Heading to Miami

The following post is sponsored by Visit South Walton Beach Florida. All opinions are my own. 

You might not know it by the looks of this blog, but I DO do other things besides cook, ha ha!

The past few months have been a whirlwind of activities for our small family. We’ve been buried in paperwork pertaining to our mortgage, (it’s still hard for me to believe that we’re finally buying a house!), driving around looking a different houses, and of course, scouring Pinterest for ideas that I’ll get to implement soon, not just drool over. What am I most excited about? The kitchen and the backyard garden! It’s easy to get lost on Pinterest; there are so many terrific ideas.

Not only do we have houses on our mind, but it’s time to renew our foster care license, which involves more paperwork and Continuing Education. Sergi has of many big projects going on at his job too, so he’s putting in a good amount of hours. I’m still plugging away at my usual job, wifely and motherly activities and of course, keeping up with the blog. I’m testing out new recipes, then taking pictures and finally writing the recipe and posting it for you guys.

Since it’s been so hectic lately, we’re especially looking forward to this weekend. Sergi and I are heading to Miami to the BlogHer Food Conference. When I started the blog in 2012, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I loved to cook and write. Blogging about my kitchen adventures seemed like a great way to share my recipes and tips with others. It’s been a fun 2 years and I’ve certainly learned a lot. When I look at my older pictures, I cringe, but it’s also really encouraging to see how far we’ve come.

I am so excited! First of all, it’s going to be amazing meeting other food bloggers, learning from the experts, and also having a weekend getaway with my husband. Yep, he’s coming too. He might not write any of the posts here, but I wouldn’t be able to keep the blog going without Sergi. Not only does he take a lot of the pictures here, he helps out with so much of the work behind the scenes, which includes listening to all my ideas, figuring out technical things, getting on the phone with hosing companies and much, much more. We are always trying to make this blog better, learn as much as we can and expand our horizons. We eagerly bought our tickets this past winter for the conference and from the looks of the program, it is promising to be amazing. It would have been unforgivable not to go, since this year’s conference is in Miami, just a hop, skip and a car ride away. I love driving with my husband anyway; it gives us time to talk and catch up on everything.

I was thrilled to be chosen to represent Visit South Walton Florida, one of the sponsors of the conference. Check out their website, with an array of gorgeous photos of that part of the state. They really have all your needs covered, showcasing all the beaches in that area, where to stay and what to do. They are going to have a culinary showcase on Friday night, with award winning dishes prepared by amazing chefs.  As a fellow Floridian, I am proud to sing praises of our beautiful state and can’t wait to indulge in all the wonderful treats they’ll be cooking up.

Florida is such a cheerful, happy place and one of the main reasons for that is also one of the most basic – sunshine. It’s sunny here more than 90% of the time. When you wake up in the morning and are greeted by the sun’s perky, bright rays, you can’t help being in a good mood. As I drive around town getting boring but necessary errands done, I am surrounded by clear blue skies, gently swaying palm trees and expanses of sandy white beaches and the blue green water of the Gulf of Mexico.

People travel here from all over the world for vacations, and I LIVE here. I might not think about it every single day, but I do appreciate it and still savor the gorgeous scenery all around me, not to mention incredible weather most of the year.

If you’ve never been to Florida, I highly recommend coming for a visit. I live here folks! You can’t get a better endorsement than that. If I didn’t like it, we would have moved a long time ago, preferably somewhere closer to my parents and sisters:).

Stay tuned for the next few days and follow along on my special getaway. I’ll be sure to keep you posted with lots and lots of pictures on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter:). You can pretend that you’re coming along with us. And if you’re going to the conference too, I would love to meet you there!

A huge thank you to my brother, sister and their spouses for babysitting our two boys this weekend. They are my heroes.