When I was gearing up to attend BlogHer last summer, I had a series of expectations of that conference. Though, my expectations were far from met, I adjusted those expectations during the conference. And while I might not jump through hoops to attend another BlogHer conference, I did walk away from the conference with some lasting memories.

And then BlogHer surprised me. More specifically, months after the conference, I learned I won a giveaway from Johnson + Johnson. And then they surprised me again. Johnson + Johnson asked me to host a party.

The idea was two-fold. Invite a few girlfriends over. Ask them to donate money or goods to a local charity. And once they arrive, share some good eats, drinks and J+J products with them. Do good to yourself while you’re doing good to your community.

I liked J+J’s approach. So, I agreed to host said party.

This past Saturday, Indian Summer hit Chicago. The skies were blue. Temperatures were in the 70s. And a bunch of lovely ladies descended upon our home for an afternoon gathering. The charity I chose was Connections for Abused Women and their Children. I used to volunteer for their shelter and felt it would be relatively easy to collect donations for the cause. About half my friends brought actual donations. The other half generously donated money. I’ll let some of the photos tell the rest of the story:

Lotion display when friends signed in.
A special thank you for an additional donation from J&J.

Friends Caroline, Jes, Erika & Chandra

Bloggers Jessica, Cheryl & Kim

Friend Caroline & me (yes, I was there)

Did you do anything of note over your weekend?

Confession: I had a real post ready for today. But, then I decided not to publish it. Partly because I’ve written on the topic before. And partly because I’m not feeling as bitchy today as that post would lead you to believe. hahaha.

So, now I’m left with a blank canvas. And all I can think of are a few snippets. Again. Bear with me today and tomorrow I’ll deliver photos of our furniture!

• There is medical evidence linking our health to Vitamin D. Most people get sufficient Vitamin D through exposure to sunlight (a great source for the vitamin). During winter months, especially in the northern plain states where there is little sunlight, we become Vitamin D deficient, which leads us to getting sick more often. The solution? Take a daily Vitamin D supplement during the winter months to hopefully ward away the ickies. I started taking mine last week and think of it as swallowing a little ray of sunshine each day.
• I was recently asked to consider joining a Board of Directors for a national, non-profit organization. After picking my jaw up off the floor (me? on a Board of Directors???) and asking a litany of questions to the President, I said yes. The catch? My name is going to appear on a ballot in front of 60,000+ members. I must be voted onto the Board.
• Ironically, a few days after I said yes to the above-mentioned opportunity, I was asked to join another Board of Directors; this time for a local, non-profit organization. No election to this position, just an application process. I told non-profit #2 that I can’t commit to both Boards, but to please keep me in mind next year after we find out results from the non-profit #1 election. One way or another, I see participation on a Board of Directors in my 2010 future.
• A number of bloggers have added the Disqus comment application to their blogs. Can I just say, I HATE IT! I hate that it automatically signs you up to receive emails for all subsequent comments unless you remember to uncheck a box. I hate that it sends you a confirmation email to remind you that you forgot to uncheck the box you’re going to receive all subsequent comments. I hate that it wants you to become a member of their system even though you already have to give up certain information to leave a comment. I hate that it considers you a guest even after you give up information to post, allows you to click a button saying Post as Guest and then asks you whether you’re sure you only want to post as a guest. Too many steps for a simple comment! I get that the bloggers who use this system are trying to build communities. But, in all honesty, I think twice about commenting on blogs with this application because it’s such a royal pain in the ass. And if others are in the same boat as me, it means the bloggers who are trying to build a community are actually breaking theirs down in the process.
• When I sold my condo in June 2008, I had to set some of my profits aside in an escrow account. You see, my old building planned to do some work to the roof, which I knew about when putting my unit on the market. In order to assure a quick sale, I agreed ahead of time to pay for those repairs. The money in the escrow account was used to pay for those repairs. As security, the amount put in escrow was well above the expected amount I’d owe, just in case the costs were higher than the estimate. I followed up with my attorney this week regarding when I should expect to receive a check for the remaining funds. Turns out they cut a check to me last January (!!!!) and sent it to the wrong address. Thank goodness I followed up (although a wee bit late). They’re cutting a new check to me this week which more than covers our trip to Grand Cayman next March!

Looks like I could make a career out of bulleted posts. Since I ended this post with a bullet about money. Extra money. Extra spending money. Tell me, what would you spend your money on right now if you had something extra – above and beyond what it takes to pay the bills, debt, etc.

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