Reflections from #AWBU

Last weekend I attended #AWBU which my first blogging conference.  I have been a member of Arkansas Women Bloggers dating back to my time with Mosaic of Moms.  This was my first time to meet a lot of these women in real life.  Some have been a part of my blogging community from the beginning.  What joy it was to hug the necks of so many of these women who have been just thumbnail pics for years.

It will take me awhile to process the things I learned, but as my blog turns one-year-old next month, I am hoping to tighten my focus.  What started out as my hobby blog has now transformed into a ministry.  I have spent the last year on a spiritual journey and struggled to find my voice here.  I feel lead in a certain direction, but also I am needing to make sure I am in obedience to His will. If you are an avid reader of this blog, please pray with me as I seek where the LORD wants me to take this ministry.

Turns out I did a horrible job taking pictures to document my weekend.  But these stand out to me.

Before the conference started Friday afternoon, I had Gretchen of Magnificent Mayhem make this leather cuff for me.  El Roi.  The God Who Sees.  In all the blogs in all the world, mine is so small.  My audience is small, but I am ok with that.  I am walking in obedience. The Word declares over and over that God values the small.  So I take comfort that when no one else sees me, HE does. As I was leaving for the conference on Saturday morning, I found my sweet angel completely dressed and putting her shoes on.  She was disappointed to find out that there was no school on Saturday.  I was at risk of running late to the first session.  In that moment the only title that meant anything to me is “mama”! So mama showed up.  I took my daughter to Starbucks for a coffee date. She sat on my lap and snuggled with me as we laughed and giggled. I would never trade those precious moments for the world.  She makes my life more beautiful. Some things are worth being late for. While there were some fantastic informative sessions that I will draw from on my blogging journey, one of the most meaningful sessions I attended was Story Living for Story Telling by Alison Chino.  This is the session I will pray the hardest over.  She talked about blogging the sacred everyday, the noteworthy days, and the grand adventure. I want to share more stories like the one above that focus on the small life I live and the sacred everyday moments that are worth living. I want to share my NWA Daytrips through story telling of the noteworthy days. And soon, I will announce my grand adventure.  I am excited to get started.  I am thrilled to have you along for the ride.

I met Allison online through her #48Walks grand adventure. It was such a blessing to meet her in real life!

If you are a blogger in Arkansas, I encourage you to get connected with AWB.  Even if your niche is not highly represented, you will still benefit from the expertise of having a cross section of writers who are passionate and very successful at what they do.  These were some of the nicest people I have met, and they totally get the loneliness of blogging. Blessings, Jen P.S. Don’t forget about the giveaway I have going on for a Pickle Pack.