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Gleek Retreat: a conference for bloggers by bloggers

Take away One.

05 26 10'

Written by jodimichelle

Where shall I start? I can’t believe it’s over and my shoulders (where I hold stress) haven’t realized it yet. It was amazing. Being on the planning side of things was completely different than actually being there – I can’t wait to read what others learned and gleaned from the experience, I’m hoping I’ll learn from them, too.

It was a successful event, which I cannot be more excited about, and the planning for next year is on steroids a bit as I can’t stop thinking of new ideas. But a break I will take, a break I am taking.

One of the things that was mentioned over and over again in the panels I was a part of was how important it is to be authentic. If you’re writing about your life, make it real. Don’t take someone else’s voice (or product) and call it your own, your audience will read right through it, literally.

I think that was my biggest take away. A blog is a blog is a blog, but you are you. No one else has your story, no one else has your voice … and if you don’t claim a “niche” claim the truth of who you are.

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T-shirts for sale!

05 26 10'

Written by staceyheneveld

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Are you sitting at home thinking, “Gee, I sure wish I could have gotten both t-shirt designs from Gleek Retreat,” or was your husband/boyfriend/daughter/son/friend/neighbor/random person at the grocery store so jealous of your fabulous t-shirt and wants one, too? You’re in luck! We have a few of our t-shirts left and are offering them for sale here. Our sizes are limited, so, when they are gone, they’re gone!

“i’m a gleek” t-shirts – Available in Medium , Large, XLarge, and 2XL

live.laugh.blog. t-shirt — We have ONE of these left in a size Large.

Ordering Info:

T-shirts are priced at $9 (shipping is included) and can be paid through PayPal. To order, simply email Stacey (stacey -at- gleekretreat.com)

Again, the number of shirts we have available are limited so don’t hesitate if you want one!

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Gleek Retreat 10 link-up

05 24 10'

Written by staceyheneveld

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Once again, thanks to everyone who made Gleek Retreat 10 so amazing! We were honored to meet all of you and can’t wait to hear your thoughts! If you write a blog post about Gleek Retreat, your experience, or crazy stories from Gleek Retreat 10, we’d love to hear them! Use the linky below to share those posts with everyone!

If you took photos that you would like to share, you can share them on our Gleek Retreat Flickr group.

And, if you missed anything, visit our Facebook page for some great links or check out what was being said on Twitter during the weekend.

Don’t forget to keep following Gleek Retreat on Twitter for announcements about Gleek Retreat 11….

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Slippers or Stilettos?

05 20 10'

Written by staceyheneveld

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It’s one of the most daunting questions as you prepare to head out to a conference — what on Earth should I wear?

One of our biggest focuses for Gleek Retreat is to give you a time to relax. So, we want you to be comfortable in what you wear! Now, that can mean a lot of different options to different people. If you feel comfortable wearing a suit, then wear it. If you feel comfortable wearing your PJs, go for it! Chances are, most people are going to fall somewhere in between.

Here are a few thoughts as you pack:

We will be inside and sitting most of the time. However, there is a deck that we are hoping to enjoy at some point over the weekend and there is an optional low-impact hike on Sunday. If you want to do the hike on Sunday, bring some sneakers.
The retreat center is a house so feel free to go barefoot or wear slippers, sandals, shoes, heals, whatever you like!
Keep in mind the weather:

Again, t-shirts and jeans are perfectly fine and so are dresses or suits. Be comfy and be yourself!

However, if you need to use Gleek Retreat as an excuse to go out and buy yourself a new outfit….go ahead and use us! We’re glad to help!!!

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Meet the Attendees (that’s YOU!)

05 20 10'

Written by jodimichelle

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Interested in checking out the amazing bloggers you’ll be meeting this weekend? Have a gander …

One Little Word She Knew

Kitoula

Five Dollar Shake

They are in no particular order and if you’d like me to add you just leave a comment here and I will! Can’t wait to meet those of you I haven’t!!

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So, it’s like camp.

05 20 10'

Written by jodimichelle

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There’s some confusion about the difference between a Sleeper pass and a Day pass. We tried to dispel some of that confusion on our Questions page but as we get closer to Gleek Retreat we’re getting some questions so here’s a bit more info:

There are only sleeping accommodations for twenty people, total, in the Retreat Center. Five bedrooms with 2-6 beds, twin size, each. Since sleeping accommodations at the Retreat Center are for Sleeper Passes only, we would be happy to recommend a hotel in the area for you! Just let us know.

If you bought a Sleeper Pass you’ll be sharing a room with a few other attendees. If you bought a Day Pass you’ll be asked to leave at 9pm on Saturday and invited to return in the morning for breakfast and the rest of the event.

Some questions we’re getting are whether or not you can bring a friend or family member with you – they might be traveling with you or you might carry an overnight pass but they carry a Day Pass and can your friend room in with you?

Unfortunately – the very simple answer to that question is No.

We hand picked this Retreat Center for the relaxed atmosphere if offers and for the “living at home” feeling you get when you walk in. This is not a hotel with a lobby, this is a home with room for all of us. There simply isn’t a space for extra’s to hang out.

Again, if you purchased a Day Pass, we would be happy to recommend some great hotels in the area, all of which are only a 10-15 minute drive from the Retreat Center. If you have friends or family traveling with you, we would also be happy to share with you some great sight-seeing spots you should visit!

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Week of {video}

05 18 10'

Written by jodimichelle

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and and and and and and.

YAY!

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Some housekeeping

05 12 10'

Written by jodimichelle

7 Comments

It’s really happening! I can’t believe we’re this close. The sleepless nights are getting a bit more frequent for me, I cannot turn my brain off. Excitement, stress, anxiety, worrying that I’m remembering everything and everyone.

But when I wake up in the morning I’m always ready for another day. I’m always powered up and ready to tackle the little things, the big ones and the surprise – I just came up! – issues.

So. A little housekeeping is in order, no?

The weather forecast is ever-changing, but it looks to be like we’re in for some warmer weather! If you’re interested in going on the hike on Sunday morning, remember your walking shoes.

Have you made your packing list yet? Me neither! But a few last minute things to double check before the day before would be:

Do you have enough business cards? Don’t have any? No worries! You can order some fun ones from moo.com or print something off a template from your computer. You’re going to want to have something on hand to give out to folks.

We have water bottles for all the attendees, our way of practicing some green-eco-business love, so don’t fret about remembering your’s. You get a brand new one when you walk in the door. Yay!

Haven’t grabbed your badge yet? Take a minute and see which one you love, then go ahead and take it. It’s all yours!

Those are just a few things on our minds today, if you have any questions coming into the last week before the conference and can’t find the answer – email us and we’ll get you an answer!

Can’t wait!

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And the winners are!

05 08 10'

Written by jodimichelle

4 Comments

Thank you so much for entering and tweeting and facebooking away! We had so much fun reading the entries and learning a little more about you guys as you said what you would choose to speak on at a conference. A whole lotta Balance bloggers out there.

Which is perfect because we notice a need for that little magic trick as well and have offered up a “Blogging and Balance” session at the conference.

Now for the good stuff.

The winners of the day passes are:

Shanda! and Katie!

The winner of the sleeper pass is:

Melissa!

Watch your inbox later today for an email with instructions on how to receive your tickets and passes. We can’t wait to get to know all a little more and in just TWO WEEKS!

Congratulations!!

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Come to Gleek Retreat…for FREE! {GIVEAWAY}

04 16 10'

Written by staceyheneveld

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Mother’s Day is just three weeks away. Have you started dropping hints to your husband yet? Mentioned how much you’d love that trip to the spa or how that new camera sure would be nice for the summer? Oh, is that just me? Huh.

Well, regardless if your husband is completely clueless or if he’s been planning your Mother’s Day surprise since last year, Gleek Retreat wants to make Mother’s Day extra fabulous for a few of you! No, not earrings or flowers or a new camera, but we do have a weekend away with some other fabulous people, delicious food, and some amazing swag!!!

Here is what we are giving away:

One (1) Sleeper Pass — valued at $149.99
This pass includes everything that you can imagine from check-in Saturday morning to check-out Sunday afternoon! We’ll pamper you with amazing food, top-notch speakers, and lodging sure to relax and renew you! And, of course, we’ll have a few surprises for you along the way!!!

Tw0 (2) Day Passes — valued at $99.99 each
Not able to spend the night with us but still want to join us for all of the amazing events happening during the day? Then this pass is for you! The Day Pass allows you access to all of the amazing food, top-notch speakers, and even some fun on Saturday, May 22, from 10:30am – 9pm and again on Sunday, May 23, from 9am – 1pm. If you choose this pass but are still looking for lodging in the area, let us know and we’ll hook you up with some great places in the area!

That is THREE lucky winners!

Here is how to enter:

Mandatory Entry — Answer this simple question: “If you were going to speak at a conference, what would you speak about and why?” We’re just curious as to what your passions or strengths are! Also, tell us if you’d like the Sleeper Pass or one of the Day Passes. Just leave your answer in a comment below!

But you can earn extra entries (once you’ve completed the mandatory entry from above):

1 entry — Follow @GleekRetreat on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. You can do this once per day every day until the contest closes. Make sure you leave a comment each time you tweet with the link to your tweet.
“Keeping my fingers crossed that I win a free ticket to @GleekRetreat! You can enter, too: http://bit.ly/ctu9da #GleekRetreat10″

1 entry — Become a fan of Gleek Retreat on Facebook and post about this giveaway on your Facebook status.

1 entry — Add our giveaway button to your blog

5 entries — Blog about this giveaway and leave us a comment below with a link to your post.

5 entries — Get someone else to sign-up for Gleek Retreat!

Leave a comment for each of those you do! If you blog about this giveaway or get someone to sign-up, make sure you leave 5 separate entries!

A few more details:

You do not need to be a Mom to enter this contest! Everyone is welcome to enter!!!

This contest closes on Friday, May 7 and the winners will be chosen by Random.org and announced on Saturday, May 8. Please only enter if you are available and interested in coming to Gleek Retreat!

The prizes for this giveaway are for the passes to the conference only. Travel and lodging (if you win a Day Pass) are not included.

If you have already purchased your Gleek Retreat ticket and you are one of the lucky winners of this contest, we will reimburse you for the ticket you’ve already purchased!

We recommend that you still purchase your ticket to Gleek Retreat if you are interested in attending the conference. Again, if you win, we will reimburse you for the ticket you’ve purchased. We’d really hate for you to wait, hoping you win a free ticket, and then not be able to come at all because it sells out! Better safe than sorry!

If you win a Day Pass but really want to stay overnight at the conference site (and if Sleeper Passes are still available) we will gladly upgrade your ticket. You just pay the difference in price.

There you have it! Just a little Mother’s Day love from Gleek Retreat! Enter. Spread the word. Enter some more. Easy as that!!!

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