inspired. Artist Workshop 2008 - Part One

Okay, so this is pretty much old news. But I realized that If I don't break it all down into little bitty pieces I'm never going to get it done. My schedule hasn’t permitted me to be able to post any sooner.

This whole thing started when Mechiel and I turned the BIG 40 in 2007. We decided we needed to celebrate by getting away on a creative weekend. We looked at a lot of events and it was all over when we found Donna Downey’s Inspired Artist Workshop, which included workshops lead by Claudine Hellmuth and Jennifer Stewart. So we waited and waited and waited and then on August???, we stayed up until the registration opened and we registered together. It was so fun to be planning so far in advanced for our special birthday trip.

While the time was passing by some really cool stuff happened. In early January I got an email from Big Picture Scrapbook and there was Tena Sprenger tempting me to read. I know you find it hard to believe, but I’m really not much of a reader. I want to be and what better way to become a happier reader than to read more and participate in a Book of the Month Club. So I went right out the next day and bought all 12 months of Books because I was going to be committed to this reading thing. Reading is “FUNdamental” you know (Right, Donna!)…. To top it off Tena Sprenger would also be at the inspired. workshop. How friggin awesome is that?

Well there is more. Remember I told you I bought all 12 months of books for the Book Club, right? Well…guess who’s book was in that pile-o-books? Kal Barteski, of course…”Love Life”. Awesome book by the way. At that moment Life is just too good!!!

April 9 - Travel Day: My dear sweet Dad got up extra early and drove me to the airport so I could get into Houston and hook up with Mechiel. I won’t bore you with those details, but this was the day that American Airlines was made to ground many many planes due to safety issues. So the airports were crazy and many people were having tons of problems. And we were no different...Mechiel and I did hook up and either between our jibber jabbering or a broken loud speaker we missed our flight to Charlotte. Unbelievable! God was watching over us though, because He got us both on the next flight to Charlotte with only about a 2 hour delay. What a relief!

We arrived in Charlotte and met up with our wonderful Shuttle Driver that Bill arranged and before we left the airport we were already meeting some of the wonderful ladies attending the workshop. One thing is for sure – everyone we met was so incredibly nice. Eventually we made it to the Embassy Suites in Concord …which by the way is an incredible facility. Everyone there was so helpful and pleasant. There was a shuttle at our disposal pretty much around the clock and everyone seemed to have their favorite Shuttle guy…mine was Wade.

That evening Mechiel and I had dinner with Patricia and Joyce at The Little Dooey Barbeque & Blues. All-in-all it was pretty relaxing day, just hanging out with Mechiel catching up on life and soaking it all up.

Stay tuned - more in a moment (or a day).