When I was a little girl my mom made a decision that I will probably be forever grateful. She realized her limitations in providing me with the tools that she felt every women should have and she carefully chose friends who possessed those skills. These friends were women she respected, trusted and prayed for. The first being a great cook. I for some reason cannot remember this women's name. I can, however, remember the smell of the first quiche I ever made. She taught me the skills of a great cook. Most of which I have forgotten but the basic pleasure in presenting a nice home cooked meal I will never lose. The next lesson was cleaning. Who better to teach me this skill than my own mother. After cleaning a bathroom 3 times until I got it right I think I can now say that I know what clean is. I really don't know if David (my brother) knows but he tries. Next, a value for the word of God. I am sure my mother labored long and hard on her knees for the right mentor and she found one. Later, in life there were differences that drove my mom and this person apart but I will always have untarnished memories of my time with this person. Finally, I was going to learn to sew. Peggy, was my mentor in that arena and has remained a dear friend of our family ever since. In high school I even sewed a dress that I wore for my Senior pictures. I won't say that I love to sew but I am truly grateful for the skill. I am not a master seamstress but I like to think I can tackle a small project if need be.

Up until this last week I did not know the great passion and obsession some women hold for sewing. I had the pleasure of joining my great friend Nicole for a weekend. We volunteered to work the Puyallup Sew and Stitch Expo, we will receive a paycheck for freezing outside for hours on end taking ticket after ticket, passing out flier after flier, begging people to drop their umbrellas while passing through the narrow doorway so we might live to SEE another day.

While working this event a few things stood out to me. First, the public are like dogs. On their own they are sweet and friendly, in packs they become violent and dangerous. Sometimes even ridiculously stupid. Common courtesy and basic common sense fly out the window and are replaced with tunnel vision, as they head straight for all the pretty booths carrying yarn, sewing machines and fabric. There were women of all ages, most of whom qualified for the senior discount and were appalled to find there was none. But one look at the sea of white hair, walkers and wheelchairs and it was easy to see that a mistake like allowing a senior discount would bankrupt the whole expo. I got such a kick out of watching as these women would walk through the gates with the same expression you would find on a 10 year old at Disneyland. It was terribly cute. Then there were the men. Sparse as they were, there were men. Some of which you could tell had come only to keep an eye on the checkbook. Then, there were the young ones who you could tell were still new to the relationship and if they didn't go it would be taken personally by the female and a breakup would be in the near future. One gentleman stood out to me the most he was there with his wife, daughter and granddaughter, for him it was a sheer joy just to spend the day with his girls. I saw him again later taking bags to the car so his girls wouldn't have to carry them around all day. He was absolutely heartwarming to watch.

After my fingers and hands and nose melted and returned back to normal temperature I was able to enjoy the evenings with Nicole, her husband Ian and their almost 1 year old Peyton, who took his first steps while I was there. They are great friends and a joy to be around. I appreciate their hospitality and their friendship. Plus, who wouldn't love spending 5 days with an adorable one year old. Unfortunately, I was so exhausted to even think about using my camera so there are no pictures. Maybe next time.

I have to brag on Mike. I got home on Monday night from my trip and waiting for me were a dozen beautiful red roses, a very sweet card and a movie basket complete with gift card from Blockbuster. Mike had put some time and thought into that and I really appreciate it. We rented "Little Miss Sunshine." It is a really wacky movie but we laughed a lot.

'Til next time!