You may already know the names Sherry and John Petersik. If you do not know who these two are, trust me, you most definitely want to know them! Sherry and John Petersik run a successful blog called
Young House Love where they write about everything from DIY and Home Improvements to Family life and The business of blogging. They've been a favorite of mine since 2009 and they are
the reason I tried my hand at blogging (and DIY-ing) back when I became a brand new home owner. They've had appearances on 'The Nate Berkus Show', spots on local Television news stations, Articles in the The New York Times and The Washington Post (check out their press page
here) and with the arrival of their
first book there's nowhere to go but up for these two! On December 1, 2012 I finally got a chance to meet them and this is how it all when down...
It was my usual Saturday morning routine... I wake up and lazily lie in bed while I check my Twitter, Instagram and emails. This particular morning something got my attention and made me jump to my feet! It was this picture from
Young House Love's Instagram:
As soon as I realized they were in D.C. I immediately went to the
Living Social website and snatched up two of the last three tickets to attend their Champagne + Book Signing event happening that evening! I then called my twin sister, Jennifer and begged her to go with me! (How could she say no? I already bought the tickets?!?!) She had heard me rave about the Petersik's and Young House Love so much that I just had to bring her with me to meet these people who inspired me, and so many others, to tackle home projects on our own!
We arrived around 4pm to Living Social's F Street location. Since our book signing time was slotted for 4:30PM we waited around in the gorgeously decorated lobby and in true blog-loving-style, I had to get me some pictures!
When it was finally time to check-in we walked up to the counter and presented our printed passes and handed over our IDs. The woman at the counter handed us each a drink ticket and a black poker chip which would allow us to get our (included in the price) copy of their book for signature.
Making our way down the hallway to what I suppose was the 'drink Champagne and mingle' area, I was once again in awe of the decor and, you guessed it, I took a photo!
Isn't that room sexy?! We noticed right away that we were two of only five people in the room at the time (one of which was a baby in a stroller) so we proceeded to drink, toast, and giggle while we took more photos of ourselves. Our guess was that people came in so excited to see John and Sherry that they didn't stick around to mingle...
After goofing off for about 10 minutes we stepped into the elevator and made our way upstairs. I was finally going to meet the two people that, in my eyes, are the Brad and Angelina of the Blog Word!
Once upstairs we noticed the line. Wow! I was impressed. Because Living Social gave us a reserved time slot, we didn't have long to wait. Handing our poker chips to a lovely young lady she presented us with our books and she gave us each a black marker to properly spell our names for John and Sherry to sign (another genius move). You already know what I did next... Yep! More pictures...
As we got closer we gulped down the rest of our Champagne and began talking about what to say to them and whether or not we should do photos together or separate. We asked if we could do both and they happily accepted!
The meet and greet went very well although it was over far too soon! (For an additional cost they conducted a Holiday Crafting Event that evening but unfortunately due to my last-minuteness we missed out on that). Sherry complemented me on the 'Believe' key necklace I was wearing as I blushed and talked about the two of them inspiring my very first DIY project (horizontal stripes in my bathroom - check it out
here). Jenn and I rambled on about being twins and being from Staten Island, NY and we giggled when Sherry nicknamed us her 'Staten Island Twins'. After pictures were taken, books were signed, and farewells were said we stepped over to the next table to return the favor and sign
their book. (Sherry and John had a copy for themselves printed with extra pages to keep momentous from the tour and a place for fan signatures. Isn't that amazing?!) They've captured my sentimental heart!
(
Leave it up to my sister to realize that they appear to be wearing the same outfits as those seen on the front cover of the book! but hey, that just made it all the more special!)
My twin sister, Jenn, and I had a blast that day in DC meeting The Petersik's and drinking Champagne and later having the best Panini in a place right down the street. It just goes to show you, you never know what adventures will might await you if you decide to do something and just 'go for it' (or check your
Instagram first thing in the morning!) And just in case you are wondering, Yes, they really are as wonderful in real life as they are on their blog.
I must give props and many thanks to
Living Social for putting together such a dazzling event, it was truly worth every cent!
