going to ALT (and what i'm wearing)

as i mentioned last week, i am going to "alt," the altitude summit blogging conference, and i am leaving wednesday!! how is this happening already? i am really excited to learn as much as i can about being a real blogger. i had no idea what i was getting into a year ago when i started this, and have been drinking from a fire hose ever since. i'm excited to get some seasoned advice and meet people who actually know what they're doing. 

i thought it would be fun to give you a little run-down of the conference events, but more importantly, to tell you what i'm wearing. ;-) 

i leave for the conference wednesday the 21st. my first mistake was forsaking the flight that landed at 10 am and choosing the one that lands at 4:30 pm instead. the conference officially starts thursday morning so i thought that would be just fine. i knew there was a "sponsored dinner" thursday night but it didn't start until 6:30 and i assumed it was just an informal meet-and-greet in the hotel. ya, no. 

wednesday kicks off with tons of early bird sessions that i'm going to miss (so pay attention future attendees- get there early!) and the dinner, it turns out, is a themed invitation event that is at an off-site restaurant. so i'm supposed to be ready and glam and dressed in "fiesta floral attire" in the hotel lobby at 6 pm sharp for my ride to a fancy taqueria! heh. i am just saying all the prayers i can for on-time flights, no lost luggage, and a short cab line so i can make this on time. 

my dinner is going to be hosted by minted, a company i am so excited to get to know a little better. the art fan and paper nerd in me fell in love with them after my friend (and alt roomie!) grace designed a minted gallery wall for our lakeside project. (she just did it again last week and i can't say enough how much i adore the things she finds there). so yeah, just a little bit excited that i get to go to dinner with them. and happily, my friends kyla and andrea are going to be with me for the dinner so at least i don't have to add "alone" to the resume of "rushed" and "disheveled" i'll be bringing with me to the lobby. 

anyway, on to what i'm wearing. when i first started shopping for alt, and knew i needed to get all fancy, i ran straight to rach parcell of the lifestyle blog, pink peonies.  

i found the outfit above and bascially just bought every piece (you can see her post with all the sources here). the skirt is sooo cute! i had intended to wear it to the parties on friday night. but when the dinner invitation said "fiesta floral," how could i not? so wednesday dinner outfit, check.

thursday kicks off the conference sessions. everyone has warned me to be comfortable, wear flats, and bring layers for the daytime. i found some good post-christmas deals and came up with a casual, layered outfit for thursday.

warby parker glasses // j.crew turtleneck // gap cardigan (similar) // scarf (similar) // target flats // 

madewell skinnies & tote

ok so i don't actually have that tote. i have no tote and am slightly panicked about it! whatever, i have two whole days to find one exactly like it that's not $200. i also have no idea what to wear for friday's sessions. meh, details. 

on thursday night, alt is hosting a party, the dress code for which is "downton abbey-inspired fashion." yeah, it's been interesting to see the reaction of store owners when i ask what they have in that genre! when i bought the floral skirt, i happened upon this tulle skirt from chic wish. oh be still my heart, i loved it. i started to plan an outfit around it and came up with this using polyvore:

i thought i'd get a little more mileage out of my black turtlneck, but when the shoes & skirt arrived, i paired them with a baby pink lace top and absolutely loved the monochromatic look instead. and lace seemed a little more "downton" too. so this is my outfit:

yesterday i even found a nude and pink beaded vintage purse to go with it! i will for sure get you a picture of me at the event, even if it has to be a bathroom selfie. pinky swear.

friday night, after another day of conferencing, there will be a round of mini-parties. since my floral skirt outfit plan was hijacked for the wednesday dinner, i actually have nothing to wear as of yet! eep!! i tried on every little black dress in my closet and seriously nothing works. i didn't exactly want to wear black either because all the party themes are so bright and fun. i have exactly two pink shoes and that's it. so again...two days. no problem. right?!

as if that wasn't enough to outfit-plan for, i fly first thing on saturday to san diego, where i have been asked to be the retreat speaker at my mom's church. again, confounded by what to wear. the floral skirt seems too dressy, but the day-time conference outfits seem a little too casual (and warm. i have no idea if san diego is going to be 60 or 80, but i do know it's not winter there and i might be speaking outside). sheesh! have i ever told you guys i don't like packing?

i'll be back on sunday to rescue ryan (oh most wonderful sweet and generous of all husbands) who will be staying with the kids. i already miss him so much. 

oh and guess what? one more tiny detail...i got business cards! kind of a good thing to have when you go to a conference, right? the amazing traci yau of 45 wall design did a logo for me and i printed them using moo. 

unfortunately, they arrived with the back side printed upside down. moo was wonderful and replaced the order at no charge and with rush shipping. the new ones were supposed to be here friday but UPS accidentally left them in rhode island. the new delivery date is today...fingers triple crossed! if they don't show up, that's just how it goes. they're pretty anyway! hi, i'm the girl who gave you the upside-down business card. it was nice to meet you! ;-)

{update: they came! whew!}

(HAD to throw this in there because traci sent me the. sweetest. thank you package - i had been eyeing her concrete coasters, ring bowl, and pocket jotter forever and am loving them! thank you traci!)

so that's where i'm at. about half packed, half panicked, and more than anything excited. i've never been away from my kids for this long and after ten years of marriage barely remember how to travel on my own. it'll be an adventure to say the least. but i hope (know!) it will be worth it. i will keep you posted as much as i can on instagram!