Last year when I traveled to Phoenix for PJs at TJ’s, I had some concerns going in. This year I didn’t. Really. I was just excited to see my friends and meet new friends and eat food and talk and laugh and have fun. And I did all those things, but I’m not sure how to recap so I’m just going to write some random thoughts, bullet style, and I may even have to come back and update because I’m sure I’ll forget something awesome:

• I’m so glad I made a point of sitting down and talking to people I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to last year AND made a point of talking to new people. Example – Susie was there! SUSIE! And we were in the same room and having separate conversations and I made myself go over and say HI I SEE YOU LET’S TALK, OK? Because I knew from last year it IS possible to basically go the whole weekend without talking much to some people because either (a) it just HAPPENS or (b) anxiety makes me not want to approach people. UP YOURS, ANXIETY! I talked to people. Maybe even a bit too much, in some cases.

• Which brings up: last year I think anxiety and being overwhelmed kind of made me sit there quietly, just soaking things in and not talking. This year it kind of made me act like a hummingbird on crack, flying into things and yapping.  Which is just kind of me. I do wish perhaps I hadn’t let my talky brain override my thinky brain a few times, but again. That’s just me. Once I get more comfortable with people, the dumbass comments slow down a bit because my brain slows down, but for now yes, hello. I can be a bit of an airhead.

• I don’t actually think I’m an airhead. But I’m aware I can come across as one. It’s something I work on in real life – I prepare a LOT for meetings and presentations and things because I know I can just start YAPPING and people may be like WHOA WHAT, but the thing is – as I discussed with Rachael, knowing you’re acting like an idiot means you’re not really an idiot. Because an idiot wouldn’t even realize they are being an idiot. This is my theory. Do not ruin it for me.

• Rachael is the best. This time last year I twitter knew her, but hadn’t met her and since then I’ve hung out with her three times and stayed with her while traveling twice and — I was going to say it seems weird that I met such a good friend on TWITTER but no. It isn’t weird. I met everyone I hung out with this weekend on twitter and it’s not weird. It’s lovely.

Other random awesome things, off the top of my head:

• Yapping outside by the pool with Noemi.

• Diane’s pajamas (toadilly cool).

• Cherry limeade at Sonic. I would like to go back and try every limeade flavour, except maybe the lime limeade. I don’t understand adding lime to your limeade. If it’s not already limey enough, perhaps it doesn’t deserve to be called limeade in the first place.

• It turns out that one of the types of candy I brought is a favourite of Brooke’s and she took a bite and hugged me and was all “I LOVE YOUUUU” and it was awesome and I just love Brooke.

• Kelly in general. She makes me laugh so much. And makes really good faces. I’m a big, big fan of people who can pull great faces to suit every situation.

• I just typed Erica Huff as Erica Hugg and goodness, NO. Oh. I hugged Erica. Erica is not a hugger. I just swooped in on her and terrified her and as I was doing it I could see her face and my brain was all ABORT ABORT and I didn’t know how to do so gracefully so I ended up kind of side-arm patting her on the back which is still TOUCHING her, Lara, oh god, AWK. I’m sorry Erica. I like you a lot and next year I promise to just flap my arms at you. Promise.

• Chipotle. The restaurant – I’ve had chipotle FLAVOURED things before. But not at Chipotle, actually.

• Lynnette KISSED me, you guys. ON THE MOUTH.

• I JUST started following Julia and she’s a lot of fun and TRICKED me into breaking a display at Target and saying bag – which I fell for about 999 times.

• Penny. Oh man. Penny. She is quite simply just the most awesome ever. I actually said to Kelly at one point “How do you STAND IT? How can you sit there and watch her be SO AWESOME EVERY DAY?” She’s just adorable and has the cutest little laugh and does this fake SCOWL when she wants to show her displeasure and oh man. At one point she followed me into my room and said “what are you doing?” in her tiny cute little voice and no – she didn’t say “what doing?” or “what you doing?” or any other little kid version of the sentence. She spoke a SENTENCE to me. “What are you doing?” Oh god. She’s the best and I’m glad I got to pick her up and hug her and kiss her little cheek goodbye. I thought last year she couldn’t possibly get any cuter and there she was. Cuter.

• Queso. I tried queso. It’s delicious but I think I prefer Trader Joe’s horseradish pub cheese.

• Trader Joe’s horseradish pub cheese

• The T. Hanks cake. Come on.

• All the food. The snack wall.

• Nutella (I’d never tried it, shut up.)

• I already mentioned Kelly but I’m going to do it again (I’m just typing my brain out here, y’all (I was told it is ok for me, The Canadian, to say y’all. I’m trying it out.)) She organized everything so well and it was so perfect and not in a “I’m going to throw a GRANDE party with matching flowers and a theme and chalkboard paint and mason jars it’s going to be a Good Thing or a Mighty Thing and people will Talk about the twee fanciness of it all and people will PIN THE SHIT out of it” way, but in a “everyone had fun, everyone felt comfortable, everyone laughed and ate and talked and didn’t do the ‘stand around at a cocktail party in uncomfortable clothes and ‘ha ha, too right, very amusing’ tinkly laugh but really LAUGHED, belly laugh, cry laugh, DEJA LAUGH way” (I’ve lost control of this sentence). It was FUN. Real FUN. And Kelly pulled it all off and thank you, thank you, THANK YOU KELLY.

• Deja’s laugh, you guys. I can’t even.

• Cookie butter.

• Everyone I met last year that I saw again this year: I loved talking to all of you, I really did. I’m afraid to mention names because I’m afraid to forget someone and there truly isn’t anyone forgettable. I love you all. New people! I was SO glad to meet people I “know” but haven’t met and to also meet a few people I didn’t really know at all until this weekend.

• This.