Living out of a suitcase

I spent the weekend in Big Bear for what has become an annual Scrapbooking weekend with a couple of friends. This time an additional woman joined us. I didn't know her very well but she's a neighbor of my college roommate so I figured she must be ok. My old roomie would never invite a freak to her brother's cabin. As it turned out, she was a nice addition to the weekend. Because we stay in a rather small family cabin, we can't fit more than four scrappers at a time. The cabin is a cute A-frame that provides decent scrapping space downstairs and bunk beds upstairs. The best part of the weekend is spreading all of our scrapping stuff out at our self appointed "stations" then being free to sleep, scrap, eat, scrap, eat, scrap and sleep all weekend. It's amazing how much can be accomplished in a scrapbook when you have 2 1/2 days of non-stop scrappin' time. The only down side is unloading it all. I downsized to one large rolling bag and a small "cube" and, of course, an overnight bag with clothes and stuff. The others have WAY more supplies than I do and, while I don't like unloading it all, it's nice to have access to it all. Here is a shot of what the cabin looked like after we unloaded and moved furniture:


I'm still not sure how we packed all of that, luggage, groceries and four grown women in one large SUV.

This is my friend Lynn:

Hey kids, this is what a mom looks like when you're not around. This is what mom looks like when she has an entire weekend to chat, watch chick flicks, listen to oldies and scrap to her heart's content. I call her Spicoli when you're not around because she's that laid back. We act and snack like Spicoli. As Martha would say, it's a good thing.

Following my weekend with Spicolli, I packed up and left for Las Vegas for a trade show. I typically fly to Vegas for work but felt like a road trip this time. I rented a car and drove for four hours while listening to book 7 of Harry Potter. It was great! I really don't mind driving. I mind the price of gas and the wear and tear on my car but, when it's on the company dime and in a rented car, I really don't mind it.

I do mind Vegas. I really dislike that city. It's a terrible place for kids. I can't imagine having to explain some of those billboards to a child. One billboard I saw featured a play on the "Got Milk" campaign. This billboard said "Got (insert silhouette of rhinoceros head)? Have you had you lap dance today?" Good grief!! My mini bar held beverages, snacks and condoms. Ewwww! Booth babes (scantily clad women who stand in front of trade show booths) were being abused everywhere. It's so gross. Vegas is just not my kind of town. And that's without even mentioning the gambling. I admit it, I dropped a dollar in a slot machine before picking up my car and it was gone in 5 seconds. I'm not a big gambler but I usually drop a quarter or a buck in a slot machine before I high tail it outta town because I figure it would be a pretty funny story is I won some cash with and investment under a buck. Of course, this has NEVER happened but it's become a little tradition. I feel bad for the old Vegas folks who sit at those slots for hours at a time losing so much money. It's all so desperate and depressing.

Oh, and if that isn't enough to deter you from that God foresaken town, check out the temperature today:


It's good to be home.