You know what’s a good combination?  Fried chicken and cupcakes.

You know what else is a good combination?  Me and you.  You and me.

Thank you for bringing your smiling, shining faces downtown on Sunday.  I don’t know exactly how to tell you how much this picnic meant to me.  Let’s see…. how can I relate this to you?

About a year and a half ago I cried… sometimes.  Not a sad cry.  Oooh no.  It’s just that I was working two tragically minimum wage jobs as a barista and as a baker, finishing up college, driving a car that was worth less than my camera, running from job to job to class to study group, writing papers in a daze and falling asleep in the library weekly.  I would cry just because I was so dang tired.  Do you ever get the tired cries?  Yea… it happens.

In the midst of all that, I started this here blog.  It’s turned into the thing that I can’t wait to sit down and do every night.  You all have become the people that I look forward to connecting with everyday.  It’s just so much a part of me… and now you are too!

So… this picnic.  Well, it was the opposite of the tired cries.  You all made me so happy.  It was so fantastic of all of you to come out to share the love.  Thank you to each and every one of you who came to share the day with me.

Adrianna and Caroline are the darlings behind A Cozy Kitchen.  They’re super sweet.  Seriously.  Ladies.  I like you.

Deanna!  Ooooh dearest Deanna!  Deanna and her friend Sandi drove all the way down from Oregon for the picnic.  Drove…. from Oregon!  Deanna, your dress was super cute.  For reals.

Katie and kids had their own rooftop picnic on Vancouver Island, BC with a dozen cupcakes and… do I see a Cabbage Patch Kid down there!?  Awesome.  Doin’ it up right.  Well played.

Lynne threw an indoor picnic in Ottawa.   They baked the Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake and wore super cute dresses.  What more could you want!?

It was just the most lovely afternoon ever, and then…..

You know what’s not exactly an awesome combination?  Hay bales and AstroTurf that doesn’t belong to you.  That means a lot of cleaning.

I suppose now would be a good time to thank you… Simon, for literally picking up hay in a sea of hay.  I couldn’t have pulled this picnic off without the help of Michael (the behind the scenes man with the plan), Rachael (cole slaw maven), my Mom and Dad and sister (for late night cupcake baking and chicken runnin’), Whitney (for the best 5 minute makeup job ever), Simon (for all the hay you got in your face… i’m sorry), and Carsen and company (for graciously letting me boss you around).  Seriously you guys.  Thank you from deep down inside my heart.

The next Joy the Baker shindig will have a hired clean up crew.  No joke. We are doing this again.

Oooooh Yea!  I’ve got a lot to be excited about!  Come on down for picnic time!

Don’t forget to send your virtual picnic pictures into joythebakerpicnic (at) gmail (dot) com …. Ok!?

You’ll also want to check back often today to see all sorts of picnic photos and updates.

Aaaand one more thing!

Don’t forget the live Twitcam broadcast at 4:30.  All you have to do is follow me on Twitter!

Update 1.40pm PST: I think we are all set.  Also, I want to post a couple of virtual picnic updates.  First, look at this photo of Ella from Western Australia

She said:

Unfortunately its winter in this hemisphere, so our picnic was a gloomy indoor affair, brightened only by the glorious CUPCAKE SUN!

Also heard from Julia from the Dozen Flours she had to work this week on her very first wedding cake but said:

(I) was channeling your picnic too because the reception had a very sweet Italian picnic theme.

Thanks for joining in.   More soon…

Update 3.01pm PST: Ok.  This is officially happening.

See you at 4:30…..

Hey Friends!

Guess what!? OOOooh yes! It’s almost picnic time! That means… it’s almost Virtual Picnic time!

But what the heck is a virtual picnic, and how is this going to work? Don’t worry. I have answers. Here’s how I’d like it to go down.

1. I would love for you to gather your friends… gather one friend… gather ninety friends… get together on Saturday August 22nd or Sunday August 23rd, share your favorite baked goods, and just enjoy fun and laughs over sweet treats.

2. Take pictures of you and your friends at your JtB picnic extravaganza. Why? Because you want to send those photos to me to be posted along with pictures from the Los Angeles event as it happens on August 23rd.  Pictures!  Pictures with signs.  Pictures with cupcakes.  Pictures with your smiling faces… I want them!

3. Do you follow me on Twitter? You probably do… and that’s great!  At 4:30 PST I’ll be live streaming video of the picnic extravaganza using TwitCam.  Yes… welcome to the future.  All you’ll have to do is find me on Twitter at 4:30PST and follow the link that says “Check out my live video stream of TwitCam”.  You’ll get to plug into the picnic as it happens!  You’ll see my in my pretty pink dress acting like the hostess with the mostess.  You’ll even be able to tweet comments and questions as I’m live streaming.  Oooh future.  You’re rad! 

4.  There will be prizes for the Los Angeles picnic participants and yes… prizes for some Virtual Picnic participants too.  There will be one random drawing and one prize for the virtual picnicers with the most spirit.  Who doesn’t like prizes!? 

Want to play along?  Want to gather your friends in the name of Joy the Baker and cupcakes?  I think you should.  Do it!  Then share the love with me!  So…. you in!?

What..?  You want a recipe?  Ok… how about Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream with Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce?  Good.