2016 Bloggers Retreat: Blog Now, Sleep Later

2016 Bloggers Retreat – Blogging retreat at The Wyndham Grand Desert Resort in Las Vegas, NV. We all had so much fun!!

Well, it’s taken me about a week to put this post together and I’m still coming off of a major high from spending an extended weekend with my blogging buddies in the spectacular Las Vegas! Our #Blog Now, Sleep Later bloggers retreat was more than I could have ever hoped for. Every blogger that attended this retreat was amazing and I did my best to spend time with each and every one of them. There’s just something about spending time with “your people.” The people that “get you.” They understand your fears, your dreams, your excitement. They just “get you.” We learned together, we ate together, we laughed together. . .and we even cried together.

Before this retreat, I hadn’t met ANY of these ladies in person. Some of us chatted a bit back and forth online, we were in different Facebook blogging groups together, but I really knew none of them on a personal level. Heck, some of them I had never ever crossed paths with before. Why? I have no idea, but after spending just a few days together I feel like I’ve made lifelong friends!

For a quick summary of the trip, check out the quick video I put together. If you want ALL the details, watch the video and then keep reading!! 🙂

Las Vegas is one of my favorite destinations EVER! Before kids, Josh and I would go to Vegas a couple times a year. Since kids, we don’t get there as often, but being there again made me want to plan another trip for just the two of us! Andi from The Weary Chef is really the one we all need to thank for pulling this whole thing together. She chose a hotel off the strip that had nice big suites with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, full kitchen, etc. The Wyndham Grand Desert was a perfect choice! Check out the video I took of our room upon arrival to the hotel!

I anxiously waited for my roomies to arrive at the hotel. I had so much fun getting to know Sheryl from Lady Behind the Curtain and Jamie from Love Bakes Good Cakes. They are the sweetest ladies ever and so much fun to sit up until the wee hours chatting with!

So, I suppose you’re wondering what a bloggers retreat is and what we do at one? Believe it or not, we had session-packed agendas for both Friday and Saturday while we were there. Of course we took some extended lunches and that sort of thing, but come on now. . .we’re food bloggers and it’s business, right?

Well, the excitement on Thursday afternoon started with a text coming through as we all were arriving, “Come down and help us carry!”

Vons, one of our sponsors was gracious enough to help feed us all while in Vegas. We food bloggers LOVE food – we love making it, we love talking about it, we love taking photos of it and we love EATING it! From eggs and bagels to chips and salsa, we were covered. Thank goodness for that.

One of our most memorable meals was at Gordon Ramsay’s BurGR in Planet Hollywood.

I ordered the American Burger which was amazing (I wasn’t as adventurous as some of the others) and the Shake #4 off of the Sugar Fix section of the menu was what really blew my mind. Holy yum.

It was an Oreo shake topped with crème brûlée pudding and garnished with an Oreo. If someone would have asked me to go to eat there again, I would have. You can bet I would have ordered another one of those heavenly shakes!

The other wonderful meal we had down on the strip was at the Wicked Spoon Buffet in the Cosmopolitan. Thank you to Gourmet Garden for sponsoring this delicious lunch. The selection was incredible and I think we all gave the gelato a big thumbs up. 😉

To say thank you to Andi, we presented her with a personalized cutting board with her blog logo cut into it. That afternoon was so much fun!

Pictured from left to right: Nicole (Or Whatever You Do), Andi (The Weary Chef), Susannah (Feast and West)

On Friday evening after a wonderful meal at Bahama Breeze sponsored by MediaVine, we decided to hit the Las Vegas Strip and check out The Bellagio. Whenever I’m in Vegas I HAVE to stop by this gorgeous hotel to see the gardens and watch at least one fountain show. I’m so happy I accomplished it on this trip!

The gardens were beautifully decorated for spring and the fountains were also amazing. Believe it or not, I did my first Facebook Live broadcast here!

And I had the best company EVER with me that night.

From left to right: Heather (Heather Loves Food), Me :), Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector) and Amy (Little Dairy on the Prairie)

And for a close up. . .

The whole experience was a bit surreal and I’m so ready for the next bloggers retreat. I’m thinking that I need to get together with Cathy from Lemon Tree Dwelling and Jenny from Honey and Birch and get some of us Midwest bloggers to meet up!

It really does the soul good to be around “your people.” I feel so very blessed to have had this opportunity!

Have you taken a memorable trip lately? I can’t wait to hear about it!