An Ode to my Toyota Sienna

What can haul 6 women, 6 purses, 6 suitcases 2 back packs, and 14 large tote bags full of swag??

My Toyota Sienna.

When Liz and I started planning our BlogHer trip, ahem a year ago, I knew we'd be driving. Living in RI it was a no-brainer for me. I had no desire to haul a bunch of crap onto the train. I don't have the patience for that. At. All. I wanted to decide when we came and went and not be pinned down to catching the train. Also the cost of a ticket at the time we wanted to go was ~$100. While that is not terrible for transportation, I would have had to take either the subway or a cab from Penn Station, so add some money for that.

Enter the momvan, purchased in December 2011. I will be honest when I say my hubby had to talk me into this purchase. I had a Toyota Highlander before and, while it is an SUV of sorts, I didn't feel like a soccer mom driving it. I still thought I could look hot (Sorry, I literally just laughed at myself. Fell free, it's ok.) getting out of it, like maybe someone wouldn't realize I was 30 something a mom of 2. That is just not the case when you drive a minivan. I test drove it and it won me over with its ample space, doors and hatches that open and shut with the push of a button (my favorite!), and it's 8,000 cup holders. Ok, maybe there is 7,000 but you get the picture. I have been singing the praises of this van since I got it, but it solidified its place in my driveway when we put it to the BlogHer test.

See for yourself.....

...all of that and we were still comfortable! All in all we paid $120 for transportation ($20 each) which included gas and a rocking Groupon I got for 3 nights in the Icon Parking garage, which was right across the street from the hotel. I call that a win any day!



Disclaimer: This post is in no way sponsored by Toyota. I just honestly think they freaking rock!!!

BlogHer 2012 I did it MY way!

Last Thursday I hopped into my momvan with 5 other local bloggers and hauled us all to the Big Apple for BlogHer. The week leading up to the trip there was so much drama about the conference on FB. I had a few opinions on the ridiculousness but chose to let it go, not get involved and make MY experience at BlogHer the best it could be. For someone who rarely keeps her mouth shut I was proud of myself. I went with a handful of private party invites, conference sessions and events I wanted to attend and wonderful women I wanted to meet and hang out with.  I accomplished everything I set out to do and more.

One of the things I was most excited about was meeting Brooke in person for the first time. We have "known" each other since late 2008, a couple months after I started blogging. You never know how it will be to meet someone you've only known virtually, but she fit seamlessly into our group and I love her even more now! There were 4 of us in our room: Brooke, Liz, Michele and I . You know you really like a group of girls when you can do that successfully! It was honestly like a huge 4 day slumber party complete with getting our hair done, hula hooping, tutus, Batman, cupcakes, dancing, pasties, great food, a stuffed uterus, and of course a unicorn cake (and next to it The Next Martha...way nicer than the real Martha btw).



The icing on the unicorn cake was the large group of amazing RI Bloggers, that I hang out with, who also came to NY. We all crossed paths for different events and hung out. I love being a part of such a down to earth, drama-free, and sweet bunch of women! Melissa, Megan, Sarah (our fellow road trippers in the momvan), Audrey,  Melissa, Jen, Joanna, Liza, Jodi, Jessica, Candice, Sarah (and sweetie baby Avery), Elizabeth, Catherine you guys rock!! Now get yourself a cup of coffee and a snack and settle in for the onslaught of pictures. 

I'm going!

Sooo, I have had this plan since last August (really I bought my ticket right after they announced it was in NY), but it seemed silly to talk about it THAT far in advance. I'm going to BlogHer in NYC! Yeah, I know it is still not for another 4 1/2 months, but I am excited! Liz and I went 2 years ago when it was in NYC, but it was kind of a last minute decision so we just got the parties pass and stayed for 1 night. I might also mention that Liz was pregnant and I was pumping since Arielle was only 9 months at the time. Those things kind of put a damper on our ability to party it up.

We didn't get to see much of NY and the whole thing felt rushed and disjointed, but we did have a lot of fun in the small time window. I can't imagine how fun it will be with 3 days and nights of NY awesomeness...WITH NO CHILDREN! I sound a little too ecstatic about that, don't I? More than the fun and activities is the fact that I get to meet up with some lovely ladies that I have "known" for years, but have never met in real life. There will be 4 of us rooming together, Liz, Michele and Brooke and me. Liz and I work together so we hang out a lot. Michele is our semi-local (a couple hours away) friend who we get together with for fun days of crafting. Brooke, I've never met in person, but am excited that I will finally be able to. Brooke's blog was one of the first I began following back in August of 2008. It is a little surreal to "know" someone for 4 years before you meet them, but I know we will be like old friends and not miss a beat when we meet.

Since blogging is all about the connections you make, I want to call out some other lovelies that I am stoked to see. Some, I met the last time I went to BlogHer and some I haven't met yet.

Amy: We met briefly at the last BlogHer. Her son, Nate,  and Arielle were born 1 day apart. We are definitely hanging out for more than a few minutes this time!!

Melissa: A local blogger who I I haven't met yet, but will be going to a girls night out with her through RI Mom bloggers group.

Danielle: I love this chick! She is great people.

Maria: I met her for a total of 3 seconds at BlogHer last time, but have got to know her over the last 2 years. You will find us in Starbucks at some point!

Patty: I also met Patty for a few minutes at the Aiming Low event.

I could go on and on, but I am starting to feel a bit stalkerish. I'm not. I promise. I am just excited. I know I have used that word about eleventy billion times in this post, but I really am. If you are going to BlogHer, let me know in the comments so I can add you to my list!

Lessons Learned

I went to NYC this weekend to attend BlogHer and this is what I learned:

The 3 hours and 45 minutes it takes to drive home at midnight takes waaaayyyyyyy longer than the 4 hours and 45 minutes it takes to drive to NYC on your way to the conference. It is also way less fun. Especially when you have to call the cops on a drunk driver.

I can't sleep in, even when optimal conditions exist (e.g. no kids, dark room, no one else in my bed, up till 1am the night before). This is an annoying fact.

34 hours is no where near enough time to experience NY.

Just because you add the word Her to something, doesn't mean it makes sense.

That being said, substituting that word where it DOES make sense is often hilarious. So is making fun of the terms that don't.

Even though you intend to go to 3 parties in 1 night, you'll only make it to one. And you'll be totally ok with that. 

Attending the sessions was apparently a waste of time, so I feel better about only buying the parties pass.

Every woman is wearing the wrong bra size. Except for me. Because I went here!

One word. SWAG!

The bloggers that think they're a big deal are usually rude, but the ones that really are and don't act like it are the sweetest women you could ever meet.

Um yeah, SHE was sweet as pie!

You can meet a lot of awesome new people if you just open your mouth and your mind.

Me, Liz, Sarah, Becca, LZ, Sarah, Jana, Christine

(LZ, Liz, Me & one Awesome Diva not pictured on above shot since she left to get beautiful-er)

Me and Amy

If you have zero expectations, you can't help but be satisfied.

I am a way smaller fish in a way bigger pond than I even imagined, and I'm ok with it.