Symptoms: smile cramps, lost voice, ringing ears, sore palms, exhaustion.
Diagnosis: Havenitis-blogivitis: resulting from an amazing 4 days at the DIY Blogger event called HAVEN Conference 2013!
Prescription: 2 Advil, lots of rest, and bookmark the calendar to attend Haven 2014!
The second annual Haven Conference has come and gone in a blaze of DIY bloggy-glory. A few girlfriends and I arrived a day early at the beautiful Buckhead Hyatt in Atlanta to spend time with each other and help out the amazing Haven Team set up for the conference.
500 swag bags needed filling. Check out a little instagram video of our assembly line swag stuffing party!
Pic via Just a Girl
We got our DIY on with a few power tools and helped the Ballard Designs crew unload, unpack, and put together a semi truck full of furniture. Jessica & I built a few of the bookcases for the Ballard Design Bookcase Challenge.
After a sweaty day of set up, we were off for a fun filled dinner at Maggianos with Thistlewood Farms, Unskinny Bopppy, At the Picket Fence, Four Generations One Roof, Pretty Handy Girl, Storywood Designs, View Along the Way, and Finding Home.
Nearly 500 bloggers, sponsors and vendors filled the ball room for the Haven opening session. Anna White kicked it off with an inspiring key note talk and we ended in a fun dance lesson in the DIY Haven Shuffle! These bloggers were pumped up for sure!
My days were filled with informative sessions, meeting new bloggers, and networking with supportive sponsors and vendors.
(TOP ROW: Homestories A to Z, Southern Hospitality, Me, Four Generations One Roof, At the Picket Fence, Me) (MIDDLE ROW: Organizing Made Fun & I, Me & The Creativity Exchange, Me & Home Stories A to Z) (BOTTOM ROW: me, All things G&D, The Handmade Home, Four Generations One Roof, Adventures in Decorating & I)
But best of all was the chance to see all my friends and sister again,
to smile until our cheeks cramped,
to laugh and chat until we lost our voices,
to applaud until our palms hurt,
to cry with blessed and humbled hearts,
and have fun until we were completely exhausted!
It was the perfect prescription for a wonderful week!
Thank you Haven Conference for an amazing experience once again!
Kim
Want to know more about blog conferences? Check out:
& Blissdom
Oh Kim, I love your recap! I have Havenitis too and don’t mind a bit. My brain and my heart are full! Meeting you was definitely a highlight of my weekend! You are a sweetheart and I can’t wait til next year!!!!! xoxo PS. I’m headed for a nap.
Oh beautiful Janis! You are too, too kind! You have such an infectious smile and I it was a joy meeting you (in real life) also! Next year… guaranteed! (ps- I slept last night for 12 wonderful hours!) 😉
~KIM
Sounds like everyone had a wonderful time!!! 😉 Hope I can get there next year.
Maryann I thought you were coming and was so bummed when I realized you weren’t there! Yes, plan on next year for sure! 😉
So glad I got to see you! Wish we could’ve hung out more. Next year for sure!
Me too Erin! I was very surprised at the amount of friends I was dying to see and barely had a chance to. We’ll have to make sure we do lunch or dinner next time!
🙂
Double 🙂
Darn, I didn’t meet you there! Hopefully next year.
I know! I can’t believe we never met up? It was a big conference for sure, but oh, so fun. Next year! 😉
I truly feel like you are now one of my “sisters of the heart!” I hope you’re amazing, talented and wonderful sisters don’t mind sharing you. 😉 I had high hopes that we would hit it off and really, truly love each other in “real life” as much as we did online and my hopes were met! Loved getting to spend Haven with you and this past four days has solidified how much I cherish our friendship! Love ya!
Heather
Sniff, sniff, wahhhhhhh! Oh girlfriend! You and Vanessa both are my sisters of the heart! How people can connect on such a deep level online, I will never understand, but I know it is possible. I had a blast with y’all and can’t wait to see you again! Guess what!? I totally could have joined y’all for brunch. I arrived to the airport at 8am only to find out my flight was for 10 PM not 10 AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not sure how I missed that one! Chalk it up to “Havenitis”. Thankfully they got me on the next flight out though. Looks like y’all had a great time! 😉
How did I miss you this time around?? so bummed!! We’ll have to make a plan for next year! it was a fantastic weekend, wasn’t it?
xo Heidi
Seriously!? I was surprised how I barely saw any of my closest friends even! Next time we need to exchange cell numbers so we’re sure to meet up!
Yes indeed, one amazing conference, can’t wait until next year!
Awesome as always (the Haven team!) So glad you were able to experience the bloggy fun and relaxation! ~ KIM
Can I just tell you how awesome it was to finally meet and gab with you! You know how much I adore you and getting to visit with you finally and hug your neck was so wonderful. Big hugs friend and I look forward to seeing you next year. By the way, you were pretty amazing on the dance floor too girl! You can do it all!! 😉
Bahahahaha Cyndy! Shhhhh! Don’t give away our party-time secrets! Really though, I seriously adored our lunches and time together. I can’t wait to partner with you in something amazing for our readers! Hugs & kisses! ~KIM
It was great meeting you in person, Kim, even though it was brief! Hopefully we’ll get a chance to chat more next year!
Oh I know Jena! But know that I knew exactly who YOU were the second I saw you! I love your blog and all the support you’ve given me! Next year let’s make sure to meet up for more time! Hugs~KIM
Sounds wonderful! Glad you had such a great time!
It was a fun and relaxing time away Lisa! Thank you!!!
~KIM
I knew Haven was going to be good, but it honestly exceeded all of my expectations. I enjoyed every bit of it and really hated to leave. You were nice to come ahead of time and help with the preparations. I’m sure that it was hard but fun work.
Hi Paula! I really didn’t mind at all, hard work but fun! It gave me a chance to have lunch with my sister (who I only see at holidays) and help out with an awesome team that I know has been working tirelessly for a year on the conference. Looking forward to seeing you again soon!
I’m sorry we didn’t have the pleasure to meet at Haven! But at least we’re making a connection now! I agree, Haven was a blast! This was my first year, but definitely not my last! See you next year!
Serena @ Thrift Diving
Hi Serena! I’m sorry too that we didn’t get to meet formally. I wanted to say hi at the Ryobi party but you were surrounded on the dance floor! 😉 That was a fun evening! Next time!
~kIM
I definitely have a Haven Hangover right now! Such a great experience, looking forward to doing it all again in 2014.
Me too Carrie! It was so fun and a relaxing time away. 😉
What a great recap, Kim! I love your pics (and what a fun surprise that you included our “squeeze” in your collage, too)! It was such a fun weekend … thanks for your hard work … and, I hope to see you again SOOON!
Thank you Becca! I’m so happy we had time to spend together! Yes, you will have to come up here and visit sometime!
Oh my goodness I was useless on Sunday. My husband and I went out for lunch when I got home, because there was no food in the house and then I may have napped until dinnertime. Such a great time!!
Haha! I hear ya! I went to bed by 8:45 on Sunday and slept for 12 hours. So good seeing you!
Oh dear! The good news is that Havenitis is curable – just return next year, right? Hope to spend some time with you next year.
Cheers!
Yes! Next year for sure! So nice meeting you in person Geralin! You have such a great smile too!
I’ve got Haven fevah! But it’s so, so worth it. I loved getting the chance to finally meet you face-to-face to and get some good time to chat! You are awesome!
You too Kelly! I had such a fun time with you. Looking forward to seeing you again! ~KIM
“Havenitis-blogivitis” and “haven hangover” – so funny! I’m happily afflicted! What worked for me was crashing on the couch as soon as I walked in the door and sleeping there for 12 hours straight! Yikes.
Haha! So true! Sleep helped big time! I think I’m finally caught up! I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet personally. Hopefully next time!
Kim, it was so great seeing you again! I wish we would have had more time to hang out like we had last year… can’t wait for Haven 2014!
Hi Katie! I know! This was 2x a big and more spread out so I think that was why we girlfriends has such a hard time finding each other!!!! Next conference for sure, we need to plan a meal together at least!! Plan it! Love you girl!
Really enjoyed your post about what I think of as “The Haven Experience.” Everyone went above and beyond to make this conference incredible! This newbie blogger will be back to visit you here often! 🙂
Wow, look at all of those swag bags! Love your recap of the Haven Conference. Homes.com & ForRent.com enjoyed sponsoring the event and loved connecting with attendees such as yourself. Please take a look at all the photos from the event on Facebook, tag yourself & share with family/friends! 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151783562125943.1073741827.38844010942&type=3 Thanks Kim – Hope to chat with you soon!