I'm back!!

OK I've been back for a while. I know I owe everyone a CATS report; I have just been too lazy to write it. Well, that isn't totally true; I have not been on my computer much. Last week was the start of the fall season on Prime Time TV, so I have had a ton of TV to catch up on. I also tutored really late last night. Anyway, Suz and Ann sum it up in great detail, so I will give you the highlights.

Wednesday, I brought M to school, ran home to do last minute cleaning, picked up M, got our hair cut, and dropped the kids at home with MIL. I picked up Suz and Ann at the airport in Providence (which, btw, is not in Providence, they just tell you that to confuse you). Anyway, I took them home to meet the kids and the family. I think they liked them because they didn’t run screaming from the house. I gave the kids their baths and then took the girls out to my favorite Chinese Buffet place. Suz approved once she saw that it didn’t have Mexican food. LOL We shopped for travel snacks, stayed up way too late chatting and stitching before finally hitting the pillows.

Thursday was travel day. We got a late start and took our time. I drove the whole way since I was the only one who could drive a stick. I didn’t mind. I had great company and many laughs to help pass the time. We finally arrived at our hotel where we had our first encounter with the creepy hotel owner guy. We headed over to The Hershey Lodge to scope things out. We ran into a few BB people and chatted for a bit. We searched for a place to have dinner. I convinced them to go to Friendly’s since they had never been to one. The food was great, the service was horrible. (Yes, Ann, I’ll be sending you the info soon!) We drove back to the hotel amid a nice thunder and lightening storm. Ann was amazed and in great awe. I also learned that Suz likes the Mennonites because they gave her butter. This became the joke of the rest of the trip.

Friday, we got up and hit the market. We eventually hit every booth, but the major highlights were:
1. Fabric hunting in the PTP booth
2. Getting a guided tour of new projects by Laura and Jo in the Dinky Dyes and Enchanting Lair booth. (We won’t discuss the abandonment in that booth; I’m still feeling the trauma!)
3. Meeting Michael Powell and buying the perfect chart for M’s room.
4. Meeting Nan from Just Nan and finding out she hates the same person I do. (Wonderfully, lovely woman, btw, and her husband was equally as lovely)
5. Finally meeting Lisa and Mel face to face!

I’m sure there are more, but it’s a blur right now.

We went to the dinner for the BBers for dinner. It was great to meet everyone! We hung out in the Stitcher’s Lounge after for a while and rooted through the swap pile. I found some great treasures!

Saturday, we slept in and then headed to Chocolate World. We took the tour and then bought way too much chocolate and treats to take home. Then we ate lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon in the lounge stitching with everyone. When they finally kicked us out of the lounge, we headed to dinner with Eileen and her friend June.

Sunday, we headed back home. The drive was fun and we even managed to avoid the usual Sunday traffic jam that ties up the entire portion of Rte. 95 in CT. At home, we stitched and watched the Family Guy until late into the night. Monday, the girls went back home; Ann in the AM and Suz in the PM. Suz played well with the kids while we waited to take her to the airport and didn’t seem to be too traumatized by the experience. LOL 2 more things I learned on my trip, There are people out there who believe in ninja squirrels who will go to great lengths to jump into your truck from telephone wires and attack you and I now know what $5.00 will get a guy in Mexico. LOL

It was a wonderful vacation. I really needed. The kids and John faired well without me. I miss my friends so much already and can’t wait to see them again soon! I had a wonderful time meeting everyone in person. It will be nice to put faces to BB names! This was the last CATS, so maybe I’ll meet everyone again at Celebrations in NH. I know I have forgotten tons of things, so I apologize for that.

I did take a photo of the old stash haul, but it’s late and I will have to share that tomorrow.