Yesterday afternoon I got home from a wonderful time in Dallas with ladies I have met on the internet on our Tapestry of Grace yahoo support group.  I will go into more details on that later. There is soooooooo much to post about this weekend, that I will do this in installments.  But first, I finally get to reveal the big secret, the reason why I've been soooooooooooo busy lately!

This yahoo group was formed a few years ago by a lady named Dody. She is nearing the end of her homeschool journey and her family's life is transitioning while her husband will be retiring from the USAF and she is beginning a real estate agent career.  This group is called TOG Loosethreads, because we can get very off topic, and we do so often!  I joined the group in Oct 2006 and in Feb 2007 Dody asked me to become a moderator.  As a moderator we try to make sure the that the right ladies join (instead of spammers) and we monitor the posts to make sure they are God honoring. 

In November 2007, Dody announced to the moderators that she would be stepping down as list owner, due to the hectic pace of life in becoming a realtor.  One of our other moderators, Melanie, would be our new list owner.  I began thinking we had to do something to thank Dody for all she had done.  Being a list owner on a list of over 1600 members is exceedingly busy and would require a great deal of prayer as different issues would come up.  I began to dream about a friendship quilt. 

Within a few weeks, Melanie privately e-mailed all of us moderators and a couple of close friends of Dody.  She wanted to form a new yahoo group and invite the ladies from the TLT list to help do something for Dody.  Melanie also asked for ideas.  Ideas began to fly. Melanie and Marsha (another mod) started collecting lists of names from the TLT list (excluding Dody's) to do a private invite.

Finally Dody announced her official retirement post in mid Decemeber, after our Secret Sister gift exchange had concluded.  After that, Melanie formed a new yahoo group...Operation Bless Dody's Socks Off!  Melanie has a terrific way with words.  This was a take off from the Secret Sister ornament exchange.  One day on the list, Guinever had posted a link to her blog to see a picture of one of her gifts.  We all linked over there and one of her children was wearing Moose socks!  The sender could be none other than Dody!  Dody lives in Alaska and loves moose! 

Dody, being a realtor in Alaska, needed a gps.  So Kat collected money from ladies through pay pal.  Marsha collected scrapbook pages and got some help from Tami (who's house exploded into a major water leak mess and with 9 children had difficulty doing as much as she had wanted to.  However she set up our hotel arrangements in Dallas. To allow me to go, she even allowed me to use her hotel room for free!  She had free flight and free hotel from her husband's accumulated points.  So those of us who were especially financially strapped, were blessed to share her room.)  I collected fabrics from ladies across the country and made a friendship quilt with Corrine.  Then we all decided to give Dody socks shortly after we met her, to keep her busy until we showered her with gifts on Sunday.

To do all of this and not slip and post the wrong thing in a private e-mail or to the TLT list was no easy task.  Dody is extremely organized and on top of everything.  She kept us hopping in Dallas as we hid in my room and finished last minute details.  (More on those grey hair experiences later!)

This is precisely why it was so important for me personally to be able to go to Dallas.  In the beginning, Curt was not going to allow me to go.  I therefore planned completing the quilt, driving it over to Corrine's, then waiting in San Antonio until I would hear the news of Dody getting her quilt.