SNAP Conference 2012 - Recap

Snap-rific, Snap-tastic, HOLY-SNAP-OLY... it HAPPENED!

SNAP 2012 was a total success!!!

(If you can't tell from the picture of the SNAP team below)

:)

Photo: Kristen Duke Photography

I'm not even sure I can put into words how truly amazing this past weekend was for me. Not only was I surrounded by 325+ of the most amazing women EVER... but the scenery around each corner was completely breathtaking. Thank you Katie, for letting me snag these beautiful photos you took!

Photo: Sweet Rose Studio

As 11am quickly approached on Thursday morning at the registration desk, and crowds of women started piling in, it was like a thousand butterflies were set free in my stomach. My heart started pounding and I found myself purposefully trying to stay busy, so that I wouldn't burst into tears at the first big "hello" and hug, that I knew would be coming in just moments. I wasn't sad, or really even that nervous, 

I was literally just filled with ridiculous amounts of happiness.

The preparations for SNAP were stressful and tiring, and I'm sure that all of us felt, at SOME point or another, that we just wanted to scream... "WHY ARE WE DOING THIS!?"(lol) but the minute our SNAP team gathered on Wednesday to decorate, stuff swag bags, exchange matching t-shirts and finalize plans for the next few days... that's when everything really started to sink in...THIS WAS HAPPENING! 

All of Tauni's countless hours of working on securing our amazing sponsors and venue, Lara's crazy late-night designing sessions and all of our teams' hard work of pulling on amazing speakers and organizing each event... was finally going to pay off!

Hoards of beautiful, confident, funny, smart, talented women bloggers in one room, all at the same time?

Be still my heart.

Photo: Rhonna Designs

Rhonna, me and Karen

Rhonna Designs

Blog world is quite wonderfully-strange if you think about it:

All of these remarkable women, sharing their thoughts, ideas, projects and feelings with each other EVERY day, and most of us not ever really having a chance to meet face to face. We support each other through the toughest of trials, rejoice with one another when times are happy, and most of all, whether we intend to or not... inspire, motivate and uplift each other.

Photo: The 36th Avenue

Sassy, cute Desiree and me

Traci, Desiree, Beth, Leslie, Tauni, Char, Brooke, Jamiee, Mandi, Kari, Kristyn

Brittany, Kim

Photo: Orange Blossom Shop

Shauna and the Eighteen25 girls

As bloggers we have been given such an amazing platform to voice and share our opinions, thoughts and life experiences to the world. For me, taking "the word to the street" (if you will, haha) and being able to speak "out loud", just brings blogging full circle, in my eyes. There is nothing better than being able to laugh, cry, hug and scream yelps-of-joy at each other, when you finally get to cross paths IN PERSON, with the bloggers who inspire you on a daily basis.

Discovering and Defining your Style, panel: Me, Ana White (Knock off Wood) Emily (Decor Chick) and Kate (Centsational Girl)

Meg, Jeanee, Becca, Destiny, Kristyn, Rhoda, Traci, Beckie, Camilla, Heather, Rebecca 

I have to say that the BEST part about SNAP!, was that it was basically just a bunch of friends getting together who ALREADY knew so much about each other! We're almost able to skip the "hello, tell me about you's", and just get straight to the hyper clapping fits and crazy amounts of hugging!

Photo: The Diary of Daves Wife

Me Kristy and Jen

Yes... Kristy DID request a "Tater-Smith" Sandwich... and here at SNAP!, we aim to please.

:)

Gigy girls, Jeanee, Becca, Steph, Cathrine, Stacy, Brittany, Sausha, Jen, Kelli, Kendra, Tauni, Amy 

Becki and Me

There aren't a whole lot of places where you can feel 100% at home, without actually being... AT home, but SNAP! was definitely that for me. From crazy faced photos and laughing till we cried, to a sweaty, crazy-loud dance party... we pretty much did it all.

photo credit: Emilie, Kami, Brittany, Erin

My only regret, is that it flew by so fast! I tried to soak in each spare moment between moderating and attending classes that I had, to get to know all of the amazing bloggers better who came to SNAP!...but I'm pretty sure I'd need at least another week or more, to really feel like I could go home satisfied.

PS. I'm totally pushing for a full day of just food and talking next year. It should be an all day event, and nobody would be able to leave until they had met EVERYONE.

What do ya say?  :)

To wrap things up, I just wanted to leave you with a little quote that I think ties in perfectly to what I talked about during my discovering your style panel, and also SNAP's theme this year of "Just Be You".

So often in life we feel the need to conform to what we THINK everyone else wants us to be... instead of just embracing the role we were born to play. Don't get me wrong, I think there is always room for improvement in our lives, but I believe that true happiness on the outside AND inside can only really come, when we decide to love and respect ourselves.

One of our classes at SNAP! this year was on trends and how to be a trend-setter. I loved ALL the panelists advice, but something that Lara said, really stuck out to me.

"YOU be the trend."

When you stop trying... you start being.

Live in the moment, find happiness in the everyday, and rise above the rest, by just being... YOU.