Both Shu and Bryan could not stop laughing the whole time. It was great!

Chelsea and I stayed at the fabulous New York New York hotel because it was cheaper and awesome! It was across the street form the WPPI convention at the MGM Grand.

When we arrived at the NYNY Hotel they upgraded our room that had views of the strip from both angles!  There will be a mix of pro and iPhone pictures in this post ; )

Monday. This day shall forever live to be “The Best Monday Ever!” That morning Chelsea and I woke up early to get to our first class and what do we see?!? Just Chelsea on an Epson Printer ad at the convention! She had a photo shoot with Bambi Cantrell a few weeks prior for this. Unexpected surprise : )

First class we went to was with the famous Jerry Ghionis. We arrived early and got seats up front right in the middle. I could hardly bare my nervous enthusiasm as he took the stage. Maybe a bit of the Starbucks double shot coffee I was drinking too.  I hung onto every word the man said for 2 hours straight. Mind = Blown. All/Any light is my best friend ; )

I found this great video by StillMotion that follows 4 people around WPPI to capture their experiences. I’m actually in the shot at minute 1.09 taking this picture with Jerry! How cool! If you can spot me I’m on there 3 other times too!

As we were settling in to Jerry’s class Chelsea got a call from the fabulous Bambi Cantrell asking if she would model for her at the Epoca Album booth. Of course Chelsea jumped at the chance to work with her idol and headed off to hair and makeup. Chelsea’s hair and makeup was done by professional artist Peggy Wright. On the spot wardrobe was all done by Bambi.

Right in the middle of the convention floor Bambi taught posing techniques to the photographers. Don’t miss Bambi’s Posing Masterclass next weekend on Creative Live. She is so much fun to watch and very knowledgeable, it’s also Free!

I spotted Christine of Simply Bloom Photography an amazing photographer I’ve been following for years. You must check out her and Vivian’s work and see the yummy pastel colors and dream like settings. Seriously, you will start drooling over the photos.

Yayaya! I had a break down when I spotted Millie Holloman at the Kelly Moore Bag booth. I was just beside myself when she came out on the floor and started talking to me. No big deal just standing in the middle of the WPPI convention of thousands of people chatting away with Millie Holloman. She even took my business card and had everyone in the MHP office hold the mustache : D I can’t thank her enough for being so kind to me.

“Star Struck” Need I say more. Front row center. Eyes glued. Jasmine  Star is an amazing photographer and an fantastic speaker! Jasmine will also be teaching a class on Creative Live in the next few weeks.

After the already endless day, it was still Monday! Chelsea and I got dressed up and headed to Airplanes and Blazers at Planet Hollywood Hotel to an exclusive party for the who’s who of the industry. We had the most ridiculously awesome time.  Chelsea and I recognized so many familiar faces that it felt like we were with a bunch of friends dancing the night away. I really feel like so many people there just like me who rarely ‘go out’ and have the opportunity to let loose and party.  Man did people party! The music was INSANE! Michael, DJ of  The Flash Dance did a spectacular job of bring the house down. People were dancing on, around, and in, everything! Then…. the confetti came down! RiDiCuLoUs! The hotel had to turn on the lights and kick us out!

Thank you to the Smile Booth for providing your fancy high tech photo booth taker things! Chels and I had more pictures but they are too embarrassing to show ; )

HIGHLIGHT of the night. Ladies and Gentlemen, Jose Villa. The unparalleled film photographer of the modern world. I still can’t believe that I got a picture with him and how enthusiastic he is to take the picture with me! Seriously look at that face Just beside myself at this point.

To top it off I also got a picture with Joel! Jose’s husband, thats right check it out HERE on the Martha Stewart wedding blog. Did I mention that Joel is a seriously good dancer? Cause he is. I know from personal experience ; )

That day was our whole Monday. Crazy. Now you know why it was the “Best Monday Ever!” The rest of the week seemed a blur. We attended Beth Forester’s marketing class. The girl sitting RIGHT next to us in a class off 300+ won an iPad2. Also the beautiful Susan Stripling. Her class was very inspiring and helpful. I can not wait to use the techniques I learned from her. I took 4 full pages of notes from her class! I would definitely recommend her to any wondering what classes to take at WPPI.

Wednesday night we had a meet and greet dinner with the fine people from Blu Domain. Chelsea and I entered a contest and won a dinner with everyone! We met at the Aria Resort and Casino and ate at Barmasa a 4 star Japanese restaurant where we dined on a 6 course meal. We felt so fancy!

The last full day in Vegas Chelsea and I were tourists. We toted our cameras all over the strip and had so much fun seeing the sights, sounds, and tastes of Vegas!

3 story H&M store at Caesar’s Palace in the Forum Shoppes. A girl’s best friend : )