When I first started blogging, I had no idea that it would go on to become a source of so many close friendships.
I mean… I expected to make connections with people, but not to the point where I’d have no problem travelling across the country (or to a different country) to see them, or where a day without constantly texting back and forth would leave me feeling like something was missing from my life. Truth be told, I never really expected to physically meet anyone at all — the concept just felt a little strange to me.
But then I took a chance and went to my first blogger conference, and now, at almost 3 years into this whole blogging thing, it’s hard to imagine life any other way. Blends (blogger + friend) simply became friends, and a blogger retreat in Colorado simply felt like a fun weekend with the girls…
Aaaaand that was just a really longwinded and semi-sappy way of saying that today’s post is going to be a Blend recap. I’ll stick to the main events today, and throw in some random tidbits in tomorrow’s Thinking Out Loud…
Thursday…
Like last year, I opted to head out a day early so that things wouldn’t feel so rushed. The day started with an early flight to Calgary, which was quite possibly one of the most uncomfortable flights I’ve ever been on. The flight itself was blissfully short (about 40 minutes), which is actually why it was so uncomfortable… The plane was small, and we spent 20 minutes going up, and then 20 minutes going down. No smooth sailing.
But my layover was nice and short and I even got to know one of the security officers better when I was “randomly” chosen to be frisked. I thought about playing the “at least buy me a drink” card, but I figured they probably get that a lot so I tried to keep my dignity in tact as best as one can while being publicly felt up by a stranger.
Insert one uneventful plane ride to Denver, one squealing airport reunion with Roomie #1 (Meghan) and Roomie #2 (Lucie), one way-too-long shuttle ride to Boulder, and we were finally there! With “there” being Chautauqua Park.
Now… this is where I completely failed at my blogger duties, as I forgot to actually take a picture of aforementioned park. And our cabin. And pretty much everything else. BUT! I did manage to snap a picture of this clever little rock that was hanging out by our cabin steps, so… there’s that.
Other than that, not much else happened on Thursday. Spent some time with the roomies, hit up Whole Foods to stock up on snacks, and mostly just hung out in our cabin until we were ready to pass out. The night ended with Roomie #3 (Carly) arriving at around 11 PM, and everyone passing out shortly after squealing and exchanging hugs.
Friday…
Friday morning was relatively quiet. We ended up walking around Boulder a bit to kill time before the retreat officially kicked off; and you know what that means — SWAG BAGS!!!
[picture ninja’d from Heather]
I’m pretty sure that this year’s swag outdid even last year’s swag — there was so much of it that I had to leave a lot behind because I was afraid it wouldn’t fit into my suitcase. The sponsors were super generous, and we walked away with tonnes of snacks, clothes, and even a nice yoga mat… which I’m still not quite sure how I managed to squeeze into my smaller suitcase. Either way, the swag was epic, and there was even a good amount of it that I could enjoy despite my peanut allergies.
After registration, I think we mostly just hung around in our cabin and chatted while slowly getting ready for cocktails and dinner. We made a pretty good looking bunch, no?
Once again, it was an awesome evening filled with food, friends, and fun. Even though it was a bit chilly. And slightly harder than it was last year to walk around and socialize since there wasn’t much space to move around.
Saturday…
Saturday started bright and early with a bootcamp sponsored by Gnarly Nutrition. I opted to sit that one out, but word on the street (read: at breakfast) was that it kicked people’s butts. Breakfast was a good one (sponsored by Love Grown, Justin’s [where THE Justin actually made an appearance], and Flapjacked), and then it was time to scale a mountain go hiking with Detour!
You guys know the mountains are my happy place, so this is one part of the trip that I looked forward to the most and it definitely didn’t disappoint…
After the hike, I enjoyed a little downtime while my roomies hit up the farmers’ market in Boulder. The weather was turning a little janky, so we decided to put together a spread and enjoy a night in while playing Cards Against Humanity.
Sunday…
Sunday was a sad day because it was time to say goodbye, and it was made even sadder by the fact that I had to do it super early. I booked an 11:30 AM flight to avoid having to hang around till 9 PM, so I left Chautauqua at around 8 and missed the yoga session, breakfast, and closing ceremony. Womp, womp. Pair that with a crazy turbulent flight, and all I wanted to do was face plant on my couch by the time I got home. So that’s what I did.
And that pretty much sums it all up! Blend was a tonne of fun this year, and I loved being able to see old friends while meeting some new faces. There definitely wasn’t enough time to see ALL the people, and do ALL the things, but hey… there’s always next year 😉
Have you ever met another blogger in person?
Were you at Blend this past weekend?!? 😀
Are you planning on going to Blend next year?
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holy swag!! Looks so awesome–all of it!
Ah, so jealous that you have something unique like this, and in the beautiful setting of those mountains too, which as a fellow mountain lover, I know you love as much as I do!
Shame there isn’t something similar here, somewhere in the Scottish Highlands! 🙂
ughhhhh so many regrets about not going. next year? hopefully? P.S. I am more than happy to take those Quest bars off your hands :-p
Does that mean you’ll be coming to visit again?!!? 😀
Colorado as well as all of you ladies are gorgeous!! so much fun
BLEND sounds like so much fun! I am so jealous! I want to go next year!
I am glad you had so much fun!
Lots of exclamation points in this comment!!
Yay for exclamation points!! 😀
This sounds really fun, even though I’d be terrified if I was attending. I’ve made some cool connections with other bloggers – but none really that I’ve started ‘real’ friendships with. But that’s an awesome side effect of the blogging world 🙂 xoxo, ganeeban
Why is this post not named Spoony Feets in Colorado. I demand a re-write.
Also I love the picture of the four of us on the porch with Lucie’s selfie stick. It might be my favorite still shot of the weekend. Lucie’s video takes the cake though, just not the grand prize. I call shenanigans.
Wahooooo for another successful trip!!
It was missing a certain Britt 😛
FUN!! Some of my best friends I met through blogging. I would love to attend Blend or Blogfest sometime!
Not seeing the plethora of Blend recaps making their way into my Bloglovin’ feed after the weekend might have been the only positive I could see in my current restricted internet access. Okay, who am I kidding? I’d have caught up on them right once I’m back with a stable connection to get at least a whiff of the amazing atmosphere. It once more sounds like a serious blast. One day I’ll attend it myself. One day … Until then I’ll vicariously live through your pictures 🙂 .
I am dreaming of making it to Blend next year. I actually think it’ll be on my goal list for 2016. I think it is the perfect retreat for blends to just connect and talk in ‘real life’. I loved meeting other bloggers at HLS back in 2013, so I can’t imagine what Blend would be like!
Ohhh how I wish I could’ve been at Blend this past weekend! Reading all of your recaps is making me super jealous. 😉 But, I’m SO glad you had such an incredible time. Love those ladies you roomed with!!
It would have been awesome to have you there again this year, Ash! But I’m glad I got to meet you last year 🙂
I’m ecstatic you had the opportunity to attend Blend! I am impressed with the amount of companies that sponsor the trip! It looks like the group was blessed with some beautiful weather and a gorgeous backdrop for the retreat.
Sorry to hear your plane rides were less than spectacular, but I am glad to hear that you had fun overall. 🙂
Your girls do make a beautiful bunch! It’s so much fun seeing familiar faces together. It looks like it was a great time. And holy swag, batman! Blend sure knows how to hook it up!
Y’all do make a good looking bunch indeed – and look at that swag!!! Blend sounds like it was sooo much fun again this year! I’ve met some bloggers from the Atlanta Food Blogger Association, and I’ve met Dixya from Food Pleasure Health – but that’s it so far! One of these years I hope to run into ya, lady!
Ahh CO looks so beautiful.. and love that you guys stayed in a cabin instead of a hotel! I really really hope to go next year to meet all of the peeps I have been stalking, I mean reading about, for years!
I really, really hope to see you next year as well <3
Sounds like such a great time. If my life hadn’t been so in limbo, I would’ve gone this year. Oh well, there is always next year! I’ve meet two bloggers in person but that was before I started blogging.
So much fun! I wish I was able to partake. Maybe next year. I love the swag you got. Gosh there was a lot of it!! I love that you were able to meet up with blends you’ve grown to love and become real friends with. It’s crazy how sometimes I feel like we’re closer to bloggers than friends in real life!
This sounds like the best weekend ever! Surrounded by like-minded, awesome people, good (healthy) food, workout, hiking, farmer’s market, I would have done alll of it! I’m going to dream of being there next year, and I’m not even a blogger, lol. (Does instagram count;-) )
I met a friend that I’ve met on instagram last month at a fitness expo, it was sooo cool! We totally get along so well in real life too. I wish I could met all the people I know from social media… the internet is amazing!
Instagram definitely counts! There was a handful of people there who didn’t have blogs. You just have to like health and fitness 🙂
I’ve heard so much about Blend and I’ve always wanted to go! Unfortunately this year it didn’t fit into the budget, but maybe next year!
I’m hoping you include the Lucie goes Baywatch video in your ToL post ;-). Funniest moment of the entire trip. It was so great to finally meet you in person… Next year, you’re not leaving early. It’s been decided.
Well seeing as it’s been decided… I won’t argue with that!
How fun! I used to think it was weird to meet people over the internet, but now I think it is so cool!
Times are definitely changing, eh?
Aw, it looks like you had such a great time. Since the mountains are your happy place, you should come down here this weekend so we can climb a mountain on Saturday. A group of us are heading out to Kananaskis! SAY YES!!!!
Gosh, this made me so nostalgic for the first Blend retreat! Totally jealous of all your swag. I LOVE Honey Stingers! 🙂
It sounds just as amazing as last year! So glad you had such a great time! I REALLY want to get there one of these years! It’s hard with the babies now, but hopefully, I’ll be able to pull it off at some point. It sounds like such an amazing experience!
Aww yeah I can imagine it would be tough! But some of the girls actually brought their kids out! It was super accommodating 🙂
It sounds like such a great, low-key weekend with some amazing ladies! Blend always chooses the coolest locations!
Looks like a ton of fun! Boulder is one of my favorite cities, and it looks absolutely beautiful in your pictures! I would love to go to one of these blogging events some year, maybe I’ll see you there next year 🙂 By the way, that dress is adorable! Good pick 🙂
Boulder really was gorgeous! I loved the feel of the city, and so many people seemed to be into health and fitness, so it was a great place for the retreat.
Looks like a great time! I am going to Blogfest in July and can’t wait! I went to Fitbloggin last year and it was an amazing experience. I would go again but my best friend is getting married that same weekend. Bummer too since it is Denver and that is one of the places I want to visit!
What a fun and relaxing time. It sounds like you were able to socialize, but didn’t have to be GO GO GO! And that swag? Oh wow! By the way, I love Cards Against Humanity, but you sure need to play it with the right people! 🙂 Happy Wednesday, Amanda! So glad you had a great time at Blend.
Definitely the right kind of people! I’ve heard some people mention playing with their parents before, and I honestly don’t think that’d go over very well with mine 😆
Aww!!! You guys look like you had so much fun! And gotta love those little Canadian plane rides, eh? Yikes.
Glad you had a great time! Your recap was awesome (especially the part of you and the security guard becoming close I really did lol) You looked pretty loved your dress (if I only had a single son hehe). Thanks again for your great writing. Have a wonderful day.
Arlene
i cannot wait for our reunionnnnnnnnnnnnnn with the M.
You both need to come up and visit my part of the Rockies. Make it happen.
Love this recap! It seems like such a fun event! These are the reasons I love the blogging/health/fitness community! PS that hike seemed AMAZING! I’ve never met another blogger in person, but back before I had a blog I saw a girl who’s blog I follow as I was driving around Boston and yelled out the car window I followed her blog! Haha.
Aw it looks like you guys had a great time. And yes, my days are thrown off when I don’ text with you!
This all looks so awesome! I really, really want to visit Colorado and combining city like Denver with an experience like Blend must have been truly fantastic to experience. Honestly, the idea of blogger friends had never occurred to me, except I realized a bit after joining that some fellow November Project tribe girls had blogs!
Beautiful! (both the ladies and the views!) Oh, and I think I need to come to one of these for the swag alone! haha
YES! I’d love to meet you after so many years of blog stalking 😛
Argh, as usual, I’m so jealous!! 🙂 I definitely want to plan for next year if I can…
Love all of these pictures, especially the one of you girls all dressed up (as I just commented on Meghan’s recap!) I really would love to make the trip next year, I have to figure out how to make it happen. Oh, and the swag bags, WOW!
I live in Denver and was hoping to be able to go to Blend for the first time, but unfortunately things came up so it wasn’t able to happen. Maybe next year?! Looks like you had a great time and really enjoyed it!
There’s definitely always next year 🙂 And you live in a super gorgeous place!
That sounds like so much fun!!! I’ve made some awesome friendships through blogging and I’m so thankful for that!