We're Baaaacccckkkk!!

Woo hoo what a quick trip that was. I swear as I was driving into Arizona on Thursday afternoon I saw myself driving the other way! Yikes all I did was drive. Buuuttt, We did have a great time. Here we all are ready for departure from Redlands.

 

Left to right, Ronna, Tanya, Susan, Jewel, me, Barb and Kim. I rented a 7 passenger van so we were all snug inside! I presented each gal with an Americana tote filled with snacks, bottled Crazy Woman water from Wyoming and some other treats.

First thing I realized once we were on the highway was I forgot my sunglasses!! OMG, this is awful! No fear, Kim had an extra pair .... however, mine are prescription. No worries, they were large enough to fit right over the top of my eye glasses.

Tanya thought this was very funny so she needed a photo of my stylish look. Hey, when you're driving 300 miles through the desert you need sunglasses!

We stopped in scenic Blythe for lunch and then back into the van we went ...

All smiles ...

Kim is knitting with 5 needles ... yes, I said 5, while I'm driving! She is so talented. It felt sorta like driving a bus!!

The girls were quick to realize they had Cracker Barrel's in Arizona. So with the help of the internet they found one 10 miles from the hotel. Off we went before we attended Longaberger Live. Oh my gosh, I have never been to one before ... the food was amazing and so was the shopping!! I decided you could actually live in one of these places, it's that cool.

 

I didn't find beds anywhere, however I did find these great chairs, they were so comfy I think you could sleep in them if you had too!

 

 

We made it! We arrived at the Gathering Place by 6:30, just in time to purchase our flag event baskets and get a picture with Tami and Claire Longaberger. Tami was enamoured with our 92 year old Jewel and spent quite a while chatting with her.

 Jewel is sharing a story ...

and having a good laugh. Let me tell you, she may be 92 but she is still sharp as a tack. Hears everything and has a lot to say! We just love her to pieces.

 

Paula finally got there as well. She was diving all over Mesa looking for us and she made it!! Aren't all those baskets behind the ladies just gorgeous?? I wanted the whole stack!

 

One final group shot before the speakers begin.

 

This time Tami Longaberger was the photographer. Brenton Baker and myself having a giggle.

Friday morning, 9 am. The car is loaded and we are just about ready for departure. We all had such a great time getting to know each other better, bonding with laughter, stories of our youth, and shared Longaberger events. As I pulled into Redlands To drop my travelers off we all hugged and decided we needed to do this again real soon. Maybe a little longer next time!! 24 hours was just tooooo fast!!