That week in June when things were just crazy

I’m not trying to be dramatic here, but last week may have been one of the craziest weeks of my life. It was not so much about being busy (though I was busy, but like, who isn't?). It was more about having a substantial series of "firsts." In great ways, in crappy ways, in weird, wonderful ways, last week kind of changed a lot about how I see the world. Within the span of five days, I went through three fantastically new experiences that I will certainly remember forever. Each of these events deserves their own blog posts, but for now I'd just like to get it all out there on paper, if you don't mind. Here's what went down last week:

1. I ran my first HALF MARATHON. Me. Christy. I ran it.

And Daniel wore a fierce fanny pack.

How did I do this, guys? Willpower, maybe? Absolutely not. I don’t have that. Ghosts? Did ghosts carry me across the finish line? That's a bit more plausible, but still unlikely.

The point is, I did it. I didn’t stop, I didn’t cry, and I didn’t barf. I just kept running, my man at my side, and I felt very accomplished as a result.

Even a week after finishing, I'm still trying to process what this means for my life. I have superhero friends who enter half marathons on the reg, but I don't know if that will be me. Still, there was something so powerful for me about sticking to a training regimen, and maybe that's my takeaway here -- I need to be more committed in general. Maybe?

2. I went to/spoke at Alt Summit

And I held a giant balloon. (Photo credit: Brooke Dennis)

Seriously, this one really deserves its own blog post, and seriously, it will get one. I just can't fit everything I want to say about this experience in a quick little blurb, but just know this -- I am overwhelmingly pro Alt Summit. For those who don't know, Alt is THE blogging event of the century, and it is, in a word, amazing. Everything is beautiful, sponsors deck out the bathrooms with free swag, and Martha Stewart tells you everything you need to know about life. It's like going to a swanky summer camp, only substitute canoeing with breakout sessions about Pinterest. 

Be on the lookout for a full-blown post all about Alt. I want to be able to really do it justice.

3. I wrote my first viral article, and it was terrifying

Via Salon

You might have read this article last week, or maybe you read an article referencing it, but this piece I wrote about Honey Boo Boo kind of turned my world upside down for a few days. The day it ran, it quickly became the site's top story, and several other major news sites started picking it up. Entertainment news programs began reaching out to me for interviews, and of course, my Twitter notifications were through the roof. It should have been thrilling seeing something I wrote get such traction, and in many ways it was, but it was also really anxiety-producing. 

The article was released last Thursday while I was at Alt Summit, so in between collecting business cards and jumping into photo booths with new friends, I was also trying to figure out just how quickly this article was spreading. The answer -- fast. Really frickin fast. At times, it seemed too fast.

I learned a lot from this experience, and just like my half marathon and the glory that is Alt Summit, I am still processing all of my feelings from this viral madness. I may have more words on this and the whole idea of being a freelance writer at a later time.

So there you have it -- a crazy week, y'all. Not tragic-crazy or busy-crazy, just crazy. Just new and exciting and weird and great and also hard at times. I'm looking forward to continuing to digest all of these events, and I promise I will come back to you with full clarity and wisdom. That, or I'll just distract you with a GIF of a cat eating pizza because I'm on the Internet and I can do that.

Via xuwriter

Have a happy weekend, guys!

My Alt Summit Assumptions

As I mentioned previously, I will be hosting a discussion at Alt Summit in Salt Lake City, and I am positively beside myself with anticipation! By the way, if you're unfamiliar with Alt, don't feel too bad about it. I mean, hey, I didn't even find out about that whole bear lying in a hammock story until just a few days ago, so you're not the only one who needs to catch up on what's what.

Truth be told, I'm not exactly an Alt expert. This will be my first time attending, and save for the fact that I have come to realize that it is THE blogging event of the century, I know very little else. During their last conference, I watched with unbridled envy as every fabulous lifestyle blogger on the Internet shared their glittery, glamorous pictures from the event. Everything looked so beautiful, so pristine, so inspiring, and I was filled with determination to make it to the next one. When the opportunity presented itself to speak about Blogging With Comedic Voice, I was like, girl yes please.

Via altitudesummit.com

In the weeks leading up to Alt, I was invited to a Facebook group along with every other upcoming Alt attendee, and it has been positively lighting up with discussions -- posts about what to wear, what to bring, who to connect with. I am constantly getting notifications from people, and it's been a fantastic resource for me.

I have especially loved the honesty of some of these folks. From experienced Alt fanatics to wide-eyed newbies, several have expressed that while they are super pumped, they are also kind of nervous. These are individuals who have built brands, crafted their own business models, endured childbirth, yet the idea of going into a room full of strangers to "network" still triggers a slight anxiety response in their brains. Good to hear because the same is true for me.

It makes me long for the days of kindergarten. Back then, when you would meet someone who shared your same favorite color, or who lived on the same block, or had your same proclivity for scab-picking -- boom, you were friends. Instantly. Maybe even friends for life.

But honestly, if you're a kindergartener who is this cool, do you really even need friends?

As adults, however, with all of our self-awareness and baggage, it's just not that simple. But what I already love about Alt is that it doesn't seem like a stuffy place for people to just force connections. From what I understand, Alt can be a lot like kindergarten if we let it be. I mean, it's honestly just a bunch of humans who are enthusiastic about similar things, and maybe we can just let that be enough. "Oh, you like crafting? I like crafting too!" "Oh, you have a lifestyle blog? Me too! Me too!" "Oh, you're super nervous? Phew, good, me too!"

It seems like the people who are attracted to an event like Alt are just genuine, kind, and ready to have a great time. I'm confident that they would still accept me and be perfectly lovely to me even if I showed up wearing a potato sack and handed out my baby pictures as business cards.

Still, I'd like to do this whole thing right. These are some things I've learned so far regarding how to make the most of my Alt experience. If you've been before, feel free to tell me if I've got it right.

1. It's important to come in with a goal in mind.

A lot of Alt regulars have encouraged the idea of starting the conference with a concept of what you want to get out of it. For me, my goals are simple: I want to facilitate healthy dialogue about connecting with readers through humor, and I want to leave with new insight and editorial inspiration. Oh, and obviously, I want to win. There's a winner at Alt, right?

2. Business cards are, like, kind of a big deal.

I've seen the word "tradition"used a lot to describe the business card exchange at Alt. Apparently some people show up with cards that aren't even cards at all, but rather paper cranes or cookies or toys with their name on it. In the spirit of this tradition, I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some way to make my business cards more clever, but fortunately there have been plenty of regulars who assure me that as long as my name is written down on some scrap of paper, I should be fine. Will a gum wrapper suffice, though? We'll see.

3. Dressing up is fun and encouraged, but it's not live-or-die.

Look. Ever since The Spice Girls introduced me to platform shoes and The Golden Girls introduced me to high-waisted pants, I have felt fairly confident in my ability to make bold fashion statements. Still, my level of concern with style never borders on the obsessive. I usually just throw a belt on an a-line dress and call it a day. From what I understand, though, Alt is full of the world's most stylish gals, and chances are they are the kind of homespun geniuses who make their own clothes. In imagining this fashion frenzy, I started to get a bit overwhelmed, but then I read this post from Hilary from Dean Street Society. She's a stylist, and even she admitted that dressing to the nines didn't need to be the main focus of Alt. Phew. Sounds good to me.

4. There's going to be swag.

This Alt checklist from Capella Kinchelo explicitly states: Leave room in suitcase for swag. I am unabashedly excited for this aspect of the conference.

5. There's going to be food.

The first night of the event, Alt attendees are invited to sign up for dinners hosted by sponsors of the event. I'll be at a dinner put on by the good people at Silhouette which is being held at THE MELTING POT! I'm so jazzed to dip assorted items into melted cheeses while asking my hosts every question under the sun.

6. It's all going to be fine.

Even though this will be my first time attending this conference, I am certain that this point is 100% true, and that's because it's true of most things in life. I may be bugging out now wondering how to structure my discussion or which day I should wear my new pineapple crop top, but in the end, everything will be just fine. Probably better than fine, honestly. Like pretty fantastic, probably.

So those are my assumptions about this thing called Alt, but again, I'm no expert. Have you been before? If so, give me the skinny! 

Will you be there in a couple of weeks? Ooo, me too! I hope to snag your business card, see your pretty face, and of course, chat with you at my roundtable!

The "Why" of Comedy

A few weeks ago, you may have seen the following image floating around the Internet. These are the notes of a seven-year-old girl planning her first comedy show:

Image via http://www.pophangover.com/

As someone who writes material for standup routines on the reg, I think it is safe to say that this girl has got it all figured out. At seven-years-old, she is not only determined to make a room full of people laugh, but she is also making incredible observations about the conventions of humor. She has discovered some pretty genius comedic formulas here (tiny food + giant silverware = laughter), and I can totally picture her crowd work: "So where are you from? Michigan? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!...Oh, you're serious."

I love this especially because it gets at the "why" of comedy. So often we laugh at something without really assessing what it was that made it funny. We just know that a person said something, and it made us get that happy feeling inside, so we laughed. This seven-year-old, on the other hand, hears a comedian make a silly too-high or too-low voice, and she realizes that that's the trick. Genius, right?

I've been thinking about this awesome girl's comedy tips as I've been prepping to speak at Alt SLC Summer. In just a few weeks, I will be hosting a roundtable about Blogging with Comedic Voice, and in that conversation I will be digging into the "why" of comedy that this little girl understands so naturally. With sites like Buzzfeed or Thought Catalog or whatever else dominating our feeds with funny, sharable content, the pressure to provide a humorous spin on things is huge for writers. I look forward to the opportunity to address that fearful part of every blogger's brain that says, "Am I being funny enough? Witty enough? Smart enough?" while also giving some practical tips on how to naturally infuse humor into writing. Whether it's standup or blogging, I believe the key to comedy is to simply hone in on the expressions of yourself that are instinctual -- or in more blunt terms, stop trying so hard, which is easier said than done. Seriously, just ask this girl:




Whether you'll be joining me for this conversation at Alt or not, I would love your input about how to make this topic more accessible for everyone. I've created a survey about Comedy & Blogging that I would just love for you to fill out. Seriously, it would make my day. If it weren't such an absolutely hilarious thing to do, I might even consider baking you a bunch of muffins to show my gratitude.

And by the way, if you won't be at the conference, no worries, I will be sure to do a blog post with all of my collected data and attempted wisdom. You'll be all set.

The survey is listed below (if you're not seeing it for whatever reason, you can also get to it here). If you have any other thoughts on the idea of being funny, feel free to leave a comment!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

20 Things I'm Thankful For AFTER Thanksgiving

How good was that turkey, guys? I mean, seriously. I feel like I've been in a tryptophan-induced hibernation since last Thursday, and I have to say, I am a little disoriented coming out of it.

Thanksgiving was honestly almost too lovely. The food, the friends, the wine, the even more wine -- it was so good that, by comparison, it made today look like a big ol' bucket full of snakes. Why a bucket full of snakes? I don't know. It's basically the worst thing I could come up with, and somehow I feel like it just fits. Don't over-think it.

I mean, would you want to carry that bucket around? No? Me neither, but that's what my day felt like.

Did anyone else experience this? Did anyone wake up this morning feeling like...oh crap...I have to actually work now, and I don't want to, and everything is terrible because there is no more pie?

If you didn't wake up feeling like that this morning, you're one of the good ones. You're probably the person who remembers to be thankful on days that aren't Thanksgiving. I admire you, and I would really like to go grab coffee with you soon if you're up for it.

For me, gratitude does not come naturally. I learned this recently during a chat hosted by Altitude Design Summit on Twitter. Each week, they put out a series of questions and a bunch of us eager blogger types answer them and favorite all of each others' posts. It's wonderful. It's called Alt Chat. You should join us.

Last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, they asked...

It's time for #altchat! Q1: IS GRATITUDE SECOND NATURE FOR YOU OR HAVE YOU WORKED TO DEVELOP IT?… http://t.co/ppNILHJCI5

— Alt Design Summit (@altsummit) November 27, 2013

I realized in that moment that not only is gratitude NOT second nature for me, but I am not sure I am even working to develop it. I tend to be an anxious Chicken Little-type, constantly screaming, "The sky is falling!" or "Life is like a bucket of snakes!" That's how I roll, and it definitely creeps in on my thankfulness game.

I mean, let's be real...it's easy to be thankful when you have all of this right at your fingertips:

The gorgeous Thanksgiving Day spread put together by my friends Lauren, Kaley, Monike, Spencer, and Janine. I honestly didn't lift a finger.

But on days that are less pie-filled and more just regular stuff-filled, I've got to be honest, I really suck at being thankful.

And thankfulness is really important, guys. Throughout AltChat, the women I spoke with cited gratitude as one of the most important things you could ever pass on to your children. After all, a thankful child becomes a humble, caring adult. Envision a world where people didn't think their own needs were most important, where people rejoiced over the very small things they had and helped anyone who had less. Imagine if that were the norm. It would be pretty great.

So now, on the rude awakening that is the Monday after Thanksgiving, I'd like to work on my gratitude by sharing some things for which I am thankful. Some are big, some are small. All of them mean something to my life, even on days that aren't Thanksgiving.

1. Netflix...because remember Blockbuster?
2. The people who read this blog...because seriously, you could be doing literally anything else. Like, seriously. Why are you even here? You're amazing.
3. Google chats with my sister...because every time I see that she's available to chat, I do a little happy dance that she doesn't know about.
4. Pinterest...because DIY Christmas gifts are happening this year, and they are going to be amazing. 
5. My hubs...because he's the kind of person who gets excited that his birthday falls on Thanksgiving. 
6. My cat, Frasier...because when he snuggles, I know he means it...because he almost never snuggles.
7. My church, OSNY...because it's a community based in the things that actually matter.
8. Diet Dr. Pepper...because it hasn't failed me yet.
9. This Vine of this baby...because it also hasn't failed me yet.
10. My Brooklyn neighborhood, Ditmas Park...because she's a treasure. 
11. My parents...because of everything. Seriously everything.
12. So many wonderful people living in Texas (and sprinkled elsewhere throughout the US)...because you guys are my heart.
13. So many wonderful people living in NYC...because you guys are my life-preserver.
14. Boots...because they make me feel like a badass when I'm walking to the subway.
15. My in-laws...because they taught me the phrase "Cool it, Quentin" and I love them dearly for that and so much more.
16. Good advice...because I need a lot of it.
17. Grace and forgiveness...because I need a WHOLE LOT of it.
18. My sisters...because they gave me deodorant at an early age when I didn't even know I needed it.
19. SMAC...because they make the best macaroni and cheese the world has ever known.
20. Writing/blogging...because it's my favorite.

This week, even though life may feel like a big, fat bucket-o-snakes, let's make a pact to practice the thankfulness that comes so easily when our faces are being stuffed with turkey. Let's keep this thankfulness train going forever until the world is a way better place.

Start now. In the comments, share your post-Thanksgiving gratitude list!