Convention - Day 2

Amber is having such a great time on this trip.  She really loves swapping!  Our talented roommate Sandy made us each a swapping apron with clear pockets that show the swaps. 

We rode the tracks (Amber's first time to take a trolley system ride) to Jason's Deli today for an early dinner.  I decided to take a lighter route this time - salad bar with a bowl of chicken pot pie soup - delicious!!!

 

It had been a very long day - general session, breakout sessions, swapping, standing in line, etc. and I couldn't stay upright any more.  Here I am relaxing on the floor outside of the main stage area before heading into the Awards Night activities. 

 

I have a few pictures on my phone of the excitement of Awards Night, but I have to figure out how to get them from my phone to my computer before I can post them.  I think I'll have to ask Amber - she is so good at technology (the young are so much better than the old with technology).

I hadn't done any swapping before today so I can finally start sharing my favorites with you tonight.

 

This cute outhouse was made using our milk carton die - absolutely adorable - it even had poop (chocolate covered raisins) inside.

 

This little boy birthday card is another great sample.  I love the color combination and the use of the Tape It set because it looks like tire tracks.

Here is a beautiful Christmas tag with mini brown bag pocket.  This is definitely one I will reproduce.

Convention Bag

I forgot to post a photo of the Convention bags.  It is a beautiful backpack in white with a silver modern mosaic pattern.  I just LOVE it!!!

First Day of Convention

Today was the first day we had any activities for convention.  We started with a swap of 1 1/2" squares to use to make a framed art project.  Although I will wait to share until the project is finished, I am very excited about all of the cute squares!

After our swap, we drove out to the home office for a tour.  I would love to work at Stampin' Up! because the atmosphere is so inviting.  Check out the area where employees eat lunch (yes that is a waterfall in the building).  Amber and I are having an amazing time.

 

I got these shoes at the Salvation Army for $4.99 on the 4th of July.  I think it was the BEST purchase I ever made.  I've had so many compliments on them.  So far so good with walking on these high heals.

 

We went to Jason's Deli (my favorite spot in Salt Lake City to eat) for dinner before the Opening Social.  Amber and I both decided to tackle the "Plain Jane Potato".

This was what was left when I finished it.  If we had a Jason's Deli near home, I would be as big as a house! 

We had to rush back to the Convention Center for the Opening Social where we received our bags, free stamps, project supplies, and more.  Lines were long, but we were able to participate in a world record breaking card mailing, a community service project, got a Paper Pumpkin kit, and found fun photo opportunities.  Check us out in the "scenery" and with Ronald McDonald!

Busy Day Today

Although Convention activities haven't even begun yet, we were very busy today.  We napped for a short time this morning, checked into our hotel, unpacked and organized in our room, and showered.  We had to wash the bugs off the car, look for a battery for Amber's camera, make more swaps, and pick up friends from the airport and drop them off at their hotels.  We finally ate at Denny's (many of the great places to eat had already closed) at 10:00.  I had a yummy Cheesy Chicken and Potato Skillet. 

Sorry, we didn't do any swapping today.  I am participating in a fun 1 1/2" Mini Swap in the morning .  Here is the one I made and will post pictures from that tomorrow.

Fun Road Trip

We hit the road in the morning yesterday for what we knew would be a LONG trip.  Amber started working on her swaps right away.

We decided to make it an "all-nighter" when we couldn't find a hotel in Wyoming and didn't want to stay in Nebraska.  Nebraska is a very long, very boring drive - it is all farm land and there aren't even billboards to break up the landscapes.  We did stop at a little bar that had just opened the night before and had the most incredible dinner.  I had a BBQ Chicken Chop Salad - WOW!!!  Then we hit the road again to finish the drive.

I had driven for almost 20 hours when I finally decided to give up and ask Amber to take over.  We saw a sign in Wyoming for the last rest stop for 43 miles so we pulled off at the exit.  We drove 12 miles without seeing any signs of life - no buildings, signs, etc. - it was sooooo creepy!  We turned around and raced back to I-80.  When we finally stopped again this morning, this is what the front of the car looked like - eew bugs!!!  We arrived in Salt Lake City about 8:30 (at a friend's hotel to sleep for a couple of hours until our hotel was ready to check in).  It was a long, but fun trip.  BTW - I did take the car to the carwash and scrub the bugs off.

 

Check back later for more on our great adventure!



Leaving for Convention Today!!!

When the alarm went off at 4:00 this morning, I thought "What am I doing?"  Now that I've showered and am getting ready to load food into the cooler (I packed and loaded my suitcase, swaps, and roommate gifts into the car last night), I'm really getting excited.  This is my first really long road trip and I'm taking it with our niece (friend and downline member also) Amber Schidecker.  I will try to post a photo of the car loaded after I pick her up (along with photos along the way).

Keep checking back over the next few days to see all of the excitement surrounding Stampin' Up! Convention 2013 (the 25th Anniversary Edition)!