It seems like just yesterday Meghann and I were sitting at the Southwest terminal at Tampa International Airport, waiting to board our flight to Phili for last year’s Healthy Living Summit.  At this very moment, I cannot even begin to comprehend how quickly the 10 months since HLS has flown by and how much my life has changed during that time.  But I can tell you with certainty how my much I’m looking forward to this year’s HLS and why.  Oh, and I’ll enjoy every minute of it!

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, a small group of bloggers got to work stuffing swag bags.  And even though this wasn’t an official Summit event, I loved it just the same, if not more.  I was relatively new to interacting with other bloggers and had never attended a blogging conference before, so this gave my social-self an opportunity to meet friendly new faces while giving my awkward-self a bag stuffing distraction.  I have already booked an early flight to Boston this year to help my blogging friends real-life friends Meghann, Heather, and Julie with Summit prep work.

After bag stuffing, a huge group of us went out on the town for a hip dinner.  You know how much fun it is eating a meal with a dozen other people who love food the same way you do?  LOTS!  The most notable part of this night was getting to not only meet with, but converse with, Kath.  Kath’s blog was the first blog I remember reading and hanging out with her was like checking “meet celebrity” off your bucket list.  Seriously, I was star struck for a moment.  But Kath’s vibe was so kind and friendly that it was impossible to feel like a stranger for more than that initial moment.

And then there was the roommate sitch, which I purposefully left for last.  Meeting these girls was hands down the best part of the trip.  We were all from varying parts of the country and, likewise, were all so very different.  But after a few minutes of chitchat, it was as if we’d known each other for years.  We’ve all kept in touch since last August and I’ve even been fortunate enough to visit with Lauren in Eugene, OR and Emily in North Adams, MA.  And in a mere two months, I’ll be able to give Krista and Emily big hugs and catch up on all the fun we’ve been having since the last time we were together.

There are no less than a million other things that I’m looking forward to when it comes to #HLS12, it truly is one of my all time favorite events.  And in this one instance, I’m so thankful at how quickly time is flying – August 16th will be here before ya know it!

*Photos from Meghann, Lauren, Kath, and Me