How Glowless got her Glow back

Thanks to 4 hours sleep in the previous two days, when I got to Sydney I was tired, but ready to party.
Glow-O-Meter: 1/10 Acheieved with makeup and caffeine

The pre-conference shenanigans blew me away. I was lucky enough to attend the GlaxoSmithKline drinks at the Arthouse Hotel where I got to meet the wonderful Krisitn of Wanderlust and hear her talk about her amazing journey. That crew really knows how to put on a party; not only were there cocktails and canapés but there were two masseuses and a reflexologist pampering us from head to toe and it got the Glow-o-Meter to finally register something for the first time since Tricky was born. It would have flickered up a little higher if the Ribena jelly we got to try was actually Ribena jelly vodka shots… but we can’t have everything, can we?
Glow-O-Meter: 7/10 Thanks to champagne and reflexology

Then it was off to the Nuffnang drinks at the SOHO bar. There was a giant bed… I (and some others- I can’t remember who but I think it was SawHole?) jumped on it and smiled for the cameras like one of the Price is Right models. Yes it sounds like I was drunk but I actually wasn’t! I was definitely tipsy though, enough to get cranky at the taxi driver who asked Liz from Mumstrosity and I where the hotel was when he had a GPS (I'm a tourist, how should I know?!)
Glow-O-Meter: 7/10 Thanks to cocktails and the help of Glow Stick Bracelet

The next morning, it was time to get our conference groove on. My lanyard had my real name on it – Brenda had checked beforehand if it was OK and I said of course it was… but then when I got there it felt weird. It was completely foreign and I had a small panic attack but somehow resisted the urge to cross out my name. In my head I had to keep reminding myself that everyone else was just as nervous as I was. It would be fine as long as I didn’t throw up on anyone.
Glow-O-Meter: 2/10 Thanks to butterflies and time zones

I got to meet my Bloggy Idols - the ones I have followed from the beginning. And just like when you meet one of your school teachers, I found it hard to call them by their first names… so I referred to them, in true pre-schooler style as Miss Tina and Miss Brenda. I’m pretty sure they both rolled their eyes at me. Of course everyone called Mrs Woog ‘Mrs Woog’ so I had to show her I thought she was awesome in another way. Because nothing says ‘I love you’ like tweeting funny photos, I broadcast a pic of Mrs Woog's breasts being motorboated by 4 month old Bear (gorgeous bub of the beautiful Louisa from Everything is Edible).
Glow-O-Meter: 8/10 Thanks to major groping of Bloggy Idols

The panels were great and the Twitter conversations going on at the same time had me in stitches. I packed tissues in my bag, expecting to turn in to a ball of snot during My Blog, My Story but managed to somehow keep it together enough so that I only required mild movie-like dabbing of the eyes. Hearing the amazing stories from these people, listening to their voices and not just reading it, was intense. Their strength inspires me. It was hard not to storm the stage to embrace them (and if you read my 50 things list you'd know I’m not a huggy person), so instead I waited to the end when I could jump to my feet and applaud like a lunatic.
Glow-O-Meter: 8/10 Thanks to the massive Bloggy love-in

A quick costume change and it was time for dinner and dancing. I was at the Naughty Table. There is one at every dinner. The Naughty Table is full of the people who just click with each other and as a result spend almost the entire time squealing with laughter and taking inappropriate photos. It was awesome. My Naughty Table peeps were Bronnie from Maid In Australia, Emma from Mind Your Mum, Sarah from Just Me, Lori from Random Rambling of a SAHM, Holly from Good Golly Miss Holly, Fi from Calm Blue Ocean, SawHole from Woogsworld and the two Davids from Nuffnang.
I danced so much my feet are still sore – Holly even taught me how to Nutbush!
Glow-O-Meter: Off the f@#king scale thanks to EVERYONE!

Before the champagne:

 After the champagne:

My only complaint would be that it was over so quickly. Well that and I had to buy an extra bag to take home my swag bag goodies... Oh wait, that’s not a complaint.

So there you have it. I have my Glow back thanks to the amazing Bloggers at the inaugural Aussie Bloggers Conference. I'll still be 'Glowless' though; even the people who learned my name this weekend promptly forgot it and called me Glowless the entire time - proof being that a fellow blogger who shall remain nameless thought "Who the hell is this chick?" when I friend requested her on Facebook today. She looked at the photos and thought "She's friends with Glowless so I'll add her". Love it.

Did you have a good weekend? Have you been at a Naughty Table?

*I don’t have a camera, these images were stolen from Fi, Holly and Sarah. If you've got a photo of me can you send it to Glowless@wheresmyglow.com pretty please?

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Glowless rocked the Aussie Bloggers Conference thanks to

HealthyChart and Baby Goes Retro and Simply Colors