It all started off when I got in the car at 7am ready to go.. I had my halo on the passenger seat, my youngest sat in the passenger seat to say good bye to me.. and then he got really sad and showed me toe broken head band.... OH no.....I was really disappointed!!! I have to wear my head band.. what will I do?? I called Liz to see if one of her daughters had a head band and if she could get out a hot glue gun so I could fix my halo... :(.... They thought I was crazy... Oh well... The girls didn't have a headband so we packed the glue gun, some scissors, felt and the broken halo... NOT in our carry on luggage of course... As guns and scissors are not allowed. hehehe
Well you could really tell that convention this year was going to be a cracker from the get go... Ellie, Kate, Leonie and I met at Liz's to drive to the airport together on Thursday morning... (With Convention due to start on the Friday) What a great car trip it was!!!
We were reminiscing about last years convention and how we realised at Convention that the laser cutter had made a spelling mistake on the perspex keyrings that we got made for Leonie's team gift... It said paperANG
LES.. (not paperANG
ELS).. Kate pipes up with the comment... "I'm the Obtuse ANGEL" Man that had me cracking up!!! and right from then the wise cracks started flowing...
As we got out of the car and started taking our luggage out.. Leonie profusely apologises for the loudness of her suitcase.. She had a flat spot in one of the wheels on her bag... and she wasn't half wrong when she said it was LOUD.. but to make matters worse she decided to run with it to make it LOUDER.. and the poor man in front of us tried to hurry up.. He was running from the psycho, laughing hyena, ladies... Another man came to catch the elevator down with us.. he took one look at us and decided it would be better to wait for the next one.... (Mind you he had a RATHER Large instrument with him and with all of us and our luggage in the Lift .. well there really was no room for him!!!) The poor man that Leonie chased was in the elevator with us.. and he could not leave fast enough.. although i did notice some little smirks from him.. It's moments like these I am glad for good
Peripheral vision... it makes one less conscious of how ridiculous you look when you can see someone smiling, he was... thankfully enjoying the happy banter of some crazy crafting women...
As we are walking the construction fenced path way to the airport the man who took the 2nd elevator some how got in front of us.... Leonie with the noisy bag was following him.... as we walked we noticed a sulfur like smell... Leonie so graciously said something to the effect of who f.... ed... (passed wind) ... which I had to respond a little sarcastically.. "now ladies.... Come on a little decorum please... Behave... like ladies.. Yeah???" Lucky he laughed.. and didn't turn around and go all up in our faces or something...
As we headed towards the security scanning.. there was many stories of how some individuals ALWAYS beep through the metal detector... And others (cause they are cute) get picked for the drug detection.... I said, "I don't usually beep and have never been drug tested..." Well that was my first mistake... I had to go through the metal detector 3 times.. after removing glasses and my headband... I was asked to take off my shoes for the third run through... man.. I was sure there was no metal in my shoes!!! but you know what???? there is a big metal rod that strengthens the sole of the shoe.... And because I was so defiant that there was none in my shoes the man on the scanner had to PROVE it to me!!! Who knew??? Then we made our way to the escalators... only Ellie got pulled up to do the drug testing... so we stood there and watched Ellie get scanned over... Leonie said to me... "You know why we didn't get picked??? Cause we are too loud... We'd be hopeless drug smugglers... Everyone would know." We made quite a few cracks at Ellie... And after that we commented on how cute the officer was... heheeh.. Definitely is a "fun" girls weekend!!!!
We sat down and had a little something for breakfast.. those of us who had not had time to have some.... I was fine.. had me some porridge in the morning at about 6ish... Then we had some time to
fill so of course we had to do a little window shopping at the airport while we waited for the plane... Thankfully we were quite responsible.. as we were totally conscious that we needed to save our money for Momento Mall at Convention... :)
We met Bec, Melissa and 2 other paperANGELS... While we waited for our plane.. Thankfully we were headed to Sydney on the Thursday...(Day B4 Convention) So when we were made aware the plane was delayed (like LOTS) we were not too stressed that we would not get to our apartment at the planed time.
Kate thought she would carry on the Pig theme for me.... of last year by getting me these Peggy Pig & Pals lollies... heheh.. Oh she is so funny!!!
Once we finally got on the plane.. The air-hostess did the normal display of flight safety features & procedures.. and surprisingly enough we stopped talking and laughing long enough to pay attention to her... As she made her way back through us rambunctious lot.. she comment to us... in a little bit of a whisper... "It will be easy for you guys to find the exit... Just listen for the loud screaming...
That will be me...." heheheh... It was a good flight.. there was a moment of turbulence.. everyone seemed to be comfortable with flying.. Except Liz... Bec said that she was a little white knuckled on take off and landing.... Poor love.. While Bec and I kind of like the turbulence.. It's like a roller coaster ride... Wahoo!!! Oh and our plane was HUGE!!! It was 7 seats wide.... with 2 isles!!!
Leonie & her BEAUTIFUL Mum
We had a lovely surprise at the airport.. Leonie's Mum met us at the gate... Leonie was planing on meeting up with her later but Mum; on learning that the plane was delayed decided to surprise us & Sent Dad ahead while she waited for us at the airport.... We managed to fit 9 of us into a Maxi Taxi with all of our luggage... Our driver was really good at stacking the luggage up!!!
After we booked in and got our room keys we took our luggage up... Then we hit the shops!!!! With Leonie's Dad as tour guide... He took us the LOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGG way.. but I am sure after sitting down for quite some time that day we needed the exercise!!! That's what I had to keep telling myself anyway... As my closed in shoes that I very rarely wear rubbed huge blisters onto both of my tender heals!!!
We went to Paddy's Market.. Via China Town..... Oh my goodness.. How good is Paddy's Markets???? And let me tell you we really had to contain ourselves!!!! there was some great things there.. I had to buy something for my boys... You know a gift for when I came home.... My Dad used to always do that for me and it made it fun when he went away.... And really wanted to buy my friend from Choir (Mark) a fantastic Shirt.... He has some precious shirts with obnoxiously funny wording on them.. I knew he would LOVE these.. They were PRICELESS!! But I just could not decide... Plus I am sure that I have not seen his whole collection yet!!! I really should have called him and asked him if he wanted me to pick up some for him... Bummer :(.. oh well next time... Oh and I bought a pink headband so I could fix my halo!!! Yeah
Then we went back to our apartment to get a little warmer and beautified (fix my halo) and headed to Darling Harbor to have dinner... & meet up with other PaperANGELS that were staying at different hotels etc... Dinner was at the Watershed Bar which was just outside the Convention Centre... It was lovely food and VERY generous helpings!!! While we were there we gave out some little gifts to each other... It's become a bit of a tradition amongst us Angels.... Just a little something that doesn't cost too much... It makes convention a little more memorable.
(I've copied and pasted some of Leonie's Photos cause they were good!!! hope she doesn't mind...)
Jenny & Gail
Bec
Liz
Melissa
And because Leonie's photo of our PaperANGELS convention special memorabilia is sooooooooo good I have put that photo in too.... She's just Awesome with her photography...
My gift from Liz.. the little pillow box was the same anyway.. the only thing that was different was that my Bag Tag has a U on it.. cause it is mine.. heheh
Liz made some lovely scissor charms for each of us... (they were in the pillow box)... Her friend Olga made the glass beads.. and each one was very exclusive and BEAUTIFUL!!!! Bec made some bag tags for each of us... and I got some perspex Tote-ally Tess with Pony Party wings cut out to create an exclusive ANGEL necklace...
Bec and Liz went on to the Managers meeting while the rest of us finished off dinner. Then we made our way back to our apartment.. Where Melissa, Kate and I had a wonderfully Deep and Meaningful Educational talk ;P.... (Melissa Kate Bec and I were roomies...) We were stoked about the apartments as they were self contained, and had beds enough for each of us to have our own bed. And we were stoked that there was 2 bathrooms.. because with 4 women in the same apartment we knew one would never be enough!!!
When Bec came home we talked with her for a little and heard all about the managers meeting.. Checked out the HUGE HOT CHOCOLATE MUG they each received.. and then at about 12am we decided it was time to go to bed....
That was supposed to be the end of that day.. so to speak... BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!
We were rudely awakened by an alarm sounding at 1am.... There was no announcement telling us what it was for.. or what we should do.. so we decided on our own... (cause we are a smart lot!!!) that perhaps we should evacuate.... we grabbed what we thought was important and headed down the fire escape... Of course my wallet, Phone and Camera was the most important to me!!!
I just had to capture some of it on film.... WE all look so stunning in the middle of the night....
It was good to see that I was not the only crazy woman (scrapper) that grabbed her camera.... Leonie had grabbed hers as well!!!
So did Gail as you can see from this photo below...
Leonie's photo of us happy evacuees!!!
After deeming the alarm a "false" alarm we were told that we could make our way back to our apartments.. Of course when a Fireman crossed paths with us we could not pass up the photo opp... Good on Leonie for being so uninhibited!!! It makes for VERY memorable times indeed...
Again from Leonie's Fabulous collection of Photos!!!
Me thinks the Oaks apartments may be next to go in the real-estate window!!! heheh...
Oh look I grabbed my appointment diary too... With out it I am totally LOST! heheh
Now can you picture this over one thousand people (probably close to 2 thousand) going back to their apartments.. no stairwells opened.... 3 Archaic Elevators that only hold max 15 (small) people and over 12 floors.. How long did it take us... who knows??!!!! Thankfully Leonie being the helpful Mum that she is organised the staff and told them what to do to make it flow better!!! "go open the fire doors... And let the people with children take the elevators and go first!" She is a gem.. Everyone appreciated her forth rightness!!!
So that was the end of the day..........
NOT!!!!
We were woken up AGAIN at 3am by another alarm.... EEEERRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!! Not happy Jan... It's not so funny or novel the 2nd time!!!... (I am sure the 2nd time that a lot of people chose to stay in their apartments... REALLY glad it
was another false alarm!!!) After being woken up twice I knew we were going to be sooooooooooooo hammered at Convention.. I hoped we could keep our eyes open long enough to be inspired!!!
