Tucson!

I've been back a week, have almost caught up on sleep, and am finally unpacking the last bag. Tucson was a blast this year! It was, as usual, a crazy whirlwind of meetings, events, demos, and parties. And most importantly, catching up with so many dear friends that I only get to see once or twice a year. Seeing you all is my favorite part! This year, I loved every minute of the Tucson experience.

The week started out with my demo at the Swarovski show:

I presented Soft Flex Company's new Trios wire sets and showed how our colored beading wire enhances the colors of the crystal beads.

It was difficult to see the subtle color differences since all of the light in the room was being filtered through the crystal curtain, but it sure was pretty. Wish I had a crystal curtain in my house...

The rest of the week flew by with a flurry of demos and showing shoppers at the Best Bead show all about the new Trios. Yes, I was bad about taking pictures. Until Friday night anyway. Friday was party night! First stop, the Swarovski party:

I love Jean Campbell to pieces - she's the best!

Yes, Danielle Fox and I are wearing the same shirt. Andrew talks more about it here.

My buddy Katie Wall of Fusionbeads.com. I must go to Seattle and visit her very soon.

Mari and Lindsay of Fusion Beads. I wish I could see these super cool girls more often.

Next we journeyed on to a surprise party thrown for Lewis Wilson of Crystal Myths, where we all let loose. It was to have some fun downtime with the Soft Flex crew. Here's Jenny Wilson, Sara Hardin, and I with our Smurf lips. We all sampled the dark blue frosting on the cake!

Another highlight of the show was that Kristen and Bert came to visit, as did Damien and Mark. Now I can finally say that I've met all my co-workers! Sara kept a much better record of the week, so check out her blog for more pictures and stories.

As the week wound down, I was able to hang out awhile with Andrew and meet William. It was great to meet William. He's a fellow Pisces, so I was an instant fan. The opportunity to see Andrew doesn't present itself too often, so I'm thankful that we actually got to spend some time together in Tucson. He's a gem, that Andrew!

For the first time in my six years of going to Tucson, I managed to survive the week without catching a cold or doing anything bad to my back. I'm pretty sure beer kept me healthy. Yaay!