All the Dirty Details

Okay, so I'm pretty sure Carrie is the only one interested, but here's the scoop on Alt 2010. There were some really big blogging celebs at this event. Some of them were really neat and talented people. Some of them were...not. Here's a list of my favorite folks that attended. If some of the speakers aren't on this list it is because I am only going to report on the people I really liked. ;)

• Nicole Balch of Making It Lovely spoke on the first panel and was super sweet. I really liked her. I talked to her several times throughout the conference and really liked how humble and genuinely talented she is. She's someone you could definitely hang out with and swap ideas with.
• DJ Earworm was pretty stinking rad. Was I even a little excited about meeting him? Nope. Did I even know who he was before this event? Nope. Was I totally enthralled by his presentation and sweet music-mashing abilities? Yep. You should totally check him out.
• Rita Arens of Surrender Dorothy and BlogHer was really sweet. I liked her.
• Victoria Smith of SFGirlByBay was really cool and super easy to talk to. I was surprised by how shy and humble she was. I definitely like her even more after meeting her at Alt.
• Sheila Dowd from Lookiloos was also really nice. That girl was everywhere! She was so super social and happy and I found myself talking to her a lot. She made me laugh.
• I liked Chelsea Fuss from Frolic, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her much. Same is true for Rachelle of Kenziepoo and Joy Cho of Oh Joy.
• Erik Natzke is not only a computer genius, but a wicked awesome artist. Blew. My. Mind.
• Maxwell of Apartment Therapy fame was a seriously cool guy. I liked him. I liked him a lot. He was down-to-earth and a genuinely nice guy. It was a happy discovery that a guy like him is the one behind the popular blog (series of blogs, actually). I stood right next to him for the longest time, but couldn't get up the nerve to introduce myself. I just smiled and nodded and then walked away with a beverage I didn't really want.
• Maggie Mason, or Mighty Girl, was really sweet. I ate breakfast next to her and loved her fun style. She shared with me some of her favorite Etsy shops...which I appreciated. I enjoyed her comments when listening to her speak on one of the panels, but couldn't stop thinking about how much she looks like Debra Messing from the TV show Will & Grace. :)
• Grace Bonney of Design Sponge was very impressive. She was very knowledgeable and also grounded and kind. I like talented people, but I like nice people even more. After meeting her, I have to say that I think she is both. I'm excited to see what she does in the future.
• Laurie Smithwick, who is the co-founder of Kirtsy, was super nice. I really liked her a lot. It's always nice when someone laughs at your dumb jokes. :)
• Stephanie Brubaker from Stephmodo was also a sweetheart. She's really down-to-earth and easy-going. I could have talked to her forever about her 500-year-old cottage. Didn't know much about her before this conference, but I'll definitely be following her blog now.
• Melissa Esplin had to be my favorite person to meet at Alt. Sheer talent and sweetness colide on her blog titled ISLY...which stands for "i still love you." Loved her. Love. Love. Love. I also liked Danni from Oh, Hello Friend.

So there you have it. The dirt. :) It was the first of these things that I have attended, but I'm sure it won't be the last. I made some great connections and got enough info to really get the hamster on the wheel in my brain running. There were a lot of things I thought were goofy about this event. But then, in general, I pretty much hate "events." There are people in this world who live for mingle-fests and fanciness and then there are the kinds of people who would rather be home watching Disney cartoons and eating chicken nuggets with their family. I'm totally the latter. This design summit was way outside of my comfort zone and at times I had flashbacks of Kaleb and I going to church dances when we were teenagers. I felt about that retarded. But I made up my mind to put on a brave face and do all I could to make the experience a beneficial one. Mingle and mix I did. It was a good thing for me- a growing experience in my life. This year is going to be a pretty big one for me when it comes to growth and change. I'm nervous, but excited. So far, so good. :)

Special thanks to poor Kaleb who attended this conference with me. I'm pretty sure he hated every minute of it, but he was a good sport... and support. The best part of my trip, by far, was getting to spend time with him and with Suzanne and the kids. I already miss them.