My Cup Runneth Over

What an amazing week I had!

I really had no idea what to expect from the Creative Connection.  The last two months since I heard about it and decided to go seem like a blur.  I was hopeful that it would all turn out to be a good investment, but I had no idea that what I was actually investing in was relationships with these beautiful women:

Jessica, Gussy, Lisa, Mique, Me, Megan, Lindsey & Allison.

My sweet, sweet friend Gussy was so generous to introduce Mego and me to her amazing blog bffs and include us in all the festivities.  We felt like we were back in school, being asked to sit at the cool kids' table!  On Friday night there was a VIP Party for all the vendors, speakers, teachers, panelists and volunteers.  

Mego and I felt like the NVIP's.

We kept having to pinch ourselves to believe that here we were in a room full of some of the biggest names in the crafting/blogging community... and they were talking to US.

Okay, so you could tell I was an inexperienced blogger because I thought I could get away with not bringing my big camera.  I mean, I already had about 250 pounds worth of luggage... no room for the camera!

Luckily, Mego brought a camera, so there are some pictures.

Here are my highlights from my week at The Creative Connection.

1. Meeting Ree Drummond.  I mean, c'mon.  Does it get any better than that?  And the best part was that she was so sweet and humble, and generously talked with me for quite a while.

2.  Getting my calendar signed by Heather Bailey... that's just cool.

3.  Meeting Gussy, who was just as sweet in real life, and about whom I know I will some day say "I knew her when".  I wish I had had half of her drive at 25.

4.  Meeting Jessica and Mique, the sisters behind The Queen Bee Market that I will be participating in this November.  I heart these girls big time!  It turns out that Mego and I were on the same flight with them from Minneapolis to Denver yesterday and the nice lady at Frontier put us all in the same row.

{Although... the people sitting around us probably didn't thing that was too nice of her!}

5.  Meeting Lindsey Cheney, who so very generously went out of her way to bring the Powerhouse Trifecta over to my booth... Laurie of Tip Junkie, Cindy from Skip to my Lou, and Kim from Today's Creative Blog.  {Sidenote: I gave them all calendars and Laurie and Cindy both tweeted about them!}

Thanks for taking care of me Lindsey!

6.  Meeting Lisa Leonard.  I cannot say enough about my new friend Lisa Leonard.  What an amazingly talented, sweet, humble, generous person.  She had to have been exhausted from running her booth and sitting on panels, but she spent her evenings allowing all the rest of us to pick her brain about our own businesses.  I don't know if you know this... but Lisa is kind of a big deal.  But you would never know it from hanging out with her.

Oh... and these are the Lisa Leonard necklaces that we got on our place settings at the gala.  Fantastic, huh?

7.  Spending a week, kid-free, with my bff.  I love you Mego... thank you for everything.  I would have been a puddle without you.

8.  Meeting these two ladies:

These ladies were Mego and Me, fast forward a few years!  They had us in stitches and were so sweet and encouraging in a moment that we really needed it.  They were sent from above indeed.

9.  Seeing all the great and quirky stuff {some more quirky than great... as seen here}

and getting an Amy Butler Sweet Life bag for $45.

Mego and I got matching bags.

We were feeling kind of guilty for spending money on ourselves... until we found out that these bags apparently retail for $195!   

And number 10.  Having my baby run across the airport and come flying into my arms when I returned home.  That was the best part of all.

I am happy to be home, and all filled up with encouragement, ambition, and excitement.