Whirlwind Weekend
Whee! What a weekend it was.
I started off by attending an amazing workshop (my first!) taught by Jen Starr. (Sponsored by Papertrix.) I officially had my first in-person meeting with a blog friend...Cheryl at Whosyergurl! Totally exciting all the way around! Here we are at the end of the class with our creations:
the class, what we created, and
what newbies can learn
I was reminded over and over again on Friday the importance of letting go of expectations and living with what is. We got a late start on Friday afternoon (it took me an hour to drive what should have been a 30-minute drive to get home after the workshop and I received what ended up being a 40-minute phone call with our son's principal just as we were walking out the door....*sigh* - motherhood.). Needless to say, I was quite frazzled...we ended up postponing a planned trip to Chicago that evening.
After some deep breaths and a good night's sleep though, we left early Saturday morning for Chicago, and enjoyed a quick visit with relatives and friends.
Today we left bright and early and headed right back to Bloomington. It was yet another comedic rush (ok, it's funny now. I was NOT pretty while it was going on). We had 15 minutes once we arrived home to get things out of the car and get my son to a friend's birthday party. The card I wanted to make didn't work out and the second one I tried to make in the car on the way there? A paint pen exploded and that card was a casualty. (Ever have a day like that??)
Everything eventually worked out (doesn't it always...) and we ended our evening at a recital given by a friend and father of one of my son's classmates, Marlin Mckay. This was his Master's recital - one for which he and his family have been going through quite a long period of preparation. It was AMAZING. Marlin plays the trumpet and gave a soul-moving jazz performance backed by equally talented band members.
There are not too many other ways I can think of in which I'd like to spend an evening...friends, good music, and beautiful weather. (Our daughter was tired and crabby, but even that couldn't ruin the experience.)
1) I have been SO fortunate to WIN two amazing gifts from Sleeping Dog Studios at their blog. They have a giveaway EVERY SUNDAY! Look at what I've won already:
2) In case you are one of my readers who hasn't heard of Wishstudio, Mindy Tsonas (the host) just revealed the new Wishstudio site. It's totally cool. Someday I'm gettin' me one of those fancy intros. :) Seriously, there is SO much offered there beyond the eye candy...contributors galore, classes, techniques, inspiration, ....just go check it out!!
3) Because of the tornado that blew through my life this weekend, the Strength To Be Me site (along with guest stories & links) got a bit tousseled. But don't you worry...tomorrow starts the cleanup and I'll be adding more soon! ( THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE LOVELY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY VISITED AND LEFT KIND COMMENTS ABOUT THE SITE! )
Enjoy the start of a new week!!