A couple of interesting facts that you may not know about us: 1) We plan each issue of Experience Life about six months in advance; and 2) At any given time, we have four to five issues in process.

Right now, for instance, the July/August issue is at the printer, September is being finalized, October is moving through fact checking and copy proofing to design, November articles are being edited, and December is being written by a slew of freelancers scattered across the country. Whew! To keep track of everything, our whole team meets on a weekly basis to check-in.

It all really starts, though, at our bi-annual planning meetings, held in June and December. At those all-day meetings, we brainstorm issue themes and articles ideas for anywhere from three to six issues (it depends on how quickly we slate content for each one). 

This past week, we had our bi-annual meeting of the year and made significant headway planning themes and the first three issues of 2012. Let me just say, there’s lots of good stuff coming! 

Like years past, we traveled off-site, this time to the Cooks of Crocus Hill on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. Not only was it a great space to let the creative juices flow, but the food was absolutely delicious. The chefs prepared our lunch in the open kitchen adjacent to the meeting space, and the aromas that wafted over to our side of the room were amazing — many of us were hungry well before our scheduled lunch as a result. Thank goodness for a breakfast spread and snacks!

Although I can’t share the details of what we planned just yet, here a few shots of our day at the Cooks of Crocus Hill — enjoy!