Deer Valley Inspire Retreat

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a small blogging retreat up at Deer Valley Resort. The event was headed up by Carrian from Sweet Basil. Her idea behind this retreat was to inspire and uplift ourselves. Kind of like a refresh which would ultimately help us be better bloggers. Sometimes blogging can be pretty rough, especially when you are prone to anxiety like myself. I start to get to caught up, stressed or focused on the wrong things and lose site at times of why I started this cute blog of mine in the first place. I was so excited to attend this event and let the pressure of blogging take a back burner for a couple days :)

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Let me first start off by stating that Deer Valley Resort is absolutely BREATHTAKING. The house was gorgeous inside and out and the snow added to the cozy and relaxing environment. When we stepped inside, the entire place had been garnished and dressed in holiday decor from Rod Works. The decorations made the place feel extra homey as it sported decorations for the season.

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I knew a good portion of the girls attending but about half of them, I had never met before. When we arrived, Carrian announced that our SWAG bags had our initials on them and were placed on our assigned beds. We were randomly placed with our roommates. I was paired with Annalise from Completely Delicious. It was so fun getting to know her better. The poor thing had to put up with me and my 2-week strong sinus infection through the night, hopefully with that clogged nose I wasn’t snoring too loud ;) haha!  The SWAG bag was filled with AMAZING goodies from some incredible companies: Red Maple RunGrace and Lace, Plum Pretty SugarBrin and BellReal SaltNature BoxBeauty Box 5, Emergency Kits, Rod Works and Vintage Silverware.

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That first night, we all bundled up and headed out to dinner.  We ate at Mariposa and it is rated #1 for food and service by Zagat. It was wonderful. We ate by a crackling fireplace. We were served a seven course meal, more courses than I think I have ever had at one meal at one time in my life. The food was fabulous. One of the courses was this mushroom filling wrapped in a decadent and delicate pastry pillow. I also ate bison for the first time in my life and was blown away by how tender and flavorful it was. The chef, waiters and waitresses were exceptionally patient and helpful and mindful with my pregnant cans and cannot haves’ and it was truly appreciated.

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After we were all stuffed to the brim, we headed back home. We all got in our adorable and comfy matching pjs from Plum Pretty Sugar and sat together in front of the fireplace.  Some of the bloggers made us some yummy treats from Krusteaz.

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Carrian planned out a really neat activity. As bloggers, we usually get together or talk with one another to talk about how to better our blogs or to find out what we are doing wrong. Carrian had something else in store for the evening. She wanted to challenge us to be a team and really collaborate with each other.  Not compare or compete with each other.  Not to see one another as a number of page views but to really see the blogger for who they are and in turn, we may just find out we are all more alike than we think aside from the blogging aspect of our lives. We were split off into pairs. I was pared with Meagan from A Zesty Bite. Carrian began by having us answer a some basic questions that then turned into some pretty in depth answers. It was a great foot to start off on for the weekend. We all talked pretty late then headed to bed.

Morning came all to quickly as we headed out for some incredible yoga.  Lole provided us with some fun workout shirts. After yoga, we ate a delicious, healthy and light breakfast put on by Pacific Foods, Analon, and Charming Beard Coffee. It was exactly what was needed after a good workout.

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After breakfast, most everyone got measured and fitted by Skiis on the Run and headed out the door for some Park City, Utah skiing. Everyone but my bestie Alyssa from The Recipe Critic and myself. We were the two preggers there and I am actually only ahead of her by like a 9 days. Side note, it is SO much fun to be pregnant at the same time as your best friend :) So while everyone was out skiing, Alyssa and I began to get lunch together. We had some delicious Fire Roasted Tomato Soup and mouthwatering paninis that Star Fine Oil, Real Salt, Heber Valley Cheeses, Wusthof Knifes and Hamilton Beach helped us create. After lunch we just lounged around talking and napping until dinner time.

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We bundled up again and headed into the heart of the city to our Saturday night dinner at the Riverhorse on Main, another award winning restaurant in Park City. I can’t even begin to describe how incredible this restaurant is! The mood is set by dim lighting and can I just rave about the bathrooms for a second. I know that is such a random thing to rave about, but ask anyone at this retreat, I could not stop talking about them! haha! Very few restaurant bathrooms have ever been something to talk about. The chef and waiters were phenomenal. They were social and funny and made you feel so welcome. The food was nothing short of exceptional. We had a seven course meal and a few other samplers they let us try that weren’t on the menu provided for us. Alyssa and I kept saying that the next time we were at Park City we would definitely back to visit this restaurant! If you are ever in Park City Utah, you HAVE TO check out this restaurant! After dinner we headed back home, chatted to the wee hours of the morning, munched on Cookie Chips and then finally went to bed.

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I am a waffle girl through and through and this particular breakfast I had been looking forward to all weekend. I was helping to put it on and made my famous “Goodness” recipe that is the BEST Breakfast topper spread in the world. If you haven’t tried it yet be sure and do so! 1 cup powdered sugar, 8 oz. softened cream cheese and 1 cup cool whip. Beat together until smooth. Try it, you won’t be disappointed. The waffles were delicious and were made using  Gold Medal Flour and our fantastic Hamilton Beach waffle makers. Real Foods Market generously provided us with all the tasty ingredients for this breakfast. It was definitely a breakfast fit for kings! :)

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After breakfast we all started to pack up and head on our way home. Whole Foods provided all of us bloggers with a delicious lunch to eat at the house or to take for those of us who were flying out.

It was such a great and truly inspiring weekend. It was really hard to go and say goodbye to all the amazing bloggers who attended. I hope to do attend something like this again in the future. It was definitely on of my favorite blogging trips thus far.

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Amazing bloggers that were apart of this weekend: A Zesty BiteCenter Cut CookSweet BasilTaste and TellCompletely Delicious, The Recipe CriticClimbing Grier MountainThe Vintage MixerLauren’s LatestBarbara BakesCountry Cleaver, and Sweet Treats and More.

Thanks again to all the sponsors and Carrian for making this incredible weekend happen! 

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #chefintraining and/or #chefintrainingblog. I would love to see how these recipes take shape in your kitchens.

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Comments

  1. Crystal

    How incredibly fun!! The place is beautiful!! I'm glad you had such a great time and had a chance to relax and enjoy being with the other bloggers.

  2. Plum Pretty Sugar

    We're so excited that you adored our Plum Pretty Sugar Pretty PJ Sets, and we hope you do for many years to come!

    xo

    www.PlumPrettySugar.blogspot.com