SXSW 2009

I had no idea what to expect heading into SXSW. As a part of Walmart’s Elevenmoms, and thanks to Huggies and Juicy Juice, I was able to spend 5 days in Austin, TX at SXSW.

Let me set the stage. I had never been to Austin. I hadn’t met all of the Elevenmoms. I’m not big on flying. And I had never met my roomie, Robin. I wasn’t nervous about any of the above… just, well, curious.

Upon touching the ground in Austin… I met up with Katja of Skimbaco Lifestyle and Mercedes from Common Sense with Money. I had never met Mercedes in-person before, so meeting her for “real” was awesome. She is as lovely in person as I thought and knew she would be. Together we shuttled to the luxurious Hilton Hotel for the beginning of this SXSW adventure!

Huggies and Juicy Juice sponsored me and my very good friend Colleen from Classy Mommy. We were sent an array of cozy tees (I loved the color choices), a laptop bag and (my favorite) upon checking-in, a gigantic goodie bag of treats to snack on while at SXSW. Talk about making an impression — oh, they did. I’m a huge Huggie and Juicy Juice fan/mom as it is… but this — oh, you have me for life. Andi – the representative for Nestle (for us, Juicy Juice) – was kind enough to head to Texas for SXSW, and we were able to discuss with her the whole “new” world of social media and how it truly is changing the way advertisers and marketers approach mothers/consumers. It was refreshing to be chatting with someone who understands where it is going, and was excited to sit and talk and learn and share about different ideas and ways to connect with core groups of mothers

Highlights of my week were meeting the amazing Wendy Piersall (@eMom). Wendy has always been someone who inspires me, and being able to meet and talk and connect with her was priceless. She is gracious and smart and kind and just an all-around wonderful woman. I got a chance to meet PR folks that I have had online relationships with for over a year, and being able to shake hands and chat and smile and even know their eye color(!) was fun! This is why it’s so important to get out and meet people — I’m a social being by nature, so having an opportunity to be social with people I have only known through blogging and on Twitter was wondeful for me. It’s that human connection that truly allows you to “know” and “get” that other person. I saw the NEXT BIG music sensation – Diane Birch – perform at the beautiful Driskill Hotel in Austin. Also, hanging out with some of my best “online” friends, Erika from Chic Shopper Chick and Lindsay from Rock and Roll Mama was a true treat!

Truth be told, the week was kind of a blur… it was Friday and then Tuesday. I got to meet lots of great people, attend amazing panels and just have an amazing time. I don’t think the laughs stopped… which is the beauty of these women. They are all smart and talented and incredible writers… but their senses of humor, their gifts of happiness and laughter, this is most important to me.

And to my fellow Elevenmoms who came too — Lucretia, Merlene, Katja, Lori, Arianne, Melissa, Sheena, Lynnae, Tara, Christine, Colleen, Linsey, Alyssa (yeah!), Amy, Jenn, Jennae, Monica and Mercedes — it was a pleasure and a privilege to be with you.

For some of my favorite moments…

(From Left to Right – Lindsay, Tara, Christine, Lori, Arianne, Colleen and me)

(Arianne – my sister-from-another-mother and me!)

(Left to Right – Josh and Gillian from Weber Shandwick, Katja, me and Melissa)

(Lori and me)

(Amy and me – And her husband… @DadAdvice is so much FUN! Wish we all lived closer! You guys ROCK!)

(Left to Right – Tara, Lori, Christine, Alyssa, Sheena and me)

(Our last night in Austin – Erika, Arianne and me)

Thanks, John!