Oh Haven, how do I actually describe you? First off, as a delinquent blogger, I shouldn’t have even made an appearance. My posting schedule is shameful, and I am for the most part an introvert who hates crowds. That doesn’t really translate to blog conference attendee status. Somehow, Haven brings out another side of me that makes me a Haven Maven. It yields an awesome, inspiring, and electric few days. How is it possible that throwing me into a huge crowd like this could actually lead to an extrovert Anna? Getting to spend time with like-minded bloggers who love their craft and love to party can apparently only lead to a good time.
Since I spent the week in Atlanta before the conference on business travel there was no nice camera in my bag. All of these are iPhone photos so this is what you get. A quick recap of my favorite moments.
Best parts of Haven in no particular order…
Okay, so maybe this one was one of the clear highlights. Mike Holmes! He had us all squealing. I hope he remembers that my invitation to visit Miami is open. And for those of you who know me in person and think “Wow, he’s really short!”, I’m rocking 5 inch heels in this photo.
There were other highlights besides Mike Holmes of course.
- There is nothing like getting to see some of my old friends in person again including Cassie, Karah, Jessica, Sarah, Gail, Jamie, Pamela, Kelly and more.
- The classes. I learned some great things from photography styling to decor, from concrete to ad optimization. It helps to have great teachers like Kristen, Lucy, Jamie, Lisa, Randi, Kelly, Jeremy, Andy and more.
- FINALLY meeting friends in person and connecting with new faces and blogs – Ashley, Michelle, Brandi, Julia, Jessica and so many more. There are some amazing ladies (and gents) out there that I’m happy to have connected with and there is no way to make a comprehensive list.
- The swag. Oh the swag never disappoints. Thank you to all the sponsors who made me pack up a box and mail it home from Atlanta. Can’t wait.
Not to great parts of Haven in no particular order…
- Being away from my loves at home for so long. I was in Atlanta all week for work and that wore me out.
- Food. Yeah, some hotels are still struggling with making gluten-free food really gluten-free and tasty.
- Not having enough chill time. I wish we could break up the sessions and parties for some chill time with all of our favorite bloggers. It would be great to hang out in a relaxed atmosphere.
- The class levels. It would be great to see the classes tiered based on skill-set or overall experience or have tracks made for newbie bloggers. The more advanced bloggers end up only getting a few nuggets of info from each class when the newbies start asking all the basics.
- So many people. It is a little overwhelming at times.
Will I go again? Only time will tell where my blog and life will take me. I’m not a big blog, I don’t have fancy ideas of making a living on this, but I do enjoy the friendships and creative outlet that blogging has given me.
Thanks for a great time Haven!
hey Anna! So glad I got to hang out with you the other night, love your blog will be following along your journey 🙂
It was great seeing you!!
Thanks for including me in your recap 🙂 I agree with the tiered classes thing! But, in the end I’m just happy to hang with my blog girls!
How could I not?! It was a highlight to see you and meet Max. 🙂
Great to see you and spend some time together! Hope your trip home was good and keep at it girl!
It was great to see you! I’m glad we had the time to chat and keep up. Looking forward to all your new adventures 🙂
Anna! It was sooooo nice to finally meet you! I had a blast getting to chat with you a bit more! And thanks again for that VIP Coke! 😉
FINALLY! And of course I’d hook you up. Anything for my blog besties.
you already know that i love you. 🙂 and i hope that you do go back because after this time, how can i NOT go back. so you need to be there. it isn’t haven without you, me, and a dance floor. and mike holmes. 😉 let me know when you are ready for a flight up northish (we are still south of the mason dixon!).
Being reunited with you made the trip. Love you lots and it was great to hang out with you again. I’m thinking a late fall or early spring trip? Maybe I’ll drive a truck back with all my thrifting scores 😉
It was so nice to hang out with you. I was so incredibly pooped today and yesterday. What a whirlwind of a conference.
It was awesome meeting you! So glad we had a chance to connect and get to know each other.
I cannot stress how much I love this post! Delinquent, introvert bloggers UNITE!
😉 I knew you would love it. We are who we are and we should own it! Delinquent, introverts bloggers FOREVER!
Sounds like this was an awesome opportunity! I am putting this on my bucket list for 2015! Hope to see you there!
It is definitely worth the trip!
I am so glad you were there and I was there and I got to meet you….because I loved hanging out with you on the dance floor watching the Woodstock drum circle dancer all in Bob Dylan style!! Love ya girl!!
That was without a doubt, a highlight! It was great meeting you Lynn! <3
Oh, my gosh! It was so fun! I do hope you’ll be able to go next year, too!
I do too! It was awesome to meet you!
It was so great to see you Anna! 🙂
I agree about the chillin’/down time.
my dream is to get a DIY blogger cruise together. Lots of time to just sit and have round table discussions. maybe someday….
gail
DIY blogger cruise?! I love this idea. When do we start planning?! It was great to see you.
Hi, Anna! Great recap! Wish we could have met at Haven, but maybe next year!
It is so crazy how many people were there that I didn’t get to meet! Maybe we need bigger name tags 😉 Next year!
It was so great to meet you at Haven! Thanks for keeping me company at the airport before my flight!
I’m so glad we got to connect. I needed a fellow introverted, drinking buddy on the dance floor! Looking forward to following your journey on your blog.
It was so great to see you again, 2 years later yet if felt like just yesterday!!
It sure does, my friend. And for the record, we live too close to each other to not do something in between. Miami trip or Key West trip, I’m game for either!
Anna, it was so great to meet you at Haven! I’m a huge introvert too, but something about being surrounded by people with whom small talk = blog talk really helped get me out of my shell! Coming back to the real world though? Much harder!
It was great meeting you too! I’ve had a rough week getting back to reality, which explains me replying a week late!