Stamping on the River's Edge

I’ve said it before, and I’m certain I’ll say it about every one—this Workshop of a Lifetime was fabulous! Heading out, Sara and I were a little nervous. They hadn't found our luggage yet, so we were still wearing our travel clothes and hats to cover our hair, with a lot of prep work (which we had planned to do in the hotel, but couldn’t because our cutters and scissors were in our suitcases) still to do.

After we drove for about an hour, we entered L’Orignal and immediately felt reassured. The town is charming. And Kim’s gorgeous house, which sits on the river’s edge, was even more welcoming.

And then we met Kim, who was incredibly gracious and unselfish, the perfect hostess. She’d heard about the luggage mishap, had all the supplies we needed ready and waiting, and immediately put us at ease.

Although her guests arrived before we were completely ready, they were equally gracious as they waited patiently, and we all chatted and laughed about the challenges we’d encountered in our travels.

The actual workshop itself went off without a hitch (how could it not in such an incredible stamping room!), and the guests enjoyed making the Make & Takes. I think Kim got three bookings; I’m not sure about sales because Kim didn’t close it last night. And Sara and I could have listened to everyone talk in French (all the guests were bilingual and slipped back and forth between both languages) all night long—it’s a beautiful language!

Between the workshop and her demonstrator event, we ate dinner. Kim’s husband came home early from work (the first time he’s done that, she said) and served us a delicious dinner! Her darling girls were there as well—a simply adorable family!

More than 140 demonstrators attended Kim’s demonstrator event; we kept busy with picture taking and chatting, and it was also a wonderful experience. Kim had displays, four Make & Takes, and plenty of action. I think she signed up three recruits too! You can tell that Kim takes this business seriously, is very detail-oriented, and loves both her customers and fellow demonstrators. And they love her back!

We were sad to leave Kim and L’Orignal behind us when the evening was over. But when we arrived at the hotel and found our lost luggage sitting in our hotel room, we brightened right up! Sara did the happy dance (I wish I’d had the camera!), and we had a shower and put on CLEAN clothes for the first time in two days!  Woo hoo!

What a Day!

All I can say is that I hope never to repeat this day. It certainly hasn’t been my worst, but it definitely hasn’t been my best!

Without going into too much detail, suffice it to say that Sara and I left this morning to head off for our third week of Workshops of a Lifetime. Our flight leaving Salt Lake City was delayed by two hours, meaning we missed one connection, meaning we missed another connection. We eventually got re-routed to our final destination from Chicago, arriving way later than originally planned. (And since I didn’t get any sleep last night, I was kind of counting on getting to bed early tonight! Hate when that happens. . . )

And to add insult to injury, our luggage (complete with clothes, make-up, and some of the workshop supplies) flew off into the sunset to who knows where. We had hoped that it might arrive here before we did, but unfortunately, we were disappointed. I laughed as we left the baggage area after filling out all the forms, because Sara kept looking back longingly at the carousel, hoping against hope that somehow the missing bags might miraculously appear. Didn’t happen. . .

So tonight, besides being exhausted, we’re trying to come up with a Plan B for our workshop. I think we’ll be OK—we have the actual project and Make & Takes with us (we had them in our carry-ons) and we’re hoping our sweet hostess has many of the basic supplies that we will need to replace the ones that are flying (or sitting) somewhere in the vast airline universe.

I think we’ll go to bed now. We’re finally here, we know what we’ve got and what we don’t have, and the day will be much brighter tomorrow, right? I know the workshop will be fabulous regardless—I mean, I’ve never been with a group of stampers and not had a great time. As a friend of mine likes to say, “It will be alright in the end, so if it’s not alright, it’s not the end!” I’m certain that tomorrow night, everything will be alright!

P.S. I haven’t forgotten to choose the Creative Challenge winners—I had planned to finalize that tonight, but I think I’ll go to bed instead. Watch for those winners to be announced soon. . . .

A Shopping Day

I’ve had one full day between arriving home from the Calgary Regional and heading off to the next round of Workshops of a Lifetime—and guess how I spent it? Shopping—for a wedding dress!

Yes, I’m thrilled to announce (although it’s not news to some of you, Shanna’s been talking about it for days!) that Shanna is engaged. 

Her fiancé is Jared Bridegan, the brother of one of her best friend’s husband. They met back in October, right after she came home from her mission. Her friend’s husband actually e-mailed Shanna on her mission and told her about his brother, but Shanna wasn’t interested—too busy doing missionary work.

Then when she came home, she was kind of dating another guy. Jared flew out (he lives in Florida) for one day and they went to lunch, but Shanna wasn’t interested. Jared stayed in touch though, texting and calling, and Shanna started to pay more attention. Eventually, she flew out to Florida, and that face-to-face visit went much better than the previous one!

Jared flew out this weekend to make it official, and he happened to be here for Sterling’s big 60^th birthday, a milestone that Sterling hasn’t been thrilled with. We had the kids over for dinner on Sunday, and he got a shirt to help him remember the day. Other than that, we pretty much let him ignore it.

So now you know all the details leading up to today’s shopping trip.

So all the girls but Shalae met at the first store this morning as it opened. We went to one store in Utah County, then grabbed an early lunch (we met Sterling and Jared—Sterling was taking Jared to the airport to catch a flight back home so he can wrap up things before he moves out here) before visiting two more stores. We texted photos of the dresses to Shalae, and she’d call us to share her thoughts, so while it wasn’t quite as good as her being there, she was at least a part of it.

We found dresses we liked in each of the shops, but it was at the last shop that we found THE ONE. We knew the minute she put it on that this dress was meant for Shanna. I won’t post a picture of that dress quite yet—there are a few alterations and additions that need to be made, but I’ll definitely post photos after the wedding. 

So that’s today’s big news! We’re looking forward to spending more time with Jared once he moves out here in the next week or so, and in the meantime we’re thrilled with the way he treats Shanna and that they are so much in love! She cried when they said good-bye today, and I rolled my eyes a little. They’ll be apart for a whole SIX DAYS! But then I remembered leaving Sterling and sobbing the entire two-hour flight back to school, so I do understand. It is kind of cute. . .

I’m staying up late tonight to finish preparing for this week’s two Workshops of a Lifetime. I’ll be catching a flight early tomorrow for that. So now I have to stop thinking about wedding dresses and turn my attention to stamping projects.  . . .

Spring in Calgary

When I packed to go to Canada six days ago, the weather forecast called for snow. However, when I landed in Calgary on Friday, the weather was absolutely gorgeous—and it remained that way until I left early this morning.

With no bad weather to compete with, the house was completely full for the regional, and everyone seemed to enjoy the day as much as I did! One demonstrator left earlier than anticipated—she greeted me early in the day, during check in. She was glowing and pregnant, but she certainly didn’t look as far along as she actually was. She told me that she was due in 12 days and had decided to “take the chance” and come to regional.

Unfortunately (but you really can’t say that, can you?), she was in labor and was heading back to Edmonton (a three-hour drive) to deliver. We took a quick picture together, and she headed out the door. We included her in the prayer when we blessed the food, and although I didn’t hear any updates, I can only hope that she made it home before any blessed events took place!

What an exciting way to start the day! Although none of the events the rest of the day were quite as significant as the birth of a child, I certainly felt like the day offered plenty of valuable information and training.

The regional was all about workshops, including most of the projects, and everyone seemed to love that—I know I did! The project I demonstrated, however, was definitely not make & take-able, but it’s been a tradition for me to show something I’m working on, and I am currently working on Easter ornaments to add to each of my girls’ holiday home décor.  (Of course, I’ll be making myself a set too!)

I’m showing the Pretty in Pink one, but I’m planning on making a set of four different colors—Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, and Certainly Celery. I’m not sure when I’ll finish the 24 ornaments with all that’s going on these days, but that’s an entirely different topic that deserves a blog entry of its own!

Check back tomorrow night for exciting news!

A Twenty-Something Crowd

We’re back at the hotel tonight after another delightful workshop. I know you are probably tired of hearing that everyone is so wonderful, but it’s true!

The people we met today at Ida’s group meeting and workshop were some of the nicest, most genuine, fun people ever! Ida is a twenty-something demonstrator, very new (signed up in December), and the majority of her workshop guests were about her same age, as well.

Her workshop was a family affair; it was great to see her family so supportive. Her father videotaped the workshop (we’ve told the demonstrators they can videotape, but they can only use the video in training for their own group), her brother took pictures, and her mother bustled in and out all night with treats.

Most of Ida’s guests knew how to stamp; they had grown up crafting and many are scrapbookers. They were so quick! Sara barely had to show them how to do the Make & Takes—they were all over it! They listened intently, and I’ve never seen such long wish lists! In fact, one guest picked up the Idea Book & Catalog and said, “This is my wish list!”

They liked the projects—we’re doing different projects at each workshop, which makes it a little challenging, but since I knew I’d be showing the samples after each workshop, I wanted each workshop to feature slightly different projects.

I think Ida’s sales were pretty good—when we left there were still a couple of guests filling out their order forms. She only got one booking, but she had two people sign up as new recruits today, so that’s very exciting!

Both Ida and one of her downline are working toward Rising Star, and I think they can do it! She’s excited and energetic, and working hard to sell, recruit, and support her growing downline. After meeting her today, I think she’s well on her way to building a thriving Stampin’ Up! business!