First a shout out to Carolyn Tann-Strarr, Brad Andersohn, Jeff Belonger, Ines Hegedus, Derek Overby, Pat Kennedy and of course Audrey-June Forshey!

Yesterday started at 3:30 am for me and I am still reeling from the whirlwind tornado ride. I picked up Audrey at 4:15 am were we proceeded to drive in the dark to Dulles Airport in Virginia. I hate airports and Audrey literally had to take the wheel and point me where to go to find a parking space. I have spent many hours circling airports making wrong turns.

We landed at Kennedy Airport around 7:30 AM and stepped out side into the cold 27 degree air. It actually felt refreshing. I wore long johns for the trip thinking it was going to be freezing the whole way. BAD PLANNING. I was sweating all day long.

The cab driver was encased in bulletproof plastic and didn't say one word to us on the way. He drove like a bat out of hell, on the shoulder, over the warning strips, in and out of traffic with horns blaring at us. Audrey and I were literally about to get sick.

We checked in at Inman, paid our $199.00 for the day. And went to grab some chow. After the $25.00 eggs and toast we quickly got down to the 5th floor for a lecture on the future of the real estate industry. We have a lot of changes and technology to look forward to.

Audrey was twitting and e-emailing and looked ready to go. So after the lecture we shot up to the atrium to wait for her friend Carolyn Tann-Starr.

Carolyn greeted me with a warm, friendly hug. Minutes into the conversation, I realized she is an amazing wealth of knowledge on blogging and the social networking medium. She deserves to be getting paid a lot of money for what she knows!!

Audrey and I left for a roundtable discussion on real estate.

When we got back we spent the day talking to the aforementioned Active Rain members exchanging a wealth of knowledge and great stories. It was well worth the trip.

Carolyn Tann-Starr was nice enough to traverse rush hour, New York city traffic to get us back in time to catch our flight!

Thanks Carolyn!! It was a pleasure and privilege to get together with a bunch of knowledgeable and interesting professionals to hear idea and exchange info!

Just a quick addition, Brad Andersohn is a true inspiration to all bloggers. He is not only a genuine guy, but someone who loves what he does. I think you can tell from his posts. If you ever get the chance to talk with him in person, don't pass it up. In five minutes, he clearified for me how to find my own voice and put it on my blog.  Plus, he shared some amazing personal accounts of how effective blogging can create income! Thanks Brad for the great advice!