I slept in today – it was glorious!  I think I woke up at 9 am (which my internal clock was reading 11 am eastern time) and was STARVING!  I had to run downstairs to be sure I caught breakfast in time before it closed.  There was a full spread from omelet bar to bisquits and gravy. Yum

Funny thing is that I was there at the same table for I think 4 hours!   I had made plans to meet Joey Pogorel and Debbie Moczek about a Florida event we are planning.  (more on that later!)  Debbie Naylor joined us and we had a fun just shooting the stampin’ breeze.  People would stop at our table, pull up a chair and we’d bounce around topics.  It was a revolving door of demos!

This was the last group at our table – thanks girls for the great conversation, ideas and laughs! From back left: Debbie Moczek, Debbie Naylor, Joey Pogorel, Ruth Bingle, me, Martha Armstrong and Patty Bennett

So after my bum was numb for sitting so long, I headed down to do our make and takes.  I wish I could show you but since the stamp set won’t be out until January in the Occasions mini, they asked us not to post pics.  We did 2 projects but one had 5 little envelopes and cards/tags.  The other was a flower die in a box,  Cute!

We had a great relay stamp team going here!  We each took parts of the project and did them in bulk.  So whatever my job was, I did it 5 times so we were all finished in an hour (or so)  From left:  Debbie Naylor, Debbie Moczek, me, Robin Merriman, and Tiffany Bauer.  I usually don’t like stamping publicly but it was a blast with these girls!

Table for 71?   Yep, Robin organized a dinner at Olive Garden for 71 of us!   We all walked over and the service was amazing!  Robin had us all sit with others that we didn’t know well so we could make new friends.   I enjoyed getting to know Jane Wike, Susie Wood and LeeAnn Greff, my table mates!

After way too much pasta and ice cream, I rolled back to the hotel and caught a bus to Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida.  It was at the Tuachan Ampitheater, which is gorgeous!  We sat outside in comfy seats with the mountains behind the stage.  As it got dark out, there were bats flying here and there (catching mosquitos as good bats do) and we would catch glimpses of them in the stage lights. 

Lisa Schmid and I, just off the bus, holding our tickets in front of the scenery

My view from where I was sitting of the stage before the show.  We weren’t allowed to take pics once it started.

After a good cry over the love story about the soldier and the princess we headed back to the hotel and straight to the rec room (as I call it) for more chocolate!  Then we were too wired to go to bed…

By the way, for those quilters out there,  I wish you could see these in person!  Jill Olsen brought a bunch of quilts she made to share with all of us.  She uses the Big Shot to cut the shapes and it is incredible to see them all up close.   Here are a few pics of them –

(That’s Jill, holding up one of them)

Ruth was in love…

And finally, back to my room where there was another Pillow Gift waiting for me:

A beautiful hardcover edition of Secret Garden, to go along with our Bloom and Grow theme.  It’s was a thoughtful gift and the best part, which really touched my heart: