If you have a minute....

HOP right over the THE PAPER MILL STORE.com blog and give us your opinion!

We've got a little poll up and it only takes a moment!!

AND EVEN BETTER.......

Leave us comment to let us know EXACTLY what you think about the changes!

We would so appreciate it!

Scaredy Cat!

MEOW!!!!Who wants to make this Halloween Kitty?


Go check it out on the Paper Crazy Blog for the full instructions.

Every single time I look at him....I just crack up!

(and you can learn how to make my trademark "spit ball spider!"

The Surgery...

....a story in hospital excellence.

(an essay for Emilie)


So, when I walked into the hospital last Friday for my Pre-Op visit, I was pleasantly surprised. You see, I had never been there before for treatment or an emergency since living in KS. (knock on wood) I know, with 4 kids that seems like a miracle!


As I was saying, I was pleasantly surprised. I wish I had brought my camera, but I wasn't expecting such a nice hospital. It felt like a hotel. Nice, clean, classy. A beautiful tall fountain in the lobby and a view up where you can see all the rooms on the inside of the hospital. It was quite impressive. Marinne was with me and she declared, "Mommy, I love that water!" And I agreed, it was very relaxing.


So, we do the Pre-Op stuff and it only took an hour. Not bad at all.



So, on Surgery Day (Wednesday) I was to be there at 10:30am for my 12:30pm surgery. (boy was I glad I didn't have to be there at 5am!) Surprisingly, I was quite calm. (which is not like me at all....) You see, I've been putting off this procedure for over a year because I was so scared of doing it. (ya, I'm pretty much a big chicken)


Anyway, I was calm, until the hospital called at 9:04am and asked "if there was any way I could come right now?" YEA, RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!


I've been sitting here at my house just chillin', waiting to get into the shower in a bit. I had plans to shave my legs. I had plans to keep from showing up all "sasquatch" if you know what I am sayin'?! (omgosh, did I just say that out loud?!?!)
But, the fact remains that since they were going to be workin' in the area,
I wanted to make sure things were in tip-top shape! (just doin' what I can do
to help the process at the hospital!)


So, back to the phone call. So, then she explains that someone's surgery got cancelled and the doctor is now running ahead of schedule. So, I say, "Well, if that's what I need to do, I can be there around 10am." (we live like 20 minutes away w/ the drive time due to stoplights at every corner!) And it's now 10 after 9am and I'm still on the phone with the surgery nurse. So, now I am in a HURRY.


I went from "nice and calm" to "panicked and stressed" in about 60 seconds.
(but that was due to the fact I DO NOT deal with change well!)


So, fast forward 25 minutes and we're on our way to the hospital....
(it doesn't take long to "get ready" when you aren't allowed to wear makeup!)


The thing that took the longest was the check-in. When I got there, I had to wait about 10 minutes (still, nothing compared to what I've had to wait at any other hospital. I've waited longer than that for something when I was in LABOR!)


They quickly got me into a Pre-Op Room and I was quizzed and given a hospital bracelet and a gown. (by quizzed, I was asked what my procedures were and made sure I verified the info on my chart and bracelet was all correct.)
Thorough.....I like that in a hospital!!


Before I could even get out of the bathroom and dressed in my hospital gown and my sexy maternity underwear hey gave me to hold the maxi pad I needed!
(thought I was done with maternity anything.....HA! HA! Guess Not!!!)

(these are disposable underwear that could be cut off me when they were ready for surgery....and yes, my body betrayed me by starting my period again about 10 days early....one finally betrayal before I made up my mind that I was done with these insane and out of control menses. This just help justify in mind that the time is now and that I really need to do this. Even if I am scared to death.)


So, while my 2 nurses were waiting for me to get the maternity undies on, they were already getting things done for my surgery. When I came out, I was quizzed again about my hospital bracelet and what procedures I was having.
(Like I said, they were THOROUGH!)

Then came the anesthesiologist.
More quizzing. More health questions. More clarifications.
Then, a shot in the IV to help me relax.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ANESTHESIOLOGIST!!!!
I think I might love you.....


The part I was dreading more than anything else was here....the IV.
(like I've said more than once, the worst part about having babies is the IV!!!)
I hate needles. And I DEFINITELY HATE IV'S!!!!!

So, while they were looking for a place to put my IV....I was panicking. And I was trying to ignore them. I took that moment to more closely examine my room.
I first see this picture, which is what I was focusing on while she gave me the IV numbing shot.
(thank you kind nurse for that, even if it burned a little...)

{to Emilie: I have no idea what a school house has to do with a hospital, but at least there was no one getting accosted in my hospital room!!!} To others: if you don't understand this go read HERE.


After she finished, we had to wait a few minutes for the numbing to take effect. So, I let my eyes wander off the schoolhouse to the wall in front of me....and I see this.(oh ya, I'm in a Catholic hospital.....) And as I was receiving my dreaded IV, I was concentrating on Jesus and I actually forgot to breathe, until the nurse said, "Honey, are you breathing?! Because we prefer our patients breathing!!"

(the funny part was the last time I was near a needle was here and
while I was in pain, I forgot to breathe and nearly passed out! --
p.s. scroll down to the story and pictures of my tattoo story!! :)

And when one nurse asked if I was breathing, the other nurse was done with the IV.
And it was NOT THAT BAD! I LOVE THAT NUMBING SHOT!!!!!!!!!!

And with that, we were ready to go!


Now, I was scared, but I am very ready to be done with the monthly madness!
So, I was ready to go.

They allowed Big Daddy to walk down the hall with us to the "goodbye spot"
and then we were allowed to say our goodbyes. I was strong (possibly because it was all happening so fast, there was no time to panic.) But, Big Daddy, well, he's an old softie and as he told me goodbye and he loved me, he was starting to cry.
It was so. very. sweet! (this guy never cries!)

So, they wheeled me away.
And I was now more worried about him than me!

The next thing I knew, we are in the Operating Room.
It was super freezing in there!
The anesthesiologist began explaning what they'd be doing.

And when he finished, they asked me if I was ok or had questions.


But, the only thing on my mind was Big Daddy.
So, that's what I was talking about.
And it was the last thing I remember.


And then, I found myself with a nurse by my side....glued to the heart monitor.
I was waking up.
She started talking to me.
Asking me how I felt.

She explained to me that she was carefully watching my heart rate.
Because, apparently, it was way too slow.
It was in the low 40's, about half of what it should have been.

So, she calls the anesthesiologist over. He, too, is concerned and orders
something that started with an R to get my heart going.

After 10 minutes or so, it had not worked.

So, the nurse calls anesthesiologist over again.
More concern over low heart rate which is still too slow.

This time, he pulls out the big guns.....Atropine.
(I recognize it from the show ER....and I get a bit nervous.
Because I know they use it when they have a code blue....)

And even after that....my heart rate only hit the upper 60's, but they were
no longer really concernes as the were with the 40's.


Once I was stable, she was asking me what my pain level was
based on this chart on the wall. For the record, I said it was a 3 or so.
And she gave me the good stuff. Morphine.

Then, she asked me how old my 4 kids were.

I said, "How did you know I have 4 kids."

"You told me," she responded.

As soon as you came to, you asked me if you were ok....
...because you had 4 kids and a husband who need you.

......Well, if I say something I don't remember saying, I'm glad it was that.


And when Big Daddy was brought to me, I was so glad to see him.
And he was so sweet and loving and so glad to see me.
He was starting to cry again....and he says I'm no longer allowed to be
wheeled away on a gurney. It was harder for him than he had expected.


And once I was stable and awake, they said I could go home.
And seriously, within 5 minutes they let me change my clothes and
they had a person there to wheel me to the car.

Now, that's what I call service!

(When I had my daughter, it took about 3 1/2 hours to be released! Insane!!)


**After I got home I took a L-O-N-G nap! And I was awakened just before 5pm by my cell phone. It was the doctors office. And they had run a urinalysis before my surgery and if you can believe it, I have a wicked Urinary Tract Infection.
Well, that explains a lot..........so I'm now on BIG TIME antibiotics, too!

--------------------
I just want to thank everyone for your concern, prayers and phone calls.
You guys are just *FANTASTIC*!!


The thing that has surprised me the most was how exhausted I've been since then.
And I'm 6 days post-surgery, and I still don't have a lot of stamina.
But, everyday I'm feeling stronger.


(Now....I've been asked by a few what exactly I had done.....It was a triple procedure that they do together, but the motivating factor was the "endometrial ablation."
This is the procedure that should help with my periods from hell. But, in tandem with that, the do a scope looking for cysts or any other problems that may be causing the bad periods. Then, a D&C has to be performed before they do the ablation.)

**UPDATE**

Hey everyone! I just wanted to jump on real quick and let you know I am just fine. Surgery was successful, although I did have a slight problem in recovery.

(My heart rate dropped to 42 and they couldn't get it to rise.)

and

I've had some pretty wicked cramping, although I am feeling much better today.

All and all....it wasn't that bad.

I have some pics I want to share....but they are on Big Daddy's camera phone.

So...look for the full story soon.

Interesting photo....

When I went to take my dog out this morning, I was surprised to see the moon. The sun was up (as you can see it shining on my neighbors house) and just above the trees was the biggest, brightest FULL MOON!

It was very beautiful and peaceful.

It's cold this morning...49 degrees. But, it's forecasted to be 79 degrees by this afternoon. To be honest, I hate this particular time of year. Why? Because you have to dress for cold in the morning and hot for the afternoon, which warrants both sets of clothing to be out for each child! I cannot keep up with the laundry, nor do I have the bedroom storage for everything to be out at once! And, it drives me CRAZY!!!!!

Anyway....it's shaping up to be a busy one. I have *super fun* scrapbooking projects to finish up for The Paper Mill Store.com and get sent in. So, be looking for those very soon on the blog.

I have a lunch date with a new friend today. Exciting, but I am nervous, too. This girl's hubby works for Big Daddy and she's currently on maternity on leave. So, we decided to do lunch. The funny thing is...why am I nervous? Well, because I want her to like me, of course. But, my husband is her husband's boss....so shouldn't she be nervous?! (now that I think about it, I bet she's nervous, too.) Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to it. As I've mentioned before...I am very lonely here. (although, I love it here!)

Then, there's tomorrow. Tomorrow, I am having some female surgery. NOT looking forward to that at all. Because I. AM. TERRIFIED. IV's. Anesthesia. Possible complications. Side effects of all of the above.

I wish I didn't have to do it.

So, say a prayer for me. (and Big Daddy, too. After all, he's gonna have to deal with his anxiety-ridden freak of a wife tomorrow --and probably tonight-- while I am dreading having to do this)

I might be missing in action for a few days....but, I'll try to check in to let you know I'm fine.

xo~

Roxann

Awards All Around!

BOY...AM I FEELIN' THE LOVE!!!!!! :)


So, I've been awarded the "I LOVE YOUR BLOG" award
4 times recently! And for me, this is very exciting! (because it proves that you are still reading -- even though many of you NEVER leave me some Blog Love in the form of a comment! Busted!!!!!)

I received the award first from my dear friend, Jamie. Who I miss so much. Who I am compulsively addicted to checking her blog multiple times a day, just in case she posts twice. (which she often does, darn overachiever!) Hee hee hee!

So, one day I am checking her blog and I find my self nestled just after Cathy Zielski in the list, with the sweetest sentiment ever!

Here's what she said, "Roxann Walker - Because she's embedded herself in my heart like a tick in a hound's butt. (I don't really know what that means, but it sounds pretty profound right?)"

Seriously, I laughed out loud!!! But if you know Jamie, than you know that this a serious declaration of love and adoration!! (but, do not hug her!)


Then, within days, I hear from another Savannah friend and inspirational scrapper, Deiha, that she has chosen me for the I Love Your Blog" award. Short and Sweet, but still means so much! Thanks, D! Seriously miss scrappin' with you!!


And just when I was realizing that I was running hugely behind with listing those two awards, I received the "I Love Your Blog" award a third time from a super sweet, very talented scrapper that I've had the pleasure of getting to know better this year, Kory Dordea! Thanks, Kory! And congrats on the baby!! :)


And before Robin realized I suck for forgetting her in this list, she also nominated me for this award IN THIS POST! Aw, Robin, please forgive me! You know I am one of your blog stalkers and art admirers. I just really do suck! So, everyone go check out ROBIN'S BLOG here and leave her a comment! She's starved for attention like me!
(We know people stalk us, but no one ever comments. So, make her day and do it! :)

*So now that I know I'm loved I'm gonna pay it forward by following these rules:

(1) The winner can put the logo on their blog. (2) Link the person you received your award from. (3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. (4) Put links of those on yours. (5) Leave a message on the blogs of the girls or boys you’ve nominated.

Since I knocked out #'s 1 and 2, let's see what we can do about numbers 3, 4 and 5!

Here's the thing, since I was nominated 3 times, do I nominate 7 blogs or 28 blogs?

Oh, the dilemma's of life.....

Well, I think should do 7, so I'll just start nominating those!!

My Blog Stalk List:

#1 - Emilie Ahern. I stinkin' love this girl! She is so funny. So smart. She cooks and teaches me how to freeze stuff on her "Freeze Happy" blog. And, she's a wicked cool scrapbooker! And she has two of the cutest redheaded girls you ever saw! And when I was able to meet her at CKC-Valley Forge...she forever implanted herself in my heart! What else do you need for a good blog?!? She's got it all!

#2 - Jamie Danford. Former owner of Savannah Scrapbooker. Fruit loop lover. Fabulous scrapbooker. Inspiring "Try-It Tuesday" poster. Mother. Wife to a redneck. Funny. Beautiful. And my good friend. As I mentioned above, I stalk her several times a day. Love ya girl!

#3 - Amber Winward. Oh, where do I even begin to share my love for this girl?!?! My Mormonlicious friend. One that teaches me about faith. Fellow mother of four. Cute kids and a seriously cute baby! Hilariously funny! Kick butt scrapbooker! And inspiring in so many ways! And after this Summer, one hell of a SURVIVOR!!!!! (((huge hugs to you, my friend)))

#4 - Sherry Piper. This girl is like the sister I never had. We are so alike and yet, so different. We are kinda like a Reese Peanut Butter Cup. Chocolate and Peanut Butter are good alone, but FABULOUS TOGETHER!! We have matching tattoos, which will always bond us together! I miss you, Sherry!! (but we'll always have Charlotte!)

#5 - Tam at Momma Song. Because sometimes she's funny. Sometimes introspective. Sometimes just talking about life with her two crazy boys. (aka...the natives) Because she brought me through my years in Georgia. And because I brought her through pregnancy and single motherdom (due to deployment.) And because I miss her, too.

#6 - Kate O'Brien. Kate must be included on my list because I love her blog. She's so fantastic. My favorite thing about Kate is that she inspires me! I like how her work is so REAL and True and Honest. And back before she became the "next big thing" in the scrapbooking world, she offered to build my original super cute blog banner/blog for me and I was a perfect stranger. Over time she became my friend. I wish her only the best. Now, why is her blog down, you ask? Well, because of snarky, hateful women. That's why. If, and when her blog is back, I'll be adding it to my blogroll. (with Kate's permission, of course!)

#7 - Kory Dordea. Kory is such a sweet girl. She's a great scrapbooker. And she's finally beat the battle with infertility and is pregs w/ her first child.

Other faves of note: Check my blogroll on the side --------------------------------->

Mommy's First Addiction!

...a pink Crackberry Curve!
(I mean BlackBerry Curve....isn't it pretty?!)

You've heard me speak about the Big Daddy's Blackberry aka "Crackberry" in reference to the News Director in this post. And as much as I hated his....I ended up with one a few days ago. And now I am wondering, "HOW IN THE WORLD HAVE I LIVED WITHOUT THIS?!?!!?"

Crazy!!

But, the best part of all is.....it didn't cost us a dime!

You see, back 2 years ago when Ike bought me my first pink razor phone while we were in Savannah, we signed a 2-yr. contract w/ verizon. Well, they have this program called "New Every 2" and I actually finished out a full 2-yr. contract. For this feat, they rewarded me nicely with $100 off a phone of my desire. And with the $70 mail-in rebate on the crackberry, it made the $169 BB Curve......FREE!!!!

Woot!! Woot!! Oh, yeah!

Charlotte - Wedding Trip

I had a little girl who had completely convinced herself into believing that she was not going on an airplane, no matter what. She was scared. She kept saying, "I'm going to Aunt Sis's house, but I am not going on an airplane." We kept trying to prepare her what it would be like, but no matter what...Marinne was convinced she wasn't doing it. That is, right up until we arrived at the airport and had this airplane...... fly right over our heads! Immediately she screamed,
"THAT'S the airplane I'M GOING ON!"
(sure, baby...whatever you need to believe!!! ha ha!!!)

And that was all she needed. The up close and personal and she was ready to go. She spent our "wait time" watching the planes come in and out. Griffin did, too. But, he was way more nonchalant than his sister!
They were WAY EXCITED, but she was still a bit nervous, too! But, when it was time to load "those passengers who might need a little more time" they were ready to go. (UM, ya...with 6 traveling together, 2 of them being their first time and a total of 4 children....we qualify!!!)

Once we decided who was sitting with whom, it gave me time to drag out the ol' camera and snap some pics..... ...priceless, really!

And then, we were off.....heading toward the runway.

Griffin and Marinne pulled out the Safety Card and paid attention to what the Flight Attendent said. (I did not tell them to do this.) Again, priceless!

Believe it or not, Griffin took a nap. And Marinne spent most of the time doing this. She just loves these "Kitty, Puppy, Safari in My Pocket" toys!And we made it just fine. Except a few slight squabbles involving window shades being up or down. The kids were PERFECT!!!!!

(obviously the stern talks/threats did work!!!!!!!!)

And then, we were in North Carolina!
(but did not get to Sis's house in Salisbury until after Midnight!)
(yawn....very LONG day!)


Before we left town, I had a deadline....I got the project done and I loved it. But, I didn't have time to take the photo's. So, I threw it in the old suitcase and decided I'd do it in Charlotte. (like I've had to do a million and one times!) But this time, it did not go as planned.

Sometime, in flight, an entire bottle of hairspray I packed in my suitcase for Marinne's wedding hairdo, exploded in my suitcase! WHAT A MESS!!!
And my poor project and the beautiful wedding card I made for my niece were both in the firing line! Damn!!! I was so upset!!!
(but thanks to Big Daddy's fantastic photoshop skills, it appeared on the TPMS Paper Crazy blog in FINE FORM!!!! WOOT, Big Daddy!)


Anyways, on to the wedding.....we did all the normal stuff.....

Up first on the list.....

GO GET THE TUXES and TRY THEM ON.

Simple, right?!?!
(After all, I did wait until only 4 weeks before said wedding to take all the kids to be fitted, so no one would outgrow jackets, vests, shirts, pants or shoes. We took them to the "big" store in Tulsa to have it done. Although, Big Daddy had his measured here in Kansas. And he did his only 2 weeks before the wedding..... ya know, the schedule of the New Director puts Tux Try-ons pretty low on the list of stuff to do!!!)

Well, you'd think it would be simple.....

UM.....NOPE!!!!!

We got the 4 tuxes and headed to the fitting rooms, taking up the whole place ourselves!!! Logan in one room, BD in one room and me with Griffin and Jensen and Marinne in the last room.

Well, I knew we were screwed the minute I unzipped Jensen's tux bag and found pants that were size 5T - Griffin's size. (but, I just figured they switched the names....) So, I reach over and unzip Griffin's tux and pull out the pants......WHICH ARE THE EXACT SAME SIZE AND LENGTH AS THE ONES IN JENSEN'S TUX BAG!!!!!!!!!!!! (Jensen boys size 9!)

I said, "Ike, we have a major problem in here!"

So, I call the girl over and show her and they start freaking out.

She starts asking me dumb questions....
"...did you let the waist out?" (i'm aware of how they works)
"...did you mix them up...." (um...they are the SAME SIZE...DUH!)

And, that's when my patience ran out. We have a wedding in 27 hours and the tux store is a 1 hr. one-way drive. And we now have determined that Griffins tie has a stain and his shoes don't fit.
Jensen's pants are Griffins size and a mile too short.
Jensen's shoes are too small, his pants, shirt and vest are all too small.
Big Daddy's pants and vest are too small.

But, Logan's was perfect....and HOLY CRAP how handsome he was!!!


After a pile of phone calls and some panic....it was finally all re-ordered.
And if you can believe it....they let the legs out of the Griffin-sized tux pants and Jensen wore them....and they more or less worked! Seriously!
So, they ended up wearing the exact same size pants! CRAZY!!

So, we went home (another hour) knowing at 10am on Saturday morning we had to go right back and PRAY that everything gets there and that it all fits! Talk about some stress......

~WEDDING DAY~

So, Saturday morning, it was back to the tux shop 1 hour away...

...some issues were fixed, some weren't.
Big Daddy's shirt had a stain, but we hid it under the tie.
Jensen was wearing a shirt that didn't fit, but they got the rest worked out....if you count his pants as "worked out." It was more like
making due with what we had to work with!!
And Griffin's tux jacket sleeve, we discovered, was not even hemmed.
(and we paid like $150 for each tux x 4!!!!!!)

Um...ya...we were not happy.
AND THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN, National TUX CHAIN!!!!!!!!

Anyway, yes...we demanded some refund on that!

ONTO the GOOD STUFF.....

The Beautiful Bride....our gorgeous niece, Kamryn.
It's so hard to believe that this beautiful, grown-up girl was our flower girl 16 years ago when she was only 7 years old. Now, she's all grown up!

The bride and her flower girl, Marinne. And look at this little angel!

Now, you must understand when we went and bought this dress, my girl hated the attention. Everyone in the bridal shop was oohing and aaahing over her. And my daughter threw her face into my lap and refused to get up and let us even see if the dress actually fit.

And as we bought shoes, ruffle socks and talked about the
"PRINCESS DRESS"
Marinne would act embarrassed and tell us don't say that.
(like she didn't want to talk about it...)

So, the concern all along was would she even walk down the aisle?!

She did it at the rehearsal, but she stopped part of the way down when she ran out of the few practice petals we gave her. Just stopped. She thought she was done. (I joked we better cram those rose petal in the basket, so she won't stop 1/2way down.) So, we made sure she had lots.
(now it did not help matters that Ike joked that if she had "left overs" she should just dump them out up there...I could have killed him!!!)

And when there are actually people in the church, well, that ups the odds she might freak out and not do it. After all, she's only 3.

We shall see, we shall see.....

************
It's showtime!!!

Logan was in charge of gifts.
(and spent the wedding helping his dad video the wedding)

Jensen was in charge of the guestbook.

Now, this is funny. While preparing him for his job, it was discussed that their might be certain family member who we really wished wouldn't be at the ceremony, but definitely would be there. So, as this was discussed, Jensen joked his job would be to keep them out.

He had his spiel down pat.

(to the guest we wish was not there...)
J: What's your name?
guest: Mr. XYZ
(checking list)
J: Sorry, not on the list....go to the end of the line.


Or this one:

J: Hello. Name?
guest: Mrs. ABC
J: Thank you for coming. Would you please sign the guest book?

Bottom line, he was a cutie pie and did a great job!!!

Here comes the ring bearer........and now the flower girl! She did it! Success!!!!
(although, she did stop where I was sitting in the front of the church cheering her on....and I had to remind her to keep going up to the front.)

And remember what daddy told her?
When she got up to the front by the Maid of Honor, she grabbed a huge handful of the petals and threw them down! (but it was cute!!)


And as for their time on the stage, Griffin did really well.
(he's almost 6 and can understand the importance,
I was really proud of him!)

As for Marinne, she did great, too.
She was absolutely silent.
But she was....
incredibly

B.O.R.E.D!!

(well, except when papa was teasing marinne from the front row --
and marinne mouthed "stop it" to him!!

Now, THAT, was funny!

Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Adam Moose...
And here's a picture I snapped of the bat that was flying around the top of the chapel. (see it in the left light, to the right of the light)

When we arrived for the wedding, there was a city animal control officer trying to get the bat. (he failed) And my poor niece was so freaked out!


I didn't get a chance to take any pics of the kids until the reception.

~Reception Time~

Marinne.....Jensen....Logan.....Griffin......Kami and her brother, Eric.....Eric and his mother (Ike's sister) Trying to encourage Marinne to dance.....Dance floor fun! And I *love* this one of my niece!
It's just so "her!"This was so hysterical...they had these cans and giant 5lb. paint buckets under the truck hiding...and when they pulled out...HOLY CRAP was it noisy!!! So funny, those groomsmen! And I hate to admit it, but this my most favorite picture of all....just one of eight we took trying to get one that's good. And I was overjoyed to see this one....ONE GREAT FAMILY PHOTO!!

Ike and Roxann
L to R: Griffin, 5 3/4, Logan, 12, Jensen, 9 3/4 and Marinne, 3 1/2.

CKC - Charlotte, NC

So...who's ready to hear about my latest travel adventure?

As I dig out from under all the things I didn't do when I was traveling the first few weeks of the month, I am finally (mostly -- I was still hoping to receive a few pic in the email, which I didn't get...boo hoo!) ready to post about my *super fun* trip to North Carolina for
Creating Keepsakes Convention - Charlotte!


Now, I was looking forward to this trip so much. Number one, because I LOVE MY JOB! Number two, because I knew I was going to teach Taste of Scraptique twice to 2 SOLD OUT rooms and that is SUPER EXCITING! And last, but NOT LEAST, I had my Bestest Buddy, Sherry coming up from Savannah to work in the booth for the weekend!!
(and we had not seen each other in a WHOLE YEAR!!!)

Now, I know you must be asking yourself, why was I so excited to see her?

Well, short and sweet...I love her. She's a total sweetie and we had only gotten super close in the last year I lived in Georgia. And we were seriously sad when I moved. Last Summer, she came to Topeka in June. You can read about our adventures here and here.

Then, I went to Savannah in August of last year (the plane tickets were a birthday gift from Big Daddy- yep, he rocks!) And while I was there we had a TON of fun! From shopping for Kristine's "personal" wedding shower (purrrrrr!) to eating at our favorite Mexican place to getting spur of the moment decision, matching tattoos!! Read about that here.
Anyway, as much as we are alike, we are different.

And, we are great friends!


So, when I knew we might need some reliable help....I was quick to throw Sherry's hat in the ring to my boss as a possibility. And Sherry was quick to accept the invite! Yay!

So, as the date neared, I was getting excited, but I was just so busy at home. This time I was flying from Kansas City International Airport, which is actually in Missouri. It's about an 1 and 1/2 hour drive from my house to the airport. And upon further inspection of my plane ticket, I realized that I was going to need to be on the road no later than 3:30am to make it in time to catch my 6am flight. Well, at Midnight I was still waiting on the last load of laundry to dry and by the time it did and I packed it....it was about 1am.

So, I went to bed. But, as soon as I hit the pillow....I started panicking.

What if I don't wake up?

What if the alarm doesn't go off in an hour and a half?

What if I turn it off and go back to sleep?

What if I hit snooze and I'm late and miss my plane.

Will Kim kill me? (pause) Yep, definitely.

I WAS UP.
Bottom line, I was so freaked, there was NO WAY I was sleeping!!

So, at 2am....I took a shower.

But, unfortunately for me, I slipped while shaving.
(possibly...fell asleeep?!?!)

Take my word for it...
...shaving while slipping and/or falling asleep is BAD.

(just ask my poor leg!)

So...you remember those cuts that you got when you were like 13 years old and just learning how to shave. You were clumsy and scared. And it seemed no matter how careful you were, you almost always got nicks and sometimes cuts? Well, this cut was one of those BAD BOYS! Started burning the minute it happened. Blood pooling in the shower. BAD!
And when I got out of the shower, it took me like 30 minutes and the help of about 7 bandaids to get the whole thing contained. Seriously.
(THANK GOD I DID NOT GO TO SLEEP.....I WOULD HAVE BEEN SO LATE!!!)

So, I got on the road at 3:25am or so. Went to get gas and hit the highway.

I was really exhausted. But, cold air , loud music and some major caffeine were sure a big help to me and I made it to the airport just fine, with about 50 minutes to spare.

Sherry's morning started around the same time as mine.
Sherry drove up the 4+ hours from Savannah on Thursday morning, as well. As soon as Sherry arrived in Charlotte, her first "assignment" was to pick me up at the airport. Now, it's hard to load bags and say hello and give a good solid hug at the Arrivals loop at the airport, but we did it anyway! I was so happy to see her....and we laughed to find out that we have the EXACT SAME HAIRCUT!

After we got out of the airport and headed to the hotel to pick up boxes that had been shipped to us. Well, that was supposed to be easy, after all we were following a GPS in Sherry's van. Well, not so. Every single way we tried to reach the hotel, we kept encountering
NO TURN signs. After about 10 minutes of driving in a circle downtown (which the Charlottonians call uptown) --with much frustration, we "accidentally" turned because somehow "we just didn't see that sign" and made it to the front of the hotel!

After the hotel "found" our boxes, we loaded them up we went to the convention center.
After more search and find...and another few wrong turns....we found where we needed to be. As we turned the corner at the conventions center loading dock, we came face to face with this... (blurry photo...a drive by photo shooting!)...it's the SEI semi. (And the same thing that I freaked out about seeing the first time I worked for Kim. For scrapbookers, that semi means there's good stuff in that there!!!!)
I had to laugh because I felt that way the first time I saw it...now it's just old hat to me!

When we got there, Bev and Leanne had been there for a bit working before we arrived and the grid was up. Sherry snapped this picture, because she was like WOW!(what a mess, right?! And this is only one booth space, we always have 3 or 4 booths, so it's really this mess X 4!!!) This is how it starts! See....it's ALOT of HARD WORK!
So, after a quick meet and greet...we got busy!

We worked our little buns off and the girl kept working as I set off at 6pm to teach my Scraptique class. I had 100 women signed up for class, so it was a big one!

It was a *FABULOUS* class! I had so much fun!!!! And as I was getting started, I got a shout out from a couple of girls from Savannah about 1/2 of the way back. OLD FRIENDS who drove up from Savannah to come to the convention!!!! And they were in my class!
HOW EXCITING!!!!!! (Hi Girls!!) And it was so hot in there....I made some new friends and even one who gave me her paper fan, so I am wasn't as hot as I was!!!

After class, I went back to the booth and we worked until 10pm on the booth.
(They kick you out at 10pm...we weren't done, but we had to go!)

Then we had to hoof it a few blocks back to the hotel. (with the parking costs being anywhere from $8 to $18, we did a bunch of walking this trip!)

We picked up some dinner TO GO at the sports bar in the hotel, because we were all so exhausted we just wanted to veg out. (remember, I never went to bed and it's now about 11pm) So, we find our room on the Concierge level (woo woo) and open the door.

Look at this....NICE..........and see that white thing at the end of the bed? Yep, that's one of those white hotel robes! How cool is that? (except they only gave us one....and there are TWO of us! So, we ordered up another robe for the 2nd night. We were too tired to care on this night!)
And we had a bag of nuts by the bed and mints on the pillow. Classy!

And here are the remnants of our bed picnic. We had quesadillas and nachos, which we split. (have I mentioned we BOTH LOVE MEXICAN FOOD?) And we followed that up with a piece of divine carrot cake that we shared, until we were about to burst! Not Classy! And there is also a pic of the water bottle we shared because we were completely outraged that if you weren't paying attention and drank THIS BOTTLE OF WATER.......they will charge you $4.00!! Isn't this picture hilarious?!?! I was going for "Outraged!"

(ok, ok..I know I look like a demon spawn...but again remember....no sleep last night, flew 1/2way across the country, worked all day building booth and working on booth and taught 1 1/2 hour class to 100 women and it's now Midnight.......I WAS DEAD TIRED!!!)


Cue....passing out..............


FRIDAY MORNING....
(opening day of show)Here are Sherry and I on opening morning in my beloved Bind-It-All Section.
(Have I mentioned recently how much I Y my BIA?!?!)

This photo was taken like 5 minutes before the show opened. And as soon as the doors were opened, I heard the feet of some crazy lady running....and I was thinking....wow, she's looking for a good deal! And one moment later....she slammed right into me!
Turns out....I was what she was looking for!!! It was my old friend Trish R. from Savannah! (you see....she had emailed me quite a while back to ask if I was working at CKC-Charlotte and I told her I wasn't, because at the time my nieces wedding would be the same weekend. Well, along the way, the date got moved back a week to get the church. And at the last minute....Kim needed me to go. So, I went.)

Anyway, Trish had run into the other Savannah girls and they told her I was there teaching, and apparently she was a little excited!!!! (because, I wasn't supposed to be there!
Isn't that sweet?!?



So, that was a super happy start to my Friday! A huge hug from a good friend!


So, on Friday night, I taught Scraptique again. Another *spectacular* class with a bunch of *fantastic* ladies. Oh, man I had some sweeties in this class! Really enjoy this one!

When I was finished, we walked back to the hotel and went to get dinner.
Surprisingly, I can't remember what we ate for dinner. I have no idea.....

After dinner, we went back to our rooms. So, of course, Sherry and I had to take some silly "bathrobe" pictures, since we made sure we had 2 robes this time. Ya, were pretty much dorks! On Saturday, I was able to snap this picture with one of the "Savannah girls," my friend Joy P., while she was doing the altered clipboard make-n-take in the booth. Cute pic!
It was nice to see you, Joy!


And lastly, I wanted to include this photo with my friends from Rusty Pickle, whose booth was directly across from ours this show. It's Alaina, ME and whatever his name is?!!!!
(this is totally a joke....every single show he puts a different name on his nametag. And this show I even threw out some suggestions of what he might use as his alias next show!
I'm not naming him, just in case......)


And...I'm looking forward to next time.......