{Disclosure: My attendance at the Blog Brûlée is partially funded by Sponsors of the Blog Brûlée, and I received a discounted registration to the event in exchange for writing this post. Opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated for my time.}
Next month, September, is FFP's blogiversary. I have been blogging for 7, yes SEVEN, years. It's so hard to believe. For kicks and giggles, check out my first ever blog post here, posted on September 2nd, 2007.
I first started blogging because I needed a place where I could answer questions from friends, family and clients. I found I was getting the same questions over and over again and long return emails were becoming common.
Now, I'm no blog historian, but the way I remember it back in 2007, blogging was a fairly new thing. In fact, I remember thinking, isn't it a little nerdy to have a blog? Who would actually read it anyway? But hey, it was free to sign up for Wordpress, so why not? I had no game plan, no long term vision, no blogging skills or knowledge; I just started writing about topics people wanted to know about or what I wanted to research.
In 2009 I blogged my first recipe. Go figure, it was a smoothie recipe. At this time, the food photography craze had not started (or I didn't know about it) so it was totally exceptable to post a normal 'ol point and shoot pic of food (sigh, I miss those days sometimes) or not even post a picture (gasp!). I still have a lot of great recipes on my Wordpress site and I almost get a little emotional looking back through them to write this post. Each recipe is a memory created in my tiny townhouse kitchen, back in the "early years" of being married and a professional. Those were sweet times...
My blogging life turned a very significant corner in the summer of 2012. I found myself at a restaurant dinner table in the company of the very talented and kind Regan Jones and Robin Plotkin. These two registered dietitians had been working in the culinary and internet world, on what I would consider, the cutting edge. They graciously shared their knowledge and experience with me and I remember leaving that meal having a much clearer idea of where I wanted to go as a nutrition professional.
The other important result of that dinner was joining The Recipe Redux, the monthly healthy recipe roundup created by Regan and the ladies at Teaspoon of Spice. Through my connection with this incredible food blogging community, I've learned so much about blogging. I'm really grateful.
But I still have a lot to learn. A lot. I'm nowhere near where I want to be as a blogger nor is FFP reaching it's full potential. With my training being first and foremost in nutrition, this blogging thing has stretched me to learn skills I NEVER thought I would need, or rather, never knew I would need.
When the opportunity came my way to apply for a food focused blogging retreat with some of the same ladies who first guided me, I had to go for it. So next month, I get to celebrate my blogiversary at Blog Brûlée in beautiful Vermont with a stellar group of nutrition and food focused bloggers. Yes we will be laughing and eating delicious food, but I'll also be learning about how to improve my writing and photography. I'm so excited!
So thanks to the founders of Blog Brûlée for including me in this exciting weekend. I really can't wait. And to those who have been to Vermont in September, what the heck is this Florida girl supposed to wear? ;)
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