Bloggers in Sin City 2.0

I had this moment in Vegas this weekend.  Well, I had a lot of moments, but this one in particular seemed to sort of… embody what this whole blogging-meetup-travel-community-family thing feels like.

I was sitting poolside with Lacey, Katelin, Rachel, and some of the other ladies, and we were talking about how cute Ashley is pregnant and how cute Erin is pregnant, and so happy that Rachel‘s man is home from overseas, and basically catching up on each other and all of these friends that weren’t only our mutual friends, but were long-time friends.  We didn’t just study up on this online group, didn’t just recently stalk the blogs of these girls, but these friendships have now been years in the making.

In the few years we’ve known each other, we’ve traveled the world, backpacked the country, gotten engaged, gotten married, are having babies, moved across the country, finished college, started new jobs, ended and started new relationships, and done so many other things miles apart, but somehow still held together.

And while we might have all never been in the same place together at the same time, our hearts are bound in this unique way that makes us one really giant group that goes beyond anything you can try to describe with the words “online social network,” or even “community.”  We’ve got a big family thing going here, and it’s amazing to be watching these relationships grow from blog readers to commenters to friends to offline, actual, friend-friends who become some of the most important people in our lives.

Bloggers in Sin City 2.0 – aka #BiSC

Ok, enough segue.

This weekend in Vegas was absolutely no exception.  Talk about one really giant group!  Last year, we had 26 bloggers in Sin City all heart-full, slumber-party-esque.  This year we had 70 bloggers on the strip, still heart-full, but on a much bigger scale.

The best part is, we had the opportunities to really blow out a night with that giant group, and we had plenty of time to run off in smaller groups, to sit poolside with 2-3 others at a time, to walk to breakfast with a roommate, or to grind on the dance floor with everybody (PS LiLu and Ben are some seriously fierce dancers).  The trip was really what you made it, in fact – somewhere in Utah or even already in Nevada, I set my intention for the weekend, telling Chelsea that my one and only expectation and resolution was to go in with an open heart.

Turns out, that’s what everyone else decided too.  Some came, not knowing what a big blogger meetup would entail, and walking away with new relationships, new memories, and for some – new toys (thanks again to @toywithme for your killer sponsorship!).

In birds’ eye highlights

It was thrilling to see Alex jump heads first into the 20SB community this year, and to make the splash in Vegas this weekend.  I adored meeting girls I’ve “known” forever, like Akirah, Gooseberried and Stacey.  Relationships with Amy and Becca and Smalls have been budding for months, and it was amazing to finally get to hug them and girl talk with them and just spend some real time with them.  My roommates – Jenny, Jamie, Nicole, and Chelsea – include solid friends of mine for some time now, and it was awesome to finally meet “Nicole’s Jess,” who I’ve heard about for as long as Nicole and I have been friends.  And as always, it’s great to see the Chicago bloggers, the Cali bloggers, the East Coast bloggers and all of the other bloggers again in one place for a weekend of amazing.

Road trip bonding

Perhaps one of the best decisions I made about the whole trip was ditching the first leg of my originally-planned flight and road-trip the 11 hours out West with Chelsea instead.  She’s my sister-friend, and we’ve been vying for some girl-time, talking over and over about how we just want to get away together for a little while.  Hello: opportunity.  So, I buckled in and we drove west from Denver/Boulder all the way to the beautiful strip in Las Vegas.  I had never seen that part of the country, and just drank in the totally varied beauty between the mountains and the desert.  I even made time for some desert yoga at a rest stop in Nevada!

VIP friends and VIP treatment

In a nutshell, thanks to blogging and the community that’s formed around it, I have found some of the deepest and most amazing relationships, some of the best vacation memories, and exposure to some of the best brands and companies who value the connections bloggers form and then reach a very appreciative audience (us!).

Speaking of sponsors and all – I’ve raved before about some awesome opportunities we’ve had as bloggers, and this weekend literally blew that out of the water, thanks to Nicole and her fierce party planning.  We had an amazing hook-up at the Flamingo, a crazy-hilarious scavenger hunt thanks to Harrah’s, a fun poolside mixer sponsored by Stratejoy, and super swank VIP bottle service at Heart Bar at Planet Hollywood.

If you want to jump in on any of the goodness we got:

• 15% discount code for rooms at the Flamingo (including GO rooms0), valid through 9/30/10.  The offer code is SINCITY, and this link will populate the code directly into the booking engine: https://www.harrahs.com/MakeReservation.do?propCode=FLV&promotionCode=SINCITY
• 15% discount off any purchase from AdultSexToys.com for you and your readers. The coupon code is YOURFUN15 and it expires on 07/31/2010.

In pictures

While I won’t recap the weekend detail-by-detail, I will leave you with some photos to tell the rest of the stories.

In a nutshell, I… continued my love affair with close friends

… and cheese plates

… and new friends

I spent some time with some of 20SB’s oldest members:

and welcomed some of the new ones:

*photo credit for picture of @pixie658: that’s her photo, not mine

In summary

We love the hook-ups and the bottle service and the 32 oz margaritas, but we’re in this for the people and for the relationships we’ve formed by opening up our own hearts to share our lives and to welcome in the lives of new friends that come along the way.

A lot’s changed in the year since we were there last, but one thing’s for sure – the people in my life, blog-friends, Minnesota friends, family, whomever – are what fuels me, what blesses and enriches my life so much, and what make these kinds of opportunities that much more sweet.

Until next year, my lovelies!

Tagged as: 20sb, BiSC, Blogging, ginger vodka, Las Vegas