Behind the Scenes: A Weekend in the Life of She Forks PHX

I am forever grateful for the opportunities brought to me as a food blogger. I love new experiences, food, and meeting awesome people. One thing about food blogging is that I’m always busy. Recently, I got to try several Verizon products, which has helped me save time on my busy lifestyle!

Saturday

9:30. I leave for Press Coffee in Chandler for my very first cupping. Cupping is a coffee tasting where you learn all about the different flavors and aromas of coffee. For an hour, I listened as my cool teacher taught us about the Coffee Belt (the regions in the world where you can source coffee beans) and ‘slurping’ (the best way to get the flavors on your tongue) as well as ‘breaking the crust’ (stopping the brewing process). I usually take pictures on my Canon SLR because photo quality is key to building my brand, but my Verizon Google Pixel 3 XL takes stunning pictures, without the hassle of connecting to my computer to upload them. I was able to post my pictures at anytime, and so I scheduled the best one to go live the next day.

Set-up for cupping. I used the “Photo Sphere” setting to take this picture, and loved how it came out! But I accidentally took a picture of Karen’s arm, so decided I wasn’t going to post to IG.

The final picture that went on Instagram; it yielded over 270+ likes!

3:00. By the afternoon, I’m jolted on coffee, and super energized. I start to plan my photoshoot for KIND bars. I try to take a creative approach and do a ‘purse spill’ of what’s inside my bag. It takes a few tries with different arrangements, props, and backdrops, but I love the colors the Verizon Google Pixel 3 XL offers and it was so much easier to use than my SLR!

First attempt at shooting KIND bars. I’m not loving the yellow background or the purse placement. Plus, I think it’s a little too cluttered, taking away focus from KIND bars.

Swapped the yellow background with a white background and removed some items, as well as rearranged the purse. The depth of field in this shot is cool, but need a lower depth for the final.

Sunday

11:00. Start off the day by driving to Old Town Scottsdale to have brunch at Hotel Valley Ho. There’s a Bloody Mary Bar, and boy does it look enticing. I order the duck confit, which tasted tender and paired well with its sauce, but the star of the show was ZuZu’s Show Stopper Shake of the month. I can’t get enough of the tiny little pumpkin pies that come with it. I want to post right away and usually have trouble hopping onto the wi-fi at Hotel Valley Ho since it’s reserved for guests. Luckily, I brought my Verizon MiFi which allowed me to hook up to my own personal wi-fi. Ta-da! Easily, I’m able to post to my IG stories without any wi-fi hassle!

1:00. Right after brunch we head north to WestWorld for the Wine and Dine Experience created by Martha Stewart. There were a lot of familiar vendors, and we’re lucky enough to have access to the VIP tent. There was fresh oysters, shrimp, sushi, and meats everywhere we looked. We toured, drank, and filled ourselves on delicious garb. By the end of the festival, I’ll have covered 4,251 steps (approximately 2 miles!) and burned 2,644 calories - according to my Verizon FitBit Charge 3. I’m very glad it doesn’t track my calories consumed this weekend… :) It’s been a long weekend, I’m exhausted and ready to go home and take a nap!