I’ve been meaning to sit down and write about my time at Mighty Summit three weeks ago. I’m finding it hard to know where to begin. I was beyond flattered to have been invite to this event, and confess to having some pre-summit jitters that were about 10 times as nerve-wracking as my usual pre-conference anxiety. The Mighty Summit is an annual conference for leaders in media, so the list of attendees was an impressive roster of women who have edited magazines, written tv shows, designed homes, authored books, and helped influence some of the biggest sites on the web. It was a little intimidating for a blogger who spends a bulk of her time writing irrelevant stories about spilling water or sneaking alcohol into Medieval Times. But this group of women were truly so amazing that within minutes of arriving, I felt welcomed and supported. 
Upon arriving, we each received a bag full of incredible gifts. I was pretty thrilled with the epiphanie camera bag that held our goodies. My friend Maile designed these genius bags to give photographers a fashionable option beyond the typical hideous camera bag. I’ve been coveting one for years, and now I have a pink one of my very own. You can read all about the Mighty Summit swag at Laura’s blog, and you can even enter to win a tote full of swag yourself. (Maggie and Helen Jane are doing giveaways as well.) My favorite items were the Tieks fold-up ballet flats, the Bamboo Dahlia Necklace By Feisty Elle and The Happiness Project book by fellow attendee Gretchen Rubin. 
The goal of the weekend was really simple: to make connections with each other, and to help each other reach the goals on our life lists. Okay . . . that’s not entirely true. Having fun was also a pretty major goal. The weekend was very unstructured, which was great because it left so much time for getting to know each other. In many ways it felt like a big slumber party. A big slumber party full of rather powerful women. The setting didn’t hurt . . . we stayed in the adorable Boon Hotel, which felt like a modern hipster summer camp. 
We were in wine country, so naturally there was some vineyard touring involved. And some wine. A LOT OF WINE. Arista Winery may be my new favorite. 
On our first evening there, we had a campfire with s’mores. I don’t remember what we talked about. I do remember that I laughed until my cheeks hurt. 
Our second day was devoted to sharing a few of the things on our life list with each other. This was a little intimidating for me because I am a weirdo about announcing my goals until I am 99% sure that I will achieve them. I was tempted to share some of the things I know I can easily achieve in the next year . . . things that are pretty nearly in the bag. But I decided to go big, and shared some things that I have dreamed about doing that feel a little ambitious. I’m so glad I took that risk, because immediately I had new friends giving me advice and offering assistance. 
On the last night, we all dressed up a bit fancy and had our last supper together at Applewood Inn. This place . . . wow. The food was incredible. The company was even better. 
At the end of the night, we were gifted with a beautiful gold necklace by Lemonade Handmade, with five rings representing the five goals we had stated for ourselves. In all, it was a really incredible weekend, and I am so thankful for the women I met, and to Maggie and Laura for including me in the lovefest. 
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