STEEMFEST

was one of those events that feels like home. 

Where our people are. 

Where we can slide right into the arms of love and not fall.

The Steemit community sustains itself on 

bringing our best to the table and sharing it prolifically.  

(We know this works as we do it everyday at the @gardenofeden.)

Three short days together at Steemfest  

and it appears many are having the melancholy blues.

So here's a little uplifting dose from Amsterdam 

and a reminder of the greatness we are together.

@mammasitta and @ned --- ahhh!  What beauty there is in this joyous interaction.  

(The photo isn't all that great, but the feeling certainly is!)

A mystery man to me and @daniel.errey

A chummy ride through the canals, a refreshing time to connect and see the sights at the same time.

yogi @saramiller doing what she does wherever she goes, sharing her passion for yoga.

Just one of the reasons why I thank god everyday for Sara!!

@tatianomoroz gracing us with a song -- then she stopped abruptly to save her voice for another performance.

Our unison exclamation was "Awe*!?!*"   We were so into that song!

@andarchy  showing his character.  

He is a super personable guy showing up in surprising ways like this.

@ottodv talking with @cryptos

One of the sponsors of Steemit Culinary Challenge - @razvanelulmarin

The engaging conversations were at every turn of the head.  

Every face a new opportunity to explore this powerful community..

@ballinconscious in Tobacco Theater.  Michael Ball was one of the first people I saw in the lobby on Friday morning at the Volks Hotel.  A great distance from our mutual stomping grounds (DFW Texas), I saw him there donning his massive head of dreads.  I hadn't seen him in many moons and didn't even know he was on Steemit.  Michael grew up with my children in the unschooling community and his mother and I are great friends and have done art collaboration pieces together.  You never know who you're going to meet half way across the world.

@futurefood setting up to capture more amazing moments to share with the community.

He is also going to document his own journey with food (or no food for that matter) for this next year.  

It will surely be an interesting story to hear.

@ned plays the guitar and gave us a little taste during an impromptu jam session. I really appreciate how accessible Ned was to everyone during Steemfest. He is such a humble, genuine guy, putting great value on the Steemit community. Very impressive.

@furion is a breath of fresh air, popping up out of seemingly nowhere in his quiet, peaceful presence.

@kevinwong - what a focused guy.  I sat next to him on Friday while he made time for blogging amongst the flurry of arriving Steemians.  What a great example!

@shenanigator, and @sharingeverybite

Sunday night's dinner party was an incredible finale to this weekend.  It was one big celebration of joyous opportunities seized.  

@gandalf,  @firepower, and @anyx.  

The registration was smooth as clockwork.  Stepping into room No. 5 was a huge inviting catalyst for the beginning of something great.  Who wouldn't want to be greeted by spunky @firepower and others who flawlessly got us all in flow AND rewarded us for being there?

Two of the most beautiful people on the planet @anahilarski and @hilarski.  Truly amazing these two are in their genuine support of this community (and the @gardenofeden).  Randy's mom @sunscape is also on Steemit--quite the gem as well.

Tobacco Theater with @sneak and me.  The photocube, snacks and herbal activated water, and couches for lounging and getting massages were the perfect set-up.  I gave this guy a well-deserved massage, but just cannot remember his name.  

@robrigo, @roelandp, and @onceuponatime

Sitting near the window close to the entrance at the VolksHotel, @onceuponatime held this space for some time, sharing his never-ending smile.  It was an easy gathering space for new to the Fest Steemians to find each other and break the ice.

@sjennon, @firepower, @anyx

Isn't it so fitting that when the camera comes out, we just fling our arms around each other and cozy up for a photo op.  (We've notice that "cozy" is a word loved by those in Amsterdam--true expression of how they be!)  As the weekend goes on, the picture frame would get fuller and fuller (is that even a word?), as anyone standing around would just pop in front of the lens with magnetic pull.

Meeting you all has made great upgrades to my whole Steemit experience.

I hadn't spent as many hours on Steemit before SteemFest 

(like my ever-steady Steemit @gardenofeden laughing buddy @saramiller), 

so many of the names of you were unfamiliar to me upon arrival. 

Now I feel WAAAYYY more connected to all of you, 

even if I don't remember all of your dual identities.

Seeing my new friend's posts in the feed immediately gives me that feeling of reconnection.

Commenting is like a personal conversation, jumping in where we left off in the VolksHotel.

Appreciating each other's writings, photographs and expressions is somehow more intimate now.

Knowing you, seeing you, hugging you and feeling the energy has made all the difference.

I'm still flushed with gratitude for @roelandp for bringing us all together.

@roelandp

@roelandp

The future!!!!!

Not only were we together, 

but we were treated like Kings and Queens 

in decadent fashion.

And I am still knowing that the best is yet to come. 

How could we EVER top that mind-blowing, juicy experience?

Well, I do know how actually - 

@quinneaker will be up in the mix!!

Visionaries connected with visionaries 

makes for dynamic explosions of profound possibilities.

Quinn has already doing it on his own in magnificent ways 

for nearly a decade with his expansive awareness in consciousness,

 so powers combined will no doubt make history.

I'm so incredibly excited to see what comes next!

I've actually experienced this intense melancholy feeling before from an international conference full of unschoolers.  @quinneaker was a speaker there and is one of the oldest unschooling  icons in the world.  Free minds make room for powerful connections, rare in states of indoctrinated existence.

 I now remember the emptiness of having pieces of my soul going home with others all around the globe, and the fullness bringing everyone else home with me.

Thank you all for the memories!