Road Trip – Houston to Austin for the Mom 2.0 Summit!
A few weeks ago, my blogging best friends came into town and we had the most fun being together in Houston and road tripping to Austin for the Mom 2.0 Summit!
Mom 2.0 Summit is a conference for digital creators, influencers, bloggers, YouTubers, etc. You have the opportunity to hear a lot of big name speakers (Brene Brown was there, y’all), and also get to attend a lot of breakout sessions geared towards your interests. I actually had the opportunity to speak at the conference with my friend Kendra all about beauty and self-portraits, and it was such a great time!
For this recap, I’d love to share the high points of the trip – all of my favorite things from our time together! But before we get to that, I did put a little travel vlog up on my YouTube channel recapping the trip. Give it a watch and let me know what you think!
My Favorite Parts of our Girls Trip…
Now, onto the highlights of our trip!
Girls’ Night Dinner at Finn Hall in Houston
Houston friends (and anyone planning to visit), have you heard of Finn Hall? It’s a new food concept in downtown that you’ve probably seen in other big cities before. It’s a really cool food hall concept that has 10 different local restaurants and 2 bars. It’s an awesome place to get to try all sorts of different dishes!
My girlfriends and I assembled a group and we were able to gather in the Swallow’s Nest, which is the Mezzanine bar and more of a sit-down situation. They offer a full waiter service and you can order from any of the 10 menu concepts in the food hall! This is the perfect idea for group gatherings with all sorts of food interests. You can see more of the food hall and Swallow’s Nest in action in my video above – check it out!
We were able to try a lot of different starter items (the falafel from Oddball Eats was the best I’ve ever had!) from the different food concepts, and then everyone ordered their own entrees. I got the Bibimbap from Yong, and it was so delicious!
Seriously the perfect place for a girls’ night dinner!
Our Road Trip Car – the Yukon XL Denali
I had the opportunity to test drive the GMC 2019 Yukon XL Denali for the week, and when this baby showed up at my house my jaw dropped. This is one beautiful car! We legit felt like celebrities / the secret service getting into the car. I have never thought I would like driving such a big SUV, but it was seriously amazing and we are now considering purchasing one for our family. It was a dream to drive, and surprisingly much easier than I thought!
Some awesome facts about the car….
- So much interior space: This vehicle had second row captain’s chairs, a third row, and a trunk that fit literally all of our luggage without having to move a seat down. Perfect road trip car to spread out and be comfortable.
- 4G LTE WiFi: Particularly helpful when you’ve got a group of bloggers road tripping together. Gotta stay on top of those emails and social media. This really came in handy!
- Apple Car Play: So nice to be able to plug in my iPhone and see it all on the car’s display! I absolutely loved this feature.
Yep, I need one for our family.
Our Luxury Austin AirBnb – Casa Cartel
Y’all. We stayed at the coolest luxury AirBnb in Austin – Casa Cartel. It truly is an amazing architectural and artisan home. The owner did an incredible job of remodeling this gorgeous old home very close to downtown.
Seriously, go hit play on the video at the top of this blog post to see a quick tour of the property. It was insane and slept 11 of us comfortably. There is so much thought and detail put into this property, down to the sheets and pillows!
If you’re taking a group of people to Austin, seriously check this place out! It’s the perfect house for bachelorette parties, girls’ trip, family reunion, etc. It sleeps 16 comfortably!
Mom 2.0 Summit
Of course I had to mention the big reason of why we road tripped to Austin in the first place – Mom 2.0! I love conferences because I am an extrovert – I love to connect and learn in a real life situation. It was so fun to meet so many of my internet friends I’ve “known” for so long.
JeeYoung // Val // Jeannette // Erika
The conference itself was a really well-done event. So excited to see some big name speakers there like Brene Brown and Amber Tamblyn – they did not disappoint!
And one of the big highlights for sure was being to able to speak in a breakout session with my friend, Kendra. We did a whole session on makeup tips for photography and how to take your own photos. So much fun!
Final Thoughts…
I say this all the time but it’s absolutely crucial to get out there and do something for yourself, especially as a mom. We get so stuck in our own routines at home and caring for others, but it’s so important to get away and pursue things that fulfill you. For me, it’s trips and connection with my girlfriends. I love these souls more than I could possibly express.
