((this is only the beginning)) my EXHIBITOR2013 experience

to be able to cross off a bucket list item at 23… there are no words, just smiles. i am blessed. it’s incredible the sense of accomplishment that overcomes you as you finish a project that you’ve been pouring over for about 8 months. on march 17th, i didn’t need the luck ‘o the Irish, i knew i was ready to rock my first official debut as a presenter at EXHIBITOR2013. but if we’re looking to really tell a story, we can rewind to last March… take a seat friends, lemme tell you a tale of a social media diva who took her first step in pursuing her dreams…

march 2012

while attending EXHIBITOR2012 i participated in a social media round table. i was sharing my thoughts and experiences with the group, as well as my passion for this topic. afterwards the moderator approached me and asked me if i’d attended any social media classes during the conference and if i had any feedback; i had attended some and while i enjoyed them i felt there was a need for an advanced level social media class. he responded by asking if i would like to host such a session. (insert gasp and holy freaking moly did he just say that?!) he asked me to prepare a session plan to present to the board and get back to him and we’d go from there.i started feverishly working away as soon as i returned home from the conference. i was absolutely ecstatic that presenting a session on social media was just a possibility! i came up with something i felt confident about and passed it along. i had a phone call with the conference director and then all there was left to do was wait…

june 2012

at the airport i checked my email in the elevator and saw an email that literally made me scream with excitement. (this seriously happen, kind of awkward) tears in my eyes and a smile on my face i called my mom to tell her the news; i’ve been invited to speak!!

september 2012

fast forward to the fall; after working on the framework for my presentation over the summer i headed over to boston, mass for speakers training with the one and only Dan Lumpkin. an incredible speaker to learn from. it was 2 short days filled with tips, tricks, best practices and presentations from myself and my fellow presenters. it was a great prep to get me more focused on what i needed to work on for my presentation and to light a fire in me to really get rocking. i left full of excitement, realizing how flipping cool this all is.

november 2012

“this is really happening!!!” the only words i could find to express my excitement when i received the registration packet for the conference, and I saw my name in black and white under faculty. surreal. simply surreal.

february 2013

snaps. one month away from the big day. i camped out at caribou about every weekend that month. something about a coffee house atmosphere and sipping on a yummy latte that puts me in a creative mood. i nearly felt compelled to add a shout out to Caribou Coffee in my session, as they most certainly provided the caffeine and environment for this presentation. all the while wondering, where has the time gone?! so much to do. so much to share. deep breaths. (BIG thank you to my boyfriend for kicking my butt and encouraging me to work on this even when i was trying to put it off)

march 2013 {time for the big show}

march was madness. quite literally. uff da. thank goodness my momma was making the trip to Vegas with me. we arrived early saturday morning and walked along the strip and hung out by the pool soaking in sunshine. then it was time to get down to business. after a little bit of an Internet fiasco (and again, thank goodness my momma was there with me…) i got in a rhythm and piece by piece i felt my nerves melting away.

it’s show time!

woke up, got ready and sat down to rehearse a little bit more. it was finally time to head down to the convention center. checked out the room, the av, checkity check we were golden.quick lunch stop to fuel up for the afternoon. 1:00PM struck and ready or not this social media diva was in the house. the second i stepped in that room, i felt in my element. time to make it happen.

we started and there were no nerves, no anxiety, no fear. things went great; i had an awesome crew of 36 fantastic individuals with me and i learned so much from them. topic to topic the conversations and discussions flower easier and easier. i just might have had a big smile on my face the entire time. and it was so nice to see a familiar face of my momma out there. and in just shy of 3 and a half hours later it was all over. 8 months of preparation had come to a close. and a giant wave of relief and peace fell upon me. there are hardly any words to describe the whole experience. all of the stress, the late nights and early mornings, the dozens of lattes, the revisions, the anxiety: it was all more than worth it. it was incredible to speak at a conference was a bucket list item for me, and to be able to cross that off at 23 years old, wow. i am blessed. this is only the beginning for this social media diva, mark my word.

thank you to EXHIBITOR for allowing me this opportunity; for my attendees attending and providing great insight; for my momma for being by my side through it all; for my friends and family who encouraged me along the way; for my girl Nastashia for being my fabulous stylist and for Brandon who was there to kick me and motivate me, and keep me calm with wine. thank you all.

stay tuned [blog post coming soon]

my dear friends,

i’ve been a horrendous blogger the past almost one two months now (eeeekkkk). it pains me to say that it’s been that long since i’ve posted. but, as my dad would say, that’s life, what can i tell you? these past couple months have been filled with happiness, stress, traveling, sunshine, family, love, friends, caribou, more stress, amazing experiences, more stress and some fun thrown in there for good measure. i am so very excited to get back blogging again; i have missed it so. i’ve got a new post cooking that i’m particularly excited about; coming soon to a screen near you. in the meantime, here’s a snapshot of what i’ve been up to. thanks for sticking with me lovelies; chat soon.

xoxo

em

super bowl xlvii {beyoncé, lights out, paul harvey & everything in between}

disclaimer: the main reason that i wanted to watch the super bowl is to watch beyoncé perform at half-time show. i’m not ashamed of that. a high volume of women were probably on the same page as me. and i’m sure the men didn’t hate watching her either. also, as a marketing major my second reason was to watch critique the commercials and in this case, see what social media had in store. most viewers were looking forward to this as well. therefore, my opinion is based upon the “entertainment” and not the game for the most part. if you’re looking for a hardcore, indepth, sportsy breakdown of the actual game, you’re looking at the wrong blog. after all, isn’t the whole thing about entertainment anyways? 

my breakdown:

commercials

• #herewego (Bud Light)
  • ‘journey’ and ‘lucky chair’ weren’t necessarily epic or memorable ad’s but the slogan, “it’s only weird if it doesn’t work” is memorable, more importantly it’s relatable.
• get in. get happy. (Volkswage
  • gotta love a good MN shout out.
• viva young (taco bell
  • i would be lying if i said it didn’t make me literally lol. everyone watching was thinking; i hope i’m like one of those “geezers” when i’m older.
• #keepplowing (Ram Trucks)
  • winner of the best super bowl ad for 2013, in my books at least. i honestly contemplated created a post dedicated to how much i loved this ad, and here’s why; they kept it simple. no flash, no cheeseballs humor. just a good ad. still pictures. monotone colors. real people. real life. and to top it off, it was narrated by paul harvey. i grew up listening to paul harvey on the radio with dad, so it has a sense of nostalgia for me. we’d listen to his ‘news and comment’ and most often, ‘the rest of the story.’ he had an iconic voice, even if Ram hadn’t put the slide in with his name in the commercial, anyone who had ever hear him speak would recognize it immediately. he really pulls the entire ad together in a way that completely tugs at your heartstrings. many people are getting caught up that this speech was given many years ago by paul to an ffa group; my response, who cares? it’s a great speech and deserving of being shown on a large scale. there are people who just don’t get the commercial. and that’s ok. but, despite these objections, one thing is for sure: For two captivating minutes Sunday night, the values and future of American farming left the sidelines of the popular conversation to dominate a very, very large stage.

In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.

Now you know, the rest of the story. Good day.

Paul Harvey

beyoncé

like i said, one of the main reasons i was excited for the super bowl (and the only reason i knew the date) was because of queen b herself. i was super jazzed when they announced she was going to be the entertainment. because for the past few years the half time shows have been a real wash. jk;bs. as soon as the show started i was on the edge of my seat, literally. i was enthralled by every song. like a lot of ladies, i adore beyoncé. she is a powerhouse woman who is uber talented musically and businesswise. a real role model for women everywhere. plus, those moves in her stellar stilettos without breaking an ankle? mad props. she did not disappoint (and did not lip sync, but let’s not even open up that bag of worms)  plus a lil destiny’s child reunion – epic. she rocked it, hands down.

the blackout

so brandon wasn’t particularly excited for the super bowl this year. and with that, made the statement that if either team gets up by 21+ he’ll stop watching. to further show how much he was loving the game, he made sure to bring his kindle in the living room so he’d have something to do when he got bored. well, after another td by the ravens, they were literally up by 21. and we kind of joked yet almost changed the channel. and then the second most memorable part of super bowl xlvii was the 35 minute blackout. our attention was renewed. it was fun to just watch the anchors try to vamp and watch my social media timelines explode. my favorite quote of the blackout came from my momma, “maybe there’s a bdubs somewhere trying to control the game.” love it.

social media fest

• twitter reigned surpreme as far as social media platforms go for the SB; this is honestly no surprise to me. twitters platform gives users a more open interface to share, watch trends and post to the minute thoughts without getting overbearing (as the would be on FB)
• 24 million tweets (>10 million from 2012)
  • for every 7 tweets about the game there were 2 about the ads
• blackout: 231,500/ minute
• jacoby’s return: 185,00/ minute
• beyonce: 5 million
• twitter was mentioned in 50% of the advertisements; facebook: 8%
• gave on the ball marketing teams a prime chance to take advantage of a socially captive audience; oreo, tide and pbs reigned supreme in thinking on the fly. this, folks, is real-time marketing. and it’s not going anywhere. brands that can think on the fly and respond to real life events, are the ones that will thrive and survive.
• instagram: 3 million shared photos included super bowl related captions
  • 450 every second
  • 200 per second during halftime alone (beyonce)

oh, and in case you were wondering, beyonce won the superbowl. jk, edgar allen poe’s team did.

happy birthday mom!

“she’s the only one who has been here when i needed her; she’s the one who listens and gives good advice; she’s the one i count on. shes’ my mother.”

wishing my mom, my best friend, my hero and my role model the most wonderful birthday. Hope you have a day as fabulous as you. Love you bunches! Xoxo

wheat was a bad choice [experiments in gluten-free eating]

i love carbs. there, i said it. bread, pasta, toast, cereal, pizza. any form you can think of; i want it in my belly. a big ‘ol bowl of oodles of noodles. NOM NOM NOM. i digress… i take digestive enzymes whenever my tummy isn’t feeling so hot, and one night my boyfriend mentioned that he thought i’d be taking them a lot more recently. thinking back on the past few weeks i had taken digestive semi-regularly. he made a suggestion that i may be potentially have celiac or be gluten intolerant. i thought he was joking at first, especially because the one thing i know about celiac is that it involves removing items such as delicious wheat and bread from your diet, but then realized he raised a valid point. i have iron-deficiency anemia that has been flaring up recently so we wondered if there was possibly any correlation between the two. so i worked a little google magic and boom. lo and behold there is a direct correlation. celiac disease prevents the body from properly being able to absorb nutrients such as iron due to intestinal damage caused by the proteins in wheat, rye & barley. after doing some more google searching i found that i also had several other symptoms of celiac disease such as anxiety, stomach pains, fatigue. mixed with the fact that my mom got tested for celiac and her bloodwork came up positive, i may be a potential candidate for celiacs disease and it might not be a bad idea for me to start to shift away from consuming a lot of gluten. note: these discoveries alone do not mean that i have celiacs disease, the could be completely unrelated. i am however getting blood work done to determine if i do have CD.

regardless of my impending “official” diagnosis i can tell that my body doesn’t tolerate gluten very well. it’s quite ironic timing that i discover this, as my boyfriend had planned on doing ‘gluten-free february’ as part of one of his 30 day challenges. initially, i thought i wouldn’t make much effort to join him in this endeavor, however my tune has now changed. we will be living on gluten-free goodness during the 28 days of february. potentially longer than that for me dependent on how it goes and what my tests show. i have been doing some research to find some recipes for us to make. we’re going to focus on foods that are naturally gluten-free, not just replacements for the food we eat that has gluten in it. you might remember that we started an adventure in slow carb eating a few months ago, which is similar in its dietary restrictions, so this will be less of a shock to me. (not that it won’t be a challenge)

i’m very anxious to see how i feel after a week or so of cutting the gluten out of my diet. i think i will definitely feel better overall. by cutting out foods that weigh me down and are full of processed this and that there is no way i won’t feel better at least a little. my hopes are that is also aides in helping my other woes that have been bringing me down lately. t-minus 2 days til gfree month. we’ve got a pinterest board full of recipes and i’m ready to go. (want to see my collection of recipes? let’s be pinterest friends. (http://pinterest.com/dahl_emma/) i’ll be posting weekly to share how it’s going, favorite recipes, frustrations, thoughts and the like. stay tuned, friends

since gluten-free is so “hot” right now, i thought i’d also provide some insight into celiac and gluten-free for your reading enjoyment.

what is gluten-free?

cut and dry, it’s a diet that excludes the protein gluten which is found in grains such as wheat, barley & rye

common misconceptions:

• The gluten-free diet is a low carbohydrate diet. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending upon how you look at it), there is a gluten-free version of practically every wheat-based carbohydrate-rich food. Examples include cookies, cakes, donuts, pizza, pasta, muffins, rolls, etc. The list literally goes on and on.

• All gluten-free food is healthy. Just because a food label says “gluten-free” does not mean it is healthy. Many gluten-free foods are made using white rice, milled corn and various starches. These refined grains are not very nutritious. You want to look for gluten-free cereals, breads, and pastas that are made with gluten-free whole grains or have been fortified or enriched—meaning vitamins and minerals have been added to the food.

• The gluten-free diet is a weight-loss plan. The gluten-free diet is a medically prescribed diet for people who have celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and dermatitis herpetiformis (the skin form of celiac disease). Anyone can lose weight by eating fewer calories than their body needs but you do not need to follow a gluten-free diet to do this.

to eat or not to eat:

• avoid all foods containing gluten, including:
  • Barley
  • Bulgur
  • Durum
  • Farina
  • Graham flour
  • Rye
  • Semolina
  • Spelt (a form of wheat)
  • Triticale
  • Wheat

• these foods are a-ok

what happens on the cruise… {stays on my blog}

prelude: my journey to my first ever cruise began with 2 other trips. one down south to san antonio and one to miami. since there was mere hours that separated these trips from the epic cruise, i feel compelled to add them to my post.

note: i am finishing off my first full week of work since the middle of november. just kidding but seriously. so, my brain is fried and my creativity is lacking. therefore, my post will be spoken predominately through pics. after all, they are worth 1,000 words, right? plus they are more fun to look at than listening to me jibber jabber. enjoy, friends. xoxo

stop 1: san antonio, tx

my company’s annual user conference is taking place down south this year. my boss and i went down to tour the place and get a feel of what to expect when planning. one night we’re taking all the attendees to a legit working ranch. when megs and i went to visit we got to pose on a real deal texas style longhorn. yeeee haaaaw y’all. t-minus 7 months till this bomb{dot}com event takes place. gotta get my spurs ready.

ridin’ a texas long horn, view from my room, strawberry jalepeno margarita

stop 2: miami (bitch)

hours, literally hours, after arriving home from texas i was at the airport to head to miami. there’s more of a story there, another time. another place. only thing that matters is that i made it and my boyfriend is ahhhmazing. i took a couple extra days off from work to head down to miami so i could get ready for the cruise and to spend some time with my cousin and her family that live there. after some frigid temps in minnesota lately, i was jazzed to start defrosting in the sunshine. it was so much fun to spend some fabulous quality time with my cousin and her lil diva daughter sabine. thanks so much for having me stay with you guys! miss you already! xoxo

palm trees & sunshine, ziggy, sabine & me cheesin’

stop 3: carnival destiny

got boarded and such and it was time to say deuces to the real world and prepare for 5 days of being forced to relax, disconnect and be on vacay. this was my first cruise, and i truly had no idea what to expect. i was more than pleasantly surprised. the trip was fantastic. full of sunshine, drinks, dancing, new friends, a beautiful wedding, relaxing, lots of eating and taking in every moment. needless to say, i’m a cruise fan. while it was nice to get back on land. and have a normal size bed. i will definitely be going on another cruise one day. bon voyage!

fun with the girls over the week

stop 3: jamaica (we have a bob sled team)

our first port of call was to jamaica. let’s see, if i could sum up jamaica in a word, it’d be sketch. i was forewarned of the shiftiness of the characters in this place, and it was no exaggeration.  we spent the whole time just lounging on the beach, admiring the view and soaking in the rays. mostly because we wanted to get our tan on and be lazy and also because it was one of the only places we would feel safe.

beach, jamaica, girls

stop 4: grand cayman (wedding bells)

the other port of call was the grand caymans. in a word, beautiful. the views are just unreal and the water is the bluest of blues. this is where the wedding of my dear lil monster, katie tied the knot. it was a breathtaking setting. right by the beach. and she looked absolutely stunning. the ceremony was short but sweet. and a wonderful cherry on top of an already great trip. so blessed to be part of this wonderful day. we spent the rest of the day enjoying the sunshine and sandy beaches as well as some local carribean jerk chicken. nom nom nom. the next day was the final day on the ship and we spent the day on the deck hanging out and enjoying some beverages. it was a really fun trip, but after nearly 2 straight weeks of travel, i was ready to be home. until my next cruise…

wedding: ceremony, bride and groom

things don’t change unless you do. {goals & intentions}

a new year marks a new beginning. a time to reflect on the past year and think about what we would like to do in the coming one. i’ve never been big on making new years resolutions. they feel like a set up to failure; such an all or nothing feeling. if you don’t accomplish it, of fall off the bandwagon after a couples weeks of months, you give up and move on because what’s the point anymore? Jess Lively, who write for The Everygirl put’s it perfectly, here. And thanks to her, i am making new years intentions, not resolutions. intentions leaved room for the inevitable surprises that life has in store. intentions can be flexible and adjusted to the way things come together throughout the year. when situations change; you change. and you can adjust your intentions accordingly. no harm, no foul, no guilt. this gives them a more positive feel than the negative “have to” feel of resolutions. i am super jazzed for this coming year. and look forward to seeing how these intentions all come together. stay tuned. xoxo

((goals)) and intentions for the new year:

• healthy living

  • run a 5K (TC Valentines Run) and 10K (Get in Gear 10K)
  • drop my time in the April Sorenson Half Marathon by 10 minutes
  • be active for at least 20 minutes at least 3 times/week
  • continue to implement the slow carb diet into my meals
  • monitor my diet coke consumption; no more than 3/ week

• growing my smarts

  • read 9 books

1. socialnomics
2. bitches on a budget
3. rework
4. predictably irrational
5. cocktails for three
6. breakfast at tiffanys
7. one day
8. blue like jazz
9. the 4 hour body

• go to a wine tasting/ become educated on how to pair it with meals

• take a cooking class

• potentially and hopefully start classes to get my MBA

• blog love:

  • post no fewer than 3, but shoot for 5 times/month; at least 36, at most 60 posts/year
  • by my 2 year blogiversary, complete a rebranding of this blog
  • finish the year with double the views I finished with. (About 10,000)
  • gain 15 new followers
  • start a new social media dedicated blog

• dahla, dahla bills y’all:

  • continue to record & track my expenses & begin to incorporate more of a budget into it
  • pay off clifford (my car)

• • don’t worry, be happy

    

• the always cliché and ongoing goal of my life: less anxiety, more enjoyment.
• soak in the happiness of the little moments that make life wonderful
  • using a new app, day one, to keep track on all these little things
• be present. and enjoy the moment. worry less about what has or will happen.

Apples & Brie Appetizer {recipe box}

 

my momma made this deliciously fantastic appetizer last week and after making it once again this weekend i feel compelled to share the recipe. enjoy!

 ingredients:

• loaf of French Bread 
• 1-2 apples (honey crisp or granny smith work well)
• small round of Brie Cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans work best)

how to:

• preheat oven to 350
• slice french bread into 1/2 inch slices and toast on a baking sheet until golden brown
• remove the rind of the Brie Cheese
• slice remaining Brie into 1/4 inch pieces
• thinly slice apples
• topping:
  • melt 1/2 stick of butter
  • mix into brown sugar and nuts
• place 1-2 apple slices and piece of brie on each piece of french bread
• spoon a little bit of the topping on each piece
• right before serving pop them into the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese melts
• prepare yourself for rave reviews and compliments

 

cheers to a new year [2013 forecast]

well, here we are. ending the first week of janurary, and i find myself thinking, “self, wasn’t new years like a few weeks ago? no? it was this past week? oh, ok.” this year already seems to be going fast. coming off a great year in 2012 i am looking forward to this year. i love fresh starts and new beginnings that the first of each year holds; so far my year is filling up quite nicely. a brand new year. cheers to 2013, friends! xoxo

“and now we welcome a brand new year, full of things that have never been.” rainer maria rilke

january

• travelin’ down south to san antonio to check out the UC site for this year
• heading to miami (bitch) to get a couple days of sun in before my cruise and visit my cousin, her hubby and lil peanut sabine
• going on my first ever cruise to help in celebrating the wedding of my dear friends katie and jesse
• watch the young pup play hoops at the Target Center
• start officially moving into Brandon’s and be a resident of the burbs *gasp*

february

• valentines day TC 5K

march

• hosting my very own half day workshop, unleashing the power of social media, at EXHIBITOR2013 (yayyyyy!)
• followed by exporing vegas with my momma

april

• celebrate my 3 year PeopleNet anniversary
• Get in Gear 10K
• lil brother goes to his first prom

may

• turning the big 2-4
• two year blogiversary of this very blog

july

• round 2 of the april sorenson half marathon.

august

• traveling to san antonio, tx for some armadillo races and MIH at our 11th annual UC

december

• spencer GRADUATES!

2012 roundup ((WOW… that was a busy year))

2012; you were good to me.  it’s crazy how much can happen in one year; how much things can  seem to remain the same day to day and then you turn around and realize that a lot has changed. change. my word to sum up the year. i had a lot of changes this past year; exciting and challenging. happy and sad. wanted and unwanted. things change whether you like it or not. and when i look back at 2012 i will remember the year that  i started the next chapter in my life. a lot of great memories to look back on and for one of the first time’s in my life, i can truly say that i am happy. 2013, i look forward to seeing what you’ve got in store. bring it.

places traveled:

• miami, fl
• las vegas, nv (2)
• toronto, on (2)
• boca raton, fl
• boston, ma
• chicago, il
• pebble beach, ca

air miles traveled: 20,510

january

• 2 year anniversary of my first blog, tales of a girl ((emma))
• work photo shoot
• mom and dad attended their very first hockey game at SCSU

february

• attended MAWC2012 (market america world conference) with an amazing group of people in miami

march

• attended EXHIBITOR2012 and have an unforgettable experience in las vegas
• spent a lot of time apartment hunting and finally found one i loved
• celebrated panda’s 23rd with a bang. and a headache to follow…

april

• HUNGER GAMES came out
• had my 2 year PeopleNet anniversary
• became an international girl; traveled to the lands of Canada for the first time
• said goodbye to panda as we both started new adventures
• moved into my very own apartment

may

• my dear cousin graduated from allen school of nursing
• 23rd birthday celebration
• officially registered for my first half marathon
• spent a wonderful long weekend with ALL of my mom’s side family (first time EVER we’ve ALL been together)
• one year blogiversary of this blog

june

• 2 of my very best friends ever, brooke and mike, got married
• my car got broken into
• celebrated the wedding of a dear friend
• traveled to the lands of canada for a second time
• was selected to host my very own half day workshop at EXHIBITOR2013

july

• ROCKED my very first half marathon
• traveled to okoboji for an amazing and relaxing family vacay
• spent several weekends in the sun watching the little brother play soccer

august

• traveled to boca baby for a threepeat success of the UC
• met joe theismann
• had the worst 16 hours of traveling of my life
• celebrated the wedding of my girl and hair dresser of almost 10 years
• had a lil 07 reunion
• ate lots of deliciousness at the MN state fair

september

• traveled to boston, mass for speakers training
• met my now boyfriend, brandon
• had an epic best friend wine night
• traveled to chi town for the first time

october

• turned a new leaf and started attempting  to cook/bake
• traveled on a 7 day journey with stops in pebble beach and las vegas

november

• purchased my very first coach purse
• got my car towen
• made trips with mom to roch to visit nana
• participated in my first thanksgiving visit to the legion
• thanksgiving with family
• annual black friday shopping with daddy
• mom and dad’s 28 year anniversary
• 5 year high school reunion
• made kringla all on my very own

december

• got a real christmas tree
• did lots of christmasy things
• holidazzle parade
• 4th annual dad and emma day
• 12.11.12 – nana passed away

• christmas
• new years eve