) to get ready for dinner, unfortunately, but it really was a great time. A walking tour of the French Quarter, a history lesson, and our tour guide ordered our drinks for us, so we could spend more time not paying to attention things, it would seem. When/If I go back to New Orleans, I'll probably add this tour to my to-do list, especially if I'm taking Mike. I think he'd love it and he'd probably be brave enough to try the absinthe cocktail AND smart enough to listen to the tour guide.

*Note: the $29 tour price didn't include drinks, which makes it seem crazy overpriced, but I'd still recommend it. I also split a cocktail at each place, so that helped.

The Official Blathering Cocktails

I'm desperate to toss up a post tonight and call it because this posting every day thing is no easy feat. If I make it another fifteen days, I expect someone to arrange a parade to go down my street.

I thought I might share my two favorite cocktail recipes really quickly, two recipes I shared with most of the Blathering attendees last week. I was in charge of cocktails--a job I take quite seriously, you'll be shocked--and while I spent many hours "researching" champagne cocktails, I fell back on two tried-and-true favorites, simple drinks I think will be a big win at your next party if you're throwing a party and in the market for champagne cocktails, that is.

1. Kir Royale

1 part creme de cassis
3 parts champagne

Sugar the rim of a champagne flute. Pour 3/4 of a glass of champagne and 1/4 of creme de cassis. Stir.

2. French 75

1 part gin
3 parts champagne

Sugar the rim (or, hey!, use edible glitter) of a champagne flute. Pour 3/4 of a glass of champagne and 1/4 of gin. Squeeze a wedge of lemon into the glass. Stir.

These are my takes on these drinks, so if I have any of the amounts wrong, blame, uh, me. Delicious, though!

Both seemed to be well-received at the Blathering's Friday dinner. If they weren't, I just kept passing them out until people changed their minds. My rule in life: if you can't convince someone you're brilliant, give them a lot of drinks until they start to believe you.

Cheers!

Until Next Year

(I sadly skipped two days of posting while I was gone, but I'll make those two up somewhere along the way and call it even.)

The thing about getting 60 ladies together for a weekend of conversation and city-exploring at The Blathering is that not every moment can be glorious. Some moments can be a little awkward, some blurry from too-much champagne, some loud, and others a little isolating, but you just hope when you hit the road for home, the good moments amount to a whole lot. That they amount to enough reason to go back the next year and the next and the next.

Every year there is good and bad for me at The Blathering--although always more good--but this year was filled with the most good, and I loved it an indescribable amount. I'd go back tomorrow, if I could. (Well, maybe not tomorrow, I sure did miss my boys.) I loved the city, I loved all the hugs, I loved the laughter, and I loved that it seemed liked so many people around me were taking good away with them, too. 

(I also really loved that right before kicking off a fabulous Saturday night dinner, my Aggies upset Alabama. It was a can't-put-into-words awesome feeling. Only topped by one particular game vs OU in 2002 that I got to stand in the stands for.)

New Orleans charmed me within the first few minutes. What a city, that city. It had been 15 years since I last visited and I had never been without chaperones. Everyone was so warm, so welcoming. Like they wanted us to stay, to have fun, to enjoy ourselves. Have a drink!, the city seemed to say. Relax and have fun. Well, if you insist.

I have so many stories from my few days away, and I'll try to share them over this week. For now, some pictures. And deep gratitude for this event, for the city the event was in, and for the beautiful women who travel to it each year. Without them, there would be no Blathering.

I'm so grateful there is.

Next year we're heading to Charleston (dates to be announced soon) and I hope you can make it. 

The Blathering

I was in charge of the cocktail station at dinner Friday night. It seemed like a natural fit, no one will be surprised.

(We're having SUCH a fun time. It's been my favorite Blathering so far, I think.)

New Orleans

Just under the wire, here's a post for the day.

This weekend is going to make posting difficult (I'm trying to post every day of November, remember?) since I'm in New Orleans (yay!) for The Blathering. Even though I brought my laptop, the wifi around Louisiana is not so kind.

So, anyway, pecking this out on my phone. Day one was an exhausting, awesome success. New Orleans is an incredible city. Feels like a city that wants you to be here. And I'm so glad I am.

Half-marathon Training: Week 12

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11

***

This is a bit of a cop-out post because last week was insane and I ultimately worked out very little. Elizabeth came into town on Wednesday afternoon, and we headed south on Thursday for a long weekend of debauchery in Austin for The Blathering. The Blathering is not a half-marathon training get-together, you should know, so my work-outs were basically all sidelined, but I did eat fabulously and drink at least one jalapeno margarita that was so delicious, it deserves a post of its own, but all that makes for a light training recap post.

Tuesday: 3 miles

Kristie and I were going to do a measly 2.5, but we pushed on and did 3. Because we're badasses, that's why. (Or wanted to get home faster, whatevs.)

Saturday: 6 miles

I organized a small run on Saturday morning in Austin, and it ended up being just five of us (Sarah, Julie, Kristie, Katie, and me), and we ran-slash-walked around the North Austin neighborhood we were staying in. It was so humid, and it was kind of ridiculously awful when I decided we could tackle this steeeeeeep hill around mile 3, but it was also kind of wonderful.

I loved running with a small group like this. Sometimes we were all together, sometimes we pulled away at our own paces, but when we reached our front door and Kristie decided to push on the extra .2 miles to make it an even 6, the other four of us just joined suit behind her. Even though so many of us (read: me) were just done. Running is such a magical community, and it continues to remind me of this, over and over. 

This whole weekend was incredible in hard-to-describe ways, even though I hope to try and describe it all soon (tomorrow? Friday? I need more hours in the day!), but that Saturday morning run was such a highlight for me.

Thank you, ladies.

13 Things

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!

More Blathering Details!

Ages ago (feels like) we announced the glorious news that my home state is hosting this year's come-one-come-all blogging extravaganza known as The Blathering.

Well, we have more updates for you. (Go check those out!)

Austin is fabulous, and I think you'll love it.

Do you know that nervous feeling you get when you aren't sure if you should attend something because maybe you don't know that many people or you aren't positive you're really wanted there. Yeah, this is not that event. You're wanted. You're absolutely invited. And I can almost guarantee there will be drunken country music karaoke. I'm sorry, but how you can resist buying a plane ticket this instant is beyond me.

Less than six months!

The Blathering Part Dos

I may have mentioned The Blathering once or twice before. The Blathering being the awesome blogging meet-up event I went to this past fall in Sacramento. It was one of my 2009 highlights, and thankfully the ladies in charge are way more organized and talented than I am, since they already have a weekend and location carved out for The Blathering 2010 Edition. You should really hire these ladies if you're looking to get shit done. They get shit done and then they make a website and then they cook dinner. They're the kind of people I'd like to be when I grow up.

If you'd like to follow the happenings of this weekend, sign-up to attend yourself or just bookmark the site in case you're considering making the trip to CHICAGO! this fall, this is the website for you.

The Blathering's Official Website Because Maggie Kicks So Much Ass

There are like nine gazillion blog conferences around the country each year and they all appeal to the side of me that likes drink tickets and organized itineraries, but if you're looking for something a little different, a little more inclusive and laid back where you don't have to worry about drinking too much or what you're wearing, this is absolutely the trip for you. 

There may also be line dancing in a gay bar. You just never know.