i think i can, i think i can...

ride the train up north again. it was so conveinient with the kids.

fullerton, ca

once amtrak get wifi, this is going to be the best way to travel with kids.

where else can u pop! popcorn listen to music from your iphone, play on the ds while traveling a long distance. not a long distance by air standards, but long enough that a car ride with these two monsters, would surely be a nightmare! "mom, he's touching me", "mom, she's laughing at me", "mom, he's looking at me"! yah...nope! can't see it happening again!

plus, u don't have to stop at a rest area to use the "funky"restrooms either. the restrooms are right there, nice and clean. and if you forgot to pack snacks, the cafe is just below or 2 carts away! it was fabulous.

the only downfall, is...the constant stops. which make the trip a bit longer than by car. and, along with those constant stops...you pick up the most interesting people! some you wish customs could screen before getting onto the train. but...it takes all kinds to make the world go round. so, in oder to make lemonade out of lemons...i made the weirdos a learning experience. "see kids what happens when you don't make the right choices in life..." or, "that's what u get when you don't go to college..." it made for great conversations. especially, after we pick up 2 street crawlers that sat behind us, knowing the kids were in the seats playing games, etc.! anyway, they sit behind us and they just bombed us with f~bombs, to explain why his baby's momma.....blah!blah!...f~bomb!..., blah!

so what did i do? thanked god for the speaker on my iphone and blasted imelda's johnny got boom boom from the pandora app to tune and flush out their filthy mouths. that might have been how the, "see what happens when u don't go to college..." conversation made its' debut!

all in all, we had a great time up north. ps~ i'm luvn' the pics off the iphone!

bubbles, bubbles, mermaid tails...

...and me always causing trouble.

well, what can i say, miss kim caldwell pulled it off again! another fantastice artistic affaire, that will go down in the books as one of my favorie pass times. darn! and i never take enough pictures! arrgh.

IT'S A SICK LOVE~FEST
Seriously, I love every detail that kim puts into her events. I mean, it’s amazing that she does it all, not just for the love of crafting but for the love of an artistic community of women. She makes these events look and feel like an art spa. Everything from the venue, the decorations, down to the napkin ring holders, are carefully planned and executed by kim { & her mistress’}.

{mistress val~ one of my table partner}

Every one of her sponsors, and the women just attending the event, make it possible for this under the sea adventure to set sail into the night without any waves.
I am so glad I am in so cal, to pack up my car, drive to the event and come right back home with a mountain of luv’n gifts to remember all of these beautiful mermaids by.

EMOTIONAL HEAD TRIP
It’s nice to hear, all these women laughing and enjoying our laugh, because it allows you to take time and enjoy each others company. plus, you get to meet new women from all over, every newbie is just taking in all the eye candy, and trying not to feel overwhelmed or intimidated by everything surrounding them like all the new faces, new names, and definitely very different personalities. then you think wow! I read her blog? Should I start a blog? What do I write about? oh look! she seems so sweet. is she approachable? I read her blog and now look, there she is…I don’t know her but I love her blog~ories. I laugh with that one girl, and she know that other girl. I read that other girls blog, too. She’s funny too! But I’m afraid to talk to her because she’s going to think I’m a stalker? Wow! Look at the center pieces, these are so beautiful, I could never create like this! What did I get myself into…shit! Jenny doh just said hi to me! …omg, that was the editor for my fav magazine, and know she’s like right here. What do I say? That napkin ring would look so good at my house. Can I take it? How embarrassing. Wait! Kim’s giving stuff away too! I love raffles. I hope she calls my name?

THERE'S A LIGHT AHEAD
I mean…the list goes on and on with shit going through your head of meeting, exceeding, or living up to your own personal expectations. plus nerves, chills, and then you get the warm embraces!

BURP!
aaaah! there is this sigh of relief, you pack up your bags, and realize how is all that shit going to fit in the duffle bag I brought! Because let me tell you, my girl mariasella doesn’t pack light and luv’s to shop, shop, shop. our car drives away every venue with a “burp”!

once it’s all over, you get home, you take out the stuff to show your family all your accomplishments {or lack thereof}, and it feels like it’s just never going to end! However, give yourself about a week to get over the spa high of the calming smell of glue because then there is this sense of beauty that manifests from these events…and that’s when you’ve been bitten by the

“caldw-ug”

see you nextyear at "the moulin rouge"

bowl of cherries...

was empty?

yup...we went to a cherry festival in beaumont, ca...and they barely had cherries.

mary engelbreit would have been so disappointed. look!

not one of the 5 local farmers was represented at this years cherry festival. i thought that was so sad. especially with all the development that's happening. u would think that lone rangers would have been there to represent the dying breed. right?

well i guess their marketing director forgot to make sure if your going to advertise cherry festival....maybe the local growers should represent at the event or maybe the event should be held at a cherry farm so we could actually pick the cherries.

that's why i get paid the big bucks. {toot! toot!}

up...up...and away...

in san fran.

this is how we brought in the summer! memorial weekend landed us up north!

whimsical twinkles filled the air...

castle in the air

berkley, ca

it really was one of the most spectacular rooms of inspiration and imagination. my son was going nuts about embellishments. he was just looking at everything with such interest. it was great!



they have the best selection of dresden i have ever seen. and, u can order online. it's a paperlovers dream. glass glitter was everywhere.

a definite must see if your up north. wow!