I’ve heard from many people that the Blissdom conference was a transcendental, transformative weekend filled with glitter and unicorns, so I wasn’t really surprised to find that most of the sessions were more motivational-speaker than how-to. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I didn’t come home with a plan to take over the world. And I’d sort of expected to, after hearing of so many other people who’d had that experience.

I did, however, come home with the conviction that I need to be more present in my own life. That’s kind of depressing and humbling to admit. And it’s going to be a little painful, because it means I’m going to have to put down the internet and pick up the Hot Wheels and My Little Ponies more often.

Right now I’m going to read the kids a few bedtime stories, and then I’ll continue tending to Rockford, who is in the basement trying to fight off what looks suspiciously like the flu. (The basement: It’s where we keep our invalids.) Rest assured, though — by the end of this week you’ll be thoroughly tired of hearing about Blissdom. In the meantime, here’s what a few other people thought about the conference:

One phrase really resonated with me during the closing key note speech by Jon Acuff: Being a mom is enough. … What I pull from this statement is not to focus only on raising my kids, but rather to make them my priority.

from “Blissdom reminded me to take it slow” by Amy at The MomBot.

The sessions were only an hour long, and I know that was on purpose so that we were not overloaded with information. But I wanted to be overloaded with information. I wanted to leave with a long to-do list of things I could implement on my blog. That just didn’t happen.

from “Some thoughts on Blissdom” by The Nerd’s Wife.

Unlike the mass of Blissdom attendees who write about their excitement and expected life change, I just showed up. I assumed the common thread of those women was that they had little else going on. Turns out why they love Blissdom was because they are like me and have too much else going on.

Blissdom gets you away from the else.

from “Leaving My Past in Grapevine, Texas: What Jon Acuff (& other People I Didn’t Know Six Months Ago) Gave Me This Weekend” by Lilly at Pancakes & Beet Juice

Me & my roomies.

I spent the weekend with a bevy of lovely people at the Aiming Low Non-Conference. It was a nice cozy (non)conference; I think there were only 70 or so attendees. I’d met quite a few people already, so I really didn’t have any anxiety beforehand. Which was a very nice thing.

I didn’t take a lot of notes this weekend, so I don’t have any nuggets of wisdom to pass along to you. But I do want to introduce you to a few of the delightful people I had the chance to meet:

Alexandra, Faiqa and Sarah

• Vikki at Up Popped a Fox. She radiates fun.

• Faiqa at Native Born. Smart lady. S.m.a.r.t. I’m hoping they let her do a U.S. History session next year.

• Alexandra at Good Day, Regular People. She can see into your soul. (Or maybe that’s just me.)

• Stephanie at Talking is My Primary Function. Live wire, man.

• Neil at Citizen of the Month. I like the way he talks.

• Amiyrah at 4 Hats and Frugal. My strong, beautiful roommate.

• Sarah of Sarah and the Goon Squad. She writes about sports, and when she talks you should listen.

• Jana at Jana’s Thinking Place. I just love her to bits. She’s made of sweetness.

• Suzanne at Kinsey’s Texas Tales. My other strong, beautiful roommate!

And those are just a few of the people I’d never met before! I also got to see and hang out with Julia and Robin, Kelby and Katherine, Heather and Tricia, and Heather and Cecily and Cait. And I know I’m forgetting at least someone, for which I apologize because I’m almost positive that I love that person, too.

Oh, and did I mention this lady?

Yep, that’s Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. I didn’t get to hang out with her, but I did meet her briefly in the lobby. She was the keynote speaker, and she was positively charming.

So I had a really nice weekend, is what I’m saying. I really like these internet people.