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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I went to FBC2013 Conference and all I got was this fabulous swag...


As the amazing posts from the FBC conference have been pouring in, I found myself feeling guilty. Guilty for not having this magnificent story to tell straight away about my experience. Any chance I had to sit down at the computer, I would stare at a blank page, counting how many times the cursor blinked a minute, hoping to catch out the previous count time before. I didn't. 

Computer - 1.  Jenny - Nil.


It's not that I didn't have a wonderful time. Oh, quite the contrary. I have so much to say, I just didn't know where to begin. Few times in my life have I ever been to the point I just couldn't find my words. 

This was one of them.  

Now that I've had some time to decompress and digest everything; sit down and really think about it, it was the most incredible experience as a blogger I could have ever been witness to. By the end of the first evening, it was like being part of a really big family. No egos. No agendas. Just friends. I've heard stories of conferences where there were bloggers in excess of 300+, something I couldn't even imagine, considering I still feel bad I wasn't able to meet all of the 80 that were in attendance at this one. 

Looking back prior to the conference, my nerves would have told you a completely different story. I stressed about what to wear for days, I stressed about not knowing anyone, I stressed about catching a bad case of verbal diarrhea - something that often happens when I get nervous, I stressed about people not getting my humour or sarcasm, I stressed about walking into a room and having no where or no one to sit with. It was like having all the worst fears about high school come into play, but wearing really cute shoes doing so.

You can imagine my relief when none of those things happened. Except the shoes. My shoes were pretty kick ass.  

Everything about that weekend was nothing short of stellar. The speakers, the sponsors, the brands, the workshops, THE SWAG, and the food. Oh, the foooooood. 



But more importantly, it was meeting up with bloggers I have long admired, like Aimee Wimbush-Bourque of Simple Bites (who I very soon realized upon meeting is pronounced, 'A-may'. I was a bit embarrassed, considering I've referred to A-may as 'Amy' since I discovered her blog, if you will, all thanks to my American upbringing and bastardizing of most words) Meeting her was surreal. 

Jan from Family Bites. She's like that sister you never had. Heck, she's like the sister you do have. Trust me, that makes total sense in my head. She's super incredible.

Meeting bloggers I only discovered in the last year, like, Meg, from Sweet Twist of Blogging, a blogger I had followed for about a year. I met up with her for drinks a few days prior to the conference when I found she only lived ten minutes up the road from me! (I'm inserting my one allotted exclamation point, because it truly warrants it.) It was like meeting someone I had already known forever. 

Brittany Stager, Mushroom Canada's PR it-girl and blogger behind My Daily Randomness. A girl I connected with pretty much straight away. She's AMAZING! (Ah, screw it. I need to have more exclamation points in this post! Sorry David Leite. I can't help it.) Have you seen Brittany's living room post? Check it out and you'll totally see why I'm crushing on it.

Kelly from The Gouda Life, who I totally think could pass for a Kate Hudson double. She can make an egg look like it belongs in Vogue. Or Gourmet Magazine. Or in my belly. Either or, she's an absolute doll.

Michelle Peters-Jones from The Tiffin Box. This girl. She's even more magnificent in person and can whip up Indian food like no one's business. Which is awesome, because I love Indian food. It was a win-win from the beginning. 

Isabelle of Crumb Blog. She was also my roomie at the conference. She's as incredible as her blog. She's warm. She's funny. She's a wealth of knowledge. And she's also someone that convinced me to call my cell phone service provider and blast them for giving me such a low, crummy data plan. Yeah, you had to be there. 

And finally, bloggers I've discovered through the FBC website and Twitter only months before. There are so many kick ass folks to mention, but the few that made it  - Kathy from eatHalifax, Kris from 80Twenty, Louisa from Living Lou, Jeanine from The Baking Beauties, Christina from Buffy and George - I can go on and on AND ON, but I'll spare you. This time. Ya welcome. Please know there were so many more of you. 

And of course, the three people I owe a mountain of gratitude for this incredible opportunity; Mardi, Melissa, and Ethan.

I was THRILLED. TO. BACON BITS. when I finally met Mardi of eat.live.travel.write. She's my hero. I can talk all the live long day about how wonderful she is. And how she rocks the French macarons like no one's business. 

Melissa, the girl behind the blog, Eyes Bigger Than My StomachA title I can totally relate to on a daily basis. Melissa is the kind of girl I could totally hang out with and totally would if she totally lived here. Totally. I mean that in the most un-stalker way. She's a total sweetheart. And can we please discuss her MAD computer skillz? Yes, skillz with a zed, because I mean business. 

Ethan Adeland. Oh Ethan. Will someone PLEASE get this boy into toothpaste commercials. Please. Aside from being the boy behind the blog, Feeding Ethan, the guy's got some incredible chompers.

At the end of the conference, I said goodbyes and hugged my new friends, wishing them adieu and safe travels. By that point, my emotions were so raw and so close to the surface, I sprinted to my car and burst into tears as soon as I got in. With the lack of sleep (in a good way), the wealth of knowledge I learned, the truly amazing people I met, it all suddenly became too much for me. Mascara down the face in streams, splotches all over my neck - friends, I was an absolute mess. I couldn't figure out why people were giving me weird looks at the gas station when I stopped to fill up my tank. Moral of that story? Check face before pumping gas. 

I never realized how incredible it was to be part of a blogging community. I also didn't realize how important these people would become to me in such a short time. People that deserve nothing but the best in life. People I am so proud of. People I now call friends. 

The same people that help make lives healthier, happier, and more delicious.

One bite at a time. 

30 comments:

  1. I feel the same way! So glad we meet and I look forward to going on our blogging and baking adventures together!

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    1. Me too! It's great to have a sweet foodie friend in my backyard. To many blogging and baking adventures indeed! XO

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  2. Awwww, thanks so much for the lovely compliment Jenny! I loved meeting you, and I was totally energised by your passion and general zest for life :) Boo, that's my token exclamation mark AND smiley gone there. We keep in touch, yes?

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    1. Thank YOU for the amazing compliment, Michelle! You are an absolute gem and I'm SO GLAD I got to meet you! We will most definitely keep in touch! XO

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  3. This may be my favourite recap yet. I love that I can hear you so clearly as I read it but most of all I love that I met THE Jenny Jack. You girlfriend are awesome.

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    1. Ha! Thank you SO MUCH Kathy! I tend to write the way I talk - it can be a blessing and a curse some days. The pleasure was all mine meeting you - and I'm so glad we did! You're simply fantastic...and I mean that from the bottom of my swag-filled belly! XO

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  4. Hilarious and wonderfully written even with excessive exclamation points. They were completely warranted :) Thanks so much Jenny. It was so great meeting you. Yep, getting teary-eyed with FBC2013 nostalgia now.

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    1. Thank YOU Christina! Your words mean more to me than you know! It was awesome meeting you as well! You're spectacular and I can't wait to see what fabulous posts you come up with! XO

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  5. Great post.
    I think this sums up how we all felt.

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    1. Thank you Redawna! It was nice to know I wasn't alone and we all had our hang-ups about the weekend. I'm just so glad we all faced them and went! XO

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  6. I love this recap. Love love love. And not just because you said such sweet things about me. :) It was wonderful to meet you and hang out with you. Hopefully we can do it again the next time there's a conference.
    PS: I know David Leite disapproves, but I think exclamation points are a perfectly acceptable form of punctuation... especially since you totally talk with exclamation points in real life. :)

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    1. Thank you Isabelle! I've been told a few times that I talk with enthusiasm, but I like your metaphor better! I guess there's no hiding the way I feel. You are such a talented and lovely lady! It was SUCH a pleasure finally meeting you in person - and that you didn't snore! I look forward to seeing you at the next foodie event! XO

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  7. Great recap, Jenny! Truth? You've got me tearing up now.....
    I can totally relate to what you say about the warmth of these bloggers. I have a few of those 300-600+ blogger conferences under my belt and none of them could compare to our FBC. What a group!!


    Oh, and when we (Kathy, Michelle, etc) were stuffing the nametags, we all agreed that you have the coolest name. Like, ever. So, rock it!

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    1. Aimee! (You know I'm calling you 'A-may' in my head right now!) It was such a privilege to meet you! I remember doing a happy dance in my living room when I heard you were speaking at the conference. You are truly an inspiration! Truly. I'm so blessed to be part of this group!

      As for the name, I'm proud of it! However, more times than not, I'm called JennyJack. Just like that. No space. Just JennyJack. It's hilarious!

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  8. Thank you Jenny, thanks you for your kind words about so many of us and about the conference itself. As I said in *my* FBC2013 post, it really is all about relationships and community though. Melissa, Ethan and I could never have done this without a community to put on a conference for :) So thank YOU!

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    1. MARDI! There are no words. I am so happy I finally met you! I have nothing but love and respect for you! You are simply awesome. Full stop. XO

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  9. i totally agree! the sense of community was unreal. blogging can be such a solitary hobby - just you and the computer - and it was like the internet come to life up in there. i loved it. we definitely have to meet up soon, maybe at the next gastropost event!

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    1. YES! I couldn't agree more! And I would totally LOVE to meet up very soon! XO

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  10. What a great way to describe everyone! Yes, Jan is totally like the sister you do have! (Actually, she isn't like either of my sisters, but is totally like my sister! does that make sense??)

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    1. It makes TOTAL sense!

      And you were fabulous and hilarious all weekend! I actually snorted tea out my nose at one point. It was painful, but funny! XO

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  11. I think your description of being overwhelmed is very appropriate - I feel the exact same way. How do you put all of hat into words? And holy cow - you mentioned me!! :D I don't think we met that weekend, but like you - I didn't get to meet the 80+ people there. What a weekend, huh? :)

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    1. I was like a ball of emotions the whole weekend. That's why it took me as long as it did to write what I have. I'm still reveling in the thought process! It was a fabulous weekend! XO

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  12. Oh aren't you just the sweetest! I'm so glad we shared that table on the first night. I worry I wouldn't have known how great you were had it not been for that. You are a breath of fresh air, my friend, and I'm so happy we can keep in touch through food, writing and photography. xo

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    1. I feel the same way about you, darling. You are spectacular in every facet of the word! My egg intake doubles when I look at your photos. In fact, my appetite increases full stop when I look at *any* of your photos. You're a talented girly! Stay fabulous! XO

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  13. You really know how to put into words what you think. I would have loved to spend one extra day with everyone. Loved the fact that it was an intimate conference.

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  14. This is SUCH a great write-up! It made me laugh and smile several big smiles as I was reminded over and over of the truly lovely people that I met and the amazing experience that I had. What an honour to have made your list of people you remembered!! It was a total joy to meet you too. You are just lovely!

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  15. Jenny! This was the most fun recap of the event, and THANK YOU for the kind words - I'm blushing. It was such a pleasure meeting you, and I hope we get to connect again soon. You mentioned that you drove to the event - if you live near the GTA or Orangeville let me know - I would love to get together sometime. Jan

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  16. WHAT a great post! Hopefully one of these days I can attend something of the sort- yes, it may take time to get there, but it's part of a bigger plan I have for my future. I Love that you got to meet a bunch of people that share the same love for food, baking, blogging and everything in between! :) Have a great day!

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  17. Jenny, this is such a fabulous recap of the weekend. I love hearing your voice and enthusiasm in every.single.word. LOVE IT! It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope we meet up again soon!!

    -Shannon

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  18. Jenny, it was so great meeting you! I wish we would have had a chance to hang out more - there's no doubt in my mind we could blab for hours. If you ever find yourself in Saskatoon, I'm making you dinner!

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