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I forgot to wear green today, but I did celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by meeting up with Mama Pea and family. I figure peas are green…that counts, right?
So fun to finally meet Mama Pea, Pea Daddy, Lulu, and Gigi in person! Honestly, I felt like I’ve known them for years, and in a way, I guess I have as Mama Pea and I both started blogging right around the same time. She’s been one of my favorite bloggers from the beginning. You read her blog, right? If not, then you’re totally missing out – tasty recipes, wonderful writing, beautiful photos…really, what more could you ask for? Well, how about some wiener jokes?
The Peas are in Phoenix for spring training…um, I mean spring break, and we decided to meet up for lunch at Picazzo’s. I got to sit next to Gigi and in honor of St. Paddy, ordered myself a green pizza…
Pesto and goat cheese pizza on gluten free crust. Delicious!
CD stayed home with Summer while she napped but stopped by to pick me up and was so happy to meet the Peas as well. Hopefully, we’ll make it to Oregon to visit them someday soon, right CD?
{ 116 comments… read them below or add one }
Northern New Mexico! If only I could move back…
Haha, I was just about to suggest California- but yeah, housing prices here are ridiculous!
I love Mama Pea! Such a great blogger meet-up!
That pizza looks delicious
This made me smile
Looks like a wonderful day spent with amazing people!
It’s about time that two of the best bloggers in the history of ever got to hang out in person!
The gorgeousness is abundant!
two of my favorite bloggers!
It’s probably a good thing that the prices are the way they are in CA, otherwise we’d all live there 
I like to daydream, I mean plan my utopia move too
Love that y’all got to meet and hang out today! The Peas and the HEABs are the best. I wish I’d stumbled into the same restaurant to give you both a hug. And have some pizza. And pinch you because you weren’t wearing green.
Dorry,
Me too.
haha, two of my favorite bloggers also.
not to be ridiculous, but this post reminds me of the episode of the jetsons where they’re also with the flintstones (or maybe vice versa?). conceptually anyways.
S,
Haha – that is hilarious.
What a fun St. Patty’s Day blogger meet-up! I’m jealous.
Colorado…the front range area is just wonderful!
Amy,
CD and I love Colorado – it’s definitely on our short list!
Don’t they have cold winter though?
I want such a utopia too!
Come to San Diego!!!!!!!
I thought I could live in Phoenix b/c the housing prices are about half of what they are in So Cal, but I’d rather pay twice (and possibly rent forever) than live in Phx. You know me and my 9 mos in Phx were not exactly the shining moments of my life but different strokes for diff folks…and you guys have family there! For some reason, I see you and CD in Colorado or even N. Cal by Tahoe or something.
But I digress…
You and the Pea Family meetup…how fun! I met Miss Pea at Food Buzz, and I wish I could have met you both…you were in AZ over Xmas when I lived there and I was gone. Darn.
You all look beautiful and wonderful and I can tell it was as if you’ve known each other for years.
Can I be next on your meetup list? I’m great with babies and the summers in San Diego are great
Come here next!
Yes, Averie, you are on the list, and you know I would love to see San Diego. I’ve never been there!
Yes, come to San Diego! It’s such a wonderful, quirky, healthy place to live! There are a million different fitness options, and the mornings are spectacular.
I’ve got ulterior motives though, I want to be walking down the street (anywhere-San Diego is a great place to explore) and see you, CD, and Summer out for Sunday brunch or something!
OMG you met the Peas. I love Mama Pea! Lucky you
The Pea family is the BEST!!! You look gorgeous in the photos, Heather! I grew so attached to those girls in the few short days I stayed at their house. It’s so hard to live so far away!! Glad you got to meet!
Ashley,
Thanks, and I don’t blame you for getting attached – Lulu and Gigi are so cute. Mama Pea inspires me as a mama as she has done such an amazing job with her girls.
Ahh… Pealightful Peas!!! Lulu and Gigi are so cute. Glad y’all met and had a great time
This is the greatest blog meetup ever! You are two of my favorite bloggers.
Wish I could have been there and eaten some pesto pizza with you, although I basically had a mountain of guacamole for dinner today which made me think of you.
Hope you have lots of fun for your last few days!
Aww, thanks CH. I wish you could have been there too. I had plenty of pizza to share.
You guys seem like such a good pair:)
THAT pizza is gluten free?! it looks so good! i have has so much disappointing GF pizza.
Ellen,
Yes, and so good! Not sure of all the ingredients, but I remember seeing rice flour and tapioca starch on the list. Really good, but honestly, you could smother cardboard in pesto, and I’d eat it.
Heather you are so right about the pesto. It’s life changing magic goodness. I bought the ingredients for the pizza. I use chee bee bread for my crust.
My recap wasn’t nearly as gracious as yours. There I go, trying to make a joke of everything. We loved meeting you and Chris though and can’t wait until we can meet Summer too. I can tell you guys are the best parents ever and I am excited to see you in your element
Safe travels home!!!
Yes, you’ve been here before, it’s Colorado!
I think you just described Flagstaff! And you’d be close to CD’s family.
I LOVE Picazzos. We have one here in Flagstaff. Just saying.
Katie,
It’s on our list for sure as is Prescott. Thoughts?
Check out Jerome, if you have the chance. I was there in July, and it was absolutely amazing. Breathtaking views, cool little shops, and a couple of neat restaurants. I highly recommend it!
So many reasons to love this post. The Peas, HEAB and Phoenix! A winning combination if I ever saw one.
I am desperate to move to Arizona. Hopefully in the next few years. I see Katie above me talking about Flagstaff – it really does seem to have the ideal climate. Mild summers and ski-worthy winters.
Ah…have an enjoyable rest of your trip, Heather!
Jenn,
I wish you would have been here. Please move so that I can see you when we come visit!!!
Best. meet-up. ever.
Absolutely! You just need to retire to Australia!
Awww! how awesome is this?! you guys had so much fun huh?
Your blog is so nice and inviting Heather! nice to mee ya 
Ellie,
Thanks for stopping by. Nice meeting you as well.
I love lulu’s face in the first picture! Mama pea is so funny – looks like you all had a fun time.
Ashlei,
Hehe – Lulu had just had a minor cheese meets dress incident.
So awesome you guys got to meet up! Its amazing how you can feel like you know somebody from blogging and never met them, the blogging world is amazing : )
I hope you have a great last 2 days there in Phoenix, it is beautiful out there !
So amazing you got to meet up with Mama Pea and her family!
You know peas and almond butter are really my favorite foods, I mean blogs! hehe.
What a great family. I swear I live Sarah’s life only with boys. You know my dreams…things are looking more towards the TN utopia for us. It’s nice to dream and hope that there is a reality out there like that. I am so glad you are having a great time. Enjoy your last couple of days!
Sarena,
Well, you know if you move to TN, then I can’t leave.
So fun that you got to meet them! Looks like you had a great time!!
So fun to see two of my favorite bloggers meet up!
Love it!
2 of my most favorite people in the whole world together in a sunny place?
My heart is happy.
Luve you all SO much!
Have a great rest of the week, peachy!! XOXO
Polly,
Wish you could have been there!!!!
Looks like such a fun meet up!
I am dreaming of a similar place…with a view of the ocean
So fun that you got to the meet the whole pea family!!
Love you and Sarah!!
Pure2Raw,
We love you guys too. Your names came up, and both Sarah and I mentioned your sweet sprits and genuine hearts. Someday, we will get to meet, perhaps oceanside!
“good climate throughout most of the year, lots of sunshine, low humidity, good running trails for CD, and a cool little yoga studio for me”
I want to live there too — let me know where it is!
Your utopia sounds a lot like Austin, Texas! Though maybe minus the humidity part…
MK,
Yes, we’ve talked about Austin. Such a cool city, but I don’t think it has enough sunshine in the winter for us. We thrive on vitamin D!
We get 300 days of summer, Heather! Trust me, not much gray weather here
Er, I meant sun…300 days, on average, of sun.
Agreed. I love Austin. Black Swan Yoga is THE BEST and the trails are amazing for a city. Doesn’t Colorado get cold????
Really? Sounds good to me!
I’m looking for all of the same things. I have been thinking the Texas hill country somewhere. My favorite beach town doesn’t even have the great winter weather that Austin has.
This is like the clash of the titans, except instead of clash it’s more like fun dinner party, and instead of titans it’s awesome awesome bloggers who I love to read. So maybe it was nothing like that, it’s totally better.
Haha – thanks Evan.
Ohhhh my goodness one of the most BEAUTIFUL meetups I’ve ever seen
Ahhh! I love this and that pizza looks amazing!
Enjoy your weekend!
I lived in the Phoenix area for 7 years and absolutely loved it. The only reason we moved was we had a baby and suddenly realized how badly we wanted to be closer to family in the Midwest. The summers are hot, but it’s no different than having to stay inside during the cold winter months everywhere else. Most of the year it is gorgeous! The sun shines so much that the kids there get super excited if it rains and wear winter coats if the temperature drops below 60 degrees. Hiking in the mountains is the best and I miss it so so much. We always say if we strike it rich, we’ll get a second home in Arizona.
isn’t it crazy how you feel like you truly KNOW people without actually meeting them?!
looks like you had fun!
I moved from upstate New York to Tucson for grad school and absolutely love it here. Tucson has everything you are looking for! Plus, it’s always a few degrees cooler here than in Phoenix
.
How fun! I love it when I see meet-ups of other bloggers, especially my favorite ones. Big community, we all support each other.
I met Mama Pea before she was lovely, but I’m sure the other peas were as much fun too.
When you described the retirement location you were looking for, all I could think about was, that’s California everyday…I feel so lucky to have grown up here….but then I saw your last comment about the housing prices, That’s a bummer though….but it’s worth it. We live modestly and since we spend most of our time outdoors, we didn’t need a big house but we have a lot of fun toys like tandem kayaks, mountain bikes, snowboarding gears. You can put all of those in the back of your truck and it’s possible to use them all in the same day. The beauty of Cali.
Lea,
Sigh…Cali sounds like our ultimate destination. I’d also love to move there just to try the Korean BBQ truck.
Someone already beat me to it, but NEW MEXICO!! Not as hot as AZ, less intense winter than CO and full of mountains, culture, good food and some of the best people in the world. Plus it’s a very affordable place to live – they don’t call it the Land of Entrapment for nothing! Once you live there it’s really tough to leave.
(full confession: I’m totally biased from growing up in Albuquerque and am seriously missing home
)
-Kristin
Kristin,
CD and I just went on run/bike ride. He ran, I biked, and we discussed your comment. We’ve only heard good things about New Mexico, and it’s definitely on our list. Neither of us have ever been there, but some of our good friends absolutely love it. I bet you do really miss living there!
Just the thought of this meet-up made me giddy with excitement – two of my favorite bloggers together at last! I’m so glad fate coordinated your vacation plans.
I’ve done Vegas and Palm Desert in the summer. Brutal. But glad to know that we’re not the only ones who plan that far out. In general, we have a West Coast plan with a Hawaii back-up. Unless we decided to live in an RV and go anywhere.
Tiffany,
We talked about how sweet you were after we saw your Tweet. Mama Pea just loves you. I like the RV plan – ha, that would be awesome!
What an awesome situation–two of my favorite bloggers in one of my favorite states at the same time. Why wasn’t I there?
J G Bean, I.DO.NOT.KNOW. Seriously, why are the stars always lined up against the two of us meeting? It WILL happen someday!
How fun!! I was so excited to see that y’all got to meet up. I am sure you had lots to talk about
So glad you all are having a fabulous vacation.
ah! someday I hope to meet you Heather! looks like you had so much fun and that pizza looks AMAZING! jealous!!
xxo
Nadia,
We will meet someday. I’m sure of that.
Check out Fruita, CO. Awesome running trails, with the best of Arizona’s weather, and Colorado’s beauty
[Geeze, think I want you to move to CO or something?! hehe] What a fun post!
Katie,
Never heard of Fruita. Will check it out for sure – thanks! We do love Colorado – such an amazing place.
oh. my. peas. What a lucky lady you are! Particularly for that gluten free pizza crust – and meeting the peas.
Bend OR my friend.
Marisa,
Yes! CD checks the weather in Bend, OR every day. We tried to go visit last summer but it didn’t quite work out. Definitely sounds like our kind of place!
That pizza, dang!!!!
Fun blogger meet up!!!
Ah! Green pizza! That looks wonderful. I mean, no pizza could be wrong in my eyes. But pesto… Be still my heart.
So fun that you got to meet the Peas!
And P.S. from the last post: I bet that piggy’s here to stay. My niece discovered a little tiny stuffed duck as a toy surprise from a Happy Meal, and did not part with it for 6 years. So precious.
Kristen,
I think you’re right. Piggy is going to be a permanent fixture in our lives.
If you find that place with great running trails and a yoga studio where they aren’t completely messing up the environment. I thought colorado would be it but just found out they drill for natural gas there too (i’m in PA and natural gas drilling is very controversial at the moment with the health effects of the runoff) anyway, I’ve lived in places with awesome yoga studios but not a lot of trails and with either too hot air too cold weather (boston and juno beach, fl). Western PA has awesome state parks with amazing trails and okay weather but no good yoga studios (at least I haven’t found one)…
awesome meet up! Looks like such a great time. CA housing prices are brutal for sure. Have a great weekend!
Move to Arizona! We are in Phoenix now for a little furlough, but its where I grew up. The summers aren’t bad in my opinion because you can run in the early morning or late night. I’ve never let the summer heat hinder my running. The swimming pools are perfect temps in the summer and there is sunshine all year long! I’m sure there are some good yoga studios here too. Two hours north of Phoenix is Flagstaff which is an awesome but not too far cooler summer getaway if you want to escape the heat… its at 7000 feet and very forested.
How fun to open up your blog and find the Pea family hanging out with you! Two of my favorite bloggers on one site…it just made me smile! Glad you all had a great time meeting!
Love Peas & Thank You!! your pizza looks delish
We have mild winters here in Colorado. In Denver, we’ve had to shovel… maybe 2x. It’s almost always sunny out here (300 or 330 days a year), the summers are wonderfully not humid at all, and if CD wants trails… we got ‘em.
Moved here from Wisconsin 3 years ago and have never looked back.
Awww…. that looks like so much fun!!!
I did my first blogger meet up earlier this week when I was in California, and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! 
I loved meeting one of my blogger friends in person!
That pizza looks amazing to say the least!! I know that if I went to that pizza place, I would have ordered the EXACT same thing!
Have fun during you final days in Arizona and have a truly fabulous weekend!! And I think your hair is gorgeous
<3
Can I just say the pizza looks SO good right now. Glad you enjoyed our favorite restaurant! Damn, Whole Foods!!!
Heather,
Remember, if you head out to Oregon someday, you have to stop by my hometown – the capital – Salem. =)
Chris =)
As a resident of Scottsdale, and having lived everywhere from The Bahamas to Dubai, I can honestly this is as good as it gets. Don’ t let the hot summers deter you — it’s a dry heat, as they say. And yes, Picazzo’s rocks!
Alright! Blogger powerhouse meet-up! Love Mama Pea! I don’t think I’ve read a single post of hers that hasn’t made me smile! So glad you two finally got to meet! You both look gorgeous!
My two favourite bloggers!
Aww 2 of my favourites all meeting and stuff! Cute abounds.
Anyhow Northern California is pretty amazing, although I am being gracious right now because it’s not sweltering right now. Great yoga studios, great running trails, really high housing costs.
What a fun meet-up! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the Phoenix area… it’s always such a wonderful experience to travel around the country and just realize how different the lifestyle can be. Pizza looks fantastic and hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation!
My two favorite bloggers in one spot!!!! Amazing! Sounds like a very fun lunch!
Eee! I love seeing blogger meet ups – especially quitewellknown bloggers like y’all! Not to make you blush or anything…
I just had a thought. When Summer is older, she, Gigi, and Lulu could totallyyy hang out. They could be like the cool, older sisters!
SOO much fun! great ratio of adults to kids for the girls- I’m sure they’re loving on that
I used to think the same thing about Phoenix. I recently lived there for four years and found the heat horrible!!! It was hot most of the year and I got so sick of it. In reality it was beautiful about three months total and the other months were all different levels of “hotness.” I missed seasons so much and truly thought it wouldn’t have been a very ideal place to raise kids. Seasons are underrated!!!
Do you know that when I was applying for nursing jobs last year I actually applied to the University of Arizona in Tuscon’s program for new grads? Everyone thought it was kind of random and crazy but I’ve always thought I would like dry heat better than the alternative (and knew I was going to move somewhere completely new, so figured I might as well try someplace that I found interesting!)
From what I’ve read, I think Santa Fe has a pretty perfect climate-never really super hot or cold and with quite a bit of sun. I’ve always said that if I could just live/be a nurse wherever I wanted on my own schedule, I’d be in Alaska during the summer and go to someplace warm and dry like Arizona or New Mexico during the winter
Glad you are enjoying your vacay and meet up with Mama Pea. I’ve looked at her blog a couple times and have been SERIOUSLY impressed/entertained by her recipes + humor. She always looks super cute + put together too (you also look so pretty in these pics, btw)
Sounds like a lovely time! I am really looking forward to driving through Arizona on my Cross Country Road Trip!
I am embarrassed at how jealous I am of this meetup! So lovely to look at the pics.
What an epic blogger meet up!!! I wondering if that restaurant knew they had two celebrities in their midst
How cool that you got to meet Mama Pea & family in Arizona! I love her blog too, and I love how bloggers support one another
At least healthy living bloggers!
Pesto and goat cheese pizza sounds deeelicious!
You know, the Denver/Boulder county fits most of the criteria just saying – like I have not told you that before, right?
Safe travels home, friend
You know, the Denver/Boulder area fits most of the criteria just saying – like I have not told you that before, right?
Safe travels home, friend
I had no idea there was such a popular food blogger from Oregon! I live there too
Glad you finally got to meet the Pea family! I love Mama Pea’s blog, she’s one of my favorites!! She cracks me up, literally! My husband looks at me like I am completely insane when I am laughing hysterically at her posts.
That pizza looks AMAZING! That crust is gluten-free? Holy YUMMMMMM! That looks perfect!
gah you all look amazing! bet you had a blast!! i’ve never been to arizona! the only place out west i’ve visited has been california, i really want to go to seattle and portland!
I don’t know what I’m more jealous about, the GF pesto pizza or your awesome meetup! Glad you’ve been having a beautiful trip, Heather!
So glad you had a great visit! You two are my favorite bloggers so it was neat for me to see you guys together