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    Home » odds and ends » Be Here, Now: A #BSP3 Wrapup Post

    Be Here, Now: A #BSP3 Wrapup Post

    Aug 8, 2012 · 17 Comments

    Two Sundays ago, I lied to a customs agent.

    "What was the purpose of your trip?" she asked, not even looking up from my passport. (Her loss - I look much better in person than I do on my passport.)

    Big Summer Potluck

    I paused for a moment, trying to come up with the right answer to her question. I discarded a dozen possible answers, and finally just went with the easiest one. "I went to a food blogging conference," I said.

    And there it was. The big, bald-faced lie.

    Big Summer Potluck

    Sure, Big Summer Potluck may technically be a conference for food bloggers, complete with nametags, featured speakers, printed programs and swag bags full of goodies.  But it's also somehow so much more than the sum of its parts.

    In the week and a half since then, I've been starting and stopping on this post, trying to find the words to describe how amazing the experience was.... and I can't, other than to say that it's simply like no other conference I've ever attended.

    Big Summer Potluck

    There were no panels to tell us to optimize our SEO, to show us the must-have WordPress plugins, to teach us how to take more Pinterest-worthy photos, or to coach us on the best ways to interact with brands and monetize our content.  I handed out less than a handful of business cards, and took home even fewer than that.

    We kicked off the festivities at Pam Anderson's lovely home in rural Pennsylvania, where Pam and her co-hosts Maggy and Erika treated us to a feast of fried chicken accompanied by potluck goodies that had traveled from across the country in carry-on bags and car trunks.

    Big Summer Potluck

    The next day, we gathered for a big breakfast and then sat down to learn to make buttery-soft smoked salmon from Max.  We sweated along with Marisa as she stirred a steaming pot of spiced plum jam and gave us the low-down on making small-batch preserves at home.  We sat outside and wiggled our toes in the grass as we listened to Joy talk about keeping it real, choosing between jealousy and inspiration, and sticking that shit.

    (Yes, that's right. Joy the Baker swears in real life. As if there weren't enough reasons to think she's the bee's knees already.)

    Big Summer Potluck

    We learned a lesson in mindfulness from Brooke as we nibbled on slices of cold watermelon and considered the importance of being fully present in the moment. Molly gave us some straight talk about what it's like to be a professional writer, and about the discipline and practice required to be a good writer. We shared our doubts, our frustrations, our  and our revelations.

    Big Summer Potluck

    And after it was all over, we piled our plates high with pulled smoked pork and more potluck goodies to the sounds of a fabulous bluegrass band. We ate, we drank, we laughed, and we connected.

    Drinks were drunk, silly photos were taken, babies were dandled, and big wooden spoons were used in ways no spoon should ever be used.  Even a torrential downpour couldn't dampen the high spirits.

    Big Summer Potluck

    It's only fitting that we ended things the next day right back where we started, at the Anderson home, for a big waffle breakfast.  Only this time, it really did feel like a gathering of friends, because everyone knows that spending a day sharing together, sweating together and eating together in a stuffy barn loft tends to do that.

    Big Summer Potluck

    I was so busy having fun and eating good food that I kind of forgot to take photos. (And besides, with the number of fantastically talented photographers in attendance, it's kind of pointless to try.)

    This wasn't a conference.  It was a three-day sleepover party full of food, friends (both old and new) and more inspiration than you can shake a stick at.  I came home feeling more excited about this blog than I've felt in months, and determined to make some serious changes in the way I live my life.

    Big Summer Potluck

    I will stop racing through life and spend more time living in the moment. I will find my honest, real voice and I will stick with it. And I will sit down and write every. single. day. no matter how uninspired I might feel.

    However, I know customs agents don't deal well with cathartic displays of self-revelation. So instead of saying all those things, I just lied.

    And know what? I don't regret it one bit. In fact, I'm kind of hoping I can do it again next year.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eliana says

      August 14, 2012 at 12:34 pm

      Such an awesome event indeed. So great to have met you there. Looking forward to keeping in touch.

      Reply
    2. Chef Dennis says

      August 11, 2012 at 1:48 pm

      I love it!! Thanks for sharing all of your gorgeous images with us, it was such a magical weekend!

      Reply
    3. merry jennifer says

      August 10, 2012 at 8:48 am

      Your photos and your words really captured the essence of the BSP. I'm so glad we had the chance to meet and spend a little time talking. I'm looking forward to more of that next year!

      Reply
    4. movita beaucoup says

      August 10, 2012 at 7:28 am

      Dear lady, I am glad that you have returned feeling restored and rejuvenated. And I look forward, as always, to hearing your voice...

      xox

      Reply
    5. SMITH BITES says

      August 9, 2012 at 12:53 pm

      perfect. and i love that you lied. but here? you told the absolute truth. just perfect.

      Reply
    6. Gail says

      August 9, 2012 at 10:49 am

      Sounds so wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    7. Margaret says

      August 9, 2012 at 10:26 am

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the weekend. I also have started my recap post and stopped many times. I'm still working on it, and hope to finish it soon. It was so great to meet you, and hope to see you next year.

      Reply
    8. Sandy says

      August 9, 2012 at 8:53 am

      I love your wrap-up. I am planning to go next year, hell or high water! :)

      Reply
    9. Winnie says

      August 9, 2012 at 8:50 am

      Isabelle,
      What a terrific post. I've stopped and started mine my own recap a thousand times (okay maybe not that many) and now that I've read yours I don't even want to bother because you said it all and you said it beautifully. Loved meeting you and hope to see you next year at BSP4!

      Reply
      • Isabelle says

        August 9, 2012 at 10:01 am

        Winnie, it was so great to meet you (finally!).
        I don't think I had a chance to tell you how much your comments during the Open Mic resonated with me, but it was hands-down one of my favourite moments of the entire conference. Can't wait to see what you share in your recap.
        Here's to an even better time next year at BSP4! :)

        Reply
    10. David @ Frenchie and the Yankee says

      August 9, 2012 at 7:18 am

      Sounds absolutely lovely!

      Reply
    11. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

      August 9, 2012 at 1:05 am

      Amazing trip! I missed BSP again this year. Hopeful to attend in the future :)

      Reply
    12. Carla says

      August 8, 2012 at 11:39 pm

      See I thought you were going to say your lie was you went shopping or site seeing and ignoring the food blogging part altogether. I lied to my coworkers bc they wouldn't get it. Geez I lied more than you did and I didn't even leave the state haha

      So glad I met you in person! I felt better knowing you'd be there since you were one of the few I actually talked to beforehand. I'm going to have to come visit someday then smuggle home coffee crisp and ketchup chips.

      Reply
    13. kelly says

      August 8, 2012 at 11:18 pm

      if lying got you across the border, then i am sure glad you did it! it was so lovely to see you and catch up and laugh and eat coffee crisp. i always work myself up before food blogger 'conferences' so it was wonderful to see a familiar face. chilly day ice cream in toronto: coming soon! xo

      Reply
    14. Colleen (SouffleBombay) says

      August 8, 2012 at 11:07 pm

      A great recap!! I was so great to experience BSP3 with you! One of us lives in the same county and one of us lives in a different country however we both walked away with a few jewels in our bags to apply in real life :) Love it!!

      Reply
      • Isabelle says

        August 8, 2012 at 11:11 pm

        That's the beauty of BSP... it brings us all together and reminds us of the things we all have in common. :) (Though I still think we have better chip flavours. Heh.)
        PS - Thanks for being the awesomest roomie ever! Hope we can do it all over again next year.

        Reply
    15. Annalise says

      August 8, 2012 at 10:58 pm

      Lovely post! BSP sounds awesome, I hope to go some year!

      Reply

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    Hello! I'm Isabelle, and this is my blog. I'm a 40-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, trucker-swearing self-taught cook with a major addiction to vintage cookbooks. Come for the recipes, stay for the terrible puns! Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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