WIRI: My BlogHer 2011 Experience – Part 1

It’s been a week since BlogHer happened, and I’m still gathering my thoughts. Translation: Working a lot equals no time for blogging. Be forewarned – these next two posts are photo-heavy!

Let’s start with Thursday. I left home in the afternoon and drove down to San Diego. One of the main reasons (ok the main reason) why I chose to attend BlogHer this year was because it was accessible by car. I called my hotel roomie for the weekend, AJ of Confessions of a Fat Girl, as I got closer, and lo and behold, she got into a car accident. Some truck rammed right into her stopped car. Not a good sign…

By the time I got to downtown San Diego, the Marriott Marquis was hoppin’. AJ and I dropped off our stuff in our room, changed, and hit the expo floor. I was able to meet up with Laura who was there for a client.

Our awesome view from our hotel room - BlogHer '11

Laura and me at the registration - BlogHer '11

The first two booths that we ran into were the Tropicana booth and the Gatorade booth. Closer to the end of the conference, I found out they were giving free manicures here! Gah! See, this is what happens when you’re not a mommy blogger.

Boobs at the Tropicana booth - BlogHer '11

AJ and me at registration - BlogHer '11

As we walked around the expo floor, I ran into some fun stuff:

Retail Me Not "money booth" - BlogHer '11

Nearly every sponsor/exhibitor had iPads - BlogHer '11

Can't wait to meet Wendy McClendon-Covey! - BlogHer '11

We dropped off our registration swag and checked out the People’s Party. There was a long line to meet The Bloggess, so I passed. We grabbed a drink at one of the many bar stations. The one below is from the “Raising Hope” bar.

Bloggess sign at the People's Party - BlogHer '11

Virginia's Got Balls - BlogHer '11

The next day, I got up super early to run a 5K. Yes, I did. It was awesome! Race Report coming up next.

Ready to run the Together Counts 5K - BlogHer '11

AJ and me on our way to breakfast - BlogHer '11

AJ and I hit the Newbie Breakfast, which I think I must have missed something. There was a talk and I’ve already forgotten the point. No matter, I headed to the Cause Marketing panel sponsored by Jimmy Dean.  This was a fantastic panel for people who wanted brands to jump on their causes. (Unfortunately, it was not for me.)

I then headed to the CVS Beauty Club‘s Beauty Lunch. I had been searching through the conference emails and saw that it wasn’t too late for me to RSVP! Thank you, CVS Beauty Club! I waited in a long line to get my make-up (re-)done and hair styled. I learned a little bit about Salma Hayek’s new beauty line, Nuance.

Salma Hayek's Nuance line with CVS - BlogHer '11

Being back-lit sucks - CVS Beauty Club - Salma Hayek's Nuance line - BlogHer '11

So I got my face re-done, and I stepped on over to the hair area… I kept staring at this woman who was styling hair. She looked familiar and I couldn’t place her… UNTIL SHE OFFERED HER HAND AND SAID, “HI I’M KEIKO.” O.M.G. Talk about fashion bloggerati. I ended up freaking out and telling her I read her blog and that I couldn’t remember her URL. Jesus Christ – can I be a bigger idiot? Hello. It’s keikolynn.com. Duh. So while the other gals in the room didn’t recognize her, I asked for a picture. (…because I am that big of a geek. You’re welcome!)

Keiko Lynn <-- fashion bloggerati and super-bronzer-ized me - BlogHer '11

After my makeover, I headed back to the expo floor to check out the activity. I headed to the Samsung Recharge Lounge and sat next to a gal. I had to get finagle my way around her to charge my phone, so I introduced myself. She introduced herself as Monique, and HOLY COW, another fashion bloggerati!! Monique is the woman behind Curves and Chaos! … and you know I’m all about photographing the evidence:

Monique of Curves and Chaos and me! - BlogHer '11

I found Curves and Chaos when I was doing a search on “plus”-size fashion bloggers. While I’m not exactly ‘plus-size’, I am not a size 2 either. And who cares? I like reading good writers.

Then I walked toward the SoftCup booth.  I ran into… another of the eco bloggerati, none other than Green LA Girl (Siel)! Does she look apprehensive here? Yes, that’s probably because I squee’d like a fangirl.

Green LA Girl (Siel) and me - BlogHer '11

More on the next post. This is way photo-heavy, and I’m pretty sure y’all are sick of seeing my geekface. (Too bad, the next BlogHer post is photo-heavy too!)