BlogHer Food 2011

I arrived in Atlanta late Thursday night (actually, it was very early Friday morning) with no idea of what to expect from the BlogHer Food 2011 conference. It was my first blogging conference and with one exception, I didn’t know anyone else going. I knew plenty of twitter and online friends who would also be there, but had yet to meet any of them. I traveled across the country to a new city, for a whole new experience, with a lot of new people. Was I nervous? You betcha!

Quite quickly, however, the weekend shaped up to be above and beyond my modest expectations. I found a kindred spirit in my roommate Melissa from Fork This and became instant friends with so many others, far too many to mention here.

All of the workshops were helpful in one way or another, though some more than others. I am overwhelmed by what others are doing and now feel inspired and motivated to be a better writer and blogger. I left with my brain full to the point of bursting with information, tips, ideas, and visions for the future.

There are so many moments from the weekend that I will remember fondly for a long time to come. Like the excursion to the Sweet Auburn Farmer’s Market, dinner at Social with new friends, the closing party at The Tabernacle, and the late night karaoke at Metro Cafe Diner. The multi-grain biscuit from Thumbs Up Diner is not one I can quickly forget, neither is the red velvet whoopie pie from Sweet Auburn Bakery.

There were less than perfect moments too— like almost missing my connection in Denver, cockroaches coming up out of the sewer grates at night, the complete exhaustion by the end, and having Lisa’s car break down in Little Five Points Sunday afternoon.

But now that I’ve returned to normal life (and have gotten more sleep) I can look back and smile. BlogHer Food wasn’t perfect, but for me it was a weekend spent enjoying the company of like-minded people, eating (for the most part) great Southern food and most importantly, reaffirming my passion for baking and blogging.