Home at Last

I arrived home from Cincinnati today, tired but happy; the regional was wonderful, as they always are.

We had a full house both days, which was great. Sometimes the Friday sessions don’t fill up, so it was nice to have a big group for both sessions.

Because we were filming this regional for a regional DVD we are going to make available for our demonstrators, there was definitely a little more pressure. When you’re on stage in front of a thousand-plus people, it’s normal to feel a little pressure (you know, hoping you don’t trip or flub up or forget what you’re supposed to be doing). But because we were filming, we had to worry about additional things (strictly staying within our time limits, not referring to anything that was copyrighted or legally off limits for a recorded presentation, etc.).

And because we were filming, we’d actually come in a day early and done a full rehearsal, which is not normally part of our routine either. So by Saturday night, we’d been on our feet (and, of course, I was wearing high heels!) in “performing mode” for three long days, so we were more tired than usual—and my feet hurt!

But it was worth every minute.

Although we didn’t get outside much, the weather was perfect! On Friday, we did go out for dinner (I changed into jeans and flats first) and then, for dessert, visited a well-known ice cream shop that was to die for! Every taster spoon I tried I loved! I can’t even remember which flavor I ended up choosing because they were all so delicious. That was a perfect way to end the evening!

And as always, spending time with our demonstrators was fabulous! I met many new demonstrators, who were attending their first-ever Stampin’ Up! event. I also visited with demonstrators who I have before, and I loved seeing them again.

There were several babies in attendance too. Those who know me know that I love to “borrow” babies for a few minutes, just to get my baby fix. There were more babies yesterday than I could snuggle with, and that’s always fun for me.

I usually post at least one of the projects that I show at regional, but because we filmed this regional, I can’t show my projects (although I will be showing how I use the projects next month when Shanna comes home—hint, hint).

 

 

Instead I thought I’d post photos of some wonderful people. I mentioned in a recent blog that the highlight of my traveling is the people I spend time with—both those who I meet at the event as well as those who I work. If you have to travel, it’s so nice to travel with people that make it fun, rewarding, and professional! Thanks, guys and gals, for all you do!

So it was a great trip to Cincinnati, and although I’m glad to be home at last, I’d do it again in a heartbeat—just give me a little while to recover. . .

Oops!

A few days ago, I posted about my new blog header, saying that it was created with My Digital Studio, Stampin’ Up’s new digital software. I’ve since found out that that’s not exactly the case.

As regular visitors to my blog know, I get a new header every few months, and I’d asked that one of our designers use My Digital Studio to create this new header, so you could see some of the things the software can do. I had also noted that I really liked the Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper from the Holiday mini, so our designer combined that information and used a few aspects of My Digital Studio, along with the paper and a coordinating stamp set, to create this new header.

If I was as familiar with My Digital Studio as I should be (and hope to be in the near future—I haven’t been able to spend near the time with this new product that I want too yet!), I would have recognized that the paper and images were from the mini rather than the software (not a sneak peek at an upcoming download either—sorry).

Oops—I’m so sorry! I hope it hasn’t caused you too much grief. I still love the header though, and I hope you do too!

And while I’m at it, for those of you who are waiting to hear about last month’s challenge winners, I haven’t forgotten! I look at the projects all at once, because it’s too hard to remember everything if I look at them as you submit them. That means it takes several hours to determine the winners, and it’s been kind of a hectic first few days of September! I am committing to have those done within a day or two of returning home from Cincinnati though, so be on the lookout. . . 

The Ultimate Destination

I’m in Cincinnati, Ohio, getting ready for our regional today and tomorrow, and I overheard something on the shuttle from the airport that made me stop and think. Two passengers—an older gentleman and a young woman—had struck up a conversation, and the gentleman mentioned that he traveled quite a bit for work.

“Wow,” the girl replied. “That must be great to travel so much.”

I bit my tongue as the man politely tried to explain that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be—I wanted to jump right in and second everything he was saying and add my own two cents’ worth as well!

I’ve had people mention that they were jealous of my “glamorous” life and they wished they could travel and see all the places I’ve seen. While I’m not complaining by any means, these comments always make me smile.  

When I think back about the many places I’ve been to, my main destinations mostly include airports, hotels, ballrooms, and convention centers. I’ve landed at an airport before and thought, “Ah, I’ve been here before—I remember that kiosk!” And once in awhile I’ll check into a hotel that seems vaguely familiar as well.

I seldom have the opportunity to leave the convention center (can you count the brief walk between the hotel and convention center?), and I’m almost always unaware of the sightseeing spots that are sometimes only a few miles away. We usually wrap up after dark, which limits tourist activities; I usually end up in my hotel room, catching up on work. (I get a lot of work done when I travel because I’m typically alone, with nothing else to do!)

My travels are defined and remembered by the people I am with—Stampin’ Up! employees and demonstrators. I love spending time with the people I work with; we eat together and visit between setting up and rehearsing and presenting and taking down. And I always feel jazzed the night before an event because meeting demonstrators is a highlight.

Who needs to see famous landmarks or buildings or attractions, when you’re rubbing shoulders with some of the neatest people in the whole world! That’s the ultimate destination for me!

Cincinnati--Here I Come

I can’t believe I’m heading to Cincinnati in two days for regional! I feel like convention just ended, but I guess that’s been weeks ago! Time flies. . .

I’ve been working on the project that I’m going to show on Friday, and I’m getting excited—partly because I love to show you what I’m working on and partly because this particular projects has to do with Shanna’s homecoming!

I’m also excited to see what you’re bringing to show and share. I know we’re bringing a few loaded display boards, but I also know we’re bringing a bunch of empty display boards too—all waiting for you to fill them up.

One of the highlights of regionals (and all of our events) for me is walking around and checking out the swaps, so I’m excited to see swaps up on the boards this year. Be sure to drop off your swap as early as possible so we can show it on the board!

And I’ll work on getting my project ready so I can show it on stage!

Did You Hear That? Silence. . . Absolute Silence

And doesn’t it sound nice!

Our house has been mostly quiet for the past couple of days, and I have to admit that, while I love having children and grandchildren around, it’s also nice to have some peace and quiet again.

We’ve had Sara and Sean and their five children for the past several weeks as they’ve moved back to Utah and been looking for a new home. And on top of that we had Shalae and Jon here for a couple of weeks as they prepared for their move to Georgia and Jon earning his master’s degree.

Six adults and eight children make for a full house!

While I’m so grateful for the opportunity to offer a place for our children and grandchildren to stay, I have to admit that I’m kind of grateful that they’ve all moved on to their next adventures in life as well! I’m a Type A, almost compulsive cleaner-upper and organizer, and near the end, I actually walked down the stairs and stepped over a toy on the ground and didn’t pick it up! That’s just not me!

But it was definitely good for me to relax a little, go with the flow a bit, and try to ignore the sticky fingerprints on the windows (which I actually kind of miss sometimes!), the unflushed toilets (which I don’t miss at all), and the blue Sharpie painting on the kitchen rug (don’t even ask).

So now Sterling and I are back to just the two of us, with much-anticipated visits from everyone and anyone who finds the time to drop in. But the moments of peace and quiet are nice too!