Hello from Los Angeles!
That picture almost looks fake, it’s so pretty, doesn’t it?! I took it in Santa Monica from the pier yesterday, where I was lucky enough to spend the day with this lovely lady 🙂
That would be my beautiful cousin, Willow.
Those of you that are longtime readers will remember that I came to visit her here in January, as well as my cousin Derek, who very sadly passed away in August from colon cancer. It’s still kind of hard to believe that I’m here and I won’t be able to see him. Willow is Derek’s sister, and we were talking about how sometimes it just kind of feels like he’s on vacation. Willow has had a lot to deal with in life and is handling it very gracefully… I’m proud of her. 🙂
Anyway — Derek was actually a Santa Monica police officer, and the family spread his ashes in the water exactly a mile out from the end of the Santa Monica pier. Willow brought me there yesterday so I could see and say hi to Derek. 🙂 It is a beautiful spot for him to rest.
Willow and I had a great day filled with laughter, fun photography, and reminiscing about Derek. Enjoy the photos 🙂
Can you tell Willow used to be a ballerina? I thought this photo was amazingly powerful.
I was much less graceful 😉 But what can I say — the beach just makes me want to frolic, I love it so much! I find the water to be so calming. I think I need to live near the beach at some point in my life 🙂
And now — for the real reason I’m here in Los Angeles — the first ever Dole Nutrition and Wellness Blogger Summit! The event officially kicked off last night with a cocktail hour and dinner, and today is the main event, so stay tuned for some fun posts. Basically, Dole is giving me and a select group of fellow food and health bloggers (there’s 20 of us here) a behind-the-scenes look into the world of Dole! We’ll be:
- Learning firsthand about Dole’s nutrition research and the latest food, nutrition, and wellness trends.
- Getting a sneak peek from the Dole Test Kitchens about some of their upcoming product releases.
- Viewing demos from Dole Fresh Fruit, Dole Fresh Vegetables and Dole Packaged Foods.
- Having an “iron chef” style healthy dinner cooking competition at the California Health and Longevity Institute.
- and much more!
I’m so excited and honored to be here, particularly because something like this is perfect for me, considering I’m currently working toward becoming a Registered Dietitian and very passionate about improving the nutrition and eating habits of the population as a whole. I can’t wait to share today with all of you! Stay tuned 🙂
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Disclaimer: While Dole has paid for my airfare and accommodations for this trip, anything I write on this blog is, as always, my opinion and mine alone.
