Big week

Here this week has passed by so fast, and I haven't even written one word about how crazy it all was. Really though it has been more of a 12 day experience. Whew. It all started off with my working 6 days in a row to get last weekend off. You know, I'm really getting tired of working so many weekends in a row just to get a couple days off, but I work in a hospital and you gotta do what you gotta do...or maybe. Last Tuesday, I had to go to my cousin's wife's viewing at the funeral home. She wasn't even 50 years old. She'd had cancer for several years and all of a sudden, she got worse and passed away. My cousin, Steve, was so stoic, but I knew he hurt so bad inside. One good thing is that the whole football team from Westerville Central (where he coaches) came in to give him support. Everyone was just in tears. Then I rushed off to work where it was extremely busy. When Fall hits, everyone also hits the Emergency Room. I tried to leave before 6 am on that Wednesday, but no doing.

I slept four hours and then got up to head out to the MM&M conference in Shelbyville Ohio. I had to pick up my four riders before we left. I picked up Susie McMahan at Linda Apple's house first. Susie & I had briefly talked last year when she was here visiting from Tasmania at AFIC. Susie is a fabulous artist. She makes the most beautiful figures using paper clay and paints. Her figures faces are just amazing. Best part, she was one of the teachers at MM&M. Then we picked up Janet (my fellow Guilded Lily sister). Janet piled the back end of the Element with many bags filled with supplies, food, and more supplies. Janet is always prepared! On our way to pick up Cyndy, we got a call from Cyndy wondering where we were. I told Janet to tell her we forgot and were down the road at a restaurant having lunch. Even I could hear the "WHAT?" and burst out laughing. Next thing I know, we are at Cyndy's house. She comes out and looks at the loaded Element shaking her head. I just told everyone to go inside, have a drink & I'd do my magic thing. I can pack just like my Grandpa. So everyone inside with all our stuff and off to Kentucky.

We'd told Susie that we'd be more fun to travel with that a load of strangers on a Greyhound bus. We did not underestimate any of that. I think there wasn't a silent moment the whole way. Later, Susie said she enjoyed the conversation...we laughed & said, you mean the moaning, groaning, and constant yakking? Yeppers, Susie could be a Guilded Lily for sure. Cyndy, Janet and I got adjoining rooms. They were in one, and I in the other as no one can stand sleeping with me. I talk in my sleep and do snore. Then classes. OMG...we had the best time in Susie's class. with aluminum foil, paper clay, and paints we made lovely faces. Everyone else made sweet pretty faces. Even Cyndy working on a borg queen managed to get some pretty going strong. Me...oh come on! I can't do pretty if I tried. So I decided to just go for it and do a steampunk type of head. It took two days to finish the head. I managed to get mine done. Susie in a quick but very informative 1/2 hour gave us instructions on how to make a body for the head. She sketched on the table liner...I decided to just photograph her sketch for future use. Pictured is Janet working painting her head. She had Susie cut it in half as she is going to mount it on this amazing antique box she found. Also is Cyndy working on her BorgQueen.


Oh and I did take my little visitor from Germany with me. Here is Susie and Cutie Potato. Here is also a view of my hideous head with Anne Hesse sitting in the back ground. Funny, but I did think I took more pictures. Oh well, more later as this was a fun trip





More tomorrow. And if you follow me on Facebook, I want to thank every single one of you for all the good thoughts to me and Chris this past week when he had his surgery.