Well, it was quite a trip!  But before I bore you and begin my rambling I have to tell you just how awesome our God is.  I had so many friends praying for me as I was quite nervous to fly across the country all by my lonesome.  But God is so good, and I got on the plane without the least bit of anxiety.  I was in awe!

Well my time in Florida started bright and early Wednesday morning with a flight out of Ontario at 6AM.  Mercy that is an ungodly time of day, well it is for a woman who sleeps in most mornings.  After a stop in the lovely Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, I safely landed in Orlando around 3PM est.  Are you east-coasters aware of the fact that you can chew your air? WOW! I was picked up by two other Lamplighter gals, Rosalie (my new best friend) and Francis.  We drove straight to the hotel and started working.

We found our boxes and began the fun of unpacking all the boxes and sorting all the books.  Are you aware that Lamplighter now has over 100 books in its Rare Collector's Series.  If you aren't reading them for yourself and your children ,you are truly missing out on a wonderful experience. 

Thursday afternoon afforded us a bit of time for a sight-seeing trip to Celebration City.  Rosalie drove me through this planned community with its picture perfect houses and streets.  It is quite something!  Come 5PM, we were in position and ready for all those FL conference attendees!  Wow, are there a lot of you or what?  I always thought our CA conferences were big, but you make us look like a street fair.  And what a gorgeous venue it is held at.  Do you know how wonderful it is to have carpet in the marketplace when you have to stand on your feet for ten hours or more?  Fabulous is what I say, fabulous.  This would also be the day that I would meet the infamous Ig-girls, you know: Jen and Coie Igarashi.  Yes, they are as fabulous in person as you imagine.  It was like meeting movie stars. 

After a full day on Friday, I was invited to have dinner with Jen, Coie and another new friend, Phyllis at their favorite restaurant, Chevy's.  As the slide show up above will attest, these girls love their salsa. I've honestly never witness a stronger passion for chips and salsa, hence the photo.  I thought they were kidding when they asked the waiter to bring 10, and apparently he realized they were kidding because he actually brought that many to the table.  Far too funny!  More fun happened later in the night when Phyllis and I were allowed to party crash with the Igs to Maggie Hogan's hospitality suite party.  What a fun, wild, and crazy group of gals over there at Bright Idea's Press.  And, I Babs, I mean, Jennifer do solemnly promise to never share or reveal the contents of the night, unless of course I am paid well to do so.  What happens in the hospitality suite, stays in the hospitality suite!  You all made my trip so special and memorable, thanks.  I means a lot to be so far from home, yet never feel alone.

What a joy it was to share my passion for the amazing and life-changing books that Lamplighter publishes each year.  I hope that the opportunity to enjoy and be apart of the FPEA convention happens next year as well.  Maybe we can turn it into a family vacation, mmm......