It’s Caturday… BlogPaws One Week Later!
Okay – here it is a week after BlogPaws and I am finally getting around to a post to gab about this amazing event! I was waiting for the return of my camera so that I could share some pictures, but, guess what?? Here’s the funny part – now that I finally have the camera – not only did I take far LESS photos than I thought, but the majority of them that I did take were so TERRIBLE that I would not dare post any of them for fear of losing all of you as friends! So, without further ado, here we go!
Getting to BlogPaws was quite the ordeal – living in South Florida, I was already quite apprehensive about a trip that I was so excited to take just a few days previously. In Florida, 24/7 weather commentary about living in the “cone of death” can wear on your nerves and cause enormous stress even on a normal day. Then to find out Irene was heading up the east coast just in time to introduce herself in time for the conference, well, it really put a damper on my already frazzled spirits.
When I departed Thursday morning for my trip, the skies were as dark as coal and the airport was surrounded by a torrent of rain… Holding back my tears (not really), I boarded the plane like a fragile six year old holding her Teddy Bear for dear life. I felt lost, alone, and completely out of sorts. My Libra scales were all out of whack, but I forged on. What kept me going? Very simply, the thought of meeting two of my dearest cyber friends, Ingrid King of the Conscious Cat, and Caren Gittleman of Cat Chat, who I would go to the ends of the earth to meet, if only for a brief few minutes!
So, when I arrived in Dulles a few short hours later, the sun was shining as if to say to “Irene who?“ and I felt a bit stronger and hopeful that perhaps I had dreamed the inclement weather. After a short ride from the airport to the hotel, I quickly found my room and unpacked, my excitement building with Irene nothing more than a distant memory as I saw a plethora of sights – big dogs, little dogs, dogs in sweaters, cats, cats in strollers, cats with hats, ferrets, and even real human beings!!! This was so cool! I grabbed my cell phone and immediately contacted Caren so that we could meet for the first time in the lobby. She was part of the BlogPaws set-up crew, so I knew she would already be at the hotel!
Deb and Caren – otherwise known as Ethel and Lucy!
Well, Lord have mercy! What can I say??? I met Caren and it was love at first sight! This woman who I have been forming a bond with over the past several months was my instant sister! It was as if time or space did not exist and we had known each other our whole lives! She was the missing puzzle piece to my life and I know I will have a devoted, honest, and true friend for life! And let me tell you, we are quite the pair to be reckoned with! I am the stoic Ethel to her wild and crazy Lucy and I cherish and admire every bit of her gregarious personality and zest for everything she does!
Practically arm in arm, we quickly took to perusing the grounds together, BFF’s, and came across the delightful Teri of Curlz and Swirlz and Carol of Coffee, Cats n’ Yarn. These two wonderful ladies brought gift bags filled to the top with all kinds of pawsome stuff to bring back to our kitties that were patiently waiting for us to come back home! Thank you so much for your generosity Teri and Carol!
Teri’s Cornish Rex, Brighton. Notice the sparkling nail polish on Teri that matches the color patches on Brighton!
One of Carol’s “Naked Kidz” in a very stylish beret!
The next moment I experienced was one that I will never forget and ranks right up there as one of the happiest memories of my life! Who should Caren and I encounter before the night was to begin, but Ingrid herself! What you need to know about Caren and Ingrid, is that these amazing ladies have provided me with back cover recommendations for my that will be out this fall. To have my arms around these incredible ladies, while holding a sample copy of my book, while getting Ingrid to wear cat ears and cat glasses without any coaxing whatsoever was indescribably amazing (sorry Caren, but you were a given!). And yes, for all of you that love Ingrid from her blog, she is without question one of the kindest, humblest, and most beautiful people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Just like Caren, I feel I have known her my whole life and she is such a special person who I consider not only a friend, but an esteemed mentor. As I said, just meeting these two special ladies was worth the flight, even if it appeared eminent that I would probably have to turn right back around and go home early!
Me and my adorable back cover ladies – Ingrid is on the left, I’m the leopard nut in the middle, and Caren is to the right!
How do we get the stereotype “crazy cat ladies?” I just don’t get the connection!
Another treat for me was meeting Karen Nichols of Mousebreath. We immediately bonded, as I was instantly attracted to her pink cat glasses and decided to don my black ones for a photo op (yes, you are probably catching on to this, I REALLY did pack all this nonsensical cat stuff as a priority in my suitcase). It was the last picture of the day before I decided to call it a night and go up to my room to terrorize myself with the latest hurricane Irene updates that I had been so successfully ignoring for the past few hours…. the prognosis was not good, but I tried the best I could to get some sleep so that I could take advantage of as much of the conference as possible the next day.
Sweet Louisa and I sharing a moment…
Friday was the first day the event began with seminars and one of the highlights for me was the Flat Pet class that was run by the creative Bev VanZant . Not only did I get to make adorable flat pets of my beloved Zee and Zoey, but I got to meet Louisa! Louisa was a kitten brought in by Sue and David of The Furry Bambinos. They do rescue work in Ohio and Louisa was on her way to being adopted by her new furever parents. Sue and David were just keeping her for a few days until her new family could finally come pick her up. While I enjoyed making the flat pets immensely and sharing time with people such as Caren, the delightfully comical Barbara (adopted Mom to Chazz the Dog), and the beautiful and talented Kristen of Dogs Rock, getting to hold this precious kitten and have her fall asleep in my lap for a half hour of cuddle time was one of the most endearing moments of the conference! Did my flat pets come out purr-fect? No, not really, but I will do a follow up post to let you know how my gang reacted when I unpacked these pets out of my suitcase!
As the day progressed, it became painfully obvious to me that a plan “B” was in order as I had to book an early return flight home. Irene was scheduled to wreck all sorts of havoc and I could not risk being stranded in DC. So, with heavy feet, I spent the rest of the day trying to absorb as much as I could without dwelling on the fact the clock was clicking and I would have to leave my new friends in a couple of short hours. The last event I was able to attend was the Petties Awards of which I was a nominee. It was so cool sitting in the screening room with all the wonderfully talented nominees. Sadly, we did not win for “Best Designed Blog,” but we are very happy for the charming Kate Benjamin of Modern Cat who won the award! Congratulations to her and all the other winners, including my dear friend Ingrid who won for “Best Pet Blog.” A special congratulations as well to the nominees who did not win, you are still all winners with me and I adore each and every one of you!
Waiting with some of my Petties friends before the awards announcements were made! Front Row – L to R – Kate Benjamin (Modern Cat), me, Ingrid King (Conscious Cat), and Robin Olson (Covered in Cat Hair). Back row, L to R – Stephanie Harwin (Catsparella), Ann Dziemianowicz (Careers 4 Cats), and Margaret Gates (Feline Nutrition)
The hour finally approached when I knew I had to say my tearful goodbyes. In the lobby sat all the wonderfully crazy cat ladies that had become a part of my life – in the midst of them was a litter of irresistible rescue kittens from Georgia that were en route to Connecticut where they will be placed in foster homes until they are ready for adoption. The very devoted and compassionate Robin Olson of “Covered in Cat Hair,” who also happened to win the Pettie for “Best Cat Blog,” is part of an organization called Kitten Associates that helped coordinate this amazing transport, even with the turmoil of Irene on the horizon. So, the distraction of the kittens (kittens to me, are like what the distraction of shiny jewelry is to Paris Hilton), last minute photo sessions, and saying my goodbyes, it’s no wonder I left my camera behind!
One of my favorite pictures of Caren with one of the rescue kittens!
What can I say other than “Thank you” to BlogPaws and to all the new friends I have made. You have all infused me with a sense of such love and belonging and I feel like I am part of a very special family. We are an amazing group of people and I could not be happier or prouder to be part of it.
It was so much fun!! So great to meet you — look forward to following your blog!
Thanks Angie!! It was a blast and I look forward to following your fun blog as well! 🙂
Sorry I didn’t meet you at BlogPaws. But just wanted to say that it was such a joy to see cats there.
I’ve always suspected that some cats could be as good travelers as many dogs are if their people prepared them for it ahead of time.
Kitties in the classroom and spotting splashy cateye classes around the hotel was a surprising highlight of the conference to me. I shared your post on my FB page – SomethingWagging.
Hi Pamela! Thanks for stopping by today! Yeah, I was amazed at how well behaved the cats who attended were…. my cats….. hmmm… lets just say if I brought them, someone would have seriously gotten hurt – primarily me with lots of scratches of protest from my furbabies!! Thank you so much for sharing my post – that is so sweet of you!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
What a wonderful summary of your BlogPaws experience! Thank you for your kind words. It was so wonderful to meet you in person, and I only wish we could have spent more time together. As for the cat glasses and cat ears: only for you, Deb 🙂
Thanks Ingrid – the words were very easy to write about you! You have such a kind and gentle way about you, yet you also have a wonderful sense of humor and a beautiful aura that radiates from your heart…. what’s not to love?!!! I wish we could have spent more time together as well… The glasses and ears were definately a cherished moment for me and I feel very honored that you did that for me!!! xoxo
Love the glasses! Will now go forth to try and find a pair of my very own 🙂
Oh goodie Vicky!! I do hope a trend is in the making!!! Another item I need to add to my design list!
Looking forward to attending the Bark World Social Media Conference in Atlanta at the end of the month. I’ve never been to one of these and would love some pointers on how to get the most out of a 2 day conference filled with so many great workshops. How did you pick just one? I’ll be posting from Bark World Sept. 29-30, 2011 on my blog.
Thanks – and sorry that Irene cut everything short.
Cherie – that is a great question that is hard to answer! For me, I tried to attend seminars on subjects that had both short term and long term effects for me. I tried to stay away from seminars that I already had knowledge on, even though they were popular and would have been fun to attend! You just really have to know what your ultimate goal is for your cause and always think in terms of what can make that goal happen. Thanks for stopping by my blog to say hello!
A great post, Deb. You made it come alive! Lovely to see faces to names (and blogs). It was a real shame you couldn’t stay, but Irene was such a petulant broad!! As for the non-pics? Well we’ll forgive you lol
I’m still loving that photo at the bottom of your blog, such a pleasure to look at 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the post Caro – I was hoping for those that did not get to attend, that you kind of got a feel for it! As far as Irene, lets face it, she was a B*#CH!! I’m still bummed I had to leave early, but at least I have electritciy and my house is not feeling the effects of flooding like so many up the coast…. Sigh…. I hope they will all be okay! I love the photo at the bottom of my blog too – I’m not sure that everyone realizes to keep scrolling down! It is such a visual treat – like a Disney movie poster!
Sounds like you had a wonderful time. That’s so wonderful.
I’m glad to hear there were kitties in strollers there this year. Last year I was the only kitty in a stroller. At least I didn’t see any others. I’m glad this stroller thing is catching on & more kitties are getting out in the world the safe way.
Mom’s going next year, and she’s driving. Cross you fingers that I get to go with her.
Oh Pumpkinpuddy! I am so happy to hear we will be seeing you in SLC next year! The cats in strollers were amazing and it is so pawsome that kitties get to see whe world safely on wheels! Strollers are more than catching on, I think they are here to stay!
The pictures are all great and I am glad you got there and back safely!
Thanks Brian!! It was a bit hairy for a bit, but all is well!
So good you had a pawsome time : ), and thank you to sharing. It’s so nice to see lots of mommies’ cats. And I didn’t know they can do the laser eyes ( Red Glasses ) same as we cats : )
And Mom Deb, Zee and Zoey Thank you so much to visit me on my birthday
Luv
xoxo
We did have a pawsome time Mr. Puddy! How sweet of you to drop by to say hello to us on your birthday!! We feel extra special for that and wish that your human could come to BlogPaws, cuz she sure is funny! We love you so much Puddy and hope this was the best birthday ever for you! xoxoxo
I need a moment! lol I am “faklempt” (to quote Mike Meyers from Saturday Night Live). This was a brilliant summation of the BlogPaws experience through Friday, just brilliant!
You are waaay too kind with the touching things you said about me and I thank you! You know I think the world of you and I am certain we will be “sisters” for life
I better not do any more posts about BlogPaws because they sure can’t hold a candle to YOURS!
Yep it was a “given” that I would wear just about anything pertaining to cats lol! I love that photo, Ingrid looks really good with those glasses!
The last photo of me looks like I had been spending waaaaay too much time in the catnip!
I love you my leopard-esque friend!!!
xoxoxoxo
Leopard-esque…. I like how that sounds Caren! And “faklempt,” can we tawk girl? How about our own Coffee Tawk show!!?? You and I wearing cat glasses just discussing all the daily comings and goings in the cat world!! Sign me up for that! As far as the BlogPaws posts, there have been so many lately, but we each add our own unique perspective, so I think you should do a post if you so chose!! I always love your sense of humor!
The last photo of you is gorgeous and one of my favorites. End of discussion!!
Love you sweetie and enjoy the rest of yor weekend!
I loved your account of Blog Paws. I was disappointed not to be able to make it, but I am 100% committed to going to Salt Lake in 2012!! Now…where can I get my own fabulous kitty glasses? MOL.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post Julia and it’s nice having you come by to say “hello!” Can’t wait to see you in SLC! As far as the cat glasses, with Halloween coming up soon, you should have no problem finding cat glasses all over the place, especially in the costume and party supply stores! 🙂
Just a week ago! Hard to imagine. It was so great meeting you and all the other cat ladies. We definitely want a copy of your book come fall. I hope their are pics of your kittens in it. I have seen a Maine Coon/ Serval Mix- F1 Savannah- F-1. Never a MC/Bengal mix. My Candy looks just like your MC. : ) Love your account of BLOGPAWS!
Hi Carm – yup, a whole week! It is hard to imagine! Glad you enjoyed the post and are looking foward to the book. You hope there are pictures???!!! Oh dear me! This book is 26 chapters, each one uniquely desgined with photos and custom artwork! There are hundreds of pictures and I really think you will love them! I don’t know if you took a look at my book cover design link and sample chapter, but if you do, you will get an idea of how each chapter is designed as a vingette to the chapter! Here is the link incase you missed it: http://bit.ly/gcfMa7 P.S. – your Candy is a beauty!
Glad you got to make it to Blog Paws and have so much fun with the other “cat ladies.”
Thanks Jan! It really was such a blast to get to let our “inner cat” purrsonalities shine with one another!
I also had a blast at Blogpaws! Sorry that Irene crashed our party and we didn’t have as much chat time! It was wonderful to meet you! 🙂
Great post!
It was awesome meeting you too, Ann! With all us determined pet folk determined to meet again, I hope SLC can handle us all!! Glad you enjoyed the post!
It sounds like you had an amazing time at Blog Paws! How neat that you got to meet so many of the bloggers in person! Thanks for the great wrap-up. 🙂
Hi Meowmeowmans! Happy to hear you enjoyed the write up – so many great and dedicated people to pet causes attended, which really did make it all the more amazing! 🙂
A great post! Love the pics and putting faces to blogs.
Thank you Rumpy Drummond! You sure are one beautiful dog!! I was hoping everyone would enjoy putting faces to blogs – glad you did! 🙂
This was a great wrap-up! Sorry you had to leave early. I went the other route and stayed late! My Sunday flight was predictably cancelled so I flew out Monday morning instead. Extra day of vacation, I guess.
Next time let’s meet up!
We will definately meet up next time Dorian! Were it not for the fact I had to get back for my day job, I would have gone the Monday moring route as well!! Oh well… it is what it is! Glad you enjoyed the write-up!!