I'm back! (finally)

Kudos to those of you who travel and still manage to find the time to blog! I've been travelling & I realized that if I did it a lot, I would need to get a laptop computer that had WiFi access and a card reader for my camera to post photos. Since I didn't have those things, I didn't blog. Shame, shame, shame. I probably lost the 5 people who used to read my blog, but if you're still out there, just a "HI" in the comment section may give me hope again!

So where was I & what was I doing? I was doing a whirlwind trip to see friends & family in 3 different locations. I actually flew from/through 5 airports during this trip: Orange County, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Portland, OR; Boise, ID; Salt Lake City, UT (and then back through Vegas & the OC). I don't recommend it especially because the Orange alert had just started & you aren't allowed to carry on any gels or liquids in addition to the mile long list of "no-no's". On the plus side, my carry on bag was oh so light!

1st stop: Salem, Oregon.
I come here at least once a year to see my god-daughter for her birthday. She turned 7 years old, but when I took her clothes shopping for her birthday, all the sales people thought she was 10! She's just so tall! While I was in Salem I located two LYS, Have You Any Wool & Artistic Needles.

Have You Any Wool: This is a very cute store, although it was smaller than I'd expected. There was a surprisingly diverse selection of yarns & I felt very lucky to be able to see & touch my very first skeins of Debbie Bliss, Noro, Cherry Tree Hill, etc. All of the yarn was in bins organized by fiber & color & they had quite a few hand-knit items completed with instructions nearby for sale. My main complaint though...I was the only customer in the store (although there were 3 customers in the back room for the Saturday morning help session) & I wasn't greeted or asked if I needed any help for at least the first 20 minutes or more that I was in the store. I'm still surprised by this because these ladies were old enough to know better! There was one woman working the cash register & one woman in the classroom & you would've thought one of them would've said hello much sooner. How did they know I didn't have $500 burning a hole in my pocket? Perhaps if their customer service would've been better, I may have bought more than one skein of yarn. Actually, the only reason I DID purchase it, was because it was too yummy to pass up (and there was no sales tax!) I'm now the proud owner of one skein of Cherry Tree Hill superwash merino sockyarn in Autumn Hues.....GORGEOUS!

Artistic Needles: This was a store with supplies for knitting, crocheting, embroidery, counted cross stitch, tatting & possibly more. However, the bulk of the store had yarn. 75% of the store was neat & tidy & well organized by figer, but the other 25% was in such disarray I couldn't tell if it was yarn for sale, or yarn that still needed to be put away or what! There was another customer in the store when I entered & the shop owner was busy helping her purchase a $180 kit for an afghan. Since that customer was making a large purchase, obviously I was ignored (again). Later though, the owner (who looked like she'd just rolled out of bed) put up with my mother's questions & even took time to show me some kits that seemed exclusive to her shop. I ended up purchasing wo skeins of Brown Sheep Company Wildfoote sock yarn in Black Orchid. These will be used for socks for my husband. Again, I could've spent more, but I'm waiting to spend my money at a LYS that is friendly, tidy & carries a decent selection of yarn....does that exist?

2nd stop: Boise, Idaho.
My baby brother (10 years younger than me) just had his first baby (son) & although it was only an overnight stop, it was well worth it! Not only is he cute...but he is always happy!
3rd stop: Salt Lake City, Utah.
My baby sister who I talk to almost everyday lives here (well closer to Orem actually), so it was great to spend a few days with her & her family. I even bought the little one her first ice cream cone & I have about 30 photos of the experience!

Also, my sister from Pittsburgh, Philadelphia was visiting Salt Lake City with her family celebrating my neices 1 year old birthday party. Aren't the cakes cute? My baby sister made them & I "helped" decorate them (she's the talented one, not me).Of course my mom & dad (from Idaho) & my other sister & her kids (from Idaho) were also there. Don't you just love those family reunions.....(not)!

The day I flew out of Salt Lake to head home, my oldest neice got her ears pierced. Doesn't she look thrilled?

The trip was fun, but I'm glad to be home. By the way, Tuesday or Wednesday I should have a FO to show off!