A few weeks back, my hubby and I were invited to attend the OC Blogger’s Bash, here in Orange County. It was great – we called it a date night (see the photo below), hung out and met friends, and won some seriously great swag!

My hubby, Brett, is a great writer. Since I made a commitment to post about the event and make dinner before I take my daughter trick-or-treating tonight, he’s going to step in here to take over and do a guest post for me. YAY! (I love working with Brett.)

Here’s Brett…

From a guy’s point of view, the OC Blogger’s bash was a treat indeed. As my date and I strolled up the garden path into our wing of the spacious and sleekly modern Anaheim Convention Center, I quickly noticed about twenty Jacqueline Bouviers sauntering up the path ahead of us. I knew right away that the Mad Men themed evening was going to be one to remember. When we stepped inside, the feel continued. Nearly everyone was slicked down and outfitted in their best plaid pants and pencil skirts. There was no lack of sensible heels and pill box hats, either.

The night was a serious gift to many of us bloggers out there, toiling away in obscurity, writing things we don’t really know if anyone reads and was complete with enough giveaways and attention to make all of us feel like celebrities. The lavish offerings came from all of the sponsors for the event who included Knott’s Berry Farm, McDonald’s® of Southern California, Disneyland® Resort, 300 Anaheim, Anaheim Marriott, Angels Baseball, Aquarium of the Pacific, Casa Resorts, Costa Mesa CVB, Hilton Anaheim, Honda Center, Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach CVB, Pacific Edge Hotel, Photo Booth Pro, Pretend City® Children’s Museum, Queen of Heartz Vintage Inspired Apparel, R.W.B. Party Props, Inc., Sheraton Park Anaheim, Sunset Flying, The Outlets at Orange, Anaheim White House, House of Blues® Anaheim, Huntington Beach Marketing and Convention Bureau, Irvine Barclay Theatre, Medieval Times® Dinner &Tournament, Montanya Spa, OC Wildlife and Travel, Universal Studios® Hollywood, Discovery Science Center, Hilton Anaheim Health Club, Lux Aveda Salon and Spa, RA Sushi, and Roy’s Anaheim.

The evening was also In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Anaheim Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau(AOCVCB) who decided to look back down memory lane and transformed the Anaheim Convention Center into a soiree set in 1961.

I think the very best thing for me was looking back on the time I’ve spent in Orange County and especially the memories I have of Anaheim. I used to come to this convention center, marveling at the modern architecture, with my dad and my brother to see trucking shows. I’ve lived within 10 minutes of Disneyland for so long that I barely notice the sound of the fireworks. It, too, with its mid-century modern design and love of all things futuristic, is the perfect addition to the period, the evening and the city of Anaheim which is always looking to the future. And for another moment encapsulated in a place, Knott’s and Snoopy were there to take me all the way back to wild west days of cowboys and steam locomotives so much so that for the rest of my life, OP corduroy shorts and Hang Ten polo shirts of the 70’s will be forever linked to stage coaches and cancan dancers.  It sounds like it could be confusing, but  for me, there is a permanence in the always looking forward and backward at the same time that grounds me right here in the now. Whether it’s planning for my daughter’s first trip to Knott’s Berry Farm or hearkening back to when my brother and I used to beg my mom for another E ticket, it’s all a part of another time and of now. I’m loving what’s going on around here in Orange County and Anaheim and I’m looking forward to what happens next.

And from Anney…

Turns out having a blog as a hobby isn’t so bad after all…it comes with perks all over the place, including a paid-for date night with my man and lots of free tickets to amusement parks. Do you think the universe is giving me a message to play even more? ;-)

xoxo,

Anney & Brett