My second day in Atlanta for the 2013 Haven Conference started out how every Haven Conference day does for me:
At midnight.
After a wonderful first day in Atlanta with Katie from Bower Power, Sherry from Young House Love and their families, I returned to the hotel to meet up with my dear friend (and 2nd year Haven roomie) Beth from Unskinny Boppy! Beth was chilling in the lounge with loads of other lovelies that I was thrilled to see again including Heather from At The Picket Fence, KariAnne from Thistlewood Farms, Chris from Just a Girl, Kim from Sand & Sisal, and many more! (I would elaborate further on names and blog links, but at this point I had been up for almost 24 hours straight and it’s quite possible that best friend I thought I’d made over my first glass of Chardonnay was really just a table lamp.)
When I finally made my way to bed I vowed I’d be sleeping in until 5:00pm that day, waking up just in time to get ready for the cocktail party…until Rhoda from Southern Hospitality mentioned that she and the other organizers of Haven would be stuffing swag bags at 9am on the first floor and wouldn’t turn down volunteers.
The chance to pitch in and offer some behind the scenes Haven help, and get a first peek at swag?
Who needs sleep?!
Beth and I set our alarm for 8:30am, and by 9am I was pony-tailed, mascared, swag bag filling fool. Check out these gorgeous burlap bags we received compliments of Ballard Designs! (Not only did it come in handy all throughout the conference, but it also saved me $90 in overweight luggage charges when I pulled it from my suitcase, filled it with some of my packed items to lighten my load and used it as my carry-on for my flight home – thank you, Ballard!)
Part of our swag bag filling assembly line: Beth from Unskinny Boppy, Beth from Home Stories A to Z, Rhoda from Southern Hospitality, Traci from Beneath My Heart, and Chris from Just a Girl.
In addition to photography, I also Scorsese’d it up to capture this little gem for everyone following along on Instagram:
It took us forever, y’all (<- so long that I picked up “y’all” from my southern friends) but we eventually got about 400 swag bags stuffed, and then we were off to lunch and joined by some more Haven arrivals we ran into in the lobby on our way!
Ladies who lunch! On one end of the table (top picture, L to R): Jennifer from Celebrating Everyday Life, Karah from The Space Between, Laura Beth from A Step in the Journey, Jessica from Decor Adventures, Beth from Unskinny Boppy, and Heather from At The Picket Fence. On my end of the table (bottom pic, L to R): Kim from Sand & Sisal, Jessica from Four Generations One Roof, Chelsea from Two Twenty One, Kari from Thistlewood Farm, Me, and Gwen from The Bold Abode.
After lunch we made the oh-so-important wine run to the Trader Joe’s down the street and stocked up on drinks and snacks to tide us over the next few days!
Beth, Heather, Me, and Gwen – 4 girls getting ready to get their drink on!
After our Trader Joe’s run, I had every intention of sneaking a nap in (after I ordered all fun to cease existing while I stepped away, of course) but instead unpacked my bags and ironed my clothes – you know, the sexy stuff.
Soon it was cocktail hour and the official kick off to Haven 2013! Thursday night’s cocktail party, sponsored by Homes.com and ForRent.com was an outdoor event at our hotel (The Grand Hyatt Buckhead) sprawling across two patios and a beautiful Japanese garden. What a welcome!
Check out all these gorgeous girls I had the pleasure of seeing and meeting that night:
Having a blast at the Homes.com & ForRent.com opening cocktail party with (top row) Brandi from Don’t Disturb This Groove, Chris from Just a Girl, Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick, (middle row) Beth from Unskinny Boppy and Deneen from Dreaming in Color, Amber from ForRent.com, Gillian and Amber from Homes.com and ForRent.com, bottom row (Amber, Gillian, and Leslie from Homes.com and ForRent.com, Paige from Lively Green Door, and a rare Haven shot of just me and Beth.
After the cocktail party I joined Gillian, Leslie, and Amber from Homes.com and ForRent.com for a delicious dinner, and loved getting to know these fabulous girls, and their work, better!
My night ended how every Haven Conference night does for me:
Late night girl talk with my dear friend Beth.
Who needs sleep?!
Look for more 2013 Haven Conference Recaps coming soon!
<3! I loved my husband coming with me, but I think next time I'll ditch him. It looks like a lot of fun to just splurge on goofy girly times.
He was such a trooper hanging out with all those women – I think he’ll miss us if he doesn’t come next year, lol! Looking forward to seeing you again, Paige!
Ohh my goodness so much fun. I MISS IT ALREADY!!! Wish we had met you sooner girl!!!
I miss it, too! I actually think I was LESS busy then than I am now, haha. It was such a treasure meeting you and Sarah! I agree – I wish we had met sooner. Next year we won’t waste any time!
Looks like a great time! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Julie!
Hi Dusty! I rediscovered your blog from a friend’s facebook post. It’s good to read again! I remember you from the Knot/Nest days (right??). I was AprilInOctober. Anyway, I subscribed to your feed so looking forward to following!
Oh wow, you’re old school, girl! Thank you so much for subscribing – I’m thrilled to have you following along!
looks like an awesome time
cant wait to see more!!!
Thanks Melissa!
Meeting you was such a highlight for me. You seriously light up the room. Glad you had such a wonderful time at the conference. Looking forward to next year!!
Meeting YOU was one of the highlights of my trip, Brandi! You are truly a joy! Thank you so much for introducing yourself, and I look forward to seeing you again next year!