Just a few weeks ago I left Denver on a snowy "spring" morning to travel to California for a small blogger retreat. The plane literally had to be de-iced. It was mid-April. Colorado weather can be a bit wacky, but our spring started in February this year, so I'm not complaining. I was lucky enough to be making the trek with my good friend Lauren, who also happens to be a Denver blogger.

After two hours in the air, Lauren and I were welcomed by palm trees and sunshine in LA. It felt a bit surreal.

(A mix of iPhone and dSLR images are mixed throughout this post.)

Terranea Resort Blogger Retreat | edibleperspective.com

We met up with Megan at the airport and in less than an hour we reached our final destination at Terranea Resort. Or as I like to call it, Disneyland for adults.

I think my jaw remained open the first hour we were there, but most likely for the entire 2 1/2 days of our stay. There were no roller coasters or elephant ears (my childhood fav) but there was basically everything else. I instantly became the most calm version of myself and tried to breathe it all in, while drinking the complimentary champagne we received at check-in and riding on a golf cart up to our room.

Was this seriously where we were staying? I could not have felt more grateful, lucky, or appreciative for this opportunity. What a dream.

Terranea arranged for us to stay in two of their villas that contained everything we needed and then some. We were planning on cooking and holding our group discussions in the rooms, so they worked out perfectly for what we needed. I drooled over the professional series Viking appliances. I've never stayed in a more luxurious place. I still can't stop thinking about the incredibly comfortable bed and sleeping with the cool ocean breeze coming through the sliding doors.

group photo credit: Jay Roberts Photography

from left to right:

It was my brilliant friend Amelia, who started this idea for a blogger retreat and who put it into action and planned the entire thing. She thought of every tiny detail and worked with a few fabulous companies to make sure the retreat was perfect. And it was.

Our first night started with a coursed dinner and wine pairings at one of Terranea's seven restaurants, mar'sel. We were able to meet and talk to the head chef and hear him speak with such enthusiasm about the freshness of ingredients he used to prepare our meals. They were extremely accommodating and went above and beyond to prepare gluten-free and vegetarian options for each course.

The next morning started with an oceanfront, sunrise spin class. I'd never actually taken a spin class before that morning and it kicked my butt. The only thing that kept me going was staring out into the ocean and watching the sun start to peak up over the horizon.

After cleaning up from the killer spin class, we all made breakfast together in the villa. I loved this aspect of the trip. We huddled together in the kitchen, sipping coffee + scoping out the spread that Stonyfield and Nature's Path sent our way. I made two separate breakfast bowls each morning. One bowl was filled with Greek yogurt and piled high with toppings, and the other was filled with oatmeal and nut butter, of course.

We had a full agenda planned for the day, with group discussions on a variety of topics we deal with as bloggers and freelancers. We were paired off with another blogger prior to coming to the retreat and assigned topics. The topics ranged from things like, "social media and time management," to, "how to grow your following." Each topic was extremely relevant and everyone who presented had smart and useful ideas.

I learned an incredible amount of new-to-me things but at the same time couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. I'm not a social media sleuth, I barely know what SEO means, I am not the best at scheduling things ahead, and accounting has been known to send me into a panic.

But through the sessions I learned something more valuable than SEO or the best way to use Twitter + Facebook. I learned that it's okay to not know how to do everything. That may sound silly or like it should be obvious, but it was reassuring to hear others say that we all have our strengths and weaknesses. We all have different focuses for our careers, while they may all center around or stem from blogging. There were specific things we each felt experienced in and sharing that knowledge was the whole point of the trip.

We had a break for lunch that was prepared for us in the villa with many items from the gardens on site. We also got to sample fresh honey from the bees that are cared for on the property. Above you'll see a very fresh gazpacho that Lauren helped the chef whip up. Below you'll find the meal I want to eat every day of my life.

The perfectly creamy risotto had fresh herbs and strands of lemon zest running through it. The purple mash was actually made from cauliflower. I tried to recreate it home this week, which resulted in a major fail. The carrots were perfectly tender and the beans tasted like they had been picked that day.

We continued with the sessions after lunch, had a few hours for free time, and then headed to Nelson's for sunset cocktails and more blog talk.

Dinner that night was casual. We created a huge salad buffet in our villa with everything you can imagine, including avocados so ripe they melt in your mouth.

The following morning (also the day we were leaving) started with a 6am walk. There are running and walking paths that stretch for miles and weave all around the property. This was such a unique feature I've never seen at a hotel or resort before. The trails were so well disguised by the natural landscape you almost didn't even notice they were there.

After another double breakfast bowl morning, we continued with the last few sessions before people started to depart. My favorite of which was the "mastermind session," where we each had one minute to describe a problem we're dealing with. Then, each person had a few minutes to offer their advice on your question/problem. This really helped me realize where my time is best spent and how to be okay with not knowing or doing it all. After hearing advice and gaining support from these seven other brilliant women, it finally clicked for me.

After the sessions wrapped up I tried to savor the last few hours of ocean air.

Disclosure: An enormous thank you to Terranea Resort for so generously providing us with the villas we stayed in, more than enough wine, the spin class, and outstanding food. An equally large thank you to Stonyfield and Nature's Path for paying for our travel and stocking our kitchen with delicious breakfast items during our stay. This post was not sponsored. All opinions are my own. I appreciate your continued support!

And the biggest thank you of all to Amelia, for planning this unforgettable retreat!

Ashley

Besides eating my way through New York City at the end of September, I also walked + photographed my way through it.

While I feel comfortable behind the camera photographing food and people, I really have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to other types of photography. Sure, you can apply some of the same basic concepts about composition, but it’s on such a different scale that it’s really not the same thing at all. I explored the city by myself for this trip, so I allowed myself the time to fumble with my camera trying different things. And trust me, there were a few hundred photos that went straight to the recycle bin. These were my favorites during my time in Manhattan.

Most of the photos were taken at Greenmarket in Union Square and on the High Line. Both were great places to practice where it was a bit easier to meander around, in comparison to the busy sidewalks. Starting at the market made me feel a bit more comfortable. Because, FOOD.

The shot below took about 12 tries before I got what I wanted.

And now to the High Line. Do you see the elevated bridge-looking-thing with the trees on top in the photo below? That is the High Line! It’s actually an abandoned railway the weaves through the west side of Manhattan for just under 1.5 miles. It was built in the 1930’s to carry goods through the city and was the first railroad in Manhattan to be built above the street level. It was lifted up off the road to avoid accidents in the city, which were very common with previously built rail lines. The High Line skirts between buildings in a way where you don’t even really notice it.

When trucking goods around the city fully took over by 1980, the High Line was no longer used. Despite people battling to have the High Line demolished, it stayed put but was abandoned for nearly 20 years. During those years THL turned into an overgrown landscape hovering about the city streets, with most people not even realizing it existed. Access to THL was closed for all those years but there is still a beautiful catalog of photographs capturing THL in its natural state.

In 1999 Friends of the High Line formed and started making plans to preserve the line and open it to the public. In 2009 the first section opened to the public and it was finally completed just a few months ago. Now, the High Line acts as an urban landscape and is a truly unique park for its linear path and elevation above the street. It was designed to capture the abandoned state that it was left in after 1980 but with an added sense of community and gathering. It’s a truly amazing example of reuse in the city.

Oh, you weren’t planning on a history lesson today? Sorry for geeking out. The High Line was the site for my architecture thesis design project, so I kind of sort of have a thing for it. This was the first trip where I was able to walk THL since it opened, and I basically couldn’t wait. [sidenote: My thesis was not about the High Line, it was about how industrialization impacted both Food + Architecture in a very similar manner, to put it briefly. I used the High Line as the site/location for my architectural design that depicted my findings, so I had to study THL in great detail.]

Although, there was the time where I snuck up while it was still under construction [by myself!!!] when all of the construction workers were at lunch. I may have talked a worker into leaving an access door open for me, because I needed to take photos and experience THL before it was really open. Did I mention I was by myself? I mean, I HAD to get photos, and a video, and walk the entire thing. My thesis depended on it! Please note, this is the craziest thing I have ever done in my life. I am not a rule breaker, but I was that day. It was kind of rad.

Below the High Line.

Part of the preserved railroad.

And then my memorable + gigantic last breakfast in the city, which you can read about here.

While I truly enjoy sharing recipes with all of you lovely people, sometimes it’s fun to show you a different side of my life. Now I’m just hoping you’re not asleep at your keyboard.

Ashley

pssst! Don’t forget about the sweet Fair Trade giveaway happening on the blog right now!