I have been super busy the last couple of weeks.  We headed down to St. George for Spring Break over the beginning of April with my sisters and their families and my parents.  We stayed in couple of condos and spent the weekend and the beginning of the following week playing in the sun, hiking and swimming.  Then on Wednesday we drove home.  We quickly unpacked, did laundry, did some shopping for my next trip and re-packed so that I could fly out to AZ the next day to attend Creative Estates {a conference for blogger and handmade shops}.

This post has a lot of pictures…so you have been forewarned!  I will not be able to talk about everything we did or all the amazing women I met, but will just be able to highlight a few, but I thoroughly enjoyed every person I was able to meet and make a connection with.  I was also not able to meet everyone and realized when I got home there were some women I had missed :(!

*photo courtesy of Jamie Lynn Photography

back row: Jen {Tatertots & Jell-O}, Lara {Less Cake, More Frosting}, Tauni {co-founder of CE and It’s a Tradition}

middle row:  Char {Crap I’ve Made}, Becca {my roomie; Blue Cricket Design}, Me, Shelley {House of Smith’s}

bottom row:  Kristyn {Lil’ Luna}, Steph {my other roomie; Somewhat Simple}, and Kendra {My Insanity}

We had a fun AZ Girls Night Out dinner on Friday the 8th at the Old Spaghetti Factory that was sponsored by many amazing shops and people.  I was able to meet a lot of local people from Arizona and honestly had the best time.  I sat at the most hilarious table and we did not stop laughing for several hours.  My stomach muscles have never had such a great workout.

*photo courtesy of Jamie Lynn Photography

Kim {Today’s Creative} and I

Can I just tell you how much I love her?  I have always loved her blog and she is JUST like how I imagined her to be!  We really clicked and had some great conversations and some pretty funny ones too.  LOVE her!

*photo courtesy of Jamie Lynn Photography

Jill from Modern Cupcake located in the Chandler and Gilbert, AZ area.  Jill was so hilarious.  We laughed until our sides hurt.  She was so much fun and her cupcakes were FABULOUS!  If you are in the area you should really consider using her cupcakes for your next event…just sayin’!!  You can also find her here on Modern Cupcake FB page.

*photo courtesy of Jamie Lynn Photography

The Tall Girls!  Me, Jen {Tatertots & Jell-O}, Kendra {My Insanity} and Megan {Brassy Apple}

That night I met Jamie Lynn from Jamie Lynn Photography located in Queen Creek, Arizona.  She was the official photographer of the event and she took some fabulous pictures.  If you are in the area and need a great photographer…she might just be your gal.  She was so sweet and her photography is amazing…don’t you think?  You can find her Photography site here and her FB page here.

The next day I spoke at the Conference with some pretty amazing women.  It was a pretty humbling experience for me as these are women behind some of my very favorite blogs who I have admired and looked up to for a while now.  We spoke on how we were able to plan and blog creatively while handling a busy schedule and life.  We had some great questions from so many of the audience and I truly enjoyed the experience.

*photo courtesy of WhipperBerry

Me, Jen {Tatertots & Jell-O}, Cindy {Skip to My Lou} & Kim {Today’s Creative} (who is missing from this picture)

Stacy {Not Just A Housewife}, Jamielyn {I {heart} Naptime}, Becca {Blue Cricket Design}, Me

Michelle {A Little Tipsy}, Steph {Somewhat Simple}, Amy {Ameeronie Designs}

We got a little crazy during some breaks between sessions and I had fun chatting it up with several ladies.  Unfortunately I did not get pictures with everyone of them.  I really wish I would have…but then this post would be way too long.

I was able to meet Erin from The Vintage Pearl.  I was really excited to finally meet her in real life.  She was super sweet.  I was bummed that I didn’t get to hear her speak but we both spoke at the same time in different breakout sessions.  I am sure she was fabulous!

I was also able to hear Becky Higgins speak.  I am a huge fan of Becky Higgins and she had some really great advice for managing your life with a business and a busy family.  She is such an amazing woman and was so kind and gracious.  I look up to her even more if that is even possible.

Stacy {Not Just A Housewife}, Amanda {Every Crafty Endeavor}, Becky Higgins, Me

I was finally able to meet my Twitter buddy Danielle {WhipperBerry & Two Lilies Boutique}.  Isn’t she the cutest?  We immediately hit it off and I was so glad to be able to get to know her better.  She is super creative and talented and someone I look up to in so many ways.

Char {Crap I’ve Made}, Shelley {House of Smith’s}, Stephanie {The Daily Blarg}

Then I listened to a panel discussion about letting your personality shine through your blog and remaining true to yourself and authentic.  The speakers were so hilarious and we could not stop laughing.  In between all the laughing they shared with us some great advice…one in particular that stood out was when Char said that there is “no competition to be you”!  I loved that.  Then Shelley broke out into a song and dance that was just plain awesome.  That girl can sing and dance.  Go here to see a VERY short clip that will give you an idea of just how rocking she was!  Courtesy of Jen from Tatertots & Jell-O.

back row:  Holly {504 Main}, Joon {Ordy & Joon} I had an awesome conversation with Joon and loved her immediately!  Check out her blog to see who she thought my celebrity look alike was!, Brittany and Kathy both from {Red, Blonde and Burlap}

sitting:  Beverly {Flamingo Toes}, Amy {no blog yet}, Rebecca {Roots & Wings Co.}, Rebecca {Freckles Crafts}, Claudia {not blog yet}, and Heather {A Couple of Craft Addicts}

*photo courtesy of Kami No Biggie

Becca, Kami {No Biggie}, Jen, Steph, Me, April {Funky Vintage Lovely}

I had a great time and loved learning and meeting some amazing women.  Now it is back to reality.  It was nice to get away for the weekend but it was good to get back to my family.  Thanks everyone for making it such a great weekend!  And I’d especially like to thank Tauni and Shey for pulling the whole conference together!