It is not just an O.A.R. song.
My trip to ASHA 2015 in Denver, was truly filled with love and memories.
I left my family and work back at home and got to experience a trip of a lifetime.
I joined up with 14 other AMAZING ladies that also blog. We had a booth in the exhibit hall. If you have yet to attend the convention, it is the place to be in between sessions!! It is HOPPING!! So many companies sharing what they have in store for SLPs.
I had fun handing out “swag” to those that stopped by the booth!!!
I got to hand out special gifts to those with my secret password!
We even had a meet and greet sponsored by the AWESOME Yapp Gurus!! If you are not familiar with their site, check them out!! Great way to learn all about SLP technology!! I got to spend tons of time with them this trip and they are just amazing people. I really look forward to connecting with Yapp Guru in the future!!
We had TONS of prizes to give out!!! Of the 150 people that came, almost everyone went home with a prize!!! Thank you to those companies that contributed!! YOU ROCK!!
Our table filled with prizes to give away:
We had the amazing Jenna from Speech Room News and Felice from The Dabbling Speechie (do you see her awesome fairy wings???? How awesome is that?! Felice was giving away fairy dust in a cute bottle that can be placed on a string so convention attendees can spread magic in their speech rooms.) on the microphone:
The energy and LOVE for SLP Bloggers was contagious at this event!! I couldn't help but soak it all in!!
These girls ROCKED!!! Keep up that energy and love!!! None of them went home empty handed! (I made sure of it!!) Please stay in contact girls!! Send me an email, or IG/Facebook message….would love to hear how you liked your special prizes!
And of course, some awesome group shots of us from the event:
I got to attend amazing sessions at the convention. I got to see Jenna from Speech Room News and Nicole from Speech Peeps present on Common Core Practical Treatment Strategies. THEY ROCKED!!! They filled a 500 person conference room and 2 overflow rooms. If that isn't success, I don't know what else is!
And another one on working on Inferencing (topic I am so fascinated in!):
I got to learn more on syntax:
Got to check out Maureen from The Speech Bubble SLP's poster session on using storybooks in therapy! She rocked!
I also learned about working on math in speech. Such great concepts and ideas!
Last but not least, some fab SLP bloggers did a presentation on social media for SLPs!!
I also got to meet SO many SLPs at the exhibit booth!!! It was amazing to see so many getting into the selfie contests and approaching me with my “secret” password for a free download! SLPs at ASHA learned more about SLP bloggers and how we share “real life” therapy ideas!!!
Here an ASHA attendee was busy crossing off the bloggers she got selfies with to make sure she got 15 entrees to our giveaway! Loved the determination!!!!! Notice she is using a purple Speech Time Fun pen to cross them off!
Here is another attendee using my Speech Time Fun pen and a Speech Bubble post it pad to write down information about the SLP on TpT newsletter! Everyone loved learning more about how they can get free downloads in their email inbox every Sunday!
I also got to meet SO many venders that I have been fortunate enough to have communicated with via e-mail over the years but have yet to ever meet in person! I even got to meet new ones too!
I also got to meet and grab a t-shirt (and poster and temporary tattoo) from the Peachie Speechie! If you don't know her t-shirts, check them out!! Super cute, super SLP fun, and super comfy! She was giving away a Cariboo and her booth always had a long line….you go girl!
I also got to meet “speechie celebrities” like Sharon Webber from Super Duper Inc., Nancy Kaufman who makes the awesome articulation programs and cards for students with apraxia, Erik X Raj, and Michelle Garcia Winner from Social Thinking!
And last but not least, I have to share some selfies and fake selfies taken throughout the convention.
Overall, this trip has been AMAZING! I have learned so much between workshops and from my blogger colleagues. I laughed, I cried (ok laughter tears), and was totally inspired. I have so many ideas to use in my therapy room from this trip. I also learned from my blogger colleagues and cannot wait to try some things out on my little website! Stay tuned to see what happens next!!
If you have read this blog post in its entirety, were you able to locate me and spot me in the photos I posted?! 🙂
Want to learn a little more about ASHA? Check out this blog post!
