Dear BlogHer Attendees,

Have you been applying your wrinkle cream? Are your teeth white enough? What color polish did you choose while you had that mani-pedi? Or are you waiting until the day before to make sure it’s as fresh as possible? Have you been shopping and packing, packing and shopping? Did you get your hair freshly coiffed on just the right day so that it doesn’t look like you just had it done while it also looks totally fresh and healthy?

No, I haven’t been watching you. But I have been applying my wrinkle cream and looking more closely at my teeth. I’ve been thinking of when to fit in a pedicure and wondering how many people will notice that I bite my nails. I didn’t go BlogHer shopping, but I’ve been standing in front of my closet wondering what fits and what doesn’t and then holding things up with other things, asking myself which pants would go best with the one shirt I know I’m comfortable in.

Yup. It’s true. I’m not a very girly girl and I don’t get all that worked up about my appearance and yet, I’m experiencing BSS. BlogHer Superficial Syndrome. And no matter how many posts for newbies there are that tell you that it doesn’t matter what you wear and that no one cares what you look like, I’m pretty sure none of us can completely let it go.  We’re still going to care, at least a little bit, or we wouldn’t be human. Even the most self-assured, confident and drop dead gorgeous tweeting, pinning, blog posting and blog reading fool, cannot help but take a good hard look in the mirror before such an event. (By “such an event” I’m referring to thousands of bloggers and other social media enthusiasts descending on the heart of New York City to congregate in one building while trying to recognize each other by TM–Twitter Memory. (Rapidly scanning 3-D faces through the compressed folder in our brains labeled “Avatars”.)

When people say don’t worry about it, their intentions are good and in the end, it’s true. We don’t really have to worry about it. There are events like the People’s Party, an all-inclusive welcoming party to kick off the conference, and the Come As You Are Party, reminding us to show up and get real–in whatever yoga pants or t-shirts that remind us we’re all the same. And please don’t forget the Serenity Suite because it is my baby (and Ellie and Maggie’s baby). Let us review:

• Is open to everyone, especially serving those that need a reprieve from spaces where alcohol is served (I raise my hand as a sister in sobriety)
• Is a quiet reprieve, a low-key vibe kind of suite with low lighting and soft music, a chance for a deep breath.
• A place to take off the shoes you might accidentally wear to try to be cute but are currently ripping the skin off your heels and blistering your big toes. Yeah, those shoes.
• A place to sit and have real conversations that help you to learn simply because you’re sitting with other creative Internet loving souls.
• This year we’re honoring Susan Neibur of whymommy, who we lost too soon, and anyone else you want to remember with words by writing a little note on a card in their honor.
• And also. COFFEEEEEEE.

Sounds good, huh?

During the conference, remember to check the hashtag #serenitysuite for updates, to see who is hosting and more. Come in and kick off your adorably painful shoes. I’ll be the one with dark circles under my eyes. For the life of me, I cannot get any magical creams to make them disappear. I’ll be trying not to care. blink blink.

We can’t wait to see you! ROOM 4246

Heather, Maggie and Ellie.