My Journey to BlogHer

Months ago, with BlogHer well in the distance, and no money in my account to purchase an early bird ticket, I took a gamble. I applied to be a volunteer and figured that I’d go only if I was chosen as a volunteer and got the free ticket. As luck would have it, I was chosen, got my volunteer ticket, and then searched for a few friends to share a room with at the Hilton. Since I can take the train to New York City, I figured that I’d be able to get away with fairly minimal costs for the trip. But still, BlogHer is not cheap.

So when I heard about the “Journey to BlogHer” contest with Dodge, I figured it was worth entering. When I read their prompt (describe your journey to becoming a blogger and why you want to win a trip to the New York City BlogHer Conference) I was inspired to write this short paragraph about my own journey to BlogHer:

When my 4th grade teacher asked the class what we wanted to be when we grew up, I answered simply “I want to be a Mom/Writer.” I always knew that I wanted to be a mom and I developed a love for writing at an early age.

As a quiet introvert, I always had difficulty vocally expressing what was inside me, but on paper everything came out. Fast forward 28 years to today; I never would have guessed that my young dream to be a “Mom/writer” would be realized in such a profoundly emotional, fulfilling, stimulating, and socially exhilarating manner. Today I have more friends than I ever did as the “quiet girl.” I love what I do…because of the chance I have to express myself in writing daily, challenge my brain, make friends, and still be a good mom to my 5 kids.

BlogHer ’12 is the reward, the place where all I’ve worked for comes together, but mostly, Blogher is my opportunity to connect with those people who have brought an added dimension of meaning and purpose to the life of this stay-at-home-mom-turned-blogger. I’m one of the lucky ones. I am doing exactly what I envisioned I wanted to do when I was a young girl. BlogHer will help me keep doing that…and do it even better.

I’ll admit – it took me just a few short minutes to write the paragraph. I hit submit and tucked the contest in the back of my mind.

Imagine my shock when I received an email a few weeks later declaring me one of two winners (I found out later that the other winner was my friend Emily Vanek from ColoradoMoms.com). The coolest part (besides the prize) was the fact that my little paragraph was chosen by a panel from Dodge out of hundreds of entries, not randomly, but on merit. Apparently, they liked what I had to say.

So in addition to the BlogHer ticket (and, by the way, I was able to release my volunteer ticket so that someone on the waiting list could go), Dodge is giving me 5 nights at the Hilton, a new iPad (something my husband is over-joyed about, since he’ll be getting my old iPad), transportation to New York City, and $750 spending cash. I’m using some of that cash to see Newsies on Broadway on Wednesday night.

Yes, I am still overwhelmed by the incredible blessing that this Dodge Journey to BlogHer sponsorship is. I can’t wait to meet fellow bloggers, old and new friends, and connect with the many brands that will be at the conference. If you’re going to be there, please make sure to grab me for a hug!

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About Lolli

Lolli has written 3740 post in this blog.

I became a mom in 1996, and in 2005 I had my fifth. Yes, 5 kids. In 2007, this blog was born (my 6th baby that will never grow up) and I've been sharing recipes, photography tricks, parenting tips, and everything in between. (Formerly Better in Bulk)

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