Monday, July 28, 2008

Warning: Long post ahead

I've been to Chicago and back, celebrated the Christmas holiday, scrapbooked, and got tagged.
And more power to you if you manage to read all about it here.

Lucy, Brittney, and I ventured to Chicago for summer CHA.
Good times were had by all.
And we even managed to order some stuff to go in the store!

My dad has this crazy love for Chicago and I have never really understood why. We have never lived there and I only remember visiting there 1 time growing up and that was for a tennis tournament so we didn't really get to spend too much time in the city.
This trip makes my 3rd time to Chicago (counting the previously mentioned excursion) and I think I now know why my dad is so infatuated. There is so much to do and see. It is completely different than any city we have lived in in the South so it is full of little adventures and new experiences. The food is great. The public transportation is good and not too intimidating for us small town folks. All that to say, I think I am developing a crush on this city too!
One of our first stops was at Gino's East for some authentic Chicago-style pizza.
Saturday night we took a break from "work" to venture out into the city.
We wanted to blend with the locals so we took the train.
All the locals carry big cameras and maps and ask 1,000 questions, right??
Thanks to Brittney and her map, we made it to and from Michigan Ave. without a hitch.
Pure goofiness...Lucy, not me, of course.
We happened upon a little wine tasting at Millenium Park.
How convenient.
It was after this that B and I told Lucy how much she had spent at the show that day.
She took it surprisingly well.
And why did we not go to the Bean the last time I was in Chicago??
This is the coolest thing ever!
So this is the Bean: And this is silly us taking our picture on the Bean:
I forget exactly what this fountain is called.
I think it is like 1,000 Faces of Chicago or something like that.
But that is a real person somewhere in Chicago.
Her face stayed up for ~5 minutes and then it will put up another person.
Very cool.
As much as I like Chicago, I do have a gripe.
What is up with the lack of Dr. Pepper in this town??!
It is a grave injustice I tell ya!
No Dr. Pepper on our plane (but I guess I should blame Delta for that).
No Dr. Pepper at any restaurant we went to.
No Dr. Pepper in the machines at our hotel.
No Dr. Pepper at CHA.
And I would have settled for Mr. Pibb but Chicago is all about the Pepsi products.
I almost didn't survive.
Until we ventured into a Walgreens because I needed a toothbrush (oh yeah, I left mine in B'ham and refused to pay the $6.50 for one out of the mini-bar since apparently Hilton no longer offers them complimentary).
In the Walgreens I found the one Dr. Pepper in all of Chicago and the surrounding areas.
And life was good again.

Since we were in Chicago for "work" I guess I should give you a brief rundown of the show.
We had tons of fun and managed to be productive at the same time.
Lucy ordered lots of good stuff for Scrap Etc.!!
Some of my favs from this show:
My Minds Eye (always)
Hambly (always so creative)
My Little Shoebox (so stinkin' cute)
Little Yellow Bicycle (this will be a new one for Scrap Etc. & it will not disappoint)
Fancy Pants (always)
Jenni Bowlin (geez, she's good)
Glitz (another new one for the store, super cool digi stuff too)
American Crafts (duh, thickers!)
October Afternoon (great fall & Christmas stuff & a cute kids line)
Scenic Route (love the reds in the new line)

OK, really, so what did I not like??!!
:)

And I got to see her and her and her and meet her and her.
It can't get much better than that.
Got to see many of my Fashionista buddies from Scrap in Style too.
And she was so cute when she won the new scraproom that Making Memories gave away.
I am only slightly jealous about that.
Got to chat with her for a little bit.
Yes, I am name dropping.

All in all, good times were had!
And I think I am still trying to catch up on my sleep!

Still reading?
Impressive.

Thank you to all who came out for Christmas in July this past weekend at Scrap Etc.
I had a blast!!
Thanks for making it such a fun day for me!

As promised in previous post, here are my layouts & a card using The Classic collection from Scrap in Style this month.
You can't go wrong with black & white and chipboard thickers and brads ever!!



Still want to hear 6 random things about me since I was tagged by Britney?
(I warned you that this was the longest post ever)


OK here goes:
1. I had a cat when I was little named Reepicheep (you know, from the Chronicles of Narnia).
2. My first car was a Mazda 323 hatchback with a stick shift, a tape deck, and roll down windows.
3. I drink Carnation Instant Breakfast (chocolate or vanilla) every morning.
4. I really could eat Mexican food for every meal.
5. I need to go to Wal-Mart right now for: computer ink (#58), dental floss, & lightbulbs.
6. I have had the same alarm clock since high school. How much longer do you think that thing will work!?
So that's me...now I will tag Katie and Virginia.
I think I have worn out my welcome here now so I'm out.
Have a great week!
gretchen

16 comments:

Nubia said...

So does this long post mean you won't post for awhile ;)

Anonymous said...

yeah what's up with no dr pepper? i noticed that too!? so weird! love seeing your pics & meeting you! :)

HoweverAlthough said...

I love it when Gretchen blogs! YAY! It was great to see you Sat. And in case you hadn't noticed, I've had a big ridiculous crush on Chicago for the better part of my life. They don't have Milo's unsweet tea there, though, so I live elsewhere. So, let's go there together sometime. We'll take a cooler and roll it behind us all over the city.

Anonymous said...

oh my goodness!! you actually got to chat with HER??!!! i'm so jealous. oh and i could eat mexican every meal also. :)

Lisa said...

i'm with you on the no dr. pepper and i remember walking to walgreens to make sure we had enough to last my trip there!!

Deanna said...

Glad y'all had such a great time! I can't wait to see all those goodies IRL! love your LOs too--as always!

Just call me "B" said...

Aren't you the funniest thing! Yes! You are!

Great blog.........but I am kind of with Nubia.

Now, you scare me. Don't let this keep you from posting!

Anonymous said...

Well, that is quite a post but such a fun one! You totally made me feel like I was right along side you for the whirlwind adventure! :D

So happy I got to see you again...and, I have to admit, I am in love with Chicago...such a great city! :) No soda complaints on my end, our hotel proudly served Diet Pepsi! LOL

noel joy said...

hello my southern sista... how did i not know you had a blog??? i'm such a loser! i'm so glad i got to see you the other week... so when are you moving to WA? check out you sassy pic on my blog. ;)

Virginia said...

Dudette- so glad you blogged. :)

Go check out my blog post today, while you are lounging at the beach. There's a little something-something for you on there.

erin said...

holy cow, that was the mother of all posts:)
love the recap of CHA. the bean is one of the coolest places in chicago! we have some fun pictures from last summer's trip.
love your creations, esp the white on white w/ AC.
happy tuesday!

elizabeth kartchner said...

so fun!! cute pics!!!!!

Anonymous said...

...on the catwalk yeah doin' my little dance on the catwalk! THANKS LADY!!!!!! now, update your blog! ;)

Latrice said...

Hey girl!! We totally didn't take a picture together. I'm sooo mad!! It was so fun to meet the three of you in line waiting to see Ali E. Also again the the MM booth and again at Glitz and pretty sure again at LYB. Anyway. Loved you girls so much. I hope to see you again soon.

Anonymous said...

A little off subject, but I love the My Little Shoebox line. I actually bought some from their website. Will SE carry any of the line. I have not been able to get back in to order-have they gone wholesale only? Or do you know anyone else who carries it? Thanks.

Anonymous said...

That was a VERY entertaining read, Gretchen(aka Precious)! I think you can make something of this blogging thing!