Furniture Find

So, anyone who knows me, knows I have never been one for decorating. My room has always been very simple. Finding a cute comforter has been about as creative as this gal gets when it comes to home decor. Well, a few months back when I was hunting for a home, I actually purchased a few nice pictures. Then, the housing thing didn’t work out and they just sat there. A few weeks ago, I actually hung them in my room. Then, I decided I needed a few shelves to hang on the wall. While looking for the shelves (which I am still on the hunt for) I came across what I consider to be a really cute bench. Do I need a bench? No. Do I currently have a lot of space I am trying to fill? Nope. Well, I ended up purchasing the bench and a trunk. I figure they will always be needed and would be cute in any bedroom or home that might be in my future, but not near future, that is for sure! Anyhow- enjoy the pictures of my attempt at the age of 28 to decorate all the sudden. Not sure why the font is blue up there or underlined, oops! The trunk was the easy one to get out. I cut the box open and tipped the trunk out.
The bench was the tricky part. I wasn't going to wait for help- I had the bench and was ready to get it in my room. Heaven knows I am not one of strength and I knew there was no way I could lift this puppy out, or tip it over. So, I cut the front part of the box open. Slowly and surely, I was able to shift it out of the box.

Knowing me, if the bench had not been boxed this way, I would have never figured out I could fold the back down to create a flat table area! I think it is cute either way, depending on the purpose.

The trunk is at the end of my bed.

Now I have to figure out what fun treasures will be stored in my trunk.

The bench is against one of my walls. It also opens to provide storage. The shelves I am looking for are actually for this wall also.

I didn't have room to move my queen sized sleigh bed, but this is my bed and it's just great. Lots and lots of pillows and of course, my big ole' pig from ry. I've had him for almost eight years, thanks, Ry!

Creations at Convention!

These clappers were all over convention. I don't care if you were in a class, listening to a presentation, or attending the awards banquet- ladies loved having their clappers. Judy knew what I thought about hearing those clappers all the time, so we both laughed out loud when we were each given a set at our team meeting. Since when was it so hard to just put your own two hands together and clap when you were so inclined to do so? Ha ha- thanks ladies, now I have my own clappers.

Some fun projects we created in a class or two. I really love the versatility of the new acrylic albums and saw so many fantastic uses for them. Once again, I would have to make the time and come up with something 'super fantastic' on my own. This blog has been hard enough to keep track of, but it's always a nice thought of what I could be doing!

This is the owner of Close to My Heart. After being there for the convention, it was obvious how much fun the company had with the theme of "Magic in the Making" since we were in Orlando, home of all the Magic!!!

Gaylord Palms

We stayed at the Gaylord while in Orlando. The convention was inside this hotel which made everything super convenient. Inside was gorgeous!!! I absolutely loved being reminded that some places actually have trees, grass, and plants! (Vegas isn't the best place for anything green.) Restaurants, shopping, etc was all inside this hotel. Judy and Ellen would both tell you how funny they thought it was, while we were looking for the elevator to locate our room ,when I spotted a Brighton jewelry shop on site! I can only say, I love that place!!!

This picture was taken from the balcony in our room.

Girl Time!

Realizing we were in Florida for a scrapbooking convention, we also knew we needed to take some time out for girl time! Ellen isn't a consultant for the company so she enjoyed some R&R while Judy and I attended the convention festivities. So, one afternoon we got pedicures. I would try to talk with my gal, but I don't think she understood English. Very politely she would just nod her head and smile at me anytime I attempted to speak with her. So, I just grabbed a magazine and relaxed once I realized communicating with her wasn't going to work out so well for the two of us. Judy kept spraying her feet with this can so her toes would be perfect! At the end, we took a picture of our three feet and the ladies there were all cracking up!

This big beast was outside the car enjoying life while we were lost and trying to find our way back home. This next picture is of Judy speaking with a police officer, asking for directions. Apparently we were far from our destination. While sitting in the car, I decided this was a great photo opt and snapped a picture. Wouldn't you know both subjects were surprised. The cop quickly turned his head when he noticed the flash and Judy swings around and rather excitedly says, "You did not just take a picture of me"! Guilty, officer! Luckily, we turned around and headed in the right direction!!!

Needing to grab some snacks and drinks to keep in the room, we found a Winn-Dixie. Just another memory of good ole' Crestview, Florida. I have shopped at Winn-Dixie more times than I can count.

Brighton Bathroom

Ok, yet another random post! While in Florida we needed to find a Florida bracelet from Brighton. Anyone who knows me, knows I love Brighton jewelry! Brighton has state bracelets, but you can only purchase them in that state. Being from Florida, I grabbed one because it is such a cute reminder of home. Ellen wanted one since her son is serving his mission in Florida. What a sacrifice it was to have to hunt down a Brighton Store, ha ha ha. We get to this enormous mall and once we find the store, I immediately look around. Judy comes up to me and tells me I have to go use the restroom. Strange request, but I didn't question her, just followed orders! While waiting in line I notice Ellen come out and wasn't even thinking that Judy had told her the same thing. Once we make our purchases and are all happy for the Florida bracelets, we go to the car. While driving I was like, I shouldn't admit this ladies, but I took pictures inside that bathroom because I thought it was too cute! Simultaneously, Judy and Ellen start to laugh out loud and proceed to say that they both took pictures as well. How funny is that? Yes, I'm a nerd, but once again, I am a scrapbooker!!!

Waffle House

I know this is probably totally random for most to be reading, but let me explain. While in Orlando we were driving around looking for a place to eat. We passed several buffet style places, some unknown places, and nothing was sounding good. All the sudden I noticed a Waffle House but didn't say anything thinking these ladies would never go for a place like that. Well, to my shock and surprise, Ellen yells, "Waffle House". I was so confused. Granted, I had only met Ellen a few times before taking a weeks vacation with her and quickly found out a few things about her. She and her family discovered a Waffle House on a vacation and loved eating there, who knew! It's not the cleanest place, but from what I remember from the one in my hometown, this place wasn't smoke filled and the employees weren't missing any noticeable teeth. Needless to say, I enjoyed a pecan waffle and was delighted when we went back later in the week! Ellen had wipes for us the second time, it wasn't as clean as the first time. Judy played some songs on the Juke Box and dedicated Will Smith's 'Gettin Jiggy With It' to me! Always a good time with the girls=)

Getting There

WOW, what a day this was! I had to frantically burn my portfolio for my masters degree on a cd and mail it off. I had every intention of doing this a few days before leaving, but I promise my life wouldn't be mine if it wasn't for rushing and procrastination. As I crossed my fingers and got confirmation on the cd, I wished for the best as I headed out on my adventure to celebrate finishing the degree.

Mom and Dad took us to the airport- dad wanted to take his car but quickly realized the amount of luggage was going to require a larger vehicle. When we got to the airport the guy tells me my smaller suitcase was around 34 pounds and my larger one was 63 pounds. Holy cow, 13 pounds over the limit! At that point, I really thought my only option was to just pay the fee. He was like- we aren't busy- just step to the side and shove stuff in the smaller bag. Jen was the smart one and took an extra bag to carry on if needed. She didn't need the extra bag after all and was kind to let me use it. We went to the side and Jen was the pro at shifting items. Unfortunately, the smaller suitcase was ripped a bit in the process because although it was under the weight limit, it was pretty full for its size to begin with. When we got back to the counter to check the weights, we realized the smaller bag was coming apart! The guy was like, no worries, I have tape for that. Standing there in shock, I watched as he puts tape all over my bag with the words 'Alaska Airline' all over it! Laughing at the thought of boarding the cruise ship with tape all over my luggage, there wasn't anything I could do about the embarrassment now. Amazingly, we got the larger bag to 46 pounds and off we went with a very heavy carry on on my shoulder! Wheels were already spinning in my head about having to purchase a carry on for the trip home knowing Jen would be purchasing items to bring back. No worries, this wasn't the first time I've had to purchase bags to return home after a fun trip=) At the airport in Seattle, I called dad to let him know I was there safely. Any guesses at to what his first question was? Yup- how much did your suitcase weigh, Anne? Sorry, dad!

Going Home!

All great things must come to an end. After three weeks, it was hard to believe I really had to go home. The trip was amazing, but I was happy to get home to my own bed and a normal sized bathroom! I realize we had a lot of luggage, but how is a girl to pack for three weeks and isn't sure how the weather will be??? That was one challenging task! Thanks to the US Postal Service, lots of fun things were mailed home, most of which was sent directly from stores in Alaska!

Yukon Jeep Adventure

This fun adventure was in Skagway. We got there and they pair us up with a couple from Australia. I believe their names were Bill and Ulga and let me tell you, they were hilarious! I laughed the entire time, sometimes trying not to laugh too hard. Climbing in and out of the back of a Jeep is not the easiest thing. The seat wouldn't lock in place when you pushed it forward so you are having to fight the chair falling back on you while climbing out with inventive ways to free the hips while not falling on Ulga as she stood there holding the door open! I chose not to get out for two photo opts b/c of the fun of getting in and out. I did get out at Carcross for a few pictures. I wish I had the ability for you to hear Bill's accent and listen to his commentaries, seriously cracked me up!!! I must say as we were about to enter back into the States, I wasn't laughing as I could not find my passport. Poor Jen ended up holding every last item in my backpack. Luckily I found it, but if I didn't have to show it twice, I believe it would have been left in the Jeep. I just knew Jen was going to have to leave me in Canada as she went back to the ship.