The start of a most lovely dream!

I'll start by saying my thoughts are still a jumble and now that I'm home I think it may have all been a lovely dream.....except, there are TWO crystal TOBY statues on my mantel. So, if it was a dream, where did they come from??!!!

Wouldn't you know that my husband's 30 year class reunion in Alaska would fall on the exact same weekend as the TOBY awards presentation at IDEX in Las Vegas? For those who don't know, the TOBY (Teddy Bear of the Year) awards are presented by Teddy Bear and Friends magazine. Receiving a nomination for a TOBY is one of the industry's highest honors.....akin to receiving an Academy Award nomination.....and being recognized as one of the best in your field.

I insisted Bill go to his class reunion. He insisted I go to the TOBY's. We are rarely without each other so that left only one solution. We would go to both! That way we would visit family and old friends in Alaska (Bill and I both grew up in Alaska and still have family there) and we'd arrive within a few hours of the TOBY award presentation. Never mind that I can't seem to sleep on an airplane and the flight and layover in Seattle combined took over 9 hours!!

We arrived in Alaska late last Tuesday evening and had most every day scheduled with family and friends right up to the class reunion Friday evening. Time spent with family and friends is priceless. The class reunion...(sigh)...catching up with friends that had been lost to the passing years. Friendships rekindled, e-mail addresses exchanged, and promises to stay in touch. All, priceless.

We left Alaska in the wee hours (2:30 am) of Saturday morning with my best friend, Carlee, in tow. Carlee and I have known each other since the third grade!! What a supreme treat for me to have her along!! (The picture above shows Bill, me, and Carlee enjoying the Blue Man Group on Sunday evening. What a fabulous show!!! Highly recommended if you're going to Las Vegas.)

We arrived in Las Vegas to 100 degree plus heat. Coming from Alaska's 72 degrees it was a bit of a shock. I felt like I was being blasted by a giant blow dryer on high heat!! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the heat!! Going from 72 to 111 takes a wee bit of getting used to though!! It was late morning. I was tired, cranky and felt sick to my stomach from lack of sleep. Not the best state to arrive in for the impending TOBY awards!!! Not only that.....I was PMS!!! All I wanted to do was grab a pillow and make the world GO AWAY!!!

A two hour nap made the world a much better place. It didn't make the red eyes and tired look go away but at least I didn't feel like I could rip a phone book in half!! It was a good start!!! Ha!

I'll share more tomorrow. It's late and I can barely see straight.

Bleary eyed bear hugs, Aleta