Yup, just 12 hours ago I was surrounded by some of the raddest personal finance bloggers in the DC area. And I must admit, it’s a LOT more interesting talkin’ face to face than over the interwebs. I couldn’t believe it, there are *real* people behind these blogs! haha….

And guess what? They like beer! Well, some of them do anyways….a Mr. “Clever” dude likes pink drinks with umbrellas in them. But I don’t judge, I happen to drink blush wine. And since this wasn’t my first time attending one of these gigs (i was sooo nervous the first time), I was able to kick back and soak up all the knowledge & gossip a bit more ;) These guys really know there ish!

Here’s who showed up, in order of my eyeballs seeing them:

1. Me – Rockin’ the hawk & downing the miller lights (@ an irish pub too, luckily I didn’t get flogged)
2. Clever Dude (Mike) – Someone told him that he looked the complete opposite of me and I laughed a bit….kinda felt bad for doing so, but then i realized that he called me an “M/M Fanboy” on this blog today. If you don’t know what that is, leave it that way ;) I wish I could take back 30 mins from last night.
3. Mrs Micah / Blog Crafted (Mrs. Micah) – Still an expert in wordpress/blogger conversions & a basin full of knowledge! If you ever need any code or SEO help, give her a shout.
4. Counting My Pennies (Megan) – Yes! I finally got to see the elusive Megan in real life :) We happen to work within blocks of each other, so it’ll be interesting to see how many times we actually cross paths now that we know what we look like. I wish I could tell you what she does for a living, but my lips are sealed. But I’ll give you a hint: She’s not a Hooker, nor a Private Eye.
5. Amelia’s Healthy Life (Amelia) -Super friendly and a warm soul. First time I’ve met her too, but been a fan of her goals and healthy lifestyle choices for quite a while now.
6. Debt Hater (DH) – Tall & fabulous! And a keen dresser too I must add. Plus she hates debt (obvi) so she’s got it going on over there.
7. Girls Just Wanna Have Funds (Ginger) – Been a big fan of her blog for months now, so I was really looking forward to meeting her in person. She’s def. as friendly & smart as she appears! And her husband who came with was pretty chill as well. Except that he said the Bears will win the Super Bowl next year, and we all know it will be the Redskins.
8. Mapgirl’s Fiscal Challenge (Mapgirl) – Still a huge Caps fan and as bouncy as ever :) She also gave me some pretty good advice last night, I’ll have to put it into play…
9. Budget Pulse blog (Craig) – A new face & blog for me! He’s also working on a movie blog which sounded pretty cool. I don’t stray too far from the PF niche, but hopefully his blog skills can extend over & help him get up there with the big dawgs. He also likes Penn State. a lot.
10. Bargaineering (Jim) – Oh wait, that’s right he ditched us…hope kickball was worth it buster! (I don’t blame you though, kickball is awesome. Our league doesn’t start up for another 3-4 weeks)

So overall a most wonderful night out. If you ever get a chance to meet up with your own PF favs, I def. recommend it. Not only do you learn a helluva lot, but you get to talk about FINANCES :) And the more you talk about it, the more comfortable and confident you get! So get out there and start chatting ya bunch of Cathies…..or at least keep reading Budgets are Sexy – I’m liking this gig more & more every day.