Sunday Already?

Gosh, the weekend has flown on by and I barely accomplished anything I set out to do. But I do have today and will get cracking shortly after I have coffee and my morning surf of the bbs.

Yesterday I was doing really great in getting caught up with laundry, straightening, etc. and then my friend K stopped by. Well we sat and talked and talked and another neighbor who is a friend showed up. Then the DHs showed up and it was dinner time. So we did what anyone else would do...we ordered pizza and had an impromptu get together. Those are the best times and we had lots of laughs and lots of fun. Of course I never got to Kohl's and K never got to Home Depot but we had more fun having pizza and laughs.

I figure while I have a moment, I will give Cathy a glimpse of what CATS is all about......
First off, I have never taken classes but heard they are awesome. My niece has taken some make it/take it classes and she loves them. We arrive on Friday evening around dinner time and check in. Then we grab something to eat in the Lodge. There are lots of yummy places to eat there. After dinner we walk around the lodge and find the stitchers. They are not hard to find as everywhere you walk, there are groups of stitchers and you can talk to anyone and admire all the projects they are working on. We normally have a drink and settle down in the lobby area with other stitchers. It is lots of fun. Later that evening we go back to our room and we try to stitch but it usually doesn't happen. We are too excited for the mart the next day.

The mart which is off of the lobby is HUGE!!! When you walk in all you see are booths and booths of cross stitch. They are lined up in aisles and we stop at each and every one of them making purchases along the way. We try to get there as soon as it opens and spend the whole day there. Of course we take our lunch break, potty break, etc. but it is something to see and something so hard to describe. I love seeing what is new and I watch some of the make it/take its and even in some booths there are demonstrations of lights, frames, stitches, threads, etc. It is tons of fun and it is great to be with people who all share your same interest. We almost always leave with something new and we always learn something new without even trying. It is also a chance to catch up with old friends and I love doing that though last year two of my favorite friends were not there. I know Kathy from European Cross Stitch and she was unable to attend Hershey. I also have a friend Linda who used to work in a designer's booth but again last year she was unable to attend. I am so hoping they will be there this year. I have also met designers. Some of them are Teresa Wentzler who helped me decide to get Legends of the Dragon, Julie Norton whose hardanger looks so easy and she is just so sweet of a person, Pat Carson of the Precious Moments fame, Margaret Lee who walked up to us in the lounge one time, Martina Weber of Chatelaine on her very first trip to the US and a few others who I can't seem to remember right now. It really is a great time.

CATS is really something you have to experience. It has been difficult putting this into to words as you can't hear my description or experience. I look forward to this every year. I enjoy seeing all the great cross stitch things along with meeting people who share the same interest as me. I always leave with such a warm feeling and I always enjoy myself. I am looking forward to going this year so that I can meet old friends and especially new friends like Cathy.