Hanging with our waiter Brad. Super-nice guy with the patience of a saint.

This might come as a tremendous surprise to you but I had a night out on the town this past Friday.  I know. Truly amazing… an ACTUAL girl’s night out.  No one is more surprised than me.

I met up with a group of inspiring mom bloggers from across the great state of Maryland.  We convened in Baltimore (Inner Harbor) at La Tasca.  Now, I’ve been to La Tasca a time or two and was thoroughly familiar with their fabulous tapas and Sangria. But this time we were treated like royalty by Santana (manager) and Brad (waiter extraordinaire). The food was, of course, delish!

It was so nice to get to know the ladies BEHIND the blogs.  Some things surprised me and some exceeded my imaginations.  All in all, I had a terrific time surrounded by inspiring women and made some new friends.  Can’t ask for a better girl’s night out than that, can you? (Unless you have a driver and are thereby free to consume vast amounts of Sangria.)

Goodies for the girls!

So without further adieu, let me introduce you to the gals: (Be sure to check out their blogs and give them a shout out on Twitter) From left: Safire from Living in Maryland (@safirecat), Parenting by Dummies (@thenagainphoto),  Lara from Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom (@dipaolamomma), Joanne of Barely Domestic (@BarelyDomestic), Mary from Pajamas and Coffee (@marymac), Moi, Scarymommy from Scary Mommy (@scarymommy) and Lolli of Better in Bulk (@1momof5).

Different styles, different voices but all will make you smile and are worth your time.

Not only was I treated to some fabulous conversation but we also received treats at this meetup!  A big thank you to all of the businesses who gave made us feel like a million bucks: Dunkin Donuts (@dunkindonuts) for hooking us up with gift cards, travel mugs and t-shirts! (Seriously. Coffee heaven for me. Ohmygosh! Thanks MaryMac for torturing them into submission getting the donation!) We also got some great stuff from Shaklee by Clean Mama (@AboutShaklee), Piggy Paint (@PiggyPaint)  and WAT-AAH! (@WAT AAH).  And a big shoutout to Lara from Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom for spearheading the treats as well as organizing this little meetup.  She is a true cheerleader, not to mention Tapas connoisseur.

My hometown of Frederick also came through IN A BIG WAY for the Maryland Mom Bloggers. Muchos gracias to: Candlelight Ghost Tours of Frederick, Dancing Bear Toys & Gifts (@dbeartoys), Maryland Ensemble Theatre FUNCompany (@mdensemble), Author Kristin Kish Whyte – “One More Minute” children’s book  (My neighbor!) and Maryland Life Magazine (@marylandlife).

Did I feel like a queen?  Why, yes. I did.  Was I inspired? Of course!  In the end I discovered that we are all moms who desperately love our children seeking to connect with one another out there in the blogosphere.  See, we are not so different after all.

Pajamas & Coffee + Hip As I Wanna Be = Hip Pajamas?