Although I didn’t have any input on the planning of the WordPress Friends & Writers convention, I did agree with Stephanie that the memory of Leturos needed to be involved somehow. An enlarged photo and a couple of our favourite posts from his blog were displayed so that those who knew him could stop by and remember him. He was one of my very first WP friends.
Rojie was right too, LA was the perfect location, she is very in tune with what’s hot and what’s not in LA and she made the perfect unofficial tour guide.
We weren’t allowed to bring plus ones to the event itself but being we were in such an absolutely beautiful place, it did allow for a vacation for those who wanted to bring a loved one along to explore southern California. NYC was a close runner up and actually would have been slightly more central as WordPress bloggers came from all over the world but in the end, SoCal won.
Each of us had been asked months before, when we registered, to contribute something personal if at all possible. Not a monetary contribution but the gift of our time in the form of sharing talent.
For Saturday morning I signed up to do Sarah’s yoga workout. And boy did she stretch us out. I don’t know if I was stiff from travelling or what but she had me sweating and puffing more than any other yoga session I’d attended. She knows her stuff and I felt amazing after.
The other non-writing workshop I attended was Michele’s dance class. Way out of my comfort zone especially since it was ten am and there hadn’t been any cocktails offered yet to loosen me up.
Yep, you guessed it, on the poles we danced. I didn’t have the strength to get way up high on the pole or hang on for very long but we had some laughs, especially since some of the guys joined too. I’ve gotten to know Rob fairly well over the past year and a half but never thought I’d see him spinning around a pole. He is a funny guy, but I already knew that.
I was so beyond thrilled to actually meet my WordPress friends. It was so much fun finding out who was who and actually sitting down to have face to face conversations.
Of course Mike showed up wearing a masquerade ball type of mask. But we very quickly convinced him to remove it and reveal who he truly is. Did you know his name is not even actually Mike Williams? What a brat. He put his photography talents to good use and was the official picture-taker for the weekend. I better not see any pics posted where you haven’t edited out my double chins Mike.
I have looked up to Singing Gecko since my very first days on WP and she really is as sweet, considerate and intelligent in real life as she is on WP. I was beyond thrilled to get to sit down and learn more about the writing journey her life has taken her on and of course I had to be nosy and find out what goals she had, as far as writing goes. A talent like hers doesn’t come along everyday.
Not surprisingly Darryl had a crowd of people around him most of Saturday, he’s as amiable and wholesome in reality as his beautiful stories are. He’s got that energy that sucks people in and makes them feel good. I persisted and eventually did get a chance to chat with him and get a hug.
The “social” event was held Saturday night and of course The Nostalgic Italian and MyGenXerLife cooperatively picked out the music and DJ’d the event. Salt of the earth these two and their great taste in music had us all up dancing. I mean, which generation has the best music? Ours of course.
Apparently Ernie “Dawg” and Kevin (the gorilla) had never even met before but were inseparable for most of the event. I’ve never laughed so hard as I did in the 30 minutes I spent hanging out with the two of them. The dawg and the gorilla, who know it could be so much fun. Both such talented writers and I’m afraid I gave off a bit of a fan-girling vibe.
Others whose writing I read daily and felt I was already friends with were Rob Gradens, JT and Mary. It was beyond amazing to get to actually shake hands, hug and see them right in front of me. It’s crazy how we felt like we already knew so much about each other.
I can’t forget to mention my fellow Canucks who I feel like I share a special bond with and not just because of writing. Demaras Racing, Sven Anger and Erwinism. Wow. All in one room. My bros. All so different. What a thrill to delve into their lives and find out how they found themselves on WP, and of course (because I’m nosy), where they saw it going. We were the four politest people in the room, wink wink.
Throughout the night I also got to meet Edward O, who is not only intelligent and handsome (we already knew that), he’s very easy to talk to and actually kind of funny.
Shel R, of course, got us all up doing karaoke by the end of the night. Imagine all the energy in her blog come to life, she is so much fun!
I was able to steal a couple minutes of Veselin’s time as I needed to know HOW he is able to read so many books! I’d always wondered what was his secret. I’m a fast reader but holy cow, he can read me under the table.
However, the weekend wasn’t just fun and games. I think most of us did some really good networking and myself, being amateur, I took notes in a notepad of tips and tricks other bloggers use, not just in writing styles but with the WP page setup.
It was a quick weekend, and everyone agreed it went by way too fast, but real connections and friendships were made. Everyone was in agreement that we would definitely be doing this again.
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So I had a lot of time on my hands as I was driving to Winnipeg the other day and somehow this popped into my brain piece by piece. I didn’t want to forget the ideas and since I was driving and couldn’t jot them down I made some voice recordings on my phone. You guys know how I feel about fiction, it and I don’t really get along, both in my writing and what I read. But this spewed out of somewhere so I’m happy for that. It was a warm and fuzzy feeling, being in this place and imagining us all meeting.
I tried to involve as many bloggers as I could but mainly the ones I interact with on a regular basis. I really hope all of my hyperlinks work!
Thanks for the inspiration!
bloom.planted.north 
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