Ready for a post full of awkward photos (of me and Katie B), adorable pictures of Clara and Will, and a few sneak peeks at house-crashing and shopping on the road? Let’s go.
This recap of our four days in Atlanta contains over 40 photos, but it’s just a snapshot of the whole road trip. We’ll share detailed house-crashing posts, a window-shopping roundup from the road, and a thrift-store video Katie and I shot in one take (yes, someone chatted with us mid-tape). We’re sorting through 1,000+ photos, so more is coming. For now, here’s a look at the amazing, embarrassing, inspiring, delicious, and nerve-wracking experience that was Haven. We had a blast. Huge thanks to the organizers and sponsors — I can only imagine how much work went into it. It was so much fun to wander around with fellow DIY and blog lovers.
Photo above from Rhoda.
About a year before the conference we were invited to be keynote speakers and said yes before nerves could set in. We had a year to overthink how not to embarrass ourselves. Did we succeed? Not exactly — I somehow slipped the word “fart” into at least five sentences. If you were there, you know it can’t be explained — there really needs to be a video. Still, organizers, sponsors, and attendees were kind afterward, so I’m calling it a win. If you’re curious how that awkward moment happened, there’s a detailed rundown of our chat elsewhere.
Photo above from Sarah.
We discovered the audience was warm and engaged — not yawning or texting — which made us feel comfortable enough to be ourselves. John was my rock up there; speaking together let us be dorky and casual, which helped a lot. I may have spent part of the talk hiding behind him and making odd eye contact with a few audience members — thanks for not running for the exits when I stared a little too long.
Photo above from Debbie.
Katie babysat my little one in our hotel room while we presented — the kids made a cute duo while we talked. After the session we mingled, and things got silly — there was a lot of laughing, posing, and generally letting loose. One of the highlights was meeting fellow bloggers and friends in person: Ana White’s session was inspiring (she’s equally at home with a drill or heels), and Layla and Kevin’s photography talk taught me a ton.
Photo above from Katie.
We also met people who felt like longtime friends, such as the lovely Kate from Centsational Girl. The guys — John and Katie’s husband Jeremy — took the kids and dog out so we could attend sessions without wrangling toddlers and an eight-pound chihuahua named Burger. Once the kids were out of the way it felt like a ladies’ night out, which explains the dancing and general silliness with new friends.
Photo above from Katie.
The day wrapped up with a great cocktail hour — shrimp, brie, and little croissant-like pastries — and a lot of conversation. I worried beforehand that people might be cliquish or standoffish, but Haven was the opposite: welcoming, warm, and full of good times. Later that night a small group of us shut down a restaurant and kept laughing until well past closing time.
Photo above from Katie.
After a little impromptu dancing outside the hotel we posed like teens at prom and laughed about the whole trip. Meanwhile John kept me updated with photos of what our kids were doing while we were out, which was a relief.
The next day Katie took us to an awesome public pool with a lazy river and water slides. We had a blast playing with the kids after a day of sessions and meetings. I’m not ashamed to admit I wore shorts on the slides for fear of swimsuit wedgies, which slowed me down but made the ride memorable.
The kids loved exploring the creek behind the Bowers’ house, and we spent another day at Zoo Atlanta. Clara’s favorite parts were the train ride (despite the “scary tunnel”), the carousel, and climbing into little viewing nooks. We also visited the Georgia Aquarium, where the whale sharks were breathtaking — we stood at the giant tank for ages just watching.
Clara especially liked spying on the penguins and waving up at fish as they swam overhead through the underwater tunnel. My photos from the aquarium include some silly, staged moments — jazz hands, growling poses, and DIY-loving dork shots — because we couldn’t resist acting like goofs in such a fun place.
We also squeezed in a few house crashings — the variety in homes is part of why we love snooping around, snapping photos, and sharing inspiration. On the way home we did some window shopping at the Pottery Barn Outlet in Gaffney, South Carolina, and visited Mary Jo’s Cloth Store outside Charlotte, where I snagged two yards of fabric heaven. We even filmed a thrift-store video at Goodwill for another fun segment.
Between current DIY projects and updates, we’ll be sharing more ATL adventures over the next few weeks. Anyone else do anything fun recently? Any Haven attendees with embarrassing photos to trade? Any big road trips coming up? We were nervous about driving 8.5 hours each way with a toddler and a dog, but it turned out to be a lot more fun than we expected!