Whirlwind Adventure

I know I haven’t blogged in over a week, BAD ME! Well, I have an excuse. In fact, I think it is a great excuse………I went on VACATION! I decided that after all the drama that I have been enduring on the home front, I needed a getaway. One that was far, far, far away from the hustle and bustle of normal life. So, after following doctor’s orders and consulting with my dear sweet friend Sharon, I booked a flight and headed out to the “Grand Canyon State” and what I think of as the “Land of the Sun”, Arizona. You know, were the sun always seems to shine and the temperatures are warm with little to no humidity.

Last Wednesday morning found me up at the butt-crack of dawn even before the birds started singing. My brother was kind enough to take me to the airport for my 7am flight out. I flew through Chicago (Midway) and then landed in Phoenix around 1:30pm. The flights were full, so the only time I was able to stitch was during the layover. I was able to start LHN’s Needle and Thread from the 2010 Nashville Market. Upon arrival in Phoenix I found warm temperatures and sunny skies! Ahhhh………relief! Sharon swept me out of the airport and we split a Nacho plate from Red Robin before heading over to The Attic in Mesa. Oh, what joy to be able to walk into that shop! If you are ever in Mesa or the greater Phoenix area, it is worth the trip. Jean and her girls are FABULOUS! (Don't forget to check out Jean's gorgeous newsletters!  Can you tell I'm a happy client?) After some browsing and drooling we headed out to dinner to a pizza place called Sauce. It was definitely not your typical Pizza Hut pizza and salad. Oh, how yummy!  Thanks for the fabulous dinner Jean!

Thursday brought a morning to sleep late followed by plenty of “girl talk” and catching up with my dear friend Sharon. We headed over to Arriba’s Mexican Grill for lunch. I love Mexican food, so eating in Arizona was a treat for me. I had some great Chicken Tacos which had a “kick” that I don’t normally get at home. We also saw someone order a 48oz Frozen Margarita. That thing was HUGE!!!! I wish that I had my camera with me since you would not believe how big that drink was. There were two people sharing it and by the time we left I think they only lowered the contents by one inch! Thursday afternoon we hit the Pandora store. We don’t have a Pandora exclusive store at home, so this was a treat for me. They had every charm imaginable in that place. I got myself a few new ones including the retired compass and I also picked up a gift for my mother for Mother’s Day. After shopping we went to The Attic for their stitch night. I was welcomed with open arms. If you are ever in the area on a Thursday night and you want to stitch, I know they would welcome you with the same warmth that they showed me.

Friday was another fun day. Lazy was the word of the morning and we headed out to Kona Grill for lunch and another wonderful dining experience. (I had some sushi and sashimi, which is another of my favorite foods.) We headed home for a little stitching before we went out to Chase Field to watch my favorite baseball team……The Arizona Diamondbacks!

In a side note, I didn’t have a favorite baseball team until two years ago when we went to Sedona on our honeymoon and got to watch them on the Hyatt’s outdoor lounge TV’s while listening to the crowd at the stadium. In the end, they lost on Friday night, but it was a great game. I even got a few awesome pictures. Look at Johnson getting ready to swing at the baseball. How amazing is that?

We had GREAT seats on the second level! I even had my fingertips on a pop fly from Gillespie, but my arms weren’t long enough and the ball ended up on the level below. All I can say is that I can’t wait to go to another MLB game. Hubby even told me that if I wanted to watch the D-Backs on TV that he wouldn’t mind if I ordered the MLB package for our cable network. How sweet! However, I think I will pass this year and I’ll save up for it next year.

Saturday was filled with stitching. They had a Stitch In at The Attic, so we went there for the day. I had tons of fun. Not too much stitching on my part though. I was too busy shopping! It has been awhile since I have set foot in a brick and mortar store and my pocket book is quite a bit lighter as a result. I ended up with a few patterns, some stitching accessories and a ton of fabric. Some of the ladies even convinced me to try a stitching on a piece of 45 count fabric. So, I’ve decided that I’m going to stitch one of Blackbird Design’s Reward of Merit pieces. Seriously though, check out this haul! (I should also mention that dinner Saturday night was at another fabulous Mexican place....Tia Rosa's!  So many thanks to Sharon for my lovely stay.........thanking you with dinner isn't thanks enough in my book!)

To my surpirse, I even saw Paula of Kelmscott Designs during both the Thursday night and Saturday stitch in.  It turns out that when she is not in Canada, she calls Arizona her second home.  Check out these goodies that she sent home with me.  Thanks Paula!  See you at Market!

Sunday was a day of rest. I just stitched all day long on Block Two of Shores of Hawk Run and LHN’s Needle and Thread. Of course, there was a little light packing for the return home on Monday as well.  Sharon sent me home with a model for the Columbus show. I'll be busy stitching that over the next week or two since it will need the fast turn around.

So, after running around yesterday and doing various errands, I’m now back to the grind at work. Whew! And, I just now noticed that none of my pictures had any stitchy progress to show.  I really did stitch a ton while I was on vacation.  I promise! I guess you will just have to stay tuned…………

Happy Stitching!

P.S. to Jennifer at Feathers in the Nest ~ I haven't forgotten about your win.  I picked up the last piece yesterday and I have some finishing to do, so I hope to have it in the mail to you by Monday!