Coming back from the BlissDom conference can leave one’s head spinning – so much good information and advice. What do I implement first? How do I maintain the friendships and connections that were made while there? (Photo: Julia, Sarah, AnNicole, Beckie, Melissa, Kimm, Kimba, me, Rhoda, Layla, and Kate.)

The key-note speaker was fabulous (as was every other panelist throughout the weekend!). I wrote down iPhone notes from his talk because I wanted to remind myself of my goals for this blog! Kevin Carroll said it like this, as he encouraged all of us bloggers to live differently – to live with a purpose, a passion, and with intention:

Commit to it
Find what you are passionate about and commit to it – chase your dreams! Edie is a physician but has chosen to stay home and raise her family, and she writes a powerful blog, full of wisdom (that’s how I feel every time I visit her), and she also makes killer cupcakes!

Seek out encouragers Surround yourself with people who believe in you and who give you permission to dream! These girls are a great support to me – I am thankful for them!

(Roommies at Opryland – Emily, Melissa, Nester and me)

Feed your creative side
Amy from She Wears Many Hats, and I met for the first time, and we both have a creative love for food and an exciting adventure is ahead – but more on that later.

Maximize the day (today is a gift!)
{In}Courage is a place to be encouraged and to find “rest” in beautiful words shared by inspiring bloggers. They threw a lovely dessert party for us all to enjoy! (Read my post on today being a gift, here.)

Speak up, stand up for something, and be courageous
If you were a fly on the wall during this luncheon, you would have heard the words courage and courageous spoken often. What a special time with Layla, Traci (my sister?), Melissa, and Rhoda and Kate. And here’s Layla’s exact words that describe our time together:

As we dined together under the giant palms, we talked about all kinds of things. We laughed, we cried, and we bonded.
It was a fascinating sixty minutes and it’s hard to put my experience with them into words, but in a nutshell, they’re the kind of women that understand your past, believe in your future, and accept you just the way you are.

And the last point … Expect the unexpected (you never know where you will end up in life!)

Although Kevin, the speaker, was very entertaining, he was also inspiring to listen to. I even texted my husband during his talk and told him about Kevin. When anyone brings “courage” into a discussion, my husband and I both listen. We have had many date nights with conversations wishing more people would act with courage. Our world would be different.

But one thing is true. The world became different when blogs were born and more voices were heard! The “blogger chicks!” at this convention have made a difference and are a part of that. They’ve stepped out into an “unknown world” (who is reading my blog, anyway?) and have shared their hearts and lives and passions. That takes courage!

It took courage for me to start my blog a few years back. I felt that too many people were caught up in the lies of perfectionism and image-making to open their homes and invite others in. So I started typing away … wanting to encourage others. To show them it’s easy. It’s meaningful. Entertaining and hospitality has rewards!

Blogging may not be for you, but I’d love to hear an area in your life that you wish you had more courage in?

Maybe it is entertaining, hospitality, speaking, writing, working on friendships, being a better wife, speaking up in an area you are passionate about …

(Thank you Barbara Jones and Alli Worthington, for long hard hours put into BlissDom 2010. And photo credits go to Emily (Chatting at the Sky), Layla (Lettered Cottage, and Rhoda (Southern Hospitality).

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