Why I love blogging + SNAP! Conference Recap

So, after doing this for over 3 years now…  I have identified some major perks of my night job. I blog at night (mostly) and my day job is theeee best (and hardest of all)… being a mom. So, being a blogger AND a mom is pretty tough to balance. There are times over the past few years when I’ve thought about quitting because it’s so hard to do both. Let’s be honest, there are times I have quit for a while! (That’s the nice thing about doing this with my sister, because she literally took over the entire blog for about 10 months last year when I was pregnant.) So, that leads in nicely to the reasons I love blogging:

1. I get to work with the best business partner in the world…. MY SIS!!!

Reconnecting with our childhood 80’s fashion at the SNAP! Prom. We like big BOWS and we can not lie.

Seriously, how amazing is it that we get to work together and share something we enjoy so much? I couldn’t do this with anyone else, because I don’t think I could ever trust anyone as much as I do Nat. She has supported this venture 100% and I just love sharing this journey with her.

2. I get to go on “business trips” a few times a year where I get to expense everything, all while partying it up with my sister and some of my very best girlfriends!

These girls are seriously our best friends!! We love you Kim, Crystal, McKenzie and Alli (not pictured, but still awesome.) Bows before Bros forever!

3. I can be driven and competitive…. and it’s OK 🙂

So, my roommates at SNAP will attest to the fact that I can get a little competitive from time to time.  We entered the Snappy Doors contest for the best decorated door at the conference, and I thought we deserved the grand prize! I mean really, look at this face:

We created this amazing tribute to our crush, Jimmy Fallon, and even made our own #hashtag video and thank you notes re-enactment! We won “Coolest Door” but apparently that wasn’t the winning door?? I think the other attendees even thought we won, so it was all a little bit confusing. All I can say is we were robbed of the $400 Target gift card! Haha, if you want a call for a re-count, please leave a comment below.

4. I get to CREATE things all the time, and sometimes I even get paid to do it!

This is hands-down, my favorite part of my job. I get to be creative every day! I love being challenged to makeover something, or upcycle a piece that no one wants and turn it into something beautiful. At SNAP, we were able to take unfinished pieces of furniture and make them over for a deserving family. Thank you Home Depot and Habitat for Humanity for allowing us to be a part of this project! Here is the desk that I created with my team, McKenzie, Kelly and Toni.

5. I get to meet (and sometimes work with) some of my idols!

We had a couple of really cool experiences at SNAP last week… the first was going to film a segment on KSL Studio 5, with the one and only, Brooke Walker! We kind of love her.

We did a segment about our Frozen Party ideas, and it was so much fun! I love having these opportunities that push us a little outside of our comfort zone, and allow us to grow. Later that night we got to meet one of the most amazing people… a true hero! Noelle Pikus-Pace!!

She talked to us about focusing on the things that are most important to us, because “Where you look, is where you go.” I realized that I need to “look up” and focus on my goals in order to reach them. The story of her Olympic journey is truly amazing. By the end of her presentation, and after watching her inspiring final run and Silver medal win, we were all in tears! It was awesome to meet her and I even got to hold her medal!

6. I have a forum to connect with other women like me, and they don’t think I’m crazy.

Well, some of them do.

Blogging has lead me to some of the very best friends I have. I am so grateful for this unexpected “perk” and for the relationships I have with these sweet girls! We may or may not have stayed up WAY too late laughing, eating, singing (yes, you will see a clip of this in the video below), crying over Taco Bell, and watching endless clips of Jimmy Fallon. Diet Mountain Dew. Ew!! (Thanks Kenz for making this video!)

7. We get to make a difference in regular people’s every day lives.

So, the day we drove home from SNAP, we were all exhausted. I napped for 2 hours after I got home (after being gone for 4 days, not sure how well that went over with the hubby!)  When I woke up from my nap and checked my phone, I found the most happy, unexpected surprise in our inbox.

We get emails from our readers from time to time, telling us about a project of ours that inspired them or that they were able to re-create. We LOVE hearing that stuff! But in all the years of us doing this, I think this is my favorite email. EVER.  Here it is:

“Holly, Just wanted to thank you for the post. I have a four-year old that loves Frozen and your post gave me the nudge I needed to try my hand at basket making. It probably took me longer than anyone who has ever done this (like, way longer) but I finished! And, between you and me, I thought it turned out pretty good (pic attached).

Isn’t that AWESOME?? A dad who read my post, went out of his comfort zone (literally, into a craft store) and made an adorable Easter Basket for his Frozen-struck daughter. Seriously?

I love my job.

Don’t forget to ENTER TO WIN a $30 Credit to Oubly.com where we got our amazing business cards for SNAP! We are choosing 3 winners, and the giveaway ends tomorrow, so hurry and enter here!