It was all new to me in 2011, but now seeing a lady wearing cat ears with a cat wearing a dress in a pink catillac stroller is commonplace (in this case, Teri Thorsteinson with Coco the Couture Cat).

BlogPaws 2015 in Nashville was my 4th conference and upon returning, I have to say the most incredible thing about it is how inherently different each conference has been for me. I attended my first BlogPaws conference in 2011 in Tyson’s Corner, VA and I remember feeling like a tiny, cat ear wearing Alice in Wonderland, looking into a crazy, energetic, surreal event that was larger than life to me. Cats in strollers. Dogs wearing dresses. Ferrets on leashes, rats, pigs, hamsters, and so much more – surely the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, and March Hare would appear at any moment to serve me tea …

I was new to the world of blogging and authoring, with a first time Pettie nomination under my belt – a shy kitten meeting other bloggers she admired for the first time – not really sure how or why she had become a part of this strange, but wonderfully exciting new world that would soon come to consume and change her life.

As the years and conferences have come and gone, Nashville was very different for me. Don’t’ get me wrong – the energy was still electric, but with my second book in tow, several awards under my belt, a solid name earned in the industry for cat blogging and advocacy, and a seat on the Cat Writers’ Association (CWA) council, the event took a much more professional tone for me as I played more of an active role in the conference itself, rather than just being an attendee.

It all started after a less than ideal entry into Nashville – my flight from Fort Lauderdale was delayed for several hours and I had endless problems getting to the hotel. But, in the true spirit of all things positive, I forged on and as soon as I got to the hotel (arriving with two other cat ladies I happened upon at the airport – Layla Morgan Wilde of Cat Wisdom 101 and Teri Thorsteinson and her cat, Coco), I changed into a suitable leopard inspired outfit and went off to meet with my roommate who had already arrived, Christine Michaels, of Pawsitively Humane and Riverfront Cats, as well as to catch up with other friends.

The rest of the conference was a nonstop balance of professional responsibilities as well as actually taking the time to enjoy the city I was staying in, rather than staying holed up in the host hotel like I typically did in years past. Nashville is an incredible city and I just wanted to really experience the flavor of being there, especially since Christine is a tour guide by profession, so I knew we would have a blast!

Mixing country with leopard, Christine and I began by kidnapping our youngest CWA member, Rachel Shubin of Sandpiper Cat for a downtown Nashville excursion on Thursday night. We had a blast listening to a great band at the famous Tootsies bar and also catered to Rachel’s love of gift shops by stopping in nearly everyone we saw! My love is boots, so we really let our wild side let loose looking at hundreds of boots none of us could ever possibly afford to buy!

Downtown Nashville on a Thursday night was as packed as a mall on Christimas Eve – the foot traffic was endless and it was so much fun to enjoy the night with Christine and Rachel!

What would be a night in Nashville without catching up with Elvis?

Rachel models a gorgeous black stetson that was inspired by the TV series, Dallas.

Christine and I show off our favorite pair of boots – hers were a bright pink to match the new hat she bought and mine were leopard print – a steal at $600 a pair!

Christine and I also went to the Grand Ole Opry which was amazing – you could feel the history in the auditorium and I also had my very first Uber ride which I loved. Later that night, we Ubered again, this time going to an incredible vegetarian restaurant with Rachel, along with Ingrid King of the Conscious Cat, Kate Benjamin and her finance, Mark Allred, of hauspanther (who also sponsored the Cat Lounge at BlogPaws). Talk about amazing – normally when I eat out, I am forced to chose between those one or two items on a menu that don’t have chicken, fish, or beef in them – which usually means I have a side salad and sweet potato fries for dinner. The choices were incredible and it was so much for sharing time with people who are so devoted to cats. I believe we had a collective total of between 35 to 40 cats between all of us!

Christine and I at the Grand Ole Opry.

I love this picture, because even at the backstage of the Grand Ole Opry, people are reminded to clean out the refrigerator in the lunch kitchen…

My shoes and Christine’s boots at the Wild Cow – the vegetarian restaurant we ate at.

All fun aside, the professional aspect of this conference is what really stands out for me. I was privileged to speak on a CWA writer’s track on Thursday with talented cohorts, Layla Morgan Wilde of Cat Wisdom 101; Alana Grelyak of the CatInTheFridge, and Janiss Garza of Sparkle Cat, entitled “Bridging Journalistic Excellence and Blogging.”  For those of you that know me, you know that public speaking is not my specialty. I was the last one scheduled to speak and by the time it was my turn, I was nearly ready to pass out from nerves. My Power Point was up on the screen to help guide the discussion and once I got up to speak, I blanked out and completely forgot to look at it!

L to R – me, Janiss Garza, Alana Grelyak , and Layla Morgan Wilde

But a miraculous thing happened – once I started talking, it came from the heart and it all seemed to fall into place. I was able to hold the attention of the room and most wonderful of all, after the panel was over and even days after I spoke, at least a dozen people came to thank me for such an inspiring story (I discussed how I had been laid off in my late 40’s, had no background in writing, etc.). I even had a couple people that were so inspired that they decided to move forward on book projects they were too afraid to start. Wow – that to me made all of my nervousness worth the effort.

One of the many highlights of BlogPaws was meeting human to the Jb blog – she was so inspired by my panel discussion that she is starting a book project she had in the back of her mind to write!

I was also a representative for the CWA – we had a table set up in the exhibit area to recruit potential new members and to answer any questions people might have about our organization. We were also able to bring books to sell and it was so much fun discussing Purr Prints with everyone. I got the distinct pleasure of sharing one of my shifts with Janiss Garza and her beautiful and well-behaved cat, Summer.

Sharing the CWA table with Janiss Garza and her cat, Summer. Photo courtesy of Julie McAlee of Sometimes Cats Herd You.

Summer is licking her chops in anticipation of some treats from Janiss!

I finally got to meet one of my greatest friends and supporters – Ana Grupke of Meow.com. Don’t you love the cute shirt she has on?

Probably the biggest highlight was listening to author and social media superstar, Peter Shankman of HARO (Help a Reporter Out) who was Friday morning’s keynote speaker. Peter is a hilariously passionate man  and he shared an inspirational message to bloggers about how to improve our customer service skills with our target audience. He started off his conversation by indicating he was a cat lover and I was instantly hooked. Naturally, you know I had to figure out a way to get him to wear a pair of my cat ears for my “Men Wearing Cat Ears at BlogPaws Hall of Fame,” and not only was I able to do it, but I got a signed copy of his newest book, Zombie Loyalists out of the deal! Basically, I asked him to wear a pair of my ears for a picture – he said yes. I went to take them back and he told me he wanted to keep them. I told him, fine, but then you are giving me a signed copy of your book!

My favorite BlogPaws picture – sharing a photo with Peter Shankman who is wearing a pair of my cat ears (and yes, I always do travel with a spare pair, because you just never know when you will need them…)

I also got my friend and mentor, Steve Dale, who wrote the foreword for Purr Prints to wear a pair of my ears for a picture, so all in all, I would say I scored major men wearing cat ears points this year!

Steve and I posing for a picture with the Vita Bone mascot while we wear cat ears. Trust me, in my world, this is normal…

The conference wrapped up on Saturday night with the Nose-to-Nose Social Media Awards (click here for list of winners). I did not win for my Best Cat Blog nomination – the distinction went to the supremely talented Debbie Glovatsky of Glogirly and I couldn’t be happier for her. I am also thrilled to announce that Christine won for the category of Best Use of Social Media by a 501(c)3. Wow! Hearing her name called and listening to her moving acceptance speech was awe-inspiring. I am so happy for her and can only imagine what she has in store for the Riverfront Cats and Pawsitivley Humane moving forward.

Me, standing next to the most glamorous and sexy cat lady ever… Christine Michaels!

Christine accepting her Nose to Nose Award – what an incredible acceptance speech she gave!

There was so much more but I just couldn’t possibly share it all without going on and on and on. So, to wrap things up, here a a few more pictures of the conference and hope to see you all next year – it will be held in Phoenix at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa and promises to be a great time! Please click here for details to register.

Day 1 of the conference – hanging out with Christine and modeling our favorite “One Cool Cat” tees from our dear friend, Toni Nicholson of RCTees.

Hanging out at the Lucy Foundation booth – I love them because they share such a strong message about the importance of spay/neuter.

Big Dogs…

Little Dogs…

Sharing some leopard time with Paula Gregg of Sweet Purrfections.

Yes… the picture is blurry… but these tattoos! Meow-Wow!

Getting a hug from Molly the Fire Safety Dog – she is the sweetest, softest dog I have ever known!

Last day of the conference – enjoying a book signing and getting to talk about Purr Prints with everyone who stopped by the CWA table. Photo courtesy of the beautiful Carol Bryant.

Love this picture – just enjoying and reveling in the moment of all things BlogPaws!