#BlogPaws or Bust!

In case you didn't know this, Teri is a big procrastinator! In fact, she has left it til the next to the last day to enter the "#BlogPaws or Bust" contest!

By entering, she (and one of us cats) have the chance to win one of three Purrific prizes and the Grand Prize of an all expense paid trip to the 2016 BlogPaws Conference, being held near Phoenix Arizona at the fabulous Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort.

Teri (and at least one of us cats) have been going to the Furtabulous BlogPaws Pet Blogging and Social Media Conferences every single year since the very first one in 2010!

When Teri gets excited about something, you can hardly shut her up. We know that's not reflected in the recent lack of blogging activity on our part, we truly are excited about blogging and the friends we have made along the way! And the BlogPaws Conferences are a huge part of that family of friends we now have!

BlogPaws Conference Memories

Teri started blogging way back in 2008, not long after our CatDad crossed the bridge. She did it to keep in touch with her family, but because she was writing about us (because we are family, too), along the way she started making online friends with other pet bloggers and that made her happy and sometimes she forgot to be sad ...

When she read about the first BlogPaws conference to be held in Columbus OH and looked on the map and saw it was close enough to drive to in a day, she put out a question to our blogging friends to see if anyone else might be thinking of going.

Who's Going to BlogPaws?

Well, she heard back from a cat lady from Washington DC that she was thinking about it and maybe they could share the ride and expenses. And here it is, 6 years later and they are the best of friends now and do a lot of pet related fun stuff together!

See, the BlogPaws conferences brought them together, because of their love for animals and their desire to help homeless pets and to be somehow a part of 'Being the Change' for animals. And that's just the 'making life-long friends' part of a BlogPaws conference. Life-long friends who are true animal advocates, who want to make a difference in the world! And each of them do!

There's the learning part of it, too. Not counting the 24/7/365 online BlogPaws Community and the educational tools, videos, expert advice that one can get from that for free, all year round (unlike some other pet blogging conferences and communities--you know the one we're talking about), the BlogPaws conference brings to it experts who are there to help teach you how to be the best blogger you can be!

Teri tells us cats that Team BlogPaws is a small group of passionate pet people who do amazing things and their site, their reach and their influence is growing every day. They all are truly an inspiration to her, and that they put on such a fantastic conference keeps us coming back every year!

Last year, when she was a BlogPaws Conference Ambassador, she learned firsthand how hard each and every team member works to put on a great conference and benefit homeless pets in the cities they hold the conference in!

And every year they add something new--like the one-on-one sessions and the Pawject Runway fund raiser and joining up with The Cat Writers Association, who holds their conference and awards banquet at this years BlogPaws Conference!

Then there's the venues that BlogPaws holds their annual conferences at! OMC! Talk about Pet Friendly! Us pet family can go almost anywhere the humans can! Besides the comfy rooms, there's the sessions we can listen in on, and the socializing we can do over lavish breakfast, lunches and dinners!

Teri plans her year around BlogPaws conferences, and feels that they are both a mini-vacation, a revitalizing retreat and an educational experience not to be missed! This year, the conference is being held at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa, and Teri is arriving early and staying after the conference is over, just to take advantage of all the resort has to offer - the grounds, the Phoenix Courtyard, the views of the mountains, cactus and maybe even a trail ride on one of the horses!

What would it mean to Teri to win this contest?

It would mean she could attend the conference this year and not have to worry about the green papers part of going. Money is tight since our CatDad passed away, and then there is us cats she has to care for, and the car needs new tires, and the recent snowstorms caused Teri to miss many days of work, unpaid days. So entering this contest has her crossing her 4 paws, too...just like us!

And if in writing this blog post has any of you thinking 'I should go this year' ...

Yes, YOU SHOULD! And we hope to see you there! And if missed that very first BlogPaws Conference in 2010, here's our video slideshow of what the experience was like for us!

#BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday - Pet Safety Blog Hop!

Traveling safely can be stylish... Brighton & Disco look like they are ready to go to Key West, don't ya think?!

And as you can see, we are a SleepyPod family! Coco has her signature Pink Pod, safely seat belted in when we are in the car (although, in truth, she should be in the back seat, as the air bag could injure her if it went off!

Even Kely gets strapped in when she's in the car with me...although this carrier isn't crash tested like the SleepyPod is, I know she is safer confined than loose in the car!

Those who know Teri well, know she has a 'Carrier Fetish'...and we kitties get to travel in style, with Disco looking a bit like Indiana Jones in this rugged carrier!

We also are microchipped and wear collars with our name tags on them, too, making ID easy if we ever escape! You see, not everyone is familiar with microchips, and having that secondary backup of a collar and tag makes it easy for someone who finds us to contact Teri, without having to take us to the vet to be scanned for a chip! 

Also, another nice safety perk of having a HomeAgain microchip is that Teri gets free calls to the ASPCA Poison Control Center because of our annual subscription...That saves her $65 anytime she calls!

How to you help keep your pets safe? Why not join in the #BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop and find out how other pet parents keep their furry kids safe!

Sunday Remembering--Our #BlogPaws 2011 Conference Slideshow 'n More!

If you are reading this...you know we are blogging cats, HahaMeow!

You may have even met us in person at one of the BlogPaws conferences Teri has chauffeured us to!

We are traveling cats, and enjoy visiting new places, staying in nice hotels, meeting up with friends, and fine dining! We think BlogPaws Conferences are all that, and more!

 We have been to 5 of the 6 annual conferences, each one in a different city (oh, except for the two in Tysons, VA cuz the first one was right in the middle of a hurricane!).

 

The first BlogPaws conference was in Columbus OH and as Coco, the Couture Cat wasn't a Diva Jet Setter then, Teri just took Brighton And Disco. Here's links to the blog posts we did about that purringly purrfect experience! 

Blog Paws...Here we come!

We made it to Blog Paws! Saturday Morning Edition...

BlogPaws RePurrt, Late Edition!

More BlogPaws Mews!

More BlogPaws Stuff!

And if you want to read what other bloggers blogged about after they attended BlogPaws 2011, here's the BlogPaws Linky List for all that!

http://blogpaws.com/bloggers-resource/borrow-share-notes-from-blogpaws-2011/

Here's a video that Dogtipper.com put together of their experience at BlogPaws 2011:

And Teri gathered all the photos she could find that she took at the 2011 conference, which took place in our 'backyard', Tyson's Corner, VA and she made this SmileBox slideshow for your viewing enjoyment, in the hopes that it will encourage you to come to the 2015 conference in Nashville TN!

Carol Bryant, the BlogPaws Marketing and PR Manager (as well as the founder of Wigglebutt Warriors) just wrote an article titled " Secrets About BlogPaws and Pet Blogging" and it's worth stopping right now and hitting the link and reading!

Secrets About BlogPaws...

Team BlogPaws is a small group of passionate pet people that does amazing things, and their site, their reach and their influence is growing every day. They all are truly an inspiration to me, and that they put on such a fantastic conference and keep it affordable is part of what keeps me coming back every year!

And this years conference, with the addition of The Cat Writer's Association Writing Track, has Teri and us kitties even more excited! We know many more kitties are coming to the conference than ever before and we know Teri will come away knowing more about blogging, writing and even about cat behavior and needs...just from attending the 2015 BlogPaws Conference!

It's obvious that Team BlogPaws has listened to us cats, and the Cat Lounge gets better every year, as well as having more CatCentric items in the swag bags, and now with the addition of the CWA,  has Teri and Coco purring in anticipation of the conference in Nashville.

Teri made this little video of us getting settled into our room at that 2011 conference (and she says she apologizes about her comments on the swag that year...she is sure she won't say that this year!).

So, readers of our blog, if you have never attended a BlogPaws conference or are still on the fence about registering for this years conference, Teri wants you to know that because this year she is one of four 2015 BlogPaws Conference Ambassadors, she has a unique code that if you use when you register, will get you 10% off the cost! It's BP15-Amb-Teri-10.

She also wants you to know you will come away:

1) Smarter (two dozen educational sessions to choose from as well as something new--10 minute one-on-one sessions with the blogging experts of the BlogPaws Team). Here's the link to the preliminary program:

BlogPaws 2015 Conference Program

2) Happier (get your Pet Petting fix here and meet your pet friends humans, too!)

https://youtu.be/jReiO7vTml8

3) Energized (come away with useable ideas on how to grow your blog or non-profit organization, and how to help pets in need everywhere as well as meeting pet product sponsors of brands you know and new ones!).

https://youtu.be/SY1hO_HQ62E

4) Reelin' from the Feelin' with lots of great memories, photos and videos of your time together with friends and of course, the Red Carpet Gala gives you and your pet a reason to get gussied up and cheer on the nominees for the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogger and Social Media Awards!

Here's the link to tell you more about these prestigious awards:

http://blogpaws.com/events/2015-conference/2015-nose-nose-awards/

And here's the link to register...You know you want to!  Don't forget the code, BP15-Amb-Teri-10

http://blogpaws.com/events/2015-conference/register/

Man Cat Monday, #BlogPaws Style

Way back in 2010, not too long after we started our blog, Teri heard about a Pet Blogging Conference being held in Ohio, about 9 hours away from us. It was called #BlogPaws...and if you've known us very long, you know, as they say, The Rest is History!

Well, five years and 5 BlogPaws Conferences later, that new friend is still our friend and has traveled with us to a few more BlogPaws, too! So there is one reason to consider, if you haven't before, to attend your first BlogPaws Conference and see what it's all about!

To Teri and us, it's a chance to meet and hug and take photos with some of our online besties. We cats don't come away smarter but Teri says she always does. What we learn is that being there makes Teri smile and we like that!

Just look, every single photo of her at BlogPaws is one with a big grin, so we know being there makes her happy! And we know that us being there makes people happy too, if all the pawpawrazzi trailing after us is any indication!

Every year, the conference just gets better and better! Every year now, it's part of Teri's vacation/PTO time off and every year, Teri returns energized and grateful and smiling for the experience! 

Whether you blog for fun, write as a career, promote animal welfare concerns or want to improve your social media savvy, then attending a BlogPaws Conference is for you!

If you would like to see what our very first BlogPaws Conference experience was like, just watch this slideshow... and then register using Teri's 10% Discount Code BP15-Amb-Teri-10. We hope to see you there!

Oh, and don't forget the 24/7/365 experience of being part of the BlogPaws Community, Join now and take advantage of the BlogPaws Team's experience and learn from the best, and just enjoy being part of the best Pet-Centric gathering ever!

And it's time to do the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Hop again! It's a great way to meet new friends and grow your following, too!

Simply Sunday Evening #BlogPaws Style

On the #BlogPaws Facebook page last week, there was a shout out for photos of anyone who had attended any of the 5 BlogPaws Pet Blogger/Social Media Conferences, so I went looking through my five BlogPaws Conference folders looking for photos from that first conference I went to in Columbus OH in 2010.

It brought back lots of great memories and gave me some smiles when I thought about how I made the decision to attend, and I'd like to share that story here and some photos, hoping that it will make you smile and give thought to coming to the 2015 BlogPaws Conference!

I hadn't been blogging very long at that time and I posted a query on my blog asking if anyone in the DC area was going. Here's a link to that post, and if you read the comments, you'll see someone said 'I'll go'!

http://furrydancecats.blogspot.com/2010/02/whos-going-to-blogpaws.html

And here's an excerpt from a post I did on my 'human' blog, talking about what I expected from going to my first BlogPaws Conference:

In a couple of weeks, I will be heading off to BlogPaws--a pet bloggers convention, with a blogger from DC who I 'follow' and it will be something fun, still cat oriented, but not like cat shows in the level of stress and unfriendly exhibitors! Carol, of Meir Cats, Chats and Fiber, is a fellow cat lover, and so much more! We have chatted and met and I am sure we won't run out of things to talk about on our  8 hour drive up to Columbus! In fact, we may have to feign napping just to hear quiet!

We both love good beer and German food, both are nearby the hotel in Columbus, so once we get settled into the hotel, we may be able to walk where ever we wish to go. The hotel has quite a history itself, and I'm looking forward to staying there. 

We are both taking cats with us, of course we are! We are getting adjoining rooms to make socializing easy and we are hoping to come away with lots of info and new friendships. When I retire, I would like to blog more, on a more health and behavior oriented cat blog and some of what I can learn at this conference would be helpful in learning how to 'market' myself and about blogging do's and don'ts, but mostly I am just looking forward to being around like-minded people and learning from the experience, stepping into something new with a feel of familiarity...

So, if that sounds like fun to you, and you want to start off the new year pursuing a goal of personal and professional growth, register now for the best and biggest national educational conference for pet blogger, May 28-30 in Nashville:

http://blogpaws.com/events/2015-conference/ 

and don't forget to use my special 10% discount code when you do! BP15-Amb-Teri-10

And to keep up with the latest posts about the upcoming #BlogPaws 2015 Conference, just take a look at the linked posts below!