The Best Part of Vegas

To me, the best part of Vegas was having the opportunity to hang out with Stacey. It seems that we don't get that opportunity as often as we used to and I miss that! I'm so glad that she got to go with me. When we are together we don't shut up and usually end up laughing uncontrollably at stupid things. This time was no exception.

One thing I wanted to do before we left Vegas was to get a decent picture of the strip for a scrapbook page (Of course!). After a long walk from our hotel we thought this would be a great place.

Just as I pushed the button to take the picture I noticed something. There was something that I didn't particularly want on my scrapbook pages. Do you see it?

So I came up with the idea to use Stacey's head to cover up the flaw in the picture. Well, this caused a laughing spell that lasted at least 30 minutes. I'll spare you the details because I'm sure it's not as funny to anyone else. Kind of an inside joke between the two of us.

So, thank you Stacey! Thank you for making this night a great one! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and I can always count on you to be the cause of my laughter. Thank you for making this the night of "the ass" instead of the night "I was broken up with on a post-it". You know what I mean!

The Missing Luggage

Stacey and I were suppose to get home on Thursday but unfortunately we did not have a good experience on the road home.

We got to the airport in Vegas to find out that our 4:00 flight had been moved to 5:00, which would cause us to miss our connecting flight in Dallas at 9:40. The lady at the counter was awesome and got us booked on a 4:30 flight to Dallas so we could catch the plane. We wouldn't have much time to catch it but she said it wouldn't be a problem.

So we are on the plane in Vegas waiting to take off when the pilot comes on the speaker and says that we are 15th in line to take off and it would probably be 20-30 minutes before we could take off. Finally we land and get off the plane at 9:28. We ran in a dead sprint from gate D20 to B9 only to find out that the flight had been moved to a different gate...thank goodness it was only B10. We get to the gate just as our plane was backing out at 9:34. I think I actually threw my hands up at the pilot, like he would say "oh wait, lets go back and pick up the sweaty, out of breath, crazy girls."

I was so ready to be home with Drew and Mike. This was only my second time being away from Drew for that long and I was missing him!

We finally found an agent to talk to and he informed us that there were no other flights to Springfield until the next morning. We both wanted to be home so badly that we were determined to find a way home.

We were walking out of the airport when Stacey had an idea. We could get on a plane to St. Louis, KC, or Tulsa and have someone pick us up. We managed to get booked on a flight to Tulsa. (We had to run to catch it too!) When we got to Tulsa, we still had to wait another two hours before anyone would be there to pick us up and then another 2-3 hours to drive home.
I think it was around 3:30-4:00 a.m. before we got home.

As if the story couldn't get worse, they lost our luggage. Not just a it will be here sometime thing...they have no idea where our luggage is. Stacey has been on the phone with them several times since we got back and isn't having any luck. Now it's Sunday and they still don't have the slightest clue as to where our luggage is. Talk about frustrating! There are so many thing in my suitcase that I don't want to lose or have to replace!

Anyway, I'll post all of my Vegas pictures soon. Stacey and I ended up having camera issues so there really isn't a whole lot to see from me but all of the SOY girls are sharing so we all would have pictures of everything.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Vegas

**Someone has already copy and pasted the orginal post for the world to see so I guess I might as well repost. I'm being wishy-washy today!! I am not ashamed of my honesty. What I said was being twisted a little and I was being accused of things that I did not do. It just turned into a mess! :) I just wanted it all to go away so I deleted the post. Before you read this just know that I did not cry in the banquet room! The only person who saw my tears was my sister. I was not a sobbing mess. I just simply let my emotions out and cried a little in the bathroom and in our hotel room. I figure the damage of this post is done so...here it is, again.

"When you engage in a work that taps your talent and fuels your passion--that rises out of a great need in the world that you feel drawn by conscience to meet--therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul's code.
Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

Tuesday night we all attended the keynote speech by Stacy Julian (who is hilarious by the way.) and this was a quote that flashed across the screen. I read it and got chills. I read it and thought to myself I'm on the right path.

I'm just going to be honest. That is all that I know to do. If I can make it through this without crying it will be shocking. So far anytime I have talked about the outcome, I have cried. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Maybe I'm a sore loser. Maybe I didn't realize how much I wanted it, until I lost.

I am crushed.

I would assume that any person that wants something so badly would be crushed. The title, the money, the "celebrity" aspect wasn't what pushed me to enter or even compete. What was fueling my fire was the feeling that I was doing exactly what I should be doing. I felt that within this was my voice, my calling, my soul's code.

Before I go any further I do want to say congrats to the winner, Elizabeth. I didn't get a chance to talk to her as much as the other girls but from the time I did get to talk to her she seemed very nice. She will fill the role well and I'm sure the next year is going to be exciting for her. Again congrats on a job well done.

The day of the announcement I was surprised that I wasn't nervous until it was time to get ready. Right before Stacey and I left our room to head to the banquet I got a text message from Mike - "I just wanted you to know that I love you and I'm so proud of you." It was very comforting to know that although he wasn't there in real life, he was in thought. He later told me that he was nervous too.

When we got to the banquet room I was feeling that nervous knot in my stomach. They had set up the room so nicely with each of us finalists having our own table with our picture and a sample of our work. We ate a really nice dinner...well, I should say everyone else ate a really nice dinner because I could only manage a few bites of mine. I was getting so nervous at this point.

We were each asked to come up to the stage, one by one, and talk with Lisa Bearnson. I had no idea we were going to be asked to that...the nerves got ten times worse. When it was my turn I was surprised at my calmness when I got on the stage. I felt like I just stood up there and had a good chat with a friend. Ali Edwards was awesome and gave me some very nice words of encouragement when I walked off the stage.

When it came time for the announcement of the winner, my heart was beating so hard I thought it was going to burst. When I saw that it wasn't my picture or my name on the screen I was nervous again. How was I going to make it through the rest of the evening and not cry? How was going to make sure that everybody only saw my happiness for the winner? Well, I didn't do a very good job and I know that. I tried so hard to put on a happy face for Elizabeth but I know that my smile was shaking.

They asked us all to gather around for a group picture and about 20 camera flashes were going. I was thinking I had to get out of that room. I was going to cry any second. I know I did not look good in those pictures. I was biting my lip trying as hard as I could to keep in all inside. After the pictures I walked over to Stacey and said "I'm going to cry." and there the tears came. She pushed me out of the room and I went in the bathroom. I'm so mad at myself that I cried. I know I had to have looked like a sore loser and a baby, and I am ashamed for that. I've always been a sensitive person and it was too hard not to take it personal. I made my way back to the room and was embarrassed. I was the only one that had to leave the room. My hope was that everyone just thought I needed to use the restroom. I don't think they did. Brian Tippetts, the editor-in-chief, made his way over to me, hugged me, and said "You should be very proud of what you have accomplished." His smile was comforting and what he said was right. I've had an amazing last few months and I'm not going to forget that.

For the rest of the night, (Not at the banquet!!! In the privacy of my hotel room!!) I cried anytime I talked about it. I couldn't even call Mike to tell him the news. I sent him a text message that said, "I lost. I can't talk about it right now." Two hours later, I called him and cried again. I was starting to feel like Amber on Big Brother...and I couldn't stand it when she cried! Thank goodness this wasn't a reality show...the general public would have hated me! :)

So now it's all over and I just have to move on from it. There's nothing I can do. I put everything I had into my entry, article, interviews and work. It wasn't what they were looking for and I'm okay with that now. It doesn't mean that I should give up. When something like this is over and you are still determined and passionate about it, why would you give up? Maybe something else is in store for me and I looking forward to find out what that might be.

I'm not posting this for pity or sympathy. I just simply wanted to tell my story. Writing about things, good or bad, has always been my way of getting things out that I can't say. Writing and scrapbooking have become my therapy. I feel ten times better just by writing this blog entry! (Even though the second half of the trip wasn't the greatest, the first part was and I'll share that with you all soon!)

Thank you so much to everybody's nice comments and support throughout the contest. It was so nice to come home to that and it really made me feel better.

I can't believe it's finally time to leave for Vegas! Tomorrow at 8:50 a.m. Stacey and I will be on our way. Yesterday I went shopping to get a few last minute things and then today is all day packing. I always have a fear of forgetting something so it takes me forever to pack! Well, that and the fact that I seem to think that it's necessary to take my whole closet. I can't ever plan out my outfits beforehand, I like to have options.

Wednesday is the big day!! At the end of the day one of us ten finalists will be named Scrapbooker of the Year! I'm so glad they are going to keep us busy the whole day or else I would be a nervous wreck. Hopefully the day goes by quickly!

I hope everyone has a great week!

This is the longest I've gone without blogging in a long time! Life has been pretty busy and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon.

I went shopping again on Sunday and found my dress for the SOY banquet. It was a big accident! I wasn't planning on getting anything yet but happened to see the dress and knew I couldn't pass it up. I loved it! Of course they didn't have my size so I was bummed until I decided to try on the next size down, just to see. Woohoo, it fit! A new dress and I've lost weight! What a great day it was!

Now I can't wait to get some cute shoes to go with it!

I keep getting more and more nervous the closer it gets to the big day! I can't believe that a week from right now, we will know who the SOY is!!! I can't wait!

This is the wonderful hotel that we will be staying at. Stacey informed me last night that Mario Batali has a restaurant, (two different one's actually) at the Venetian!! Mike and I have always talked about wanting to eat at one of his restaurants! His food always looks so good! I told Mike that I would think about him while I was enjoying the food. That's what he gets for not going with me!

I'll post more later...I'm still crunched for time right now!!

11 days to go...

till Vegas!!! I'm starting to get really excited! I also realized that I better get my butt in gear and get some shopping done. Gee, that's a drag. I haven't been shopping for clothes in awhile so I'm really excited that I've got a great excuse. I don't know exactly how long I'll actually get to spend shopping since Drew will be with me and seems to have inherited his daddy's patience.

Have you ever seen the movie "View From the Top" with Gwyneth Paltrow and Christina Applegate? (There's actually a lot of big names in the movie but I didn't feel like listing them all) Well there is one part where Gwyneth's character runs into a guy she went on a date with. I guess she was a little nervous and said "I'm great!", and he looks at her strangly because he never asked "How are you doing?". That would be pretty embarassing, right? Well let me tell you, it is very embarassing. I know because I did this in my interview at the Diva Craft Lounge!! I didn't realize it until I listened to it when I got home that evening. I could have swore that someone asked me how I was doing!! Very embarassing!

I thought, other than my random "I'm great!" the interview went really well. Poor Ali Edwards is going to think I have a crush on her now. I talked about her again and a little too eagerly said "I love her!". If I ever see her and she runs away, I would understand! That's two different interviews that I have said "I love Ali Edwards!". I promise I'm not some crazy stalker!

I'm off to do some shopping! Have a great weekend!

Interview...again.

No, I don't have to do my SOY interview again. This time I'm representing Creating Keepsakes on a radio talk show. I'm going to take that as a good sign that I didn't sound like a bumbling idiot in my SOY interview. You never know with those kind of things. Half the time what I hear in my head is not how it sounds. I learned that after listening to my HOF call! The interview is set for Wednesday, September 5 (12:05-12:25 PST) at the Diva Craft Lounge. I'm really excited about this and after listening to a ton of the interviews on their site I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I am truly honored that Creating Keepsakes would ask me to do this!



It's challenge time at Consider Yourself Challenged again! This time it was up to me to come up with the challenge and I decided that I would tackle one of my biggest scrapbooking fears. Paint. I love the look of paint on pages but the fear of not liking the end result always caused me to pass. After making this page I'm addicted! I've already used paint on another project and see many more in the near future. I'm a big believer that in order to keep scrapbooking fun you should challenge yourself and face your scrappy fears. You might be surprised and end up with a whole new creative burst of ideas.

Journaling:
This is what I like to call the look of annoyance.
The mom quit taking pictures look.
The pul-lease stop, I've had enough face.
All I can say is get used to it sweety.
I don't plan on missing a thing.
My trusty camera will always be by my side.
One day you will thank me for it.