WHAT?!! The end of May ALREADY??!!!!!

What a month it has been...

FIRST, I must tell the world how incredible my husband is to have patiently bided the time while I was away from home and his side for much of the month. He supported me in every way--paid for all the fun and the shopping, allowed me the freedom to be me and go and do as I pleased, and met me with open arms and a loving heart at every turn. He is my lifeblood, he is everything that makes my heart whole, and he is my soulmate for life. Thank you, Richard, for YOU! Thank you for everything, everything, everything....thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

The spring retreat at Mountains of Memories Scrapbook Store in Great Falls, MT was a ton of fun! Thank you to Jen and Cheryl for an amazing three days! The classes were excellent, the company was perfect, the prizes were incredible, the food was excellent, the hours we kept were all fun and you both did an amazing job! My gratitude is deep, I'll never forget it!

When the retreat was over, it was pack, pack, and prepare...and "North to Alaska" on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship with Tim Holtz--"An Artistic Journey".

SECOND, but not lesser, my room mate and deeply loved friend, Robyn, made the adventure very special and filled me with precious memories I shall forever cherish. She was an incredible traveling companion, full of fun, so caring, understanding, patient and kind. She made the journey exciting yet comfortable and relaxing. She and I shared many thoughts, many giggles, and many adventures. I'll never be able to tell her how much it meant to me that she invited me to go on the cruise with her, and I'll never be able to thank her enough for making it so special. If words could say it, let me try---THANK YOU, Robyn, from every fiber of my being!

What an adventure it was! Jim West, Jaci Haag, Steve and the ScrapMap crew really put together an incredible cruise and I can't express my appreciation enough for all their hard work and exceptional effort.

This was the artistic event of my lifetime!

Tim Holtz and his wonderful crew, Mario, Michele, Sharon and Karen were THE BEST! The classes were exceptional, the projects were fun and educational, the "emporium" was a great way to shop on board, the new products were fun and inspirational, the many take home goodies were overwhelming and sooooo much appreciated! I learned SO MANY things and enjoyed every single minute of class time. I'm such a novice, but I didn't feel the lesser for it, ever, and that was a big bonus for me.

All of our ports, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, B. C. were beautiful. Glacier Bay was beyond my wildest imaginings!

Now, the big SURPRISE!! At the end of the journey, at the farewell reception, ScrapMap picked one lucky person to win a berth on the Ultimate Scrapbooking Cruise to the Western Carribean in January of 2009, and DO YOU BELIEVE IT?--I WON!!!

My husband and I have been floating in the clouds with excitement! THANK YOU Jim West and ScrapMap for such a wonderful and exciting end to what was already an incredible journey!

Of course, being in Seattle, where we got on and off the ship is always a treat for me. Robyn and I visited Pike Street Market twice, coming and going, and we enjoyed every step we took!

I was sorry to see it all end, but so happy to get home to my Richard and my little doxie, Rooster. I missed them very much, and was warmed all over to hear how much they missed me!

Shortly after getting home, we three headed out for another adventure to northern Montana.

Now that I'm home from that, I hope to find some time amidst all the chores and catching up I have to do to "play" a bit. If I get that lucky, I'll be posting some projects soon....bye for now.