I grew up going to Girl Scout camps every summer. I met my husband, working at YMCA camp. Therefore, it made sense for my first blogging conference to be at camp too! The Original Boot Camp for Food and Recipe Bloggers, Camp Blogaway!
Held in the peaceful serenity of the San Bernardino Mountains, Camp Blogaway sells out very quickly! Last year, I missed the deadline. So when the opportunity came up this year, I jumped at it! Let me tell you, it was worth every penny and MORE!
I have so much to share about the extraordinarily talented and wonderful people I met! There were incredible sponsors, amazing guest speakers, fabulous bloggers! I just don’t know where to begin! It’s been two weeks and I’m still processing it. Over the summer I’ll be sharing new recipes and techniques with the bounty of blessings we all received in our swag bags. I knew I would come home with a wealth of new knowledge, but I didn’t realize I’d come home with new kitchen toys and a little Spuddy Buddy! SQUEEE!
While the swag was very nice, most important, were the great people I met over the weekend!
In such an intimate setting, you really have an opportunity to get to know your fellow bloggers and spend time connecting with the sponsors. That was my favorite part! Imagine two days of eating, learning and talking with fun folks who share this crazy passion for food and blogging. I was in heaven!
You’ll have to excuse my excitement. Blogging can be lonely. The majority of the time, I cook and bake in my kitchen, trying to juggle a camera and take notes, before sitting behind a computer, editing pictures and typing out recipes and stories to share. There isn’t a lot of human connection. To find myself among people who understand how to describe a particular step in a recipe, or share my frustration at not getting that “perfect food shot” was thrilling! I met people who travel the world creating dishes for others (I want those jobs!!) An internationally renowned food stylist critiqued a few of my photos (that alone, was worth the price of camp! She has an incredible eye!) I met people, just like me, who get excited over slicing potatoes, getting organized, winning cookbooks and drinking out of celery straws! (I’ll tell you that story later!) Then, there were the amazing women who work in public relations and have been in the food industry for years, all willing to share every ounce of foodie knowledge they possess! WOW! I could have sat and listened to their stories for hours. I even met people, who actually wanted to do Zumba, in the mountain altitude, at 6:30 in the morning! For the record, I was not one of those Zumba people, but I did watch from the patio, sipping my morning coffee, while they exercised. HA!
Needless to say, it was an awesome weekend. I know there will be more stories as the summer unfolds. I’ll be sharing more of what I learned and of course, sharing some of the marvelous products I was blessed to sample. I’ll never forget my first Camp Blogaway and I’m already looking forward to next year!
P.S. Seriously, how can you NOT love a weekend that starts with a Bloody Mary Contest…
followed immediately by a Wine Tasting!
Yes, life at Camp was very, very good!!
Truly one of the best “un”conferences I’ve ever attended. Loved it!
Great Camp B wrapup! It was a great year!
Thank you Dorothy! Congratulations on your Golden Pinecone Award too! Did you ever find someone with pictures to share with you?
It was fun! Thanks for your awesome break-out session and for being such an understanding cabin-mate! I still want to connect with you about some good, local blogging communities to join! Hope you have a Rockin’ Summer! ;-)