Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Fabulous Haven 2013

Wow, Wow, Wow!

I had a FABULOUS long weekend.
I'm going to warn you right now there are going to be a lot of exclamations points throughout this post
AND
 words written in all CAPS
AND
 I'm going to use the word FABULOUS
A LOT!!!

Have to tell you right now that I'm a little reserved when I meet you in person
but I'm jumping up and down inside and trying to contain myself, just like I am as I write this post and remembering how FABULOUS this weekend was!


First off, everyone and everything at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead was FABULOUS!
The staff went out of their way to attend to every need and was so very helpful. Everyone that I encountered from the parking attendant, valets, driver, front desk, bellmen, banquet servers, wait staff....ALL were so friendly and helpful. 
I loved my home away from home while I was at the conference.
Grand Hyatt Buckhead


Our sponsors were FABULOUS, as well and treated us with like queens! (there were  a few kings who attended Haven, as well)

I ran into these ladies Thursday night at the Homes.com mixer. Later, we all went to dinner with another Kim (you'll see her later.)
Y'all know who these ladies are right?
Kim from Savvy Southern Style (on the left), Yvonne from Stone Gable (center) and Shirley from Housepitality Designs.


Ran into these ladies the first night too. Heather and Vanessa from At The Picket Fence. They are even sweeter and prettier in person.

Finally got to meet Becca from Adventures In Decorating. 
Doesn't she look fun?
Haven Conference



The Home Depot and Rustoleum  hosted a cocktail party for us on Friday night where we got to rub elbows with some more FABULOUS bloggers... Janette and Jordan from Two Seasons with Rhoda from Southern Hospitality in between them.

 Ryobi invited all of us to a swanky soiree at the Intercontinental Hotel later on Saturday night and it was, 
you guessed it, 

FABULOUS

 The Ryobi guys showed up with their Ryobi umbrellas and danced to "It's Raining Men". I was too busy hootin' and hollerin' to take a photo. Sorry about that!
Ryobi's photographer did, however, capture some crazy bloggers doing the "DIY Shuffle"
Ryobi Power Tools
 My first Cosmo...so pretty!


Here's the lady whose blog got me hooked on blogs...Susan from Between Naps On The Porch. 


 Fun at the Ryobi Party...

Ryobi Power Tools

Ryobi tools, haven conference
Ryobi Power Tools




The Sessions were FABULOUS too.
Ana White gave the opening session.


I learned so much. The information in the sessions were definitely worth the price of admission.
My head was swimming after one session called Google guice (juice). And no, you don't have it for breakfast as Mr. Fanatic joked about. 
haven conference, Atlanta, Grand Hyatt Buckhead




Saturday morning was the second day of the Ballard Designs Bookcase Challenge. I pegged this one right away as one of the winners.

 I wasn't biased in the least because my new friend Kim from La Belle Epoque was on the team.  Kim's the cute blond on the far left.


I was so excited to meet Ana White. She is so sweet and talked with me as if we had known each other for a long time. 


 Then there's KariAnne, another sweetie. She was smiling everytime I saw her.


Found Roeshel from DIY Showoff on Saturday and had to take a pic with her. Hers was one of the first diy blogs I followed.


Then, there was the FABULOUS swag that I got to bring home.



Kreg gave everyone a choice of  one of three Kreg tools. Mr. Fanatic wanted a Rip Cut. Not sure what that is, but I'm hoping he will make something fabulous with it.

Now here's what I really want....A Ryobi Impact Driver. It's lightweight and has more power, making it easier for me to use, instead of having to wait for Mr. Fanatic to do something. 


I was already starting to look forward to Haven 2014 when we all got together for the closing session.



There are so many other bloggers that I didn't get to meet...guess there's always next year.


Thanks so much to the Haven team who put together such a FABULOUS conference! You know I will be first in line for next years event.
Who would you like to meet at Haven next year???

Pam



joining:

10 comments:

  1. Pam, I so enjoyed meeting you and getting to know you better! I will definitely attend Haven 2014! Enjoyed reading your recap, too!

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  2. Wow Pam, it looks like a lot of fun! I used to live right down the street from there and worked playing/singing at the Swissotel, now the Westin Buckhead down the other way. Love Buckhead.

    I also started blogging because of Susan at BNOTP, but the rest of you all have left me in the dust for sure!

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  3. Pam it was so nice getting to talk with you on the last night of Haven. Really enjoyed meeting you. Stay in touch!

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  4. How exciting! It's a thrill for me just reading your recap!

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  5. Pam...I love these pics and "snagged" the ones of us Ryobi girls!....so, so much fun hanging with you at Haven...so glad you were able to come this year!!

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  6. My sister (Kathy, CreativeHomeExpressions) said she had a wonderful time too! I'm hoping to muster the courage to attend next year!

    Jeanine

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  7. FUN! Oh my Goodness, this looks like such an awesome time.

    Will it be in Atlanta again next year?

    blessings,
    Shan
    www.The-How-to-Guru.com

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  8. How fun Pam! Wish I could have gone. Maybe next year. Thanx for sharing your pics with us.

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  9. It was a blast hanging with you. Can't wait for next year!

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  10. Hey Pam! Homes.com & ForRent.com enjoyed the opportunity to sponsor the event and had a fabulous time connecting with attendees such as yourself at the Haven Conference! Be sure to take a look at all the photos from the event on Facebook, tag yourself & share with family/friends! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151783562125943.1073741827.38844010942&type=3 Excited to chat with you soon! :)

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