You ready for a post full of embarrassing photos (of me and Katie B) and adorable photos (of Clara and Will) with a few house crashing and shopping-on-the-road sneak peeks mixed in? Oh yeah. Let’s do this.
The crazy thing is that even though this little recap of our four days spent in Atlanta has over 40 photos in it, it’s just the tip of the iceberg road trip, so we’ll be back with a few detailed House Crashing posts, a nice juicy window-shopping post from on the road, and a thrift store video that Katie and I cobbled together all in one take (yes, someone comes up to chat with us right in the middle of it). Just gotta go through our 1000+ photos and make sense of everything. So there’s that to look forward to. But for now let’s focus on trying to encapsulate the amazing/embarrassing/inspiring/delicious/nerve-wracking lovefest that was Haven. We had a blast. And to the people who organized it… I can’t even imagine how much work went into it. It was so much fun to just show up and wander around with tons of fellow DIY and blog-lovers.
Pic above from Rhoda.
We were asked about a year ago to be the keynote speakers and we agreed before we could get too nervous and second guess ourselves. Then we had a whole year to think about how not to make a fool of ourselves. Did it work? Of course not. Somehow I worked the word fart into at least five sentences. You had to be there. Seriously, who has a video of that, because no amount of explaining will do that justice. But amazingly, we heard some very kind words from the organizers, sponsors, and attendees when it was all over. So I’m calling it a success. If you’re consumed with curiousity about how the word fart slipped in there, you can check out a pretty detailed rundown of our chat here.
Pic above from Sarah.
Did we know we would be speaking to a room of hundreds of people? Nope. But we tried not to think about it or say the word fart (only 50% of that plan worked out). We had put together a little slide show about the 11 mostly-subconscious “decisions” that had steered the course of our blog, so we basically just got up there and talked about everything that we think got us to where we are today – from deciding how often to post to how we accidentally became a business. And every time I looked out at the crowd expecting someone to be yawning or texting I was greeted with a smile. Seriously, we felt the love in that room and it was awesome. I think it’s why John and I felt so comfortable and a little fart or two slipped out. Wait, that sounded wrong. Of my mouth. A mouth fart. This isn’t getting better.
I totally could not have done this without John. It was actually kind of fun to go up there with him because we could just be dorks together and sort of chat and keep each other feeling comfortable. And apparently from certain angles I enjoyed hiding behind him.
Pic above from Debbie.
I definitely did that thing where I locked eyes on a few people throughout the entire chat and sort of smiled at them/creeped them out. So thanks to you guys, for not crying or getting up and leaving when I gave you my crazy too-long gaze.
Pic above from Rhoda.
And as you probably saw over on Katie’s blog, she hung out with my bean and her tinkler up in our hotel room while we got our chat on. Are they not the cutest couple ever? Not that I’m biased.
Pic above from Katie.
Then we all came downstairs and mingled. Weird things like this scene from an eight grade dance ensued (that’s Dusty from All Things G & D, my new real-life friend – she’s hilarious and amazing and Katie and I just let it all hang out with her).
Pic above from Katie.
There were really awesome and inspiring sessions, like one from Builder/Temptress Ana White (she was so nice in person, I couldn’t stop giggling around her). Let me just tell you, that girl knows her way around a drill and a pair of stilettos. Consider me impressed (and substantially less coordinated). We also checked out Layla and Kevin’s photography/styling session and I learned a ton.
Pic above from Katie.
We also got to meet people that we feel like we’ve known forever- like the lovely and super sweet Kate from Centsational Girl.
Pic above from Katie.
The guys (John and Katie’s husband Jeremy) took off with the kiddos so we could attend those sessions, just because two crazy toddlers and an eight pound chihuahua (yes Burger came with us too) weren’t exactly easy to wrangle in the crowds. And something happened to me and Katie when the kiddos and spouses left. It started feeling like ladies night out. Which explains that picture of us gyrating against Dusty two photos up.
There was a pretty sweet cocktail hour at the end of the day, complete with shrimp, brie, and those little triangular pastries that taste like croissants. Good times. This is when I got to meet a ton of people and just chatted and hung out and laughed and my mouth hurt at the end from smiling.
Pic above from Katie.
Now I’ll admit something to the internet that I didn’t think I was going to: I worried people would be haughty. Or standoffish. Or sort of like Mean Girls but grown up. I don’t know, I’m a nerd, so I just went into it worrying people would be clique-y and closed off. SO NOT THE CASE. I don’t know what I thought conferences were like, but this was nothing but eating, drinking, and being merry.
Pic above from Katie.
And at the end of the night, we somehow ended up shutting down a restaurant with four other awesome Haven chicks that had us at wanna-go-to-dinner-together? (Dusty from All Things G&D, Beth from Unskinny Boppy, Kent of Peachy Keen Designs, and Colleen from The Restarter Home). Apparently the place closed at 9 but the waiter didn’t even tell us until after 11.
Pic above from Katie.
Can I just tell you the last time I shut down a restaurant. Never. And after a little dancing outside of the hotel to Low by Flo Rida (yes, $herdog was in the hizouse) we somehow found ourselves in another teenage pose. This time, of the prom variety. I like how we’re all holding each other and Katie’s holding her baby.
Pic above from Katie.
As for what our children were doing while we were being completely responsible and not at all embarrassing parents, John kept me posted by sending little iPhone pics like this:
And then the next day Katie ended up taking us all to a really fun public pool with all sorts of suped up stuff (lazy river? check. water slides? check). It was awesome. And it was fun to spend time with the kiddos/family after a day of “business and lady-bonding” at Haven.
I missed mah man the day before, so it was nice to be reunited. Oh yes, cheesy but true. I guess when you work together all the time, you notice when your other half is gone. Thank goodness I had Katie B as my wifey-for-the-day at Haven.
Speaking of Katie… dude, the girl has a waterproof case for her Flip camera. Consider me amazed. Apparently amazed enough to add a caption to this picture in third person. Totally normal, right?
Yup, we all recorded ourselves going down the water slides. Except I was wearing shorts (yes, I have a fear of standing up with a giant swimsuit wedgie after many childhood experiences on water slides) so I went about one mile an hour down the slide thanks to my not-slippery-like-a-bathing-suit shorts. It was hilarious. I think people might have thought I was stuck at one point.
These next three photos are Katie’s but they help demonstrate a few key things. For example, this one’s the best we could do with our kids in our lap. In other words: our kids be wiggly.
And this photo is to hopefully squash pregnancy rumors (I’m talking to you, Mom). They tend to start when I’m blocking my belly with something, like plywood or a kid (see above). I’m not gonna lie though – I’m totally sucking it in. Not an imaginary baby, just a leftover-from-Clara roll or two.
See, I told you I was the cool kid at the pool rocking jean shorts to block water slide wedgies.
This photo is just to demonstrate how ruggedly athletic I am. Never mind that I’m not actually swimming and am just resting my belly on the bottom of the shallow end of the pool.
To keep the water theme going, Beansie had the best time down at the creek behind the Bower’s house with Will. He was a little explorer and she followed behind him dutifully.
The next day we hit up Zoo Atlanta. It was the best. I feel like I’m saying everything was the best, but it was a series of fun days, so bear with me. Or lion with me. Hmm, that was a smoother pun in my head.
I love this picture. So I’m fighting my instincts to make an even more terrible pun like “my daughter likes to monkey around.”
Oh and we went on the train at the zoo, which was easily Clara’s favorite part- except for the “scary, scary tunnel.” She made it through like a champ though. I think it helped to know she had her man behind her to defend her.
Then it was carousel time. Clara liked it, but I loved it. Nearly all the photos are of me with my mouth open too wide. What can I say? Too Excited is my middle name.
The next day it was Georgia Aquarium time. The whales? Awesome. I have no words. Except awesome apparently.
It’s a really interactive place, so Clara had fun climbing into little nooks and bubbles to peer at all of the cool fish swimming around her.
She especially liked spying on the penguins.
And peering up at the fish as they swam by overhead in the underwater tube where you could see creatures of all shapes and sizes on all sides.
But her favorite specimen was still Will. Here she is inching over…
She’s a close talker, just like her mom.
Oh my gosh, and this is my favorite room there: the giant tank with all the whale sharks. I think we stayed in there for a good half-hour, just staring.
Oh and I guess the whole Clara-liked-all-the-nooks-and-bubbles-she-could-climb-into was a like-mother-like-daughter thing. Because this series of embarrassing photos was shot in plain sight of anyone walking by at the time. First there’s me growling and trying to do some kind of water aerobics by incorporating a sexy side lunge:
But then I inexplicably switched gears, stopped growling and made a completely nondescript face, and added jazz hands.
We thought it was pretty funny to see a Home Depot logo in the middle of the aquarium, so you know we all posed like the big DIY dorks that we are. Except for sweet Jeremy, who was happy to take the picture, wrangle Will, and pretend he didn’t know us. Haha.
Check out the hair situation I have going on here. A giant chunk of hair shooting over my sunglasses like a wave = a sure sign of a good time.
Of course it wasn’t all fun and games bacon and Bower fun. We actually squeezed in more than a few house crashings. Woot! So here’s a little taste for ya from two houses that couldn’t have been more different (which is totally why we love house crashing – there are so many different rooms to snoop around, snap, and share):
Just know there’s more where that came from. Can’t wait to get those images organized and uploaded.
Oh and we did a little window shopping too, first at the Pottery Barn Outlet in Gaffney, South Carolina…
… and then at Mary Jo’s Cloth Store right outside of Charlotte, NC. I actually got two yards of awesomeness, so I’ll have to share more shopping details whenever we can throw together a window-shopping rundown.
And we can’t forget our little trip to Goodwill to record another annual thrift store video for ya (like this one of yore).
So between the current DIY projects and updates, we’ll be sprinkling in some fun little ATL adventures over the next few weeks. Anyone else do anything fun this weekend? Any other Haven attendees with hilarious (slash highly embarrassing) photos to share? Any big road trips coming up for you guys? I gotta say, we dreaded 8.5 hours in the car each way with a toddler and a dog, but it wasn’t that bad!
karen says
What a great post. I love the picture of John and Clara looking up at the fishes. Aren’t carousels fun? We took my nephew to the Phoenix Wildlife Zoo a couple years ago (he was three). We wasn’t feeling well, but was a little trooper. All he wanted to do was ride the carousel. So at the end of the day we put him on a big horse and Grandma stood beside him. Everytime he passed me he was a bit greener. When he got off he ran about ten feet away and threw up on the walkway. At the same moment an older boy of about seven ran right through it and splashed it on himself and my nephew. Then we went home.
Karen says
Sing the praises of Mary Jo’s!! It is the best!!
Can’t wait to hear your Goodwill trip.
Katherine says
I was at the Georgia Aquarium yesterday! But, I restrained myself from pushing the little kids out of the way so I could stick my head into the penguins. :)
Christina @ The Frugal Homemaker says
LOVED meeting you at Haven!! :) Your speech was the bomb! Don’t think it was possible but I think I love your blog even more now! :) And the best part is I totally hear you “talking” now when I read your posts. You and John are hilarious, inspiring, fun, and educational all in one! :)
Loved that you hung out in MY city all weekend – can’t wait to see the houses you crashed!
Pics of you guys and me, and John walking Burger on my blog! – http://thefrugalhomemaker.com/2012/06/26/haven-2012-recap-10-things-i-learned-about-blogging-2/
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I love the picture of John walking Burger! So cute!! Thanks so much for the sweet mention, and it was so great to meet you in your city!!
xo,
s
Dusty @All Things G&D says
I hope there isn’t a character limit for your comments b/c if the one I just left on Katie’s Haven post is any indication, this is going to be a long one. If it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll make a list:
#1. I’m SO GLAD you and John were the keynote speakers. Your presentation was fantastic (I may have used the word “amazeballs” on my blog; first time ever) and I’m quite certain I looked like an idiot grinning from ear-to-ear the whole time b/c I loved how much you guys were kicking ass at it.
#2. I think you’re looking at me in that Southern Hospitality pic. I like it.
#3: I’m so grateful Katie Photoshopped my 6 months pregnant-looking belly out of that picture of our Dusty Sandwich. One of the many reasons why she is my hero.
#4: You should know up front that if you’re hanging out with me we’re going to shut down the bar/restaurant/Chuck E. Cheese, etc. Every. Time.
#5: LOVE the captioned waterproof Flip picture, lol!
#5b: Okay, now I’m laughing even HARDER over your description of going down the waterslide in your jean shorts! #classic #I’llneverforgetit
#6: Daaaamn girl, you look INCREDIBLE in your swimsuit and shorts. Like, 1950’s pin-up sexiness going on right there. Scratch #5b. #youarethehotness
#7: Love that picture of you “swimming” in the shallow end, hahaha!
#8: Looks like you guys had such a great time at the zoo on Saturday morning – so did we with Kate! It’s like we’re practically virtual dating.
#9: The Georgia Aquarium? Wow. Just WOW. Katie – have you washed the sheets since the Petersik visit yet? Because G, Kate and I are hopping in the car now and will be there in 14 hours.
#10: I think all Sherry/Katie visits should end with fireworks. It’s only fitting.
#10b (b/c I can’t end on a #11): I saw the pic of those cinnamon roll waffles KB made on your FB page and I almost ate my laptop. YUM!
In summation, (I’m going for the “Longest Blog Comment Ever” award) it was truly a treasure to meet you, John, and Clara. I miss you already. xoxoxo -Dusty
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, and The Longest Comment Ever Goes To… Dusty! Cue the confetti. And the cinnamon roll waffles. I wish we didn’t live so far away. I want to close down another restaurant with you. Gotta make up for all this lost time of leaving way before they close. Hahah. But seriously, it was amazing to meet you and I knew I’d love you even before Haven but now I really do. You’re a true friend and I can’t wait to hang again someday- in your neck of the woods or ours. Or next year at Haven! Haha.
xo,
s
Lauren says
you were in my neck of the woods! did you find anything at the PB outlet? I hope you didn’t get all the good deals because I’m headed there this weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
I spent a good hour there- love that store! Will post all about our adventures soon!
xo,
s
Haley says
Sherry, you look so thin and beautiful. I know it’s a quirky, self-loathing thing, but you make those of us who aren’t size 4 or 6 feel like fatties when you talk about your rolls. You are so pretty!
The picture of John and Clara at the aquarium is a perfect pic! They’re so sweet together, and I was Team Sherry when we voted about who she looked like, but I’m seeing some resemblance there. If you ever blog about how y’all manage all of these exciting excursions between naps, I’m all ears. I have a 15 month old who is the Rocky of napping, and the one zoo attempt we made was met with fussiness and eventual snoozetown.
Mandy@Cre8iveMotives says
Sounds like one ah-mazing party fest! I must say I’ve been known to dropping it lo,haha. I see a contest in the future.
P.S Clara and Will look soooo adorable together!
Tracy says
Wow! Such a FUN weekend!! Btw Sherry, you are looking FABULOUS! You look teeny tiny in that bathing suit pic and always with a contagious smile. Thanks for sharing y’alls fun weekend adventures!
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
I loved this post! You guys had a fabulous keynote speech–it was funny AND it taught us something. That’s a great combo. :)
It’s funny that you mentioned worrying about the attendees being stand-offish. I think we were all worried about that. I was too nervous to introduce myself to Sherry, but I ran into Burger and John in the vendor area, and was pleasantly surprised by how kind they both were. :) After reading your blog and living just an hour north of you guys, it was nice to finally “meet” you in person…in Atlanta.
Great recap! I think it’s safe to say that fun was had by all. Here’s to Haven 2013! ;)
Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says
Holy cow! You guys sure know how to pack a lot into a small time frame!!
I love that you’re standing on your tip toes in the prom pic. :) I’d have my shoulders perched awkwardly back to give myself a chance at looking buxom. haha
Susan says
You guys were absolutely fabulous at Haven. Thanks for the inspiration and information. Oh, and since I haven’t grown up much since second grade, I still think farts are the funniest thing eva! I laughed my tush off.
Heidi @ Decor & More says
Dang, y’all squeezed a whole lot of ATL in a few days!! It was so great meeting you at Haven and I for one missed at least half of your fart references… I was in bloggy awe of you two. :) Thanks for kicking things off so brilliantly and setting the tone for a fun two days!
Heidi :)
Sarah says
I need to know where Katie got that maternity suit! It is soooo cute and I am preggo and in desperate need!
YoungHouseLove says
I think it was from Canvas? Is that right Katie?
xo,
s
Jennifer says
Awwww didnt know that Katie was preggers!!! Thats awesome!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, so excited for her! After a year of trying. I totally cried when she told me.
xo,
s
how2home says
You guys should come to Toronto and do a conference here! It’ll be so much fun! Take it into consideration !!
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love that! I love TO (John hasn’t been there yet) so it would be an awesome trip!
xo,
s
Angela says
Sherry, you always look fabulous but you look especially great in these photos. Have you lost weight? What’s your secret?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Angela! I have finally gone back to my “normal” self after having Clara. Only took two years! Haha. My only secret is time. Apparently it’s in my genes (it took my mom a while after breastfeeding to finally go back to her tiny self, and I’m not nearly as tiny but it took me forever!). We think our bodies just tend to hold onto weight while we nurse, and since I nursed for 14 months it took about 6 months after that to slowly de-puff. Haha.
xo,
s
katie says
Love your recap! Both my husband Jon and I attended and wished we would have had a chance to chat with both you and John. You guys did an amazing job speaking and it finally gave my husband a glimpse to know that we are not alone–especially when you and John did the staggered hands replicating how many projects you have going on at one time! :) We too had an 8 hour drive each way but with no dog or kid and it was exhausting but totally worth it!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, I wish we could have met you! So sorry we missed you, but so happy to hear that you didn’t think we bombed our speech! Haha. Next time we’ll have to chat!
xo,
s
Kim says
I am so glad you had a great time. Thanks so much for sharing with us.
YoungHouseLove says
Of course! We had the best time!
xo,
s
Jesse says
Oh wow, Haven looks like so much fun & so helpful! Looks like you guys did great, I know how hard it can be to get up there!
I wish I could have gone !
brit says
How to you guys and the Bowers know each other? Is it through the blog world?
Looks like so much fun!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we met through blogging and just totally hit it off. Never thought I’d make a true best friend from blogging, but she’s like family now!
xo,
s
Randa says
My very favorite detail of this post is how Clara’s little pink croc is stepping on Will Bower’s little Converse sneaks in the third of the “close talker” photos.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- they’re in love.
xo,
s
Jenelle Ricci @ Del Mar Designs says
I love this post. You are hilarious!
Sheryl says
Great pics, as always. Could you share the camera settings you (or maybe Katie?) used for the indoor Georgia Aquarium shots, especially in front of underwater viewing windows and in the tunnel? We go to aquariums a lot with our 4-year-old (we both worked at one so we’re partial to them as a destination!) but I never seem to be able to capture those kinds of shots without blurring or them being too dark. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We like to shoot in A mode, so that we we adjust the exposure and try to remember to white balance and they usually come out ok. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Heather says
Yup, we’re driving 15 hours to NH (from Asheville) with our 12 week old next week- needless to say, I’m a bit anxious to just get there!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh good luck Heather! You can do it!
xo,
s
Myra @ My Blessed Life says
It was fabulous to meet you at Haven! :) Thankfully I escaped the weekend without a DIY birth. LOL!
YoungHouseLove says
It was so great to meet you at Haven!!!!
xo,
s
traci says
John and Sherry!
It was sooo great to meet you at Haven (very quickly for a picture.) Thank you so much for being our Key Note speakers at Haven. You guys were amazing and completely set the tone for an amazing conference. Thank you for being real and stinkin’ hilarious! You were so endearing to us all!
Hope to see you again in DIY world soon.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Traci! Thanks so much to all of you guys for having us and smiling up at us! We could feel the love and the conference was so much fun!
xo,
s
K (Barking Babymama) says
Sherry! Weird question, but we are about the same height and shape (sorry, that is such a weird thing to say) so I’m asking anyway: where are the skinny jeans that you are wearing at the Georgia Aquarium from? If I call you $herdog, will you tell me?
K-Train
YoungHouseLove says
The Gap about a year ago. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jenn @therebelchick says
What a fun adventure! I immediately noticed how your friend was holding her baby in that photo, so cute!
Nora says
Haven 2012 looked like so much fun!! I am glad you enjoyed your time in ATL! I walk to Stone Mountain all the time. I love going there, its so relaxing.