Stay at Home Dad Convention was Awesome

Waking up at 7:00am on Saturday was not an easy task for me. It was Oct. 10th, and there was about an inch of snow on the ground!!! Our bedroom is freezing(which probably will be another post) and all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed. I did that for about 10 minutes before I decided I didn't have a choice. Saturday was the Stay at Home Dad Convention in my town, Omaha. I really hadn't done anything to help the local guys out. They had worked extremely hard on this and I wanted to be there to support them. After my shower and putting on warm clothes I felt much better. Still kept complaining about the weather and the driving conditions, which got me a very unsympathetic response from the other side of the bed. With that kick in the butt, I was off.

Driving down was like I thought it would be. Omaha forgot to get their snowplows ready on time or they just didn't believe it would snow. I saw a car spin out and get hit by about 3 other cars going the other direction. Glad it wasn't on my side, because I was running late and didn't need an accident to slow me down anymore. I got down to the Durham museum a little after 8:00 and helped to get everything set out for registations. My involvement was minimal, but I was glad to help out where I could.

Guys arrived by 8:45 and the convention started pretty much right on time. Right from the beginning I was impressed with the work and the thought that went into this convention. You can tell these guys really wanted to do this up right. Afterall, we had dads come in from all over the country as well as Canada. The speakers were knowledgable, the breakout sessions were helpful and the food was great! Everything was top notch. I was really proud to be part of the group that put on such a great convention!

I think for me the best part is meeting new dads from across the country and also right here in Omaha. Getting an opportunity to share stories and get connected really makes you feel a part of something. In fact, I came home after the convention and looked up a lot of these guys and friended them on facebook. I looked up dad blogs and now follow them. I went to Vista Print and made my own business cards to hand out when I meet other stay at home dads. The convention was a great opportunity for me to recommit to the stay at home dad movement. Well, movement might not be the right word, but I want to be more involved in this group and as my wife would say, in this space.

I would like to thank all the Linomaha Dads that worked so hard to put this convention on. I would also like to thank all the dads that traveled to Omaha to be part of this last weekend. I know some of the dads already said they are coming again next year. If we get all of them to return and can add to our numbers, it will only help more dads out there feel connected and a part of something bigger than their own home and family.

This weekend has inspired me to start blogging about my family and our life. I have had this blog set up for over a year, but never knew how to start it off. This weekend was the perfect way to get it going. Besides, I am waiting for my laudry to finish. Good timing, just heard the buzzer. Guess the clothes need to get folded.