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