Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Rewards of Blogging

If it wasn't for blogging, I think that I would have missed out on meeting some of the most wonderful people on earth!  I'm truly amazed at the people I meet - mainly just through the internet, and not in person. But then an opportunity arises to meet some of these people in person.  I had such good fortune in May when I met Robin who I consider a special friend, and now once again, I've been truly blessed with meeting more friends that I've become acquainted with through blogging.  Where the world seems so huge, blogging has pulled that world together and introduced me to some fantastic people.

Last week I spent five wonderful days in Utah, meeting people who I knew, but didn't know.  Had left comments for on their blog, and they on mine, had an occasional email with, etc., but had never met them in person.  They each shared the same love I did - stitching and things crafty.  You wonder about those people sometimes - what they're really like, what their voice sounds like -  you smile when you read their comments, and eagerly await their blog updates.  You find that they have other interests that are like yours.  You wonder about them, wish that you could meet them, but in the course of everyday life you know that you live too far away and have schedules that conflict.  So you email and follow their blogs and never meet them, but yet, because of the shared interests, you feel like they're part of your heart and soul.  Well, I had the most wonderful opportunity to finally meet up with some of these very special people and find out what they're like. We all met up at the Canyons in Utah - a truly beautiful place (all pictures are clickable I think).

Some of the girls flew out for the Shepherd's Bush Retreat.  Others like myself, just went along for the heck of it.  To meet, eat, stitch and have a great time!

I met up with Julie, Loraine, Terri and Jolene and we had a wonderful time.  Loraine's friend Kathryn was also there and was our resident cook.  What outstanding meals we had - Salmon in Parchment, Blackberry Chicken, Pecan Chicken to name just a few.  I am definitely not exaggerating when I say that we ate better than we would have if we had eaten out.  And Kathryn was wonderful enough to give us the recipes.

We also met up with Cathi, Cari, Joan and their friend Karen:

Karen, Joan, Cari, Loraine and Cathi.  What a hoot these ladies are!  

And the whole group at lunch:


Jolene, Terri, Karen, Cari, Cathi, Joan, Loraine, Kathryn and Julie at Bandit's Restaurant!  What fun!  A lot of good laughs and good food.

And these ladies spoiled us!  From Loraine and Jolene we were presented with these wonderful gifts:


Such wonderful talent both these women have.  These bags were stuffed with patterns that Loraine had designed, a bag with scissors and floss winders and Jolene also made this wonderful pinkeep:

Jolene and Loraine are just about the sweetest, kindest and most generous people you would ever hope to meet!  I am so happy that I now can consider you friends and I'll cherish that friendship forever.

Cari, Cathi and Joan also are so talented and so much fun to be around!  They gave each of us these goodies:

Such wonderful goodies and special momentos of our time together.  I'll treasure these forever!!  I wish that we could have spent more time together!  I think that my stomach would be killing me from all the laughing!  And I'm amazed that with all the noise and bustle that night when we were all together, that Joan could still keep the pedal to the metal and keep sewing!  LOL

It was such a great time - just the best.  We did some sightseeing, and what would a trip be to Utah without going to Shepherd's Bush?

Moi outside Shepherd's Bush

We had a lot of fun there - shopping, spending money (big time) and meeting some more people.  I wish I had taken pictures, but I met Katrina and her friend Karin, and Val at Shepherd's Bush!  Such a great time.   We had lunch in Ogden while we were there.  The street are lined with painted horses:

We also toured Salt Lake City and visited Temple Square, Brigham Young's House - The Bee Hive House and the Lion House:



Beautiful gardens around the house and around Temple Square


The Lion House

And a couple samplers located in the house:


And I know that the next picture is rather odd, but I had to snap a picture of the Sinclair Gasoline sign.  We used to have them in Michigan and it was like a trip down memory lane seeing one of them.  I remember watching the Flintstones and always thinking of Dino the Dinosaur whenever I'd see one of them.

Jolene and I went out one morning and tried to rustle up some trouble in a quilt store (and we did do a little bit of damage), and then we went to the cutest antique store where Jolene scored an excellent deal on a pincushion.  I wish I had a picture of it, but let's say, it was a steal at $6.00.  Way to go Jolene!!!  And I thought the building was adorable!!

I can't say enough about what a wonderful time I had and how wonderful it was to finally meet and finally get to know Loraine, Jolene and Kathryn, Cari, Cathi and Joan, and their friends Kathryn and Karen.  And to meet Katrina, Karin and Val.  I hope that our paths cross again and I will cherish the memories of this week forever!  You are all such wonderful, sweet and generous souls, and I count myself blessed to have met each and every one of you!!

Now, should we all do it again next year?  I'm in!!!!!!

Oh, and after a two month hiatus on stitching, I finally was able to park my rear in a chair and get a slight case of stitch butt!  It felt so good!!!  I have to thank you girls for finally getting me out of the stitching rut!

I know that I've been absent from commenting lately and I apologize, but things were really crazy up until I went on the trip, but I plan on rectifying that situation ASAP.  I have missed seeing what everyone is working on and can't wait to catch up!!!

53 comments:

Tina said...

What a great trip! So fun to finally meet blogging friends! I'm jealous :).

valerie said...

Deb, it was fantastic to meet you! I wish our paths had crossed a little more so we could chat but maybe next time. I love your photos! I was a dummy and barely took mine out of my purse. I am so glad you had a great time and are back to stitching! :)

Melissa said...

I'm jealous too. Glad to hear you had such a wonderful time. Someday I'd love to go to one of those SB retreats.

Vinniey said...

How nice to have chance to meet blogging friends! Thanks for sharing this wonderful trip. Beautiful group photos from you and Terri (I went to Terri's blog this morning). All those gifts are gorgeous, Deb. :)

Annie said...

Just read about this trip on Terri's blog. It looks like everyone had such a marvelous time. A great rejuvenator I'm sure.

BrendaS said...

What a wonderful time you guys had. I read about the trip on Terri's blog and all I can say is WOW:))))) Wish I had been there.

Thanks for sharing.

Loafer Mountain Primitives said...

Oh my gosh! You guy's were just a hop skip and a jump from me! That antique store is the Holly Hock in Midway! It's one of my favorites to stop in when we take our senic drives and I was just there the week before! Small World my friend!
Looks like you girls had a great time...Next time you head this way give me a holler, I'll show you the GOOD places!
Tisha

Alice said...

Deb, I am so glad you had a good time and with Jolene there, I never doubted you girls would have fun. I know some of the other names from blogs but finally I can also put faces to them. You look great!!! Love all the photos. Good to have you back safe and sound.
Alice
xxx

Berit said...

Completely awesome! :o :o :o

Thanks for sharing some pics of your trip. :D

Next time, of course, we want to see the stash, lol! :D

So glad you're back in the stitching chair and loving it. :)

jayne@~an eye for threads~ said...

I can almost hear the laughter here and what a lovely time you all must have had. Congratulations to you for attending and I am sure there is huge anticipation for the following years.
Be always in stitches.

Faye said...

I can tell by all the smiles what a fantastic time you all had!!! I am so happy for all of you and welcome home!!

Karin said...

Deb, it was great meeting you! Thanks for sharing your photos. Such a fantastic time we all had. Hope to see you again at the next one and be able to spend some more time to chat.

Kajsa said...

Wow, it's really beautiful there! It sounds like you had such a good time!

Parsley said...

Wow. What a beautiful trip! I had the opportunity to meet a blogging friend too. It's just the best.

Kathy said...

What a great trip with the wonderful experience of meeting blogging friends! Hope you share some stash pictures. The goodies you received are just adorable.

Patricia Lessell said...

I am so green and thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Love
Patti xxx

Myra said...

What a fabulous trip! Everything you said about blogging friends is so true. I hope to one day meet some of them in person.

Loraine said...

What a fantastic post! You are one of my most favorite people in the whole world. How blessed I am to have you in my life. Thank you so much for coming and sharing this week with me. I will never forget it, and next year is a must!
I've got to get my rear in gear and share some photo's too. I love the ones you took! Please share! You are a great photo taker!
I am so sorry that things got so crazy at the airport. I was so sad that I didn't get to give you a big hug. Things were crazy that morning, and I don't know what happened, but my cell phone was not ringing, and my texts weren't getting to Jolene either. My sincerest apologies. Kathryn was feeling a stressed as she left her light in the room, and we had to run back in to get it.
Well, I'll e-mail more to you later. Many hugs to my dear friend.

Jackie's Stitches said...

Wow! It looks like a fantastic fun trip. I love your pictures, it sure it a beautiful city. Happy to hear you're stitching again!

Margaret said...

Deb, it's so great that you had such a great time! Thanks for all the pics -- they were such fun to see! And the Sinclair sign -- I remember those!!! lol!

Pauline said...

What a wonderful time you had- thanks for posting all the pics, it's great to see all the sights from the other side of the world!

Sounds like you got your stitching mojo back- amazing what happens when you hang out with stitchers!

Katherine said...

Oh! I'm SO glad I'm not the only one - we were it Mitchell, South Dakota; had just finished going through the Corn Palace and were continuing on west. We turned a corner and there was a Sinclair Gas Station - with one of the really OLD signs I remembered from when I was a kid. I made my husband turn around and go back so I could get a picture. I guess I just always loved that big green Dino!

Carol said...

What an amazing trip you had, Deb--so glad your blogging friends were as special in person as they were online! Looks like a wonderful trip with wonderful people--hope you can all get together again soon :)

Kathy A. said...

What an absolutely special trip that was for you! Your photos and your words show how much it touched your heart. No wonder you signed up again.
Love that painted horse? Any more photos of them?

Alice said...

What a grand trip! You took gorgeous photos.

Rugs and Pugs said...

Deb ~
It sounds like you had a wonderful time. What fun to meet online friends!
Your pictures are great. Thanks for sharing them, especially the pic of you. It's so good to put a face to a name.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

patijane's primitives said...

What a great place to have a retreat!All you pictures are awesome and love all the goodies you received. Thanks for sharing them.

Anonymous said...

Deb, I'm so glad that you had a fun trip and got home safe and sound. We met standing in line and I was happy to meet you. Take care and enjoy the stitching mojo!
Lancy

JOLENE said...

What a wonderful time we have had this past week with the girls. I will cherish the times we shared chatting, stitching, sight seeing and devouring the most delicious food Kathryn made for us. It was a remarkable time. Thank you so much for the beautiful scarf, scissors and that adorable owl!!! What a spoiled girl I am. Thanks for making it such a special time for all. I cherish your friendship and can't wait until our next retreat!!! Sisters at heart and friends forever. Smiles...

Melissa said...

What a fabulous trip! And it was wonderful to read about it on other blogs, like Terri's as well. You can see this real connection between you all! Lucky you(s)!!!

Siobhán said...

It sounds like you had an amazing time, Deb! I'm so glad. I loved all the pictures. I'd love to go to Utah sometime--it looks so pretty there.

Blu said...

What a fabulous trip! Sounds like you had a lot of fun!

Bertie said...

Lovely pics, Utah must be wonderful for a visit and lovely to see bloggers we all know!!
The presents look fantastic too:))

woolwoman said...

I knew your big trip was coming in Sept - sounds like you had a marvelous time and met in person some forever friends. Glad you are feeling less stressed and more like getting back to your hand work. Enjoy the fall weather! Mel

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad to hear that you ended up going! You deserve some time away girlfriend. It looks like you had a wonderful time and all the girls look like a lot of fun. Bet you wish you could have stayed longer. Can't wait to see stash pictures and what piece finally got you stitching again.

FIONA said...

Sounds like you had an absolutely fantastic time away with the girls! So wish I lived closer so i could join you all! Thanks for sharing what a special treat our blogging friends are! x

Sherry :o) said...

Sounds like you had a blast Deb! I have missed seeing you - maybe on the 10? Looks like you all had a blast - what a beautiful sky in all your pics - nice weather! And the buildings, people (all smiles) and gifts....cool! One of these days I will do a retreat that requires more travel and new friends!!

Sally said...

Looks like you had an amazing time Deb and, as I told Valerie on her blog, I'm so envious!

tina said...

W gli incontri!! Bellissimi i regali!!
Tina

Sylvia said...

Oh lucky you being able to go to the SB retreat. I got to go to the last one - my one and only and really had a wonderful time.

I am so glad you had a good time, and you got to meet all those wonderful people.

MyLifesAStitch said...

Aww, you are too sweet. :) I am so glad to have met you back in May and have you in my life, you have no idea!! :)

Great pictures!! The resort looks like it was absolutely stunning! It's so nice to "get away from it all", isn't it?

TTFN!!

Lainey said...

How wonderful Deb to be able to meet up with your blogging friends. It looks like everyone had a great time, thanks for sharing.

Lois said...

Sounds like a wonderful time Deb! I would love to get to an SB retreat at some point, it's been on my 'wish list' of things to do for years!!! I loved reading all about it and the seeing the pics.

Michele said...

what a great time you all had! Isn't the best meeting up with fellow stitchers and bloggers! My favorite type of vacations!

Sherry said...

What a fun trip you had! I would love to meet some of my online stitching friends. Lucky you! I'm glad you had a good time. Sometimes it takes so little to refresh the soul.

Jennifer Ann Fox said...

Looks like a dream of good time! So happy for you!

Natalia said...

Sounds like you had a great time at the retreat !! You are right, blogging really gives us the opportunity to meet wonderful women. I love it !!

Marie said...

Great Post!!! :)

Cari said...

Oh my Deb....my Deb.... What a lovely post... DID WE HAVE FUN OR WHAT?? I need to get my blogging butt in gear and get my pics posted. I was simply wonderful meeting you !! Every time I think about our fabulous retreat I smile...and smile...and smile. BIG HUGS

Nancy M said...

Sounds and looks like the trip of a lifetime!

Isabelle said...

Hi Deb, what a wonderful trip you made with your blogging friends and it is so nice to can see you before the Shepherd's Bush shop : you look great.
Wishing you a very nice day,
Cheers,
Isabelle

Michelle said...

How wonderful! I wish I'd been with you, it sounds like a fabulous time. Glad you got your stitching mojo back too.

Glenna said...

What great photos! Deb, I think it was so funny that I happened to be at In Stitches when you were talking with Ellen! Small, small stitchy world!