Howdy! I’m back from the LATISM conference in Houston and still very excited about it all. It was a whirlwind of parties, sessions, emotions, and inspiration. Now I’m recovering from it all and gearing up for our cooking demo in Fort Collins, Colorado and then a few days later I will be hopping on an airplane for our exciting California book tour.

Sorry, back to Houston…If you follow us on twitter then you probably saw all my tweets over the weekend. For some reason I didn’t pull out my fancy camera–I was just in the moment and now kind of regret it. I took plenty of photos with my iPhone but nothing fancy, so I’m borrowing some photos for this blog post from some of the other bloggers who attended.

Oh, and remember the Awards Gala I mentioned? It was a fantastic night! I had a great time getting all dolled up, celebrating with fellow bloggers, and rejoicing in the talent of all the gifted winners. Thank you to everyone who voted for Muy Bueno. I want to report that we did not win, but believe me when I say that I am very proud of Vianney who won the Best Latin@ Food Blogger. She is a Texana just like us, which makes me even more proud of her. Please check out her fabulous Sweet Life blog. You can also see a complete list of winners here.

At the conference I signed books alongside Ana Flores, Sabrina Vourvoulias, Sujeiry, Gonzalez, and also spoke a bit about our book-publishing journey in one of the sessions.

I have to say that my favorite part of the weekend was listening to media dynamo Nely Galan. I encourage you to check out the 2012 National Tour. The Adelante Movement (Move Forward!) founded by Nely Galan, is a grassroots movement that unites and empowers Latinas socially, economically, and politically in the U.S. The Adelante Tour involves a series of national economic empowerment forums supported by a digital community, presented by The Coca-Cola Company, which motivate, educate, activate, and connect. You will be inspired by Latinas such as Sandra Cisneros and others, who will help you find your mission and voice and reawaken your deepest goals—all while showing you how to leverage your talents and skills. You will cry. You will bond—all while becoming empowered with real opportunities.

I look forward to LATISM 2013 in New York and hope to see some of you there.

Disclosure: My travel and accommodations were sponsored. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Photos by Monique Frausto (Blogs by Latinas) and Rachel Matos (Latina Bloggers Connect)