NOT ANOTHER TRIP TO MONTEREY!

oops, i did it again.

another produce trip to california, another PMA conference has come and gone. i feel like a veteran at these conferences by now, even though there are a ridiculous amount of people who have been attending since the beginning of time. but that was round 3 for me as PMA conferences go, so i’m pretty much pro status by now. call me the produce queen. ;) [on a side note, if you ever need restaurant recommendations for the monterey/carmel area, i’m your girl. i’ve eaten and drank my way through these cities for two years in a row, and can tell you everything you need to know!]

but in all seriousness, i was happy to actually see familiar faces this time around and feel like i’m starting to know people in the industry [and some of them even know me!], which is exciting. i was also recently selected to be a part of PMA’s science and technology committee, which was SUCH a big deal to me just because it’s right up my alley and i love PMA + food safety + produce + science with a passion, not to mention that it’s an great networking and resume-building opportunity. now if only i could somehow make them think that i’m 10 years older than i am with 10+ more years of experience than i have… okay, i’m kidding… sort of. i was completely transparent about my age/experience on my application, but it’s still a bit intimidating to be the baby everywhere i go. after many dinners and drinks with colleagues/other people in the industry and being THE ONLY ONE carded for ordering a glass of wine, it sure doesn’t feel like a compliment to me, at least at this point in my life. not when you’re trying to look profesh, right? [yeahhh, just knocked myself down a few maturity levels by using that abbrev. whoops]. and not to get off topic again, but that reminds me of a brief story that i THINK i’ve never told on this blog [if i have, laugh along and pretend you haven’t heard it]: on my very first business trip ever, i was on a plane, sitting on the exit row, and the flight attendant comes over to me before the flight and proceeds to ask me, “young lady, are you over the age of 14?” no joke. i may have melted into the seat with embarrassment. i was 22 years old, mind you. so yeah, since then, i’ve really kind of resented this whole being-young thing.

but back on track with the monterey trip… we of course partook in our usual activities of field visits, receptions, a 5K, being dog-tired, dinners, sessions, feeling constantly full, events, and the show, which is basically an[other] opportunity to meet lots of people and stuff our faces [i’d say that we succeeded at both]. i was slightly more successful at capturing a little bit of the extensive amount of food we had at the show – i took pictures of, oh, probably 5% of what we ate rather than the 1% that i photographed last time [hello, avocado pop!]. as always, it was a blast. we didn’t go on an epic avocado adventure like last year, but we added a couple people to our group this year, which made up for it. i was pretty much traveling with the dream team. :) and now for the visuals:

{i forgot that DFW has urban taco – made my day! and scenes from the plane…}

{we took the 17-mile drive to dinner on the first night.}

{pebble beach. i wanted to dip my toes in the water so bad.}

{golden hour}

{monterey + pebble beach}

{dinner and drinks at roy’s at pebble beach}

{oh, but that sunset…}

{out in the lettuce fields. and that juice! it was apple + cabbage + parsley + mint and i was IN LOVE.}

{saturday morning on our 5K, this was what we had to run next to. i mean…}

{and then it was here for lunch. and that last picture, for happy hour. rough life.}

{ohhh carmel by the sea. wanna hear a fun fact about this lovely little place?! it’s against the law to wear high heels here. something about the uneven sidewalks and the old cobblestones. well, i guess i’m a lawbreaker.} ;)

{casanova in carmel. we’ve eaten here two years in a row and this little restaurant totally has my heart. i mean, an old home with multiple courtyards converted into a restaurant that sells carmel valley lavender on a bench out in front? seriously?}