Who I met at Disney’s Social Media Moms Celebration

As wonderful as the speakers and sessions may be, to me the best part of any conference is networking. I’m honestly in awe of the people I met at the Social Media Moms Celebration. If you’re like me, always looking for a new blog to read or a new person to follow on Twitter, you might enjoy visiting some of the links below.

I SAW OLD FRIENDS…

• Amy – @ResourcefulMom / Resourceful Mommy – One of the organizers of the event, I’m lucky enough to count Amy as a dear friend.
• Audrey – @AudreyMcClellan / Mom Generations – I met her and Colleen (below) at Time to Play last year. They are both the sweetest ladies you could ever meet… and have great blogs, too!
• Cissy – @coolbabykid / Cool Baby Kid and Double Duty Divas – She was the lucky winner of a night in Cinderella’s castle suite! Jealous or not, I’m always happy to see her… and I’m one of the newest Double Duty Divas!
• Colleen – @classymommy / Classy Mommy – See Audrey above. 🙂
• Elizabeth – @Elizabeth_N – She threw a great party at the Golden Inn last year, allowing my family and me to get away for a few days… that made her an instant friend!
• Janine – @twincident / Twofer Mom – I could be bitter and focus on the fact that she, umm… got the LAST FREAKING PLANE OUT OF DC that Tuesday before the snowstorm, but no, I won’t do that. I’ll just mention how great a friend she is. She’s also a social media whiz and a great mom (to twins… GAH!)
• Jen – @onemomsworld / One Mom’s World – I met her at BlogHer last year. She is just the warmest person and has a huge heart. She’s dealing with a death in the family at this moment and really needs our support.
• Nicole – @PoshNicole / Pink & Posh – She’s the reason I no longer wear heels at blogger events. Hehe. No, really, Nicole is one of my oldest ‘bloggy’ friends. She’s so giving and tons of fun to chat with.
• Shannan – @slpowell / From Cribs to Car Keys – Originally met her at BlogHer, where we hit it off right away. She’s such a sweetheart.

MET TWITTER FRIENDS IN REAL LIFE…

• Carolyn – @carogonza / Carol in Carolina and The Art of Random Willy-Nillyness – Carolyn (and Nicole, above) were nice enough to say hi to my mom before I arrived. Thanks, guys! I was so happy to finally meet Carolyn after talking to her on Twitter for so long. Saying she’s nice doesn’t seem quite enough. I’m all out of adjectives, though. How ’bout she’s really nice. Always smiling, which in turn, would make me smile.
• Christie – @chatterboxcgc / My Life… A Work in Progress – She retweets me often on Twitter, and I have to admit, I like that. It was wonderful to get to know her and Lorraine (below) and hear the fascinating story behind The BlogRollers!
• Christy – @MorethanMommy / Quirky Fusion – She’s so smart and full of great information. We’ve talked on Twitter for ages and always seemed to miss each other at blogger events. Finally met her! Yay!
• Connie – @ConnieFoggles / Brain Foggles – It was so funny to meet her in the restroom at Hollywood Studios. Though we didn’t recognize one another, when we looked at each other’s badges, light bulbs went off!
• Connie – @princesstimetoy – So fun to talk to on Twitter, she’s also the owner of Princess Time Toys, an adorable online boutique. She sent some adorable items for my daughters, which I’m so grateful for. I’ll be devoting a whole post to that.
• Debra – @AFrugalFriend / A Frugal Friend – Very familiar with WDW, she came to my rescue and guided me to the monorail one (of the many) times I was lost. Her 2-year-old is adorable!
• Jeannette – @jeannettekaplun / Todo Bebe – Sure, she’s an Emmy-nominated TV host (Viva la Familia on Univision) AND she’s been blogging for over 10 years, but more important than any of that, she’s real. A good friend, a shoulder to cry on, & a person that so many women (Latinas or otherwise) can look up to.
• Kristin – @OurOrdinaryLife / Our Ordinary Life – So fun to chat with! Her kids are adorable.
• Lori – @acowboyswife / A Cowboy’s Wife – Another lady that’s fun to talk to. She’s a professional blogger (and a great photographer) that I’ve learned a lot from.
• Mandy – @LastMinuteMandy / I’d Rather be Crafting –  She lives near me, so I was surprised not to have met her before this. Sat next to her during the volunteering event and she’s as nice IRL as she is on Twitter!
• Maricris – @MaricrisG / Zen Mama Ventures – She is just precious, with a wonderful spirit. Can’t wait to get to know her better (and maybe room with her at BlogHer? You never know!)
• Sarah -@RealLifeSarah / Real Life Blog – Another mama that I’d been dying to meet IRL! We didn’t get much time to chat, but I know this won’t be the last time our paths cross. She really knows social media.

AND MADE NEW FRIENDS!

• Amy – @SelfishMom / Selfish Mom – She and I bumped into each other at Epcot, trying to find our way out of the park. I’ll never forget the fact that she made Guy Kawasaki blush!
• Ana – @AnaRC – A social media expert in her own right, she’s a the founder of Latinos in Social Media (LATISM). I’m thrilled to be working with her on a fun project!
• Anitra – @anitra / The MamaZone – One night, we couldn’t find the bus back to the hotel. I was somewhat reassured when I saw Anitra also looking a bit lost. Both her and her family are so nice! (We finally found our way home!)
• Asha – @parenthacks / Parent Hacks – This was one of the first blogs I ever read. Parenting tips from real parents. It’s great to meet the face behind this informative blog!
• Daisy – @DrMommy / Dr. Mommy Helps Moms – She has an amazing energy, and seems like she’s always willing to help out. She’s found most of her patients/clients on Twitter, so that says a lot about her social media savvy!
• Denisse – @coupon_chica – Talk about a great smile! I’ll be forever grateful to Denisse for giving me a hand when my daughter fell last Friday night. She was right there with a cold bottle of water and a cloth diaper, which I used as a cold compress until we got to the hotel. Thank you!
• Kristy – @sawickis / This Side of Eternity – Another mom blogger that I was thrilled to meet.
• Miss Lori – @misslori / Musings from my Minivan – You may recognize her as a former host on PBS Kids. She is approachable, always smiling, and has a great laugh.
• Lorraine – @askwifey / Ask Wifey – See Christie (@chatterboxcgc) above.
• Maria – @thesavingqueen / The Saving Queen – A local mom! I met her during a conference break, and am so glad I did.
• Melanie – @modernmami / Modern Mami – She’s a role model for Latinas AND working moms. Can’t wait to get to know her better!

From left to right.. top row: Lorraine, Ana, (I don’t know!), Dr. Daisy, Carolyn, Christie, Laura from WDW.  bottom row: Me, Jeannette, Denisse, and Melanie. Thanks to Jeannette for the photo!

Disclosure: I paid a fee to attend this conference, but as an attendee I received complimentary items, special discounts, and other exciting benefits such as food and entertainment, so my family and I could experience the magic of Walt Disney World.