So, in just over two weeks, I’ll be on my way to Portland, OR to attend the IFBC (International Food Blogger Conference).  I am stoked about the conference, but there’s also a level of fear involved, so I thought it’d be good to document a “before and after” to better understand my experience later. This will be my first conference, and other than not knowing what to expect in general, there’s the usual junior-high apprehension that everyone gets before meeting new people — who will I sit with and talk to? Will they like me, or see me as just a hack blogger there to eat good food? I mean, everyone else attending is a seasoned veteran of the food world, right? Probably not.  I recently read a blog post by Shirley Braden over at GlutenFreeEasily.com. She attended the IFBC in 2010, and as I’m reading her post, I’m thinking to myself, “wow, I’m not alone, everyone feels like this!” She also wondered who she would talk with…would she say the right things…wear the right clothes? Okay, that one struck me, considering not moments before I was perusing Macys.com looking for cute, new tops to wear at the conference. Ask my husband, I OBSESS about what clothes to wear when I travel. It’s beyond clothes, too, because then I need the most stylish luggage to take as well, and don’t even get me started with handbags! But I digress…

I chose this conference because I started this blog a while ago, and although I’ve enjoyed posting my photos and recipes from time to time, I feel like it needs more, and would like to evolve my writing to new levels.  I don’t know what those levels are just yet, but I’m hoping the folks at the IFBC will be able to introduce me to some possibilities that I hadn’t considered before. I most look forward to Kathleen Finn’s session on putting details into your writing, and Kelly Senyei’s insider’s guide to recipe writing and development.

I’d also be kidding myself if I said that the food and wine at the conference wasn’t a strong consideration in attending. Who can resist 3 days of photographing and dining on creations from some of Portland’s best eateries and chefs? As my blog hopefully relays, I love food, and cooking, and wine, and photographing food…but eating comes with its own set of fears. I’ve been gluten-free for over a year now, and although food allergies have begun to be recognized on menus more, I’m still afraid of accidentally getting “glutened” in the middle of the conference. I’m a bit more reassured because in my registration form, they do ask if I have any allergies or eating restrictions, but if I’m away from home and my own kitchen, it’s always a forefront worry.

So although I’m nervous about giving the best first impression, and taking care that the food I eat is safe for me, the feeling of anticipation and excitement is outweighing any apprehension. Shirley Braden did assure me that food is a common ground for all of us, and that blogging can bring people together, so I know deep down, that finding someone to talk to will not be as difficult as I fear. Once I arrive, I’ll check back in with first impressions of the conference, which I expect to be nothing less than overwhelming, albeit exhilarating.