Vegas Baby, Vegas!

I'm on my way to Las Vegas for my first trip to the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International convention where I'll rub elbows with 15,000 other photographers... (yeah, you read correctly, 15k!), take classes led by many of my heroes (with 2,000 of my closest friends), take a spin around the ginormous trade show to see what's the latest and greatest gear and enter lots of raffles to win free stuff! Needless to say, I'm excited, anxious, and overwhelmed by the amazing opportunity a convention of this magnitude offers a newbie such as myself. I definitely will feel like a fish out of water, but am heading into with my eyes wide open. I'm ready to learn... to take my business to the next level, and I think WPPI will give me that kick in the butt I need to keep motivated, inspired and moving forward.

To alleviate some of my anxiety (for me, new = scary), I've created my personal collage of preparedness. I'm a planner, so I think these items will help me survive the craziness that will likely ensue. 

1. Flats! With a convention this large, there will A LOT of walking involved, so flats will be a must.

2. Sharpies! I've claimed my love for them before, so it's a no brainer that I've already got a fresh set ready to go.

3. Agua. I'm notoriously bad about forgetting to drink enough of it. I'll need to stay focused for the long days & nights, so hydration will be key.

4. More flats! I'm kind of obsessed with these boots and I would get bored with just one pair of flats, so a second (or third) pair will keep my feet happy.

5. iPod Touch. I've loaded it with all my music (duh), but also my creativeLive downloads of Jasmine Star - just in case I feel the need to review...

6.  Zone Perfect bars. Should hunger strike, I'll be prepared.

7. Notepad. Lots of notes to be taken, so I've gotten a brand new notepad to give me plenty of space for the tasty tidbits of info I must not forget.

8. Business cards! Network, network, network. 

9. Green tea. Just in case I feel like I need a little pick me up in morning and the end of the line for Starbucks is across the street (I've heard this is very likely given the number of photographers in one place), this way I'll still be able to get my daily jolt.

I can't wait.