Alex and I headed out of Phoenix Sunday and made our way to Salt Lake. I must admit that I forgot that it is still winter after having been in 80* sunny weather for 2 weeks! Phoenix was simply amazing! In addition to spending time with Alex’s parents, we met incredible fans, made some awesome LOVE DROPS, and spread the LOVE in Fry’s!

We are excited to have the LOVE of Love Grown Foods finally out there given it’s Alex’s hometown! Plus, to my surprise I continually am impressed by how much of a foodie heaven Phoenix is! This city is FULL of amazing restaurants and great places to grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

We are now in Salt Lake and excited to see mountains and snow! We have to refrain from taking days off and skiing…I guarentee after one run we would reconsider heading home until the season was over. Nonetheless, there is something magical about being in mountains. That feeling of home, the crisp mountain air, the sight of snow-capped peaks all instill a sense of comfort within me.

We will be here through the weekend spreading the LOVE before heading back to Denver for a bit. If you are in Salt Lake or have a friend who needs a LOVE DROP, let us know because we will gladly spread them loads of LOVE on your behalf!

While in Phoenix we visited 5 schools and talked about the importance of breakfast, why whole grains are so key, and what growing kids need to be eating to fuel their bodies right. We talked to over 150 students–ranging from kindergarten to 8th grade.

One of the first schools we went to was taught by one of Alex’s friends who is doing Teach For America. Her kids were super excited and full of questions!

We visited some other Teach For America classrooms as well. One of the classes we visited was so cute! It was a kindergarten class taught by my camp counselor! Her kids were so itty-bitty and cute!

Seeing the “light bulb” is one of the best parts. When kids start getting into it and asking questions is when we know what we are doing is sinking in. Kids get even more excited when we give them bags to take home.

One of the classes we visited we met some young entrepreneurs. After class, these boys couldn’t wait to show us the awesome and impressive ducked tape wallets they make! They were so ecstatic and had lots of questions about running a business.

It was a totally stellar trip and awesome experience. Check out all of the classrooms and more pictures on facebook! Also, as we head to TX, GA, OH, and more states we are always looking for more schools, teachers, and students that we can spread the LOVE to! Feel free to make any suggestions and we will try to make it happen!

The weather was PERFECT! It was warm, clear sky, and an absolutely fabulous Phoenix spring day! Alex and I were thrilled to be hosting the FIRST BLOGGER BREAKFAST in ELBY the Love Bus! This morning we welcomed moms, kiddos, and bloggers aboard Elby for the most delicious breakfast of LOVE GROWN FOODS.

Check out all the strollers parked out front!

There was no better place to hold the LOVEFAST (get it…LOVE+BREAKFAST) than at the ZOO! Besides, what kiddo doesn’t get excited about the Zoo?!

We served coffee, tea, juice, and Love Grown Parfaits with fruit salad and I also made Love Grown gluten-free scones! It was  a blast! We had a full bus, but LOVED meeting everyone and SPREADING THE LOVE!

HUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE AWESOME MOMS, KIDDOS, AND BLOGGERS WHO JOINED US!

For the past two weeks, I have been completely LOVE deprived. And the symptoms of depleted levels of LOVE were starting to surface. My smile was not as beaming. The sight of a laughing baby was starting to make me mad. This is what happens when you spend your spring break in Mexico, and therefore 1667 miles away from Denver and the Love Pad. It was a rough week.

After applying aloe vera to my entire body (a common tradition after my Irish skin is exposed to Mexican sunbeams), I headed off to Love Grown to get my LOVE on. I was pumped! If the sheer fact that I got to come back to work wasn’t exciting enough, I was pleasantly surprised by a welcome from Maddy and Alex on my way in.

And while I have also been LOVE deprived, getting back in the swing of things (aka reality) also put me in the sleep-deprived category. Thankfully Love Grown knows how to take care of one of their own. Oh the simple things.

For the rest of the day, I plan on drinking 2 to 10 more cups of coffee, relishing in the awesomeness of the Love Pad, possibly watch a Bieber music video on YouTube, and blog a little bit more about how much I love the LOVE.

Did I mention I love the LOVE?

-Laura the Love Bomb

I cease to be amazed by how much LOVE one can have. (And I am not talking about our Oat Clusters & Love…though that is delicious too.) With the launch of Love Grown Foods nationally, we have been overwhelmed with the most incredible support from every direction, on every level. Alex and I always wanted to start Love Grown Foods out of the desires to spread health and wellness to others…not thinking about what we would get in return. Since this adventure has begun only 2 years ago, I feel we have gotten more out of it than our consumers!

I always knew we would have the opportunity to make lasting impacts on people we meet, the kids we teach, the moms we support…what I didn’t know, was that all of those people would have an even greater and more profound impact on me. My heart continues to smile as I–time after time again–radiate pure joy simply because of the people who support and encourage us.

Tonight we had the great honor of eating dinner with some of our dearest (*new*) friends who we now simply adore and love. Vicky, Kent, Pam, and Paisley are 4 of the nicest people we have ever met. It makes sense, though, because Vicky is Triple S’ mom (Stroller Strides Sarah). Quick history–Sarah met Alex at the Stapleton Farmer’s market last summer and introduced us to Stroller Strides (which we LOVE to support). Sarah is full of LOVE and energy and a true joy and instantly she, her amazing husband Tom, and their little one Breck became some of our most favorite people (not to mention some of our biggest supporters). When we found out that Sarah’s mom and brothers live in AZ we knew it was a merging of the Heavens and that Alex and I would most definitely need to arrange a meeting!

We walked into Vicky’s house to find LOVE GROWN BUTTONS and a LOVE GROWN BUCKET OF LOVE!!! Vicky–who makes Martha Stewart look like an amature–had made LOVE GROWN LOLLIPOPS (recipe coming soon) and “I LOVE ELBY” buttons! She even had one of our LOVE NOTES that we had sent her a while back saved! Talk about inspiring, my heart simply melted (and my taste buds jumped for joy)!

The six of us went to dinner (Pam and Paisley live down the street, but the two families are practically like one giant family living in two houses…and they are all so amazing). We ate at Joe’s Farm Grill (which in and of itself was fabulous) and chatted and delighted in one another’s company.

(Check out their “I LOVE ELBY” BUTTONS!)

Alex and I left dinner overflowing with LOVE. To meet people who encourage you to do what we are doing…and who make long hours and long days seem doable and even easy…is the greatest gift that Love Grown Foods has given us. We have been touched by so many incredible people and simply cannot say it enough: THANK YOU. FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS (and endless buckets of Oat Clusers & Love) THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY PERSON THAT BELIEVES IN US AND WHO IS HELPING US SPREAD THE LOVE OF LOVE GROWN FOODS.