Wil Freaking Wheaton just lost the freaking. Can you believe he did not show to the VOTY award ceremony? To quote Sheldon Cooper: CURSE YOU WIL WHEATON!  Although he was not there the weekend was still a success.

I got to meet my virtual blogging friends in real life. Other than one being shorter than I pictured (I had her imagined as a 5 ft 7 in super model in my mind) they were all just as fun and friendly as they are in the blog world. Supportive, beyond what I could hope in showing me the ropes of the conference and including me in their already established circle.

I was honored to be included in the Care to the People panel discussion titled Healing Power of Stories luncheon.

First the food was delicious. More importantly, the quality of the Panel who were so honest and open about how they blog was incredible. Sarah from Stigma Fighters, Emily from Words I Wheel By and Angelle from Chemo Beanies were such a diverse group of women. The room full of women who asked us questions and included us in their dialogue was the highlight of the conference for me. The Care to the People initiative is going to be a wonderful resource for people. I am so thankful to be involved.

The awards ceremony was nice. A bit of a let-down, honestly as there was no real ceremony. Just: you award is over there on the table. However the authors, video directors, photos and commercials that were featured on stage demonstrated how powerful women and girls are were wonderful.

We had one issue when it came to taking my piece home.

How to fit it into the car? I should have taken a picture of the valet’s face it was priceless. I’m glad we fit it in, all 6 plus feet of it. It is a nice reminder of the support I have received over the past 3 years of this blog, the support of my LTYM Boston directors both at their show and this weekend. I was overwhelmed by the women who came up to me that said they read my blog and how it helps them cope with whatever they are facing. The sense of community I knew was out there but faceless. I now have a huge reminder so I never forget I am never alone in this journey. The village is alive and it is well.

The best part of the weekend? Having dinner all weekend without a child on my lap. That trumps Wil Wheaton every day of the year.