Spring Fling Day One

I'm back from Spring Fling.  I had a great time.  The highlight is seeing my BFFs and other friends.  So fun yet over so quickly.  I also got to see Son#1 and DIL.  Cathy at With Needle and Thread has already posted about the retreat.  I think her pictures are better than mine.

I left early last Thursday for a quick flight to Minneapolis.  I love that I can fly directly there from my town.  It was a challenge to find a ride this year as my BFF usually picks me up but she was out of town.  I found another friend who was arriving for Spring Fling and renting a car.  She very kindly said I could ride with her.  I was supposed to meet her at the Hertz counter.  So I took a tram and  found the Hertz counter.  Stitched for a little bit while I waited.  I got a call from her and she said "Where are you?"  I was at the wrong Hertz counter!  There are two terminals at Minneapolis and (of course) I was at the wrong one.  So I went in search of Terminal Two and finally found the correct Hertz counter.  Where do we want to go first?  Stitchville!  Oh, I have been waiting for this.

  What fun to see everything and get stuff on my list and look at all the new things and meet other Spring Flingers there.

 I splurged a bit since I rarely get to a great stitching store.  We have 20% off coupons too.  How nice to get hard to find things.  Stitchville is just the best stitching store.

After the Stitchville another place we love to go is The General Store.  They have a great cafe there that is known for their fresh popovers.  So we had a yummy lunch.  I had soup and a popover with honey butter.  Then we had to shop a bit.  I found a few miscellaneous things.  I wanted to get some nice hand lotion but I was appalled at the price.  I just am not going to pay 32 dollars for hand lotion, I don't care how good it smells.  I found some at a more affordable price.

Now it is almost time to check in at Oak Ridge Convention Center where Spring Fling is held.  The retreat doesn't start until tomorrow so we can relax.  I'm not usually at Spring Fling for the extra night before it starts.  But I have found that having time to relax and recover from our travels made the trip even more fun.  My friend gave me a present.  She is also making Erica Micheal's By the Sea and she had the stuff to put in the locket that she got at Michael's.  She shared it with me and let me choose a tiny star fish.

 How kind of her!  Then we were invited to stitch in the lounge area with other early arrivers.  What we really did was sit around and talk.

Then BFF#2 arrived with Vickie.  They drove together.  Vickie makes the most gorgeous bags. She gave me a project bag she made.  Love it.  (Yes, I already put stuff in it!)

  Then she gave me a bag that has a ton of pockets to hold all the stuff you need while stitching.  Love it.

 Then that bag fits into another bag so nothing falls out while you transport it.  Perfect.  Love it.   The bag has macarons all over it.

 Perfect.  Thank you Vickie!
BFF#2 also gave me a couple of waxers as she knows I collect them.

  How lucky am I?
I was a little sad that I didn't have the opportunity to go to Dolittles with Son#1 tonight.  But we made do by ordering Walleye fingers (my favorite) at the hotel restaurant.
It was a great day and I love my room especially the window seat.

  I have a view of the lake this year.

I plan to walk in the morning.
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