Tales from Convention 2013 - Day 1

This is actually a compilation of events from pre-day 1 and Day 1. On Wednesday night, a bunch of friends from Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) met at Squatters (a room reserved for 50 QUICKLY filled to well over a hundred!!). After sneaking out onto the patio with JanTink (my annual house besties) and Cindy Beach (my Artisan DT Bestie), we were able to sneak out to the patio and eat, then sneak back inside and visit with some MORE of our besties!! Here I am with Cindy Beach, Mindy Backes, Jan Tinklenberg, Justin Krieger and Marla Reed. These people make me happy ... really ... you have NO idea!!

Started early with a run at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday morning (thanks to the companionship of Mindy Backes, Marla Reed, and Bree Resnick). Thanks to their graciousness in NOT laughing at me when I did a COMPLETE and TOTAL facePLANT on the sidewalk at the bottom of Memory Grove ... "belly floppin'" is what Mindy says I did. And I gots the road rash/bruises to prove it. Actually, my daughter's plan is for me to tell everyone "I saved a baby!" ... or, perhaps, there was a zombie apocalypse ... in either case, thanks for going with me, friends!

Then, it was on to Ruth's Diner with my 2012 Artisan Design Team girls. Can I just say I {{{heart}}} these women??? What a complete and TOTAL blessing it has been to play with paper alongside these amazingly-talented and beautiful women ... (Front - Heather Summers, Jane Lee, Sarah Sagert, Cindy Beach, Erica Cerwin, Me (what is UP with my HAIR??); Back - Jeanna Bohanon, Heidi King, Marisa Gunn, Amy Bollman)

Here are Heidi and Jane shopping for Treasures ... Heidi found this beautiful jar ... and ya KNOW she is gonna alter it FABULOUSLY, right???

And Jane and I doing the same ... I have spent more time in the past several months enabling/being enabled by this woman in all forms of shopping that I cannot even BEGIN to tell ya!!

And Jeanna, Marisa and Cindy enjoying the view across Gardner Village. Overall, we just soooo enjoyed getting to spend time with one another IN PERSON!! What a great day we had together!!

Artisan Finalists!!! OHMYGOSH!! Received some GORGEOUS swaps from the GORGEOUS and AMAZINGLY-TALENTED women!!! What a fun time we had meeting together!

Back at the Convention Center, I was able to sit and meet up with my all-time Stampin' Besties ... Cheryl and Shellee!! Thanks, dear friends, for your laughter, support, expertise and overall friendship ... LOVEYOUTODEATH!

Yep!! I got me a photo (although a slightly out of focus) of me with my Artisan Board. I AM OVERWHELMED!! The talent displayed on these boards is OUT.OF.THIS.WORLD!!! I am honored to be in league with so may people I admire and respect. I cannot WAIT until Awards Nights is over tomorrow night ... SOOOOO much anticipation and SOOOO many nerves!! Hugs and much luck to all my incredibly-talented friends!!