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April 20, 2016

Breathe. Drink Coffee. Start.

39 Comments/ 3313/ 2

I posted on Facebook this morning that I simply needed to:

Breathe.

Drink Coffee.

Start.

You see I am coming down off of a high.  You know what I am talking about.  One of those mountain top experiences that changes you.  That was what I experienced this past weekend in Las Vegas at BAM (Bloggers At Midlife) Conference.  It was so many things all wrapped up in a wonderful package with a shiny bow on top of it. nametag

So when I got home I just could not settle down.  I knew I had a blog post that I needed to write to just share what the weekend was like but getting to the point of actually getting my thoughts together seemed next to impossible.

So I did other things instead and hoped that later when I sat down to share my thoughts about the weekend I would somehow be able to pull them all together.

I am still not sure that is going to happen today but I did want to share a few impressions at least about the conference.  Please excuse me if I have fuzzy brain because I definitely do.  Lack of sleep, time changes and travel all play a part but enough with the excuses.

Going to the conference I had only met one person in real life that would be there.  Sara of Travel With Sara, one of my North Iowa Blogger friends was a moderator for one of the panels so I knew her but that was it.  I had messaged with others who were going but no one that I could really say was my friend but after the weekend I can honestly say that I made more friends than I could have ever imagined.

This group of midlife women is as unique and varied as anyone could imagine but the common denominator is that they are each beautiful individuals inside and out.  I have never been with a group of more accepting and nurturing women in my life.  Each one that I met truly cared about everyone that they interacted with.  The level of intellect and knowledge in the room was staggering.  Honestly.  But at no time did I ever feel insignificant or less than.  That, my friends, is a gift.  The encouragement from this community of women was everywhere.

How often do we see women who cut each other down and who are petty and backstabbing?  Too often that is how the media represents females and it is simply wrong.  When I left the BAM Conference I felt invigorated and encouraged, loved and truly accepted for who I am and for what I stand for.  A good percentage of the women there make their living with their blogs and their writing but at no time did I feel that I did not fit in because that is not my goal with my blog.  There is room for all of us no matter what the purpose of our blog is and what a wonderful feeling that was.

We had some wonderful sponsors and I came away with a suitcase full of swag.swag Collage

We had some adventures including a ride with 6 of us crammed into a car clown car style. clown car

I found some great new authors (and friends) to inspire me.books

I made new friends and reconnected with a long time friend.

disco

Myself, Sara of Travel with Sara and Andrea of Good Girl Gone Redneck

Myself, Sara of Travel with Sara and Andrea of Good Girl Gone Redneck who lives in Raleigh, NC

A new friend I found at The Venetian

A new friend I found at The Venetian

 

I learned that women of our age have power that I never dreamed we had. We are very social media savvy and can be major influencers in this world.tweets

I learned that being middle aged is a very good thing. act age

I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank the team who put the conference together.  Anne Parris, Beth Rosen, Teresa Kindred and Sharon Greenthal put together an incredible conference and I am very grateful to have met each one of them.  Thank you ladies. Can’t wait until BAMC17.

Graphic courtesy of organizers via Fiver

Graphic courtesy of organizers via Fiver

There will be more posts coming with more BAM related fun but for now this is a simple recap of my fuzzy thoughts.  Don’t forget to Comment for a Cause–it all goes to support Special Olympics in Transylvania County this month so comment often.

 

 

 

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#BAMC16 blog sponsors JW Marriott Las Vegas Midlife bloggers
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39 Comments

Leave a comment
  1. CMSmith
    April 20, 2016 at 06:37 am

    Sound like fun, enriching and inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 06:56 am

      Christine—It is such a great group of women with TONS of writers! You would love this group. If you are interested in being a part of the group I can make sure to hook you up. Jus let me know!

      Reply
  2. Dianna
    April 20, 2016 at 06:43 am

    Looks like a wonderful time. I can imagine that it will take you awhile to get all your thoughts together! Looking forward to reading more about your trip.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 06:58 am

      Thanks for stopping by, Dianna. Yes—I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all but it was all good stuff, you know? I have 3 days home and am packing again for a trip to Kiawah Island and then to Ohio to see my mom so I think that was part of it –just knowing that I didn’t have a lot of time to process it all. This is such a great group–took lots of notes and will be sharing over time. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

      Reply
  3. Jeni / JeniEats (@JeniEats)
    April 20, 2016 at 07:04 am

    This post makes me feel so happy! Was excited to hear more about it. Hooray for awesome women friends and swag bags and travel:)

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 07:10 am

      You have your own conference coming up so I can’t wait to hear about yours. I may have to try to go to that one next year. This year it was just too much too close together!

      Reply
  4. Sonia
    April 20, 2016 at 07:50 am

    Glad you had a great time! Love the photos! I’ve kind of shyed away from to many women as friends (because of the negative reasons you included). But your posts inspire me to make more time for the fun women who are in my life! I’m one who does not act her age! ? Enjoy your upcoming travels!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 07:59 am

      Exactly! There are so many women who are not supportive of one another and that just stinks. That is now how we are supposed to be so it was really refreshing to be with 150 women who “get it”. Thanks for your thoughts—I am glad you stop by and take the time to comment. It means a lot!

      Reply
  5. Judy Hudgins
    April 20, 2016 at 08:03 am

    Finding women who are supportive and encourage you to have fun and express yourself is invaluable. I think we need to get back to a more ‘tribe’ vibe.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:13 am

      I totally agree, Judy! And these ladies get it. There was none of that ugliness and even thought there were all levels of expertise in that room everyone came together which was so refreshing. I love the tribe vibe comment. Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  6. Sara Broers
    April 20, 2016 at 08:34 am

    Great recap. It was so much fun to see you and I too look forward to #BAMC17! That clown car will hold memories for me forever and ever…..

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:30 pm

      I loved being able to spend some time with you! Thanks for taking me under your wing! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Minnesota Prairie Roots
    April 20, 2016 at 09:24 am

    Your giddy enthusiasm shines in this post. What a great opportunity to learn more about blogging in a super fun way.

    Reply
  8. Teresa Kindred
    April 20, 2016 at 09:54 am

    It was such an honor to meet you and to get to hang with you and Sara a little bit. Wish it had been more! You are a fun, smart, witty lady and I loved the cab story! Blessings to you in all you do and let’s keep in touch! Teresa from NanaHood

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:30 pm

      I loved meeting you and getting to know you beyond your blog. Thanks for all that you did to help put on a fabulous conference. You rock!

      Reply
  9. Katy Flint
    April 20, 2016 at 10:00 am

    It looks like a fantastic time and I loved following along your adventures and still jealous that Sara got to see you and hug you! 😉

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:29 pm

      We really did have a great time and it was well worth the money and time spent to spend the weekend. And I sent plenty of hugs back with Sara for all of my North Iowa blogger friends.

      Reply
  10. Rorybore
    April 20, 2016 at 11:32 am

    So glad you had a great experience! I would love to go to another blog conference, and actually meet some of the amazing, wonderful and inspiring women that I interact with through my computer screen – a face to face Coffee Chat!!! The dream lives.
    And yes, you are major influencers — it’s great to learn to tap into that power.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:28 pm

      Thanks! It was really a great conference because it was so geared towards my age group. While there were some parts that didn’t really apply to me I was still able to glean something from each segment that I could use so it was definitely a win win.

      Reply
  11. Adela
    April 20, 2016 at 12:25 pm

    Loved meeting you,too. What did I like best? All the information. No, the laughter. No the escape. No, the laughter. No, the support. Okay. I loved it all.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:15 pm

      Exactly!!! That is how I feel!!!!!Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  12. Segmation
    April 20, 2016 at 12:34 pm

    Nice to see that you are at BAM. I had a hard time deciding to go to BAM or #SMMW16 in San Diego. What is the top thing you learned at BAM? http://www.segmation.com

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:15 pm

      Oh goodness–we could have met if you had gone! 🙂 Top thing that I learned at BAM was probably that the midlife women have the most expendable income and are brand influencers because of that . So it is important to have us on board!

      Reply
  13. Laura Weers
    April 20, 2016 at 04:55 pm

    An excellent and outstanding blog post about Mid Life Bloggers. Bloggers are very supportive of each other as how it should be in life.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:11 pm

      We so missed you , my friend. Next time!

      Reply
  14. Val - Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids
    April 20, 2016 at 05:18 pm

    Glad you had such a great time and came home with so many ideas you didn’t know where to start 😉 I love that the conference was so positive and uplifting.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:11 pm

      I guess it was just so much info and so much fun and too little sleep that caused me to flake out a bit. Plus the time thing always messes me up. That’s my story….

      Reply
  15. Dianne Shepherd
    April 20, 2016 at 06:40 pm

    So glad you had a fun and rewarding trip. Looking forward to more of your posts.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:10 pm

      Thank you, Dianne! It really was a great trip and great weekend. I learned a lot and made a ton of great friends. And it was Vegas. 🙂

      Reply
  16. Marci B
    April 20, 2016 at 08:49 pm

    Can’t wait to hear more! Sounds like you have a lot more followers!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 20, 2016 at 08:54 pm

      It was a lot of fun and I am trying to recover still. I can’t take the Vegas life I guess. 🙂

      Reply
  17. Thread crazy
    April 21, 2016 at 09:42 am

    Sounds like a fun and exciting time was had in Las Vegas…

    Reply
  18. Doreen McGettigan
    April 24, 2016 at 05:50 pm

    It was so nice to meet you in real life! I am finding it pretty cool that we rode to the hotel with you and back with Sara. Too funny!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 24, 2016 at 07:01 pm

      It was wonderful to meet you as well! I am such a fan. ?

      Reply
  19. josh
    April 25, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    Sounds like you had a lot of fun! 🙂

    Reply
  20. Barbara
    April 26, 2016 at 01:22 pm

    It was lovely to meet you, Beth Ann. I, too, am still unwinding and having flashbacks. It was all good and I am very grateful to have been a part of such an empowering event.
    b

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      April 26, 2016 at 09:29 pm

      It was a great experience. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  21. Kim Acedo
    April 27, 2016 at 02:56 pm

    Great pictures, Beth! So glad you felt at home with your tribe. Looking forward to seeing you next year! 🙂

    Reply
  22. Unselfishly Uplifting…
    May 11, 2016 at 11:01 am

    […] met up with the beautiful Beth Ann Chiles and shared our first Uber ride together. The hotel texted to welcome us before we even arrived. Our […]

    Reply

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