A Tillamook Ice Cream Social in Sacramento #TillamookInSac

I love Tillamook. True story. And not because they hooked it up with a TON of free ice cream to eat until we couldn't eat anymore. My love for Tillamook goes way back, before I even knew they had ice cream. It was purely for the cheese! When my husband and I first started dating, I professed my love of Tillamook cheese to him. He told me he had gone on a tour at their factory and had Tillamook Ice Cream {first time I had heard about this Tillamook Ice Cream business} when the tour ended. Bam! Just like that I fell in love. With my husband, I was already in love with Tillamook. And I was rushing out the door to go find some Tillamook Ice Cream.:)

Fast forward almost 6 years later and I was rushing out the door to attend a Tillamook Ice Cream Social! Tillamook partnered with Sacramento Bloggers to host an incredible event, at Thinkhouse Collective in Sacramento, that featured a lot more than just eating ice cream. I am one lucky lady to have been invited, otherwise I may have died of envy.

The night started with an awesome presentation by Gillian Kennedy (@gckennedy), Tillamook's Integrated Marketing Manager. {yeah, they could have gotten me there without the ice cream. haha} I couldn't wait to hear what she had to say. It's not everyday you get gems of advice from a social media expert, at least I don't, so this was super duper special. Gillian went over tips on creating a visual voice for ourselves through social media channels. This woman knows what she is talking about - during her tenure with Tillamook their online following has grown by 600%. That is drop-dead uh-mazing.

Oh, did I mention there was ice cream too?

There was the cutest ice cream table set up with fancy plates, ice cream toppings, syrups, cookies and of course lots of ice cream.  We even got to try a new flavor, Fireside S'mores, that was absolutely delicious! {enough so that I got a carton for Mr. Hungry Harp to try the next night.}

In case you didn't know that Tillamook made ice cream, let me tell you - they do and you want need it in your life. The taste of their flavors are seriously like none other and there are 27 to choose from. My favorite is Chocolate Peanut Butter with Fireside S'mores coming in close at second and I can't wait to try their White Chocolate Raspberry Yum. Before you run out the door to go find your own carton of Tillamook Ice Cream, check out the Tillamook Where To Buy page!

And then {I know, how could there possibly be more to this awesome Ice Cream Social?!?} we participated in a live Instagram contest. The mission was to create an ice cream sandwich using the ingredients available and post a photo of it to Instagram using the hashtag #TillamookInSac. How awesome, huh?

Here is my entry into the contest. A Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich, sandwiched between two Chocolate Chip Cookies and sprinkled with chopped nuts.

I was honored to receive a runner up prize in the contest - an awesome Tillamook apron and a couple free cartons of ice cream!! That's winning as far as I'm concerned. {here is my math: free ice cream = winning} :) My cutie patootie of a son was more than happy to model the apron for me when I got home. I LOAF that kid!

I had a great time and met a bunch of great people. It was my first time venturing out to a local blogging event and was so happy I did. Totally excited for the next Sacramento Bloggers event!!

For more information on Tillamook, check out their website - facebook - twitter - pinterest