Moving to Wordpress!

Hey friends I just wanted to leave a quick note to let you know that I'll be moving to wordpress over the weekend. So things may be looking/acting a little funny over the next few days but hopefully we'll have everything squared away by Monday. Thanks for bearing with me.

What We Wore, Read, and Made Link Party Sushine and Lemons Features

Lemon Soap ● Lemon Macarons ● Lemon Rice Krispies● Child's Apron
T-Shirt Rose Bracelet ●  Lemon Raspberry Tarts ● 3 Tiered Stand

Here in Utah it seems like Spring is over and we're fully in Summer. We've had a few days in the 90's and I just think it's too soon!

I want to let you all know that I will be moving to Word Press later this week. Since google friends connect and google reader will be retired soon I figured I'd finally make the move. I hope you all will take a second to follow me on Bloglovin, RSS Feed, Feedly or another method so we can stay connected. 

Let's see what you've been creating, cooking, eating, wearing, reading, all of it! 
 

Fine Print: 

Please be a follower

I'd love you to add my button or somehow link back to me.

Link as many posts as you want (I don't mind if they are older posts).
Please visit a couple of the other people who have linked up.
*if you don't see the linky try refreshing* 

Please Note: I will not be sending reminder emails about the party any longer. hopefully having my button, following, subscribing or something else can serve as your reminder.

Let's connect! You can also find me hanging out here.

World's Best Freezer Friendly White Chili

I am a soup fiend. I could probably eat good soup every day. This white chili recipe is one that I adapted from a recipe my friend Heidi gave me. It's perfect comfort food, comes together super fast and freezes like a gem.

White Chili Recipe

3 small corn tortillas
1 tsp vegetable oil, divided
1 Anaheim chile pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1-2 chicken breasts chopped (I have used precooked chicken)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 (15 oz.) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cups salsa verde or 1 (10 oz.) can green chile enchilada sauce
cilantro (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional topping)
sour cream (optional topping)
grated cheese (optional topping)

In large pot saute garlic, seeded and chopped chile pepper, onion and chopped chicken. Add cumin, beans and broth. Chop tortillas into small pieces and add. Add salsa. Bring to a boil and then simmer until heated through and tortilla has broken down. Top with cilantro, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream and grated cheese if desired. Serve with my favorite 3 ingredient cornbread and you've got a delicious filling meal. So easy and it freezes really well.

11 Great Books Dealing with Tough Subjects

This week's Top Ten with The Broke and The Bookish is Books Dealing With Tough Subjects. Here are a bunch of my favorite reads that had tough subjects. What I like about each of these is that they all deal with their tough topic in a realistic way that never plays down the severity of the situation but at the same time in the end all these books are stories of hope, perseverance, and survival.

• Escape - Can you believe it I'm including a non-fiction book. This book is GREAT. It's about the first woman to leave polygamy that got custody of all her kids. You get to see what life is like for her growing up, raising her kids, getting out, and living in the real world. It's fascinating.
• Forgotten - This book reads like a light contemporary mixed with mild sci-fi but actually deals with some heavy matters. I won't say what exactly since it may be a bit spoiler-y but it's an excellent book.
• The Sky is Everywhere - This is a heart breaking beautiful story of sisters. It's about surviving after you lose the person closet to you. I definitely cried during this one and it was hard in some parts but it's definitely worth reading. It is such a gorgeous story full of love.
• Pretty Girl - 13 - This one is intense. Think Elizabet Smart intense. A girl gets kidnapped from camp and finds herself back home after two years with no memories. She's experienced some terrible things but can't remember what. It's a super interesting read and while it's a very heavy topic it never felt overwhelming or hopeless.
• Airman - This is a midgrade read with some fantasy elements but at it's core it's a story about wrongful imprisonment and how to survive and thrive regardless. The main character is wronged so egregiously and while he could let it consume and define his life he finds a way tho work through it and have something beautiful.
• The Book Thief - This is a story about a little girl growing up in Nazi Germany. It's not all sad but it definitely deals with the horrors you'd expect from a book with that setting. But it is also a wonderful story of familiar love and friendship.
• Dark Triumph - While the first book in this series, Grave Mercy dealt with tough issues of abuse and more, Dark Triumph delves into even tougher situations. Some of the things we learn about Sybella's past are rough, really rough. But this is a story about a broken girl who has experienced horror making something of her self.
• The Program - The Program has been set up to combat the teen suicide epidemic. But while participants seem to be free of their suicidal tenancies the so-called cure achieves this by riding the patient of many of their memories. This book is great. It's intense but never overly heavy. It's a cool spin on the dystopian stories that I love.
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Both the Mara Dyer books are SO good. Mara is the survival of a building collapse in which her friends have died. She has obvious psychological issues as a result. But there is so much more going on. It's a crazy series unlike any I've ever read.
• If I Stay - This whole book takes place in the mind of a girl who has been in a terrible accident. She is unconscious hearing what is said around her. Her family members have died and she is trying to decide if she should stay. It's a beautiful story full of love and happiness as well as pain. The way it's told is so interesting and the sequel while dealing with more tough issues is just as lovely.
• Fire - This is one of my favorite books but it is rough. While it is definitely a fantasy Fire is a story of a terrible totally evil man. If he lived in our world he would be called a psychopath (no empathy, tortures animals at a young age, all of it). And Fire unfortunately had to live with and through his madness but her strength and goodness are amazing. There is so much more to this story than the hard stuff, magic, romance, growth it really is one of my favorite books.

What's For Dinner Week #169

 (everything that needed to be eaten soup and 5 Minute Artisan Bread)

Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there. I hope you have something fun planned to celebrate. We're heading to a brunch buffet with my mom, sister and in-laws should be fun and yummy. My college roommate is heading into town so we'll be eating out a lot.

On the menu for this week...

Day	Main Meal	Goals (Veggies, Whole Grain, Fish)
Sunday	Soup if we're hungry	Grains and nuts: pasta Veggies: Zuccs, Salad Fish: Shrimp
Monday	Tacos
Tuesday	Chicken Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus
Wednesday	Eat Out
Thursday	Red Iguana
Friday	Fun Bus Buffet
Saturday	Fondue

What I've Been Reading: 7 Must Read YA Books

I have been reading a lot of great books lately. I think that Daniel thinks I'm crazy because I've been walking around hugging books and telling him how great the one I just finished was and reading parts out loud and telling him the latest developments in the stories. He so doesn't care but he humors me. And I want to say that even though I receive some books for review all my reviews are totally 100% my opinion and all the books I read are ones that I would have borrowed from the library any ways.

So all that is to say my gushing is 100% genuine and trustworthy :) I just don't want you to think I'm all rosey it just so happens that I've been on a ROLL with awesome reads and I definitely want to share them with you. If you want more description just click on the links to see a synopsis of each.

• Entwined by Heather Dixon - Probably my favorite fairy tale retelling ever. The characters are so strong and interesting it was a tale that had me from beginning to end. If you like stories with hints of magic and historical flair this is great for you. It's like a Shannon Hale story but better (yup I said it). Also it's a stand alone so that's a plus.
• The Program by Suzanne Young - I just finished this yesterday. I listened to the audiobook which I do any time I can get my hands on that version just since there are SO many books that I want to read and it just lets me read more. For those of you who are audiobookpMay hobic I recommend giving it a shot I was wary until I tried and now I'm hooked. But back to The Program. This is a wonderful fresh dystopian. It's got things I liked about Matched and Delirium but I think even better. This one just knocked me out with love. In short teen suicide has become an epidemic. To combat it kids are tracked and with any hint of depression they get sent to the program where their memories get taken from them in an attempt to save their lives. Everyone knows someone who has killed himself or who has come back empty from the program. The story is so fun but also I absolutely fell in love with the characters. This kept moving from beginning to end and was great.
• Transparent by Natalie Whipple - I'm just going to say it. This may be my FAVORITE kid's with powers book. Seriously it was phenomenal. I've been looking forward to hit for a while (which usually leads to a let down) but this stood strong and surpassed my expectations. Really I can't say enough good things - wonderful friends, cute but not overpowering romance, non-stop action, and just plain fun. I picked this up and couldn't put it down. It doesn't come out until  May 21st but you should definitely put it on your library hold or pre-order it (it's that good). Perfect for Harry Potter and Insignia fans. 
• If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman - I see these books on must read lists all over and I'm so glad I got to them. They really are wonderful beautifully written stories with so much emotion. The subject matter is rough but it never felt hopeless or suffocatingly heavy like some books can get. I read them without reading what they were about and I actually preferred that. Just trust me pick it up and read.
• Spellcaster by Claudia Gray - This was the one book I hadn't read from the bunch who came through at Dark Days but luckily I was able to listen to the audiobook. I really liked it. A fun action filled, new spin on witches with a great contemporary feel. I definitely recommend this to fans of the Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia's Beautiful Creatures books and the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead.
• Parallel by Lauren Miller - I know this post is full of gushing already but I can't help it this book was MADE FOR ME. Really if you interviewed me about all my favorite things you would get this (except maybe fighting but it didn't even need fighting to steal my heart). It's like Groundhog's day but reverse. Every day she wakes up and her YESTERDAYS have changed. It's a fun mix of awesome philosophical puzzles, fun contemporary and great romance. I'm a sucker for alternate realities and time puzzles so this one really hit home. But even if you're not a philosophy nerd like me the story is so well told and unique if you have a sci-fi (not creatures just puzzles and time stuff) bone in your body you should pick this up. The closest thing I can think of was Forgotten by Cat Patrick but really this was it's own awesomeness.

And while these were not to the gush level of the ones above I wanted to mention them

• Requiem by Lauren Oliver - I was SO nervous about this book mostly because I am a happy ending/epilogue loving girl and I just have read enough of Oliver's writing that I know she isn't like that.  I absolutely loved hearing from Hana and the new perspective. It was beautifully written as all of Oliver's books are and fun but for the the last book in the series there was just not enough resolution for me. I'm glad I read it and enjoyed it but I really wanted more. Also I listened to the audiobook which I definitely recommend.
•  The Death Cure by James Dashner - I know people adore this book but it was just there for me. It may be that I'm so done with wandering in decrepit crazy people filled cities but this just didn't do it for me. There was something I liked about The Maze Runner books that kept me reading but I never fell in love and I'm sad to report that this one just didn't do it for me I was just kind of bored, didn't care for the characters, and found the ending to be extremely anti-climatic. Those who have read the Kill Order should I check it out? The thing is I kinda like the world I'm very interested in the various twists but the way the story telling for this fell flat for me so I'm wondering if more back story would be fun or if I should skip it.

And to see the unabridged version of what I've been reading (and plan on reading) find me on Goodreads. 

Guest Blogging: Jellyfish Kiddo Craft

I hanging out over at Keeping It Simple today sharing this fun jellyfish craft that we did with the kiddos at T's Mermaid birthday party. I hope you'll head over and check it out.

If you're visiting from Keeping It Simple, welcome it's great to have you! I hope you'll have a peek around. On my side bar you'll find my reader's favorite posts and if you are a blogger yourself I'd love to invite you to share any post you're proud of at my What We Wore Read and Made link party.

What We Wore, Read, and Made Link Party

Top - Forever 21

Everbound Necklace - From Brodi Ashton

Skirt - Down East

Shoes - Famous Footwear

Mother's Day weekend holy moley could this year be going any faster?! I hope you all have fun plans. I have a few giveaways perfect for the occasion. I hope you'll check out my Massage Envy Giveaway and my Reboot Book Giveaway and enter out after you link up. 

And in case you still haven't, I wanted to remind you to update your blog following subscriptions since the way most of us follow blogs (google friends connect, google reader, or blogger dashboard) will be disappearing. There are a few painless ways to transfer your follows I've tried both Bloglovin and Feedly but there are many others.

Let's see what you've been creating, cooking, eating, wearing, reading, all of it! 
 

Fine Print: 

Please be a follower

I'd love you to add my button or somehow link back to me.

Link as many posts as you want (I don't mind if they are older posts).
Please visit a couple of the other people who have linked up.
*if you don't see the linky try refreshing* 

Please Note: I will not be sending reminder emails about the party any longer. hopefully having my button, following, subscribing or something else can serve as your reminder.

Let's connect! You can also find me hanging out here.

Authors I turn When I Want Somthing Light and fun

•  Rick Riordan - I definitely prefer the Percy Jackson books but his Cane Chronicles are great when I want something light too
• Stephanie Perkins - Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door were both so fun and sweet. I can't wait for the new one!
• Richelle Mead - I kind of love her! Everything I've read I've loved. Great heroines and usually some good fighting and swoonable boys. Not shallow but they never feel too heavy either.
• Jenny Han - I really adored the Summer I Turned Pretty Books. Yes there were some hard issues pop up but the way it's written it didn't feel rough.
• Rachel Cohn and David Levithan - So I absolutely adored Dash and Lily and Lily's Book of Dares I haven't read anything else by these two (they write both together and on their own) but I've heard great things so I'm excited to check it out.
• Brodi Ashton - I really liked Everneath she does an awesome mash up of paranormal romance, mythology retelling and contemporary.
• Sarah Dessen - She is like the contemporary queen. While they aren't my favorite books they are good solid fun for when I want something light and sweet. 
• Eoin Colfer - The Artemis Fowl books are great when I want a break from oppressive governments and the end of the world.
• Shannon Hale - There's just something nice about Hale's books. I really liked the Goose Girl series and Princess Academy but Austenland was fun too.
•  Marie Lu - Marie Lu's dystopian Legend just isn't stressful like some of the others. There's action, romance and great story. It's perfect when I want a little of it all.

Also if you're interested I'm giving away a copy of Reboot by Amy Tintera. Linking up to The Broke and The Bookish

Kid Pleasing Dessert Pizza with 5 Minute Dough

I've already mentioned my LOVE for the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes book. It's so nice being able to have a tub of dough in my fridge ready for homemade bread, pizza dough, rolls or whatever I want. And not having to really prep the dough too makes it even better.

Today I'm sharing something we whipped up after just feeling like something sweet after pizza with the family. Really all I did was raid my baking cupboard and not only did the nieces absolutely love the activity and the dessert but it was surprisingly yummy.

Pizza Dough Recipe:
(makes two 1-lbs loaves or 4 small pizza crusts)

• 3 1/4 C all purpose flour
• 1.5 lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp yeast 

Combine all ingredients in a container big enough for it to double in size preferably with a lid but you don't want the container to be airtight. Allow to rise uncovered until collapses about 2 hours. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For large pizza I cut this into 4 chunks, form balls and roll out thin.

Dessert Pizza Toppings:

• Marshmallos
• Butterscotch chips
• M&Ms
• Chocolate Syrup (drizzled after baking)

But I think pretty much an sort of chips, nuts, candies and other baking supplies would sound so good.

After rolling out the dough I put each crust on a piece of parchment paper and add toppings and cook at 425 F for 15- 20 minutes (until crust looks cooked). Drizzle with any other extra topping you want.

What's for Dinner and Instagram Monthly Week #168

I'm sitting outside typing this up. I've been here reading all afternoon after a absolutely delicious anniversary brunch at Grand America (I'll be posting picture on Instagram). But I'm stuffed so typing this up has been a little hard since NOTHING sounds good haha.

My insta round up from the last month:

• Snap fun! See my full re-cap here
• Behind the scenes sewing for my Etsy Shop
• Kicked off a photoaday challenge (feel free to join in if you want the tag is #rgrphotoaday and you can see the prompt list under my pictures at @raegunramblings )
• Aquarium fun with the lovely Debra from Housewife Eclectic
• Great reminder from Carolina from 30 Minute Crafts to give proper credit with using and referencing Pinterest
• I couldn't control my Potter geekiness and made yet another Harry Potter Gryffindor baby outfit
• Happy mail! Books and new bookmarks. If you see me in person ask me for one I got them to share! I may have ahem 500.
• I joined in on Kid's Clothes Week. Wimpily but I gave it a go non-the-less
• Hanging out with the nieces, and mini housewife eclectic and my sis before the very awesome Robin LaFevers book signing 

But before you leave I have Two Giveaways to share with you. They both have kinda  low entries so your odds of winning are super high. And for both all you have to do is leave a comment to enter and there are a bunch of ways you can get bonus entries to up your odds. 

• Enter to win a free massage from Massage Envy. Yup you read that right!  
• And for my bookish friends enter to win a copy of Reboot by Amy Tintera. A fast paced, action filled ya novel that's great for those who loved The Hunger Games and Divergent! 

On the menu for this week...

Day	Main Meal	Goals (Veggies, Whole Grain, Fish)
Sunday	Salad (if we're hungry)	Grains and nuts: pasta Veggies: Zuccs, Salad Fish: Shrimp
Monday	Mushroom Soup in bread bowls
Tuesday	Ravioli
Wednesday	Seafood Enchiladas
Thursday	Eat Out
Friday	Meatball Sandwiches
Saturday	Fancy Ramen

Blogger's Night Out for Massages and Sponsored Massage Giveaway

(Debra and I playing couples massage getting sugar foot scrubs, oh man so good)

If you follow me on Instagram you know I was able to attend a super fun blogger night at the Massage Envy in Sugarhouse this past week. It was so fun to be pampered with a bunch of my blogging friends.

For those of you who know me in real life I'm kind of a massage fiend. One of my favorite vacation memories is getting cheap massages on the beach in Thailand every day we were there. Ahh yes I LOVE them. I tell my husband if we ever are rich I want a live in masseur.  And I'm seriously. I'm constantly trying to get my nieces to give me massages. They've definitely gotten better and I love it. That's what nieces are for right?

(Kari and I as we wait for our turn on the tables)

And as much as I adore the release and the feel of a massage there's something so fun about getting pampered with friends. Every time my college roommate and I get together we treat ourselves to massages and it's great. As much as I love the times when we get together and learn and try to help each other improver our blogs it was fun to be with a bunch of blogger friends and just relax and have fun. 

But what's more exciting than that is that they sent us each home with a gift card good for a massage at one of the Utah Wasatch Front locations to share with our readers. Just in time for Mother's Day perfect right? It must be redeemed by May 31st though. To enter see the widget below (if you don't see it try refreshing the page)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


What more chances? A few of my friends are hosting a giveaway too!

• Our Thrify Ideas
• Keep Moving Forward With Me
• Being Spiffy
• Housewife Eclectic
• Organize and Decorate Everything
• Utah Sweet Savings  
• Nite Owl Creates
• Fablify It

*I received the gift card to give away on my site, but all opinions and words are 100% my own.* 

Reboot Author Interview and Book Giveaway

I'm here as Reboot's official Dark Days blogger to share more Reboot goodness. After reading and really liking the advanced copy of Reboot I received I was SO excited to have the opportunity to interview debut author, Amy Tintera! In case you were wondering, Reboot is one those books full of action and fighting (you know how I like fighting), great characters in a curious science-y environment, and just enough romance to satisfy my gushiness.

See what Amy has to say and enter to win a copy of her forthcoming book Reboot below.

Q: What has been your favorite moment as an author so far?

I think my favorite moment was at the ALA Midwinter conference in Seattle. I didn’t have any official signings, but several people sought me out to have me sign their ARCs of REBOOT. It was my first time toever sign a book, and it was such a wonderful feeling to have people so excited about it.

Q: How would you describe Reboot in 10 words or less.

Action-packed adventure about what it means to be human.

Q: If you had to pick a couple fictional characters from another YA book or series to have a play date with Wren and Callum who would you pick and why?

I would pick June and Day from LEGEND. Partly because LEGEND is one of my all-time favorite books, and partly because I think they wouldreally get along with Wren and Callum. Well, Wren and June might just stare at each other, but Callum and Day would get along.

Q: You seem like you’re a big fan of Thin Mints do you have any snacks or foods you like to eat while writing? (see evidence here)

Ha! I am a big fan of Thin Mints (are there people out there who aren’t?!?!). If I’m trying to be healthy, I eat fruit and drink a lot of tea while writing. But sometimes I have Diet Dr. Pepper and Whole Foods sugar cookies instead. And occasionally some Cheetos.

Q: Do you have any news about the Reboot movie that you can share?

A screenwriter is working on the script now. I’m so excited they already have someone writing it, and I can’t wait to read it!

Q: What’s the last YA book you’ve read that you’ve really enjoyed?

I have to list two, because I just read two books that I absolutely loved. GATED by Amy Christine Parker (August 2013), which is a contemporary thriller about a girl who lives in an isolated cult-like community. It was romantic and creepy and so compelling.

And BELLE EPOQUE by Elizabeth Ross (June 2013). I don’t usually read YA historical novels, but this one was AMAZING. It’s about a girl who is hired as an ugly companion to make other girls look prettier, and it was such a beautiful, intriguing book.

Q: What is one of your favorite non-spoiler-y lines from Reboot?

One of the very first lines that came to me when I started REBOOT has been in the novel from first draft to finished book. It’s at the beginning, when Wren is describing Reboots, and I’ve always loved it:

“It was like pretty with a hint of deranged.”

Q: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I like to read (of course!). My favorites are young adult and romance novels. I also love good TV, like SCANDAL, DEXTER, DOCTOR WHO, and GAME OF THRONES (among others). And I go to book events often! Los Angeles has a wonderful community of writers, and going to events to hang out with everyone is a blast.

Q: What are you most looking forward to with the Dark Days tour?

I’m looking forward to hearing directly from readers. I spend a lot of time on Twitter, Tumblr, etc, but it’s so much more rewarding to talk to people in person. Book people are my people, so I love talking to them.

And I’m also looking forward to meeting Kiera, Aprilynne, and Liz. I really enjoy talking to other authors, especially those with more experience than me, because they usually have excellent advice and insight.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you or Reboot?

I always want people to know that REBOOT blends a lot of action with a healthy dose of romance. So if you like some kissing with your chase scenes, REBOOT might be for you!

Thanks so much Amy! Reboot comes out May 7th or pre-order it now. Enter to win a copy in the rafflecopter widget below (if you don't see it try refreshing the page).

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Be sure to check out more Dark Days Tour News here!

The Blog Tour!

THE ELITE at The Divergent Examiner 

UNBREAKABLE at All Things Urban Fantasy

ARCLIGHT at Cuddlebuggery 

LIFE AFTER THEFT at For Those About to Read

REBOOT at Rae Gun Ramblings

The Dark Days Tour Stops!

Tuesday, May 7

Barnes & NobleEdina, MN 7:00PM Me, My Shelf, and I | @MyShelfAndI

Wednesday, May 8

Shorewood Public Library Milwaukee, WI 6:30PM The Hollow Cupboards | @ohaiitschey

Thursday, May 9

Anderson's BookshopNaperville, IL 7:00PM Page Turners | @pageturnersblog

Friday, May 10

Schuler Books & Music Lansing, MI 6:00PM YA Books Central | @yabookscentral

http://www.pitchdark.com/blog/the-dark-days-of-summer-are-here/

The Secret to Blogging and My SNAP! Recap

 Crafting in our PJ's complete with milk and cookies - and yes I did make myself Harry Potter jammies (tutorial to come) - finally got to hug Bev from Flamingo Toes and Kara from Mine For the Making in person!

I know you're saying, Marissa wasn't SNAP! two weeks ago? And you're just now posting this? I know I know. Things have just been a tad non-stop but I really had so much fun and learned so much at SNAP! that I wanted to share. Better late than never right? This is going to be kind of a rambling post so the pictures might not relate to the paragraph below but there were so many great moments I wanted to include them all.

the swag there was SO much!

If you don't already know SNAP! is a creative blogging conference held here in Utah. Bloggers (and brands) from all over come, hang out, learn all kinds of things, and connect. This was my first official conference and I loved it. I met so many awesome people. And let me just say there is just something so wonderful about finally meeting friends that I've only known through my computer in person.

My roomies (Kari from Newlyweds on a Budget and Vanessa from Our Thrifty Ideas) and I won "most interactive door" but we'll call Becky from Utah Sweet Savings an honorary roomie- fun Pinterest snacks - Cute dinner and headbands from Cricut - Debra from Housewife Eclectic and Stacey from The Potter's Place stopped by for the Queen Bee Market

I learned so much I have a notebook full of scribbled notes about SEO, Pinterest optimization, Instagram, photography and more. It was this great source of knowledge and I just sucked it all in. I'm not going to lie though, that amount of info-dump was at times overwhelming. It's like who can think of ALL of those things at once, AND actually do them? Some times these people seemed super human.

 all of the business cards I got (and I only met a small amount of the awesome people)

But then it all sort of clicked for me. Blogging is just like exercising. The things that are most important for me as a blogger are the ones that I'll actually do. I tried a spin exercise class once and hated it, so while it may be an awesome workout it doesn't work for me because I won't do it. In SO many of the sessions I heard the message "figure out what it is you like to do, and do that".  Yes as a blogger you should have a presence in a variety of places, update regularly, be aware of your key words, and photo lighting, etc. but what's most important is what you are actually willing and going to do. In the same way that I'll force myself to do cardio and eat veggies I'll try and keep up with the parts of blogging that aren't my favs but there's just something so nice about picking a few areas that really do get me excited and putting most of my energy there.

It all finished with a giant dance party. Got some good time with Elizabeth from Sew Chatty and played in a photo booth - And it was all such a blast!

For any one considering going to SNAP! or another blogging conference or even bloggers get together I say do it. Meeting with like minded ladies who get the whole blogging thing from the inside was a breath of fresh air and a whole lot of fun.