It’s tough to convey how much I loved every second of last weekend.
Sigh. Like we said, Lela – CASUAL clothes are best for #AWBU… (p.s. this is obviously PRE-Country Outfitter)
In the middle of 2010, I assaulted the ladies (Steph, Julie & Fawn) of Arkansas Women Bloggers – a little site over on Blogspot at the time.
Nada.
Crickets.
Months went by, and I mounted my assault again.
Fawn called me, and because I didn’t know her yet and had only her first name (as she’ll tell you – do you really need a last name when it’s preceded by Fawn?) to go on, I quickly drew up a mental image of a savvy, intelligent, Agent-X type gal who drew the short straw in the group and was stuck with the phone call to me.
She listened to my insanity (it has happened regularly since then), and apparently decided I was worthy of at least a follow-up conversation. And so began what would become my deep and ever-evolving relationship with three women I am exceptionally fortunate to have in my life, enduring my constant ridiculousness.
We hatched a plan for a little blogger conference up in northwest Arkansas, and it happened. Nearly 50 women took a giant leap of faith, drove down a crazy dirt road and converged with an attitude of mutual support and a desire to learn and grow. They shocked themselves by becoming friends, this mix of homeschooling-envelope pushing-Jesus loving and not so much loving-women. They had nothing in common, and everything in common. The ones who really got it returned (we know, several of you got it but couldn’t return – we forgive you). New converts joined us.
Pretty sure this is how we looked at #AWBU… (photo via GraphicsFairy.blogspot.com)
And so it was that in the late days of August when Arkansas should have been sweltering and hesitant to engage in activities of any kind that the heat broke and the women converged again this year. They came from Des Arc, Magnolia, Roland, Rogers, Fayetteville, Conway and so many more. They rolled into town in SUVs and pick-up trucks sporting “#AWBU Bound!” in shoe polish. They warmed our hearts and they tested our boundaries and (comma or not) they said: “We understand why you blog, and we want to hear your story.”
We mangled food with our hands together over archaic cooking implements. We grew teary-eyed together at the thought of wuv, true wuv in the form of Gina & Thom’s engagement. We turned the truck around. We learned that blogging, or telling our story however we choose to tell it, is really our own hero’s (or heroine’s) journey, and we take permission to tell those stories. We danced a jig. We talked about healthy families in so many different formats. We heard stories as you’ve never heard stories before. We wore our new boots and sat on bales of hay near a tractor under the moonlit Arkansas sky. We wanted to get to know every woman in our midst, but we settled for engaging with the one who landed in front of us at a particular moment.
Here we are at #AWBU during a brief moment without our new CountryOutfitter.com boots… (GraphicsFairy.Blogspot.com again)
In life, it seems there are far too few moments when we say that we’ve done a good thing, and we allow ourselves to swell up with deep pride because others understood it. This weekend, more than six dozen women proved they understood what we wanted to accomplish, and our hearts are nearly bursting with pride and appreciation at your exuberance, your willingness to push your own boundaries and step outside your comfort zone, your support and your kind words.
Thank you.
We can’t wait to see you in another special Arkansas place next year. Bring an old friend, or a new friend… or even better, both!
XO.
Beautiful and Hilarious. You should be swollen for a very, very long time. I am so proud of the three of you and what you did, proud to have been a very small part of it, and so glad that I made that phone call way back when.
It means so much when you like my words. Thank you, friend! 🙂
What a wonderfully fun time it was!
Wasn’t it? Loving your blog and can’t wait to get to know you better. Thanks for coming and for reading!!
Love it. Thank you again for creating such a wonderful event and including me in it!
It was our treat to have you! Let’s meet face to face for coffee sometime soon (instead of stumbling on one another at the same coffee shop and then Twitter messaging while we sit back to back… just a thought!)
Great post. I had a wonderful time getting to know all of you wonderful ladies!
Thank you, Yavonda! We were so glad you joined us – can’t wait to see where you two take Little Rock Mamas! Let us know if we can be helpful in any way!
I wish we’d done some cavorting in the river! Ahh, maybe next year. 🙂 Thanks for including me in your roundup. It was truly a pleasure to meet you and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thanks you for your crazy awesome exuberance and support of the women of our fine state.
What a fun comment, Sarah – thank you!! And yes, river cavorting is an excellent idea. Really loved your post as well – looking forward to staying connected!!
Cavorting in the river, yes! But next time I want to dip a line with some corn on it in Mirror Lake too! Thanks for the wonderful recap that made me smile all over again! Reading your stuff sure reiterates what I said about that light you’ve got shining!
Oh my gosh, what a nice comment, Julianne! Thank you! I visited your blog today as well – excited about what you have in the works. Keep it up – I can’t wait to read more!
Thanks again, sweet girl.
Best,
Beth
Really great post! So glad turning the truck around made it in for posterity.
Thanks, Cheryl! Yes, had to do it – can’t let those great one-liners slip away, right?
Beth, it was such a pleasure to meet you! You are such a warm, inviting person. I really enjoyed getting to know you over the weekend. Thanks too for all your hard work (and even losing your voice)!
So nice – thanks, Kelcie! I was glad to get to know you as well. You girls kept me entertained – we’ll have to stay connected. It was a great time – can’t wait to start plotting the next one!! 🙂
Exuberance. That is the perfect word.
Nothing else fits, does it? Enjoying your blog, Lisa! Chat again soon. 🙂
LOVE. Really what else can I say? You should be bursting with pride, friend. Excellent job on a truly memorable weekend! 🙂
Shucks, friend – thank you! Catch your breath and let’s grab lunch. I can’t WAIT to hear about all the awesomeness that is your life these days! We are both truly afflicted with going 90 miles an hour (with bursts to 110), aren’t we? XO!
You did great Beth! I am so glad I got to come to the second one, and can’t wait for next year! You girls have TONS to be proud of. I loved every minute.
Brittany – thank you! I’m so glad you joined us as well – we look forward to having you again next year! 🙂
Thank you for everything you did to make it a fabulous weekend. Wish we all lived closer so we could get together for coffee on a random day to talk blogging, and life, and more:)
Yes – I wish that, as well!!! We will have to look forward to future meetups. So glad you’re involved with Arkansas Women Bloggers – thank YOU for your support and kind words!!
Not sure if my last comment went…but again…thank you for a fabulous weekend! Wish we all lived closer:)