Blog Paws Moments

Holy Ferret! Blog Paws flew by in an instant. Didn’t we just get to Tyson’s Corner?

Now we are unpacking the bags of swags, sorting the ferret’s luggage from mine. My throat feels like someone shoved a tennis ball halfway down it and my voice is squeaky. This makes Manny come looking for the toy.

My favorite moment?

Getting my ferret shaped jump drive from Marshall Pet. I don’t think there are any photos or videos floating around of me bouncing up and down like an excited little kid getting something they really wanted at least I hope there isn’t.

I know I squealed with delight. I’ve wanted it since it came out. It is still sitting exactly where I put it when I received it. In the nametag pouch.

What was your favorite moment?

Best surprise moment.

When roomie’s puppy mill rescue dog Ariel barked for the first time. The look on that sweet face was adorable as she looked so surprised at the sound that came out of her. Then just to make sure she did it right she woofed a couple more times.

What was your surprise moment?

The Aha moment.

I’ve tried for years to understand how to put a book proposal together and have always fell short of completing one. Thanks to Darlene Arden’s session, I have a good grasp on the concept and an understanding that I didn’t have before along with a few good laughs as she has the best sense of humor.

What/When was your aha moment?

I know you from somewhere moment.

I heard the story of how a pet owner reconnected with his pet sitter almost 10 years later. How incredible was that?

As for me, it was the hotel clerk I used to deliver to every night when I worked for a pizza place and he ran the front desk.

Did you have one of those moments?

My sponsors, , set up a great play area for my kids to play in although I think they slept most of the time but it gave people the chance to see what a ferret looked like and if they happened to be awake and playing how cute they could be.

Next year Blog Paws will be in Vegas and I already have my ticket thanks to Lisa Taron The Pet Blog Lady.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Blog Paws Nose to Nose Finalist

               

 

Enlightened Ferret is a Finalist in the Best Wiggle Blog category for a Nose to Nose award. This year our competition is:

The Rat Whisperer

My Mini Pet Pig 

The Maaaaa of Pricilla 

Congrats to you and may the best wiggler win.

We also want to make sure we thank our two amazing sponsors for our attendance at Blog Paws this year.

Our first sponsor has supported us for the Salt Lake City Blog Paws and this year. She is one of the funniest ladies I know with a dog that loves his neighborhood cats and who created the Cat Patrol. This Canadian loves to have a good time and it shows in her smile. We can’t wait to see Lisa Taron who is known as The Pet Blog Lady  in Tysons Corner.

Our other sponsor has been a part of the Enlightened Ferret family in so many different ways. From the birthplace of Manny and Marylin to many of the toys that are hidden within the kid’s room. Marshall Pet Products was established in 1993 as a new division of Marshall Farms.

This is a new adventure for both of us so I can only hope it will be the start of great things to come for the both of us.

COUNTDOWN TIMER WIDGET

 

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Thank You For Serving America

 

To all veterans we thank you for your service in defending our rights and our country.

For those that don’t know the significance of Veteran’s Day check out the history of this holiday here 

 

We at Enlightened Ferret are proud of our soldiers both past and present.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

The Thank You

     I am sure many of you now know I was lucky enough to rub elbows and paws with some awesome people and their pets this last weekend. I hope I gave you a peek into some of the greatness of the whole idea of Blogpaws but we cannot as a group of unique people forget how this wonderful conference came to be so make sure you go back and thank these people either with an email or a comment on their blog.

     First I think we need to make sure that the founders are never forgotten because if it hadn’t been for that first spark of inspiration Blogpaws™ would have never come to be.

     This was the brainchild of Caroline Golon, Yvonne Divita, and Tom Collins. Writers for Romeo the Cat, Scratching and Sniffings, and Books Blogs and Beyond, who had an idea of getting a few pet people who wanted to learn how to improve their blogging skills and connect with other like minded people.

     At first it was set up as a pod cast which would have maxed out sixty people. These founders were overwhelmed with the response they got when they put the idea out on their blogs and twitter. Sixty people swelled into a mass of over two hundred fifty people and their pets that wanted to attend.

     They might have been overwhelmed but like all good pet owners they grabbed hold of a great opportunity and changed the format into a one day conference. With that I give you the Standing Ferret Paw Award especially created because of this wonderful event.

 

     Columbus Ohio is a beautiful place to visit. Like someone said it reminded them of New York City without the prices of New York. The Westin ™ hotel out did themselves with welcoming us, pets and all. The rooms were spacious and the beds, not that many of us slept in them, were soft.

     The room service was fantastic as was the food from the High Street Grill. I’ll never forget that piece of cake. Friday night’s opening exquisitely dressed wait staff milled around us with ease and grace offering us appetizers that were simple and tasty or as our pets at a pawty would say NOMMY. My only suggestion for next year is to make sure us coffee drinkers are able to have a cup on opening night.

     The morning spread was beautiful and tasty. The fruit was sweet and the choices of breads, Danishes, and muffins were outstanding.

     Lunch was nice. Coming in to a room with tables ready for people was nice. Salads were placed as people were coming in the door and the huge piece of cheesecake was waiting to tempt you into eating it before you had your lunch. It was nice to hear the wait staff ask if any of us were vegetarians so they didn’t get a place of chicken placed in front of them.

     The chicken was surprisingly good and so was the rice. Green beans that crunch are good but they almost had a plastic consistency but that cheese cake made up for that it was wonderful.

     Thank you Westin Hotel for putting up with pet bloggers and their animals along with having a huge wedding the same weekend. You did a spectacular job.

     None of this would have been possible without the great sponsors who provided for this conference. Being able to see and meet representatives of these great brands was a wonderful opportunity to network and get information that might of seemed impersonal any other way.

Thank you goes to:

Del Monte Pet Foods markers of Meow Mix and Kibbles ‘n Bits

Purina Care® Pet Health Insurance

Pet Smart®

Dogtime Media™

Wellness® Natural Food and Treats for Pets

Bissell®

Puppy Tweets

Cats Against Clay

Kodak®

AAHA™ The Standard of Veterinary Excellence

I Love Dogs® Premium Canine Vitamins and supplements

Bamboo®

 Fat Cat®

TPPC.tv®

Destinations Design LLC

Centipede Graphics

FURminator®

West & Co. Diamonds and Jewelry

Bella's

Blogger Black Book

The Pet Bus

Purrfect Play

Embrace Pet Insurance®

     The after party at the A&R Music Hall was nice. Although for my tastes the live music could have been a little lower than at the volume it was at. It was hard to hear what people were saying and many people drifted from the front of the bar to the back and still couldn’t hear what was being said. But it was a nice change from the feeling rushed I am sure many of us had when we were at the hotel.

     For me the after party was an amazing event because of the opportunity to met one person I had no clue was even attending the conference. More on that as the details get worked out. Lets just say being the only Ferret person there had its advantages, that and the lime green tee shirt.

     We mustn’t forget the photographer. He was seen taking pictures at every opportunity and you could tell he was having a blast. I hope this opens up a new avenue for him. Thank you Brad Smith of Brad Smith Photography in Columbus, Ohio.

Technorati Tags: Blogpaws 2010

     Be sure to visit all of these fine folks and leave them thank you notes/comments because without them we would have never had this wonderful conference.

Jo

Thank You Veterans

     Today is Veterans Day to many this may have no meaning to them because they have no idea of the impact these men and women have had on our lives. They think that these warriors are things of the past that should be forgotten.

     There are those that will/would the tragedy of Ft. Hood as an example of why we should be out of different places that different factions think we don’t belong.

     I am not one of them. I am proud of those that decided to sign up an even of those that have been drafted to serve their Country. These men and women may never go on to become the President or achieved some other honor but to me they have achieved the highest honor there is in America.

The status of Veteran.

     I am the child of a Veteran. My adopted bro’s wife is a Veteran. My Cousins are Veterans. My roommate is a Veteran. Many of my friends are Veterans. These are a special breed of people. They chose to give up chunks of their lives for something they believed in.

Freedom.

     That single word has been the foundation of the creation of the United States and many Veterans will tell you how many freedoms we have lost and are still losing today. Many say it is because of indifference.

     Today I salute those that chose to serve with pride and give a heartfelt thanks.
Jo