• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Live-In Kitchen logo

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Work Together
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » On the Side

    Travel: Mixed 2014

    Lindsay Moe

    0 shares

    Dixie Crystals sponsored my trip to Mixed. All opinions are, as always, my own.

    Mountain Lake Lodge - MixedCon

    I’ve been traveling a lot lately, which came to a close this past weekend when I attended Mixed in the mountains of Virginia.

    I went to Mixed last year, loved it, but wasn’t planning on going again due to the high cost involved. As it grew closer though, I kept remembering how beautiful it was and how much fun I had, and knew I was really going to feel like I was missing out if I didn’t make it again. I decided to reach out to Dixie Crystals, the conference’s platinum sponsor, and they said they’d be happy to sponsor me at the conference!

    Mixed took place at Mountain Lake Lodge, a resort in the mountains of Virginia where they filmed much of the movie Dirty Dancing. They’ve been busy updating the accommodations which makes it both rustic and luxurious. I would love to take my whole family there on vacation as they have so many more rooming options than a standard hotel.

    Due to a late flight, I got to the Dixie Crystals Sugar Suite with just a few minutes to spare. They were whipping up homemade sugar scrubs in all sorts of delicious scents. I will definitely be making some of these sugar scrubs at home to hand out at Christmas time! You can head over to my friend Tracey’s blog to see some beautiful pictures she took of the scrubs themselves.

    The food this year was phenomenal. Each meal offered tons of delicious options (including desserts). On Friday night we had the pleasure of taste testing three kinds of cookies for the cookie contest (which I participated in last year with my secretly spicy pistachio and dark chocolate dipped shortbread) sponsored by Dixie Crystals.

    They were all SO good, but my favorite were the pumpkin dark chocolate cookies made by Lynda of Me and My Pink Mixer. They were soft, seasonal, and full of – hello – dark chocolate! My vote must have helped, because Lynda won the $500 prize from Dixie Crystals. Congrats Lynda!

    Good food and music at MixedCon

    The sessions were great this year. My favorites were when Meredith from In Sock Monkey Slippers showed us all how to make our own photo boards (I am so doing that) and Helen DuJardin and Tammy Hardeman-Boutte did some hands-on teaching about food photography and styling. They are total masters at their craft and it is so inspiring to see them work.

    One of the things I was most excited about in returning to Mixed was exploring the outdoors. I loved exploring the dried up lake last year, but this year I wanted to see more of the mountain.

    I woke up super early on Saturday morning to try reach the scenic peak by sunrise. I couldn’t find the trail I was looking for but did find another beautiful trail to explore.

    I guess I didn’t think about the elevation affecting me, but I should have. I ran about twenty feet before I had to slow down and catch my breath (which I never did).

    I ended up having a little asthma attack and was coughing and wheezing the rest of the trip (but I’m fine mom, fine. Not dead). I was still glad I made it out because I got to see the dawn surrounding what used to be the lake.

    The sunrise over MixedCon

    On Saturday night I obviously had not learned my lesson because as soon as the sessions were over I went in search of the trail I hadn’t been able to find that morning. I did find it this time, and was so glad I did. From there I could see miles and miles of mountains rolling off into the mist. It was beautiful and engulfing and humbling all at once.

    The view from the top of the mountain at MixedCon

    The Band Concord played at the closing party again, which really made me homesick and ready to see my family. One of my favorite things lately is for my husband or I to play fun songs for the kids on the guitar while they run around screaming and singing. The guys in this band really get into it, jumping around and laying on the ground while playing. They might have reminded me of my kids? Oh boy.

    Thank you so much to Dixie Crystals for sponsoring me on this trip!

    More On the Side

    • The Best Vegetarian Cookbooks
    • The Best Vegan Cookbooks
    • 2022 Reader Survey
    • Vegetarian Football Snacks

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Donna says

      November 12, 2014 at 12:21 pm

      Your photos are gorgeous! I also loved the Sugar Scrub recipes and photos. Glad you got sometime to enjoy the outdoors while you were in that beautiful place.

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        November 12, 2014 at 4:06 pm

        Thanks Donna!

        Reply
    2. Joanie @ ZagLeft says

      November 13, 2014 at 7:58 am

      Such beautiful pictures! I never did manage to find the trail but wish I continued to look for it because the views were fantastic. It was so nice meeting you at the conference and hope we get the chance to catch up again soon.

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        November 14, 2014 at 2:04 pm

        Thanks Joanie! The trail was worth the effort. It was great meeting you as well!

        Reply
    3. brandi says

      November 13, 2014 at 8:01 am

      so glad we got to chat last weekend!!! hope i see you again soon!

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        November 14, 2014 at 2:03 pm

        It was great meeting you! Best of luck with your new project. 😉

        Reply
    4. Paula - bell'alimento says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:03 pm

      Beautiful photos Lindsay! We’re so glad you joined us! Hope to see you next year ; ) xo

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        November 14, 2014 at 2:02 pm

        Thank you Paula! I hope to see you again soon!

        Reply
    5. [email protected] and My Pink Mixer says

      November 16, 2014 at 6:42 pm

      What a wonderful recap of our weekend at Mixed and your photos are beautiful!
      It was so nice seeing you again Lindsay!

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        November 17, 2014 at 2:00 pm

        Thanks Lynda, it was great seeing you too!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    lindsay moe in a kitchen with glasses on shelves behind her

    Hi, I'm Lindsay! I've been creating easily customizable vegetarian recipes since 2011. I love the outdoors, brownies, and brand new books. I live and work in La Crosse, Wisconsin and founded Wild Flour Media to expand on my love for food photography and videography to my community and beyond.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Vegan Cookie Dough for One
    • Buttery Nipple Shot
    • Zesty Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
    • Single Serving Lemonade

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About Lindsay
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Extras

    • Newsletter
    • Resources
    • On the Side

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • Wild Flour Media

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 The Live-In Kitchen

    Please read my Privacy Policy.
    0 shares