method Summit in San Francisco

Okay first of all...wow. WHAT A WEEKEND! I think it's okay to use all caps because if you were talking to me on the phone or in person about this I'd probably be squealing, or maybe even yelling. The wonderful people at method brought me out for a few days to get excited about their products, their story, and their culture...and get excited I did! I'm going to be working with method on some new projects they have up their sleeve, so it was important for me to really check them out, and I left feeling great about it. They are a company with a very inspiring story, and I feel proud to be working with them.  I also think that since becoming a Mom weekends like this feel more fun than ever. I'm so used to doing Henry stuff all day (best thing in the world), but it makes it extra exciting to get dolled up and eat fancy food, see beautiful things, and just travel a little out of my comfort zone. So an extra big thanks goes to Hank and my parents for watching Henry. I feel grateful that I was able to do this and I am so excited about the past few days that I hope you'll excuse a possible overuse of exclamation points, too. ;)

I arrived on Thursday evening to the absolutely gorgeous Hotel Monaco and after freshening up I headed downstairs to meet the other "method Mavens" for dinner (you probably saw the #methodmavens hashtag on twitter or instagram if you follow the other ladies or myself). We headed over to Radius and enjoyed a delicious multi-course meal, topped off with the most decadent lemon tart.  This was my first time ever attending an out-of-state blogger event like this, and although I was a bit nervous at first, I got comfortable pretty quickly- all of the girls were just so sweet. It was really awesome to be surrounded by so many like-minded women and I was equally excited to meet so many new friends.

The next morning we all met in one of the conference rooms for breakfast before boarding the bus to head over to the Method headquarters. As we were pulling in I heard someone say "oh my god!" Then a gasp, another "oh my GOD!" ...more gasps, and all of a sudden I see that all of the method team is outside with balloons, waving with huge beaming smiles, ready to usher us in!  It was awesome and totally set the tone for the day.

We made our way inside after we finished squealing and taking tons of photos of the happy-balloon-method-people like the snap-happy bloggers we are. The two (wonderful/engaging/funny) founders of Method came out- Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry- and told us a short version of their story: how method came about, what it means to them, and where they see it going. It was fascinating, incredibly inspiring, and I thought it was the best possible way to kick off the event.

Our method Summit was chock full of a whole lot- we spent some time learning about their products, learning about production, sustainability and their "green" practices, we tested out different scents, checked out past, present and future designs...and a million other fun things too. We heard from a wide variety of method employees, had a fun photoshoot, completed a DIY project with Danny Seo and previewed a few top-secret method things as well. ;)

And then, Friday night's dinner! OH MY WORD. After the Summit we were treated to the most amazing 5-course meal designed around the method scent stories at the weirdest/coolest/ place ever- the old Russian Consulate. It was truly beautiful, but I don't think I have ever seen so much taxidermy in one place. It was pretty insane. The dinner was prepared by Stag Dining and consisted of so much deliciousness I don't even know to begin to write about it. Just know I said "oh my god this is the best _____ I have ever had" at almost every course.

Overall, words can't describe how great of a time this was. Blog business aside, it was really just an amazing weekend spent with some fantastic people. I feel so lucky to have met so many new friends, and I look forward to all that is to come. Thank you again to method, Mekanism, and everyone involved in this fabulous undertaking. It was a true success and I already can't wait to do it again!

If you'd like to check out the other "method Mavens" (and all the girls I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with!), check out the list below. And one more thank you to method and Mekanism for every little bit of it. You treated us like queens and I am so thankful.

Denene Millner // MyBrownBaby.com
Victoria Smith // Sfgirlbybay.com
Jordan Ferney // OhHappyDay.com
Cassandra LaValle // Cocokelley.blogspot.com
EZ Pudewa // CreatureComfortsBlog.com
Gigi Ross // KludgyMom.com
Danielle Hampton // SometimesSweet.com
Janice Croze // 5MinutesForMom.com
Susan Peterson // Freshly-Picked.com
Brooke White and Summer Bellessa // youtube.com/TheGirlsWithGlasses
Shannon Kelly // TheShoppingMama.com
Ilana Wiles // MommyShorts.com
Nicole Balch // MakingItLovely.com
Pam Ginocchio // ProjectNursery.com
Heather Solos // Home-Ec101.com
Jenny Ingram // JennyOnTheSpot.com
Liz Stanley // SayYesToHoboken.com
Alix Tyler and Leslie "Dottie" Van Every // ModernKiddo.com

the following ladies were unable to attend:

Gabrielle Blair // DesignMom.com
Crissy Page // DearCrissy.com
Catherine Davis // FoodFamilyFinds.com
Jordan Reid // RamshackleGlam.com
Kelly Lewis // According-To-Kelly.com

And now, some photos. I didn't take too many, so I am definitely looking forward to seeing the other girls' pictures from our weekend too.