Hurricane Florence tried to scare my CookieCon travel companion and me into staying home. No way was she going to stop us! We stocked our pantries and left instructions for our families before we hit the road for our 10-hour drive. (Please don't think we're awful mothers, as our children are legally adults, and our husbands are home.)
Road Trip with a Mountain View.
Have you ever heard the old expression, "Deer caught in the headlights"? Well that has been the look on this CookieCon newbie's face since Wednesday morning.
Oh my goodness, the add-on workshops (aka Pre-CookieCon classes) were amazing! To be totally honest, there was fear that they would be nothing more than infomercials. Boy, was that wrong! The add-on workshops were worth every penny, as the hands-on experiences and education were so enlightening for cookiers at every skill level. Newbies were never made to feel inferior about their skills and received so much encouragement from fellow cookiers and the instructors.
A Peek at Killer Zebras' Class - Enchantment Under the Sea.
A Peek at Cookie Cowgirl's Class - Character Sketching.
A huge thank you to all of the sponsors! As newbies, we're just starting to build our arsenal of tools and supplies. The swag bags were busting at the seams. (Truly felt like Christmas morning.) Also, at each one of the four add-on workshops that I attended, tools and supplies were generously donated for the attendees to take home. This newbie will definitely be patronizing these wonderful businesses in the future.
CookieCon 2018 Swag Bag Contents.
Denise Maracich, aka @DeniseM, has been practicing her cookie skills since March with a goal of “going public” after attending her first CookieCon, and just in time for the holidays. She first became obsessed with decorated sugar cookies after hiring a local young lady to recreate her personalization business logo on sugar cookies. The cookies' flavor was to-die-for and addicting, and that led to Denise's Instagram-stalking of this cookier and others. The open support and uplifting spirit of the cookie community gave Denise the courage to open Creative Cookiery, LLC. Denise is the mother of four wonderful and handsome young men. Entering the empty nest stage of life has left her with time to experiment with recipes and to practice the art of decorated sugar cookies. Her husband of 32 years has joyfully assumed the role of cookie tester. Denise was not a baker prior to this new adventure, so he is truly enjoying her new venture! To learn more about Denise and her new business, check out her site and stalk her back on Instagram! 
Photo credits: Denise Maracich
Note: This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To read more CookieCon 2018 updates from our special Cookie Connection Correspondents Team, click here, and for CookieCon event photos, click here.
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