If you've read my previous posts about this newbie's experience at BlogHer '12, you may be asking yourself what my final impressions of the whole she-bang were.  What were the highs?  What were the lows?  Would I want to go again?

Well, I have to say unequivocally that the highs for me were talking and hanging out with the other fabulous bloggers I met while attending the private parties thrown by some of the sponsors I've previously worked with.  I've got so many new Facebook friends and contacts from these events that going to BlogHer was completely worthwhile for just this level of face-to-face networking.

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On to day 3 of my trip to BlogHer '12 in NYC...  This Saturday, I was a little wiped out from all of the hustle and bustle of yesterday, and had vowed that today would be a little more peaceful and laid back.  There was one class I was dying to go to, How to Price and Value Your Services, but other than that, I was planning on making a full day of visiting with the vendors at the expo.

The one great thing about having so many fab vendors at expo is that you never have to pay for food and drink, if you're frugal and time your visits accordingly.  For instance, I knew exactly where the Dannon table was for a free sampling of yogurt, then I'd hit the Nescafe booth for a cup of joe flavored with some of their yummy new coffee creamers, and finally, I'd round off breakfast with a cup of fresh fruit from Dole.

Call me cheap, but I'm proud to say that if you plan well, you can literally eat almost every meal in this way.  During my whole four-day stay in NYC, I only bought lunch on Thursday, a midnight snack of a Snickers and a bottle of milk and a slice of pizza.  Since New York is a lot more expensive than Texas, it definitely behooved me to try and cut spending wherever I could.  For instance, that Snickers and bottle of milk I bought cost me a whopping $5.78!

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If you've been keeping up with my BlogHer '12 Series: From a Newbie's Perspective, you'll know that we're now on to Day 2.  This was technically the first day of BlogHer and I couldn't wait to get started.  I had a great night's sleep which helped put my traveling woes of the previous day behind me.

There were three classes that I was very interested in attending, and I was hoping that the wise gals of the blogosphere leading each one would throw me some proverbial pearls of wisdom to help take my blog to the next level.  Unfortunately, I have to admit that I wasn't too enthusiastic about each class once I attended.

I've only been blogging for about 2.5 years, which hardly makes me a veteran, but everything I learned in the first two classes seemed geared for the super newbie...someone who basically started blogging a few months ago.  This led me to blow off the last class and hit the vendor expo to chat it up about some of the latest and greatest new products out there.

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Hello everyone!  You may be wondering why I've been a bit scarce around here lately and it's because I'm super excited to be attending my very first BlogHer conference in New York City.  And of course, things in my own life haven't been running that smooth lately which means that the whole pre-BlogHer post to tell you I was going and all that jazz just didn't quite make it to my finished pile of things to do.

But why bore you with these details?  Let's just jump right in to Day One of BlogHer '12!

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My dog, Noel...  What can I say about the absolute best dog I've ever owned?  LOTS!  Noel is one of the kindest, sweetest, funniest, smartest, most loyal pups a girl could have and I'm just lucky that she's all mine.  Noel and I have that special bond that no one else in my family has with her.  She's been in my life for the last twelve years and in that time, we've been through a lot together.

I've had five jobs, four residences, a marriage, a pregnancy and a child with Noel wagging her happy little tail right there by my side.  She knows when I'm sick and will snuggle next to me all day to try and make me feel better and she always make sure to follow me to bed each night.

When I sleep in on the weekends and the rest of the family has awoken, Noel will even wait patiently outside of the bedroom door until I wake up, just so she can be the first one there to greet me.  Now is that a great dog or what?  Purina Pro Plan is all about celebrating the greatness of our dear furry friends and wants to ask you the question, "How Is Your Dog Great?"  Keep reading to learn more!

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Today is the day that our fair country was born and the day that I am reminded of just how proud I am to be an American.  Sometimes nothing can convey a particular feeling or message better than a song, so I present to you the top 10 rock songs (taken from UltimateClassicRock.com) which will get your patriotic heart pumping and your toes to tapping.  Happy Independence Day, everyone!

10.  Red White & Blue by Lynyrd Skynyrd

From 'Vicious Cycle' (2003)

Johnny Van Zant, who has now fronted Lynyrd Skynyrd almost twice as long as his departed brother Ronnie, dryly notes in this ode to the American way that his hair's going white with age. Together with his blue-collar work ethic and (self-described) redneck ways, he's got all the colors of the flag sewn up!

9.  Living in the U.S.A. by Steve Miller Band

From 'Sailor' (1968)

This highly groovy little patriotic song finds Miller and his band “doot-do-do-do doot”-ing their way past dieticians, televisons, politicians and morticians, and making sure we all do our part to help our fellow countrymen, no matter what our differences.

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