Last week I left warm and sunny California and descended on the North Pole, otherwise known as Salt Lake City, Utah. Just before landing, the pilot happily voiced over the intercom the weather had warmed to 17-degrees. Warmed?!? It was the type of weather if you sneezed, you made icicles…and there I was, walking into the frosty abyss.

In truth, it was beautiful. Everything was covered in white and I felt a sense of peace.

Peace was needed because I was scheduled to speak at ALT Summit. The conference attracts some of the biggest bloggers in the creative world and I was honored to present. The three-day summit is filled with lectures, mingling, and brain-storming with people who speak the same language. There's something cathartic about sitting with a group of people who can discuss italic fonts for 25 minutes without batting an eye. No, really, we talked about Zapfino for a quarter of an hour…and loved every minute.

{This is the part of the post when my husband breathes a sigh of relief and says THANK GOD I STAYED HOME}

My trip was made absolutely amazing in part to these three uber fab roommates: Trina of LaLaLovely, Kirsten of Simply Grove, and my favorite graphic designer, Promise Tangeman.

Around every corner and in lots of nooks you'll find inspiration, ideas, and goodies to make your mind and soul feel good…

I had the privilege of speaking about personal branding…but I also managed to tie in references to my dog, fist pumping, and dumpster diving…someone should have warned ALT to not give me a mic.

Many thanks to Encarnacion Photography for snapping these photos of me speaking…Jonathan attended my photography workshop a couple years ago and his wife, Joanne, offered to snag my camera and shoot…love her.

The following day I attended a panel Promise participated with and she did a great job offering amazing insight on how to build community through blogging and social media.

Over the weekend I reviewed pages of notes and I'm excited to rethink how I blog…it's an amazing tool for my business, but it's morphed into an online journal as well. I'm thankful for the friends I've made and the people I've met as a result…and I couldn't be more appreciative.

If blogging is something you love, attending ALT will buttress your passion and help see the world in a new light. Loved it.