Vegas, Baby!

I'm linking up with A Burst of First to tell about my trip to Vegas.

When Teachers Pay Teachers announced their first ever conference, I hesitated for a long time about going. Vegas isn't cheap, y'all, and in the scheme of things, I am a baby blogger and seller. But I bit the bullet and decided to go.

I knew that a few of the bloggers I had met at local meetups would be there, and so would many of the folks I've "talked" with on-line. I was excited to possibly meet those bloggers I've followed and admired for many years.

Can I just say that I am so happy I took the leap and went? It was so inspiring to hear Paul Edelman, the founder of TpT tell the story of how the company came to be. I cried when Deanna Jump shared her journey. I learned so much in the sessions I attended and came home with a HUGE to do list. I talked to many of the bloggers I have loved for years and they were gracious and kind. I made new friends and came home full of excitement to share my ideas with all of you.

I arrived Wednesday afternoon and checked in. The Venetian Hotel is beautiful! This is the ceiling in the lobby.

The first event I attended was the Teacher Blogger Meetup. There was somewhere around 550 people in that room  overwhelming! I was able to speak to some of the people I "knew" already and met a few new ones, too! 

The next day I walked over the Mirage to pick up my ticket for the Cirque du Soleil LOVE show Thursday night. While there, I celebrated my geekiness by playing a Star Trek slot machine. I boldly went where most people go and donated a few dollars.

I returned to the Venetian in time to have lunch with this lovely bunch of women. I met Angela Watson of The Cornerstone for Teachers last summer in San Antonio. It was great to see her again and meet some new to me people.

That evening a bunch of us met up and went to the show. It was wonderful. If you like the Beatles at all, I highly recommend it!

 The next day was the conference itself. I attended sessions on copyright, blogging, marketing, and product creation. Every presenter was fabulous and I was amazed at their willingness to share what worked to make them so successful. In this day and age of fierce competition, it is so nice to be affiliated with people who are generous and kind.

I want to say a special thank you to Kimberly Geswein of KG Fonts. I got to have lunch with her and her husband (among others) the day of the conference. She gave away a license to use all of her fonts, and I was the winner! Talk about hitting the jackpot!

After the conference was a happy hour. I visited the photo booth with my new friend Kristen from Chalk and Apples. I had a lot of fun being goofy!

By then, I was pooped. But there was still one more event - a meet up sponsored by Ramona Recommends. I'm afraid I wasn't good company. Sorry friends. No photos from that.

I have some great blog posts in the works and I'm determined to keep up a consistent blogging schedule. Talk to you soon!