HLS Weekend Recap – Part 1 – YumUniverse Launch Party

Part 1

HLS has been such a wonderful experience and I’m so excited to share my thoughts on this past weekend.

On Thursday, I went to the YumUniverse launch party at the Chicago Urban Arts Center and was able to try many new foods and drinks.  I tried acai vodka, quinoa vodka, safflower vodka, various wines (I’m not a lush I swear ), dehydrated kale chips, raw cake pops, fruit leathers… just to name a few.

The venue was HUGE and a lot of people were in attendance, so it became quite hot.  However, I loved the music and the set up.

Pinot Grigio and a snack

At the event, I saw Maya, who I had met from an earlier blogger meet up.  She looked gorgeous as always.

Maya is the best!

I also made new friends, Ted and Trun!

It was so nice to see Heather‘s dream of YumUniverse come true.

Heather is totally gorgeous!

When giving her speech, Heather mentioned that she wished she had a resource such as YumUniverse when she first began her vegan lifestyle.  It really made me think about how lucky I am to have started my vegan journey during a time where information is so readily accessible and where websites like YumUniverse exist.

Here’s a closer look at our gift bags:

I <3 YumUniverse!

Can you believe that all of this was in that tiny bag?

Which blogs or websites inspire your lifestyle?

Part 2 of my recap is about my Frito-lay plant tour in Beloit, Wisconsin.