Picture your favorite female bloggers.  1,000 of them.  All under one roof in the heart of the the amazing city that San Francisco is.   How cool is that?  Oh, I can just imagine the stories that came out of there.

Last time conference I attended was 90% male.  In Vegas.  The testosterone was oozing from the colossal arena, with huge egos to match. 

So, the thought of an all-girl conference was very intriguing to me.

Not in a million years did I think I would be home in the San Francisco Bay in late July, but since I was, I did not want to miss this for anything in the world, but I did.  After having neglected my blog for 6 months, Karmic justice came to visit me, and there was not a single ticket in sight.  Other blog buddies found a ticket even the day of the conference, but I could not. 

Trust me.  I tried.  For a full week and a half, I tried.

Though I did stop by the day of the welcome party to go out for coffee with Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy, and Jessica from ItalyLogue.  Not only are they smart, but they are so very funny, outgoing and down to earth.  I enjoyed meeting them, and I now have more respect for them than I already did.

So I took the subway (BART -Bay Area Rapid Transit) and got off at the Powell station, where we are greeted by this sight:

Since I arrived a little early to Westin St. Francis, I did get to see a steady stream of bloggers walk past me, and my eyes went straight to their shoes.  How could I help it!  Each blogger kept posting “What shoes am I going to wear to BlogHer?!” 

Though I must admit I also noticed a lot of excitement, nervous smiles, and hugs.  Definitely not your regular conference.

Okay.  I met lovely Jessica, Sara, and Sara’s childhood friend.  As the 4 of us girls were walking down the wide downtown sidewalk, I kept wondering whether there was a conference pass waiting on my Email box. 

Next thing I know,  I turn left and see a guy leaning out his car window saying “Ciao Bella” followed by who knows what else to Sara. In Italian.  In S.a.n.  F.r.a.n.c.i.s.c.o.  Sara, quickly gave a cute “are you kidding me?” in Italian, hand gesutres and all. I could not believe what I was seeing!  Much too funny.

Yes, I visit little Italy in SF, that’s where I get my Italian visa, but I didn’t have any Italian thrown at me my entire year back! One minute with these ladies, and *boom* Italian.

Well, for the BlogHer scoop, and a BlogHer giveaway, visit Sara’s blog “Ms. Adventures in Italy“   You can also catch-up with Jessica at ItalyLogue.  Though I’m sure most of my guests here already known them well…

This blog is now close to achieving its final look and has:

• 65 posts
• 1508 comments

Today, as I imported the posts, I had the opportunity to read what I wrote over the past year.  Posts I had forgotten about!

Well, I cannot thank him enough.  I admire his worldly mentality, strength, and sense of humor.

Attitudes are contagious.  Good ones and bad ones.

Likewise I just love this guy’s contagious attitude as he takes his happy and goofy nature through 42 countries, which encourages others to join in his fun. 

Watch Matt’s video! I get the feeling you will see it a lot on the web. 

P.S. Since I just imported the posts from my old blog, I moved up 10 random posts for those who are new here.

By spending 2 weeks with someone, you learn about a person what you would not have learned in ten years!

Date: Nov 26, 07

As I walked down the heart of San Francisco, and saw star-struck tourists snapping pictures left and right, I smiled and remembered one thing: they have probably seen more of the bay than I have because they know they wont be here to see it tomorrow, so they go see it today.

When I lived in Siena, I lived only a block from the Piazza del Campo. Tourists flocked the main square and would scale the tower. Yet, since I lived just a block away, and I could enjoy the breathtaking sight any time, I took the privilege for granted, and I never did get around to it.

Likewise, in life, we sometimes live life in tourist mode and soak up what ever we can because we know we might not have a chance tomorrow.

Other people are so sure they'll have tomorrow, and the next, that they never get around to following their dreams. For them, tomorrow never comes.

We all have a yearning within our hearts. A dream, maybe. A goal. It can be something small. Domani! Tomorrow!… it waits.

Tomorrow. Like the horizon. You keep walking towards it, but it never comes.

I prefer to live life like a visitor. Soak up what ever I can. Experience as much as I can. No more waiting because all I have is today, and I'm done with waiting for that elusive tomorrow…

Day before Kennedy's Assasination:

Day before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima:

Day before 9-11: