It took me a little while to post about the wild and amazing experience that was BlogHer. One, I’ve been busy catching up after being out of town. Two, I’ve been just reading and absorbing all the BlogHer-related posts. I noticed a theme. Most people most of the time at BlogHer seemed to be having a great time. Yet so many of the posts afterwards complained.

Believe me, there are things I could complain about (U.S. Airways and Sheraton, brace thyselves!). But I choose not to in this first post. It can wait.

Bottom line: BlogHer was one of the single coolest experiences of my lifetime because of the people there.

I got to meet @prairiemama for the first time in person. I met her online SEVEN years ago before I even became a mom when I was expecting my first. (KIM?? Are you out there? I know someone took a picture of us together. Have you SEEN it???).

I met @littletechgirl in person for the first time. Chatting with her FOUR years ago while stuck in a bed during my pregnancy with my twins was one of the only things that kept me sane. And now she is a Type-A Mom editor and speaking at my conference. Here we are (and no I am not stoned):

I have been writing for About.com since 2002, and for the second time ever got to meet other guides.

The coolest part was meeting the moms I work with directly. For the first time ever, if you can believe it, I met @mamikaze (the Type-A Mom chief managing editor) and @feelslikehome (the Foodie Mama chief managing editor). Here I am with Astacia, aka @mamikaze:

Both are dear, dear online friends, and it was just amazing to meet them in person finally. I got to room with Tara and another Type-A Mom/Foodie Mama editor, @highimpactmom, and I will always look back and smile when I think of our last night up giggling like schoolgirls. I finally met my chat BFF @slpowell so we could giggle and snark in person instead of miles apart.

I got to hang out with others I have met before, like @ilinap and I who “met” via Twitter while sitting in an Anil Dash session at ConvergeSouth. She eventually became a Foodie Mama, and I’m sure it’s because we met in real life last year and hit it off. She is just coolness, period. At BlogHer, we managed to Twitter-connect in the airport, ride into town together, do lots of complaining about Sheraton, and then later hit a wine bar with @highimpactmom, @mamikaze and @jenniferperillo. This outing was a highlight of the weekend. Don’t we look happy? Believe me when I say there were NO COMPLAINTS there:

Above all, it was amazing throwing a party with my favorite people at BlogHer! The #typeamomfluence party, hosted by Type-A Mom and the amazing concept of Momfluence that was created by Amy Lupold Bair, aka @resourcefulmom, and the uber-cool people of HP like @angelaathp. Here is the cool Whrrl story on the party.

So I don’t know. I have things to complain about. But really? All of these pictures and names I am throwing out? THAT was my BlogHer takeaway. And I’ll take that any day.