St. Louis Recap

I packed up my little 1998 Honda Civic and headed to St. Louis last Friday. Space girl that I can sometimes be while on a trip, I missed the turn-off to Waterloo because I was so wrapped up in Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman--a wonderful story about all kinds of love. The result was that I got to read the whole thing since I spent more time driving the Iowa highways than planned.


(Here's one of my fellow travelers...there were horns on both sides of the cab...)


I wasn't too upset, though. It was so nice to 1) read; 2) talk to my buddies on the phone; and 3) let my hands be still for 11 hours. Quite rejuvenating!


I taught a couple classes at Lady Bug Beads. What a pleasure to finally meet the staff! Susan, Kristen, and Myra were so helpful and friendly. And the students! What great students. Saturday I taught Le Cirque to Kristen, Barb, Anne, and Marjorie. It was a pleasant day, filled with creativity, laughter, and stories.


Marjorie came in wearing her Quercus necklace, one of my Designer-of-the-Year projects from the Aug/Sept issue of Beadwork magazine. The funny thing was that I was wearing my Quercus, too!


On Sunday we had a rousing class of 14, all learning Katarina. It was the first time I'd taught this one, and it was a relief to see so many students catch on and create this pretty chain. There was even a contingent from the Bead Society of Greater Kansas City that showed up. What a great group!


After class, my sister Mary treated me to a birthday meal at Blue Sky, a wonderful little restaurant in Kirkwood. My sister and I keep in touch pretty well via technology, but it's just so much better to talk in person. She's a real sweetheart, and since she's WAY older than me (right, Mary?), she's been an invaluable fountain of wisdom.


The trip back home on Monday was much faster--made it in almost 8 hours. I did stop a few times due to the copious amounts of green tea I was drinking to keep alert. I can't help but share a few snaps of my favorite rest areas. This one is the fanciest one I think I've ever been in, replete with an Iowa gift shop:


This one is very exciting because of its signage.


You just don't see that Grateful Dead-type font anymore on public spaces, do you?


And this was my favorite stop, where I pulled over to catch my breath a little. The Iowa landscape is so mesmerizing...


Now back at home and writing writing writing. Need to get 1/4 of my book turned in to my editor by week's end. Can she do it? Yes, she can!