I LOVE Vera Bradley!!!!

WOW! Can I just tell you that I had a FABULOUS weekend?!? It was so much fun! I can’t wait to do it all again next year!!! Let me tell you about it….

So, Thursday – Joy and I got on the road a little later than I wanted. I was worried about getting stuck in traffic. But, we made it to Fort Wayne in about 2.5 hours – not bad! The directions said it would take longer than that. So, we didn’t hit any traffic at all and we made good time! We found our Bed and Breakfast – The Worthington Mansion! Now, we did get a little lost finding it, but we found it! It was a gorgeous old house in the historical district of Fort Wayne – a beautiful place! We parked and got out and we were greeted by this older lady who talked funny. It actually sounded like maybe she had a stroke or something, but it was odd. Anyways, she was staying there also and so she showed us into the house and showed us up to our room. She introduced us to her daughter (who, oddly enough…also spoke like her mother!). Then we met the owner of the place….Tony. He was clearly gay….and the picture of him and his partner with a drag queen sealed that conclusion! LOL So, anyways….he had wine, cheese and crackers laid out for us, but we were starving! So, we asked him for a dinner recommendation and he sent us to a “hole-in-the-wall” Mexican restaurant. It was decorated very cute…and had these great chairs that were hand-carved with the name of the restaurant on them. It was a great dinner!!! The food was good, the conversation was good….it was just good!

So, we left there and found our way back to the bed and breakfast. We went in and got a glass of wine and headed up to our room. Oh, first we read a newspaper article about the Worthington Mansion and the owners. It was very cool. So, then we went up to our room. Oh, I didn’t tell you about it! Well, the house is a 3-story (with a basement) old mansion. On the lower level, you had the kitchen (which we never saw), a big dining room and a large parlor and the foyer. Up the beautiful stairway to the second floor, there was a TV room, 3 bedrooms and a toilet room and a shower room. Two of the bedrooms had one queen bed in each room….our room had a queen bed and a twin day-bed. Over the day-bed was a beautiful mesh canopy and chandelier. It was a gorgeous room. All of the pillows are monogrammed, the towels are monogrammed and there were robes for each of us that were also monogrammed. It was very nice…..and every little detail was thought of! We also had a huge walk-in closet and a little table and a vanity in our room. Very nice!!! So, anyways….we went to our room and talked a bit and then decided to go to the TV room to visit with the mother/daughter guests. Well, we got there and visited with them for just a minute….we found out that they were in Fort Wayne from Cleveland to research their genealogy. Apparently the Allen County Public Library (in FW), is one of the best places in the country to research. So, they only stayed with us for a minute and then went to bed. So, Joy and I put in a chic-flick (Bridget Jones’ Diary) and sat and laughed and had a great time! Tony, the owner, came and brought us more wine and visited with us for a while. We met his partner and their adorable dog! Oh, I didn’t mention that they live on the 3rd floor of the house! We didn’t go up there, but he said it has 22 foot ceilings and was the attic, so the lines of the ceiling are odd, but it is a big living space. So, anyways…..it was a very nice evening! So, we finally went to bed….it was very quiet in this big old house….more quiet than either of us was used to! I forgot to bring my fan! We finally got to sleep and we both slept GREAT! I got up and got a shower and we got ready. Tony was serving us breakfast at 8:30. So, we got ready in plenty of time and decided to take a walk. The neighborhood we were in was just so beautiful! All of the houses were old mansions and they were all different. So, that was a nice walk! Then we came in for breakfast and it was wonderful! We sat in the dining room at a beautiful spread – fine china and homemade muffins and scones – fresh fruit and a hot casserole of some sort. It was a bit like a French-toast casserole with apples and nutmeg….it was YUMMY. We had a nice visit with Tony and the other two ladies and then we were OFF to shop!!!

OH MY! OH MY! OH MY! We got to the coliseum and walked in to heaven. Just kidding. But it was certainly my happy place! There were thousands and thousands of Vera Bradley purses. We were handed our price-lists and our pink garbage bags and we were off! It was a bit like the day after Thanksgiving – a lot of women and a lot of grabbing. But it was so worth it! Joy and I both just started grabbing stuff. We did that for about an hour or so and then we sat down with all of our stuff and went through it and got rid of what we didn’t really want. I kept calling Kelli and Jodi to ask them questions – and it was so much fun!!! They were closing the show at 12:00 for a lunch break, clean-up and re-pricing and reopening at 1:00. So, we went and got in line to buy our stuff. That was also an experience. There were like 100 cash registers, so the line (kinda like the lines at Kings Island) moved really fast. We both spent a lot of money…..then we went out to the car, got organized…then went back inside and got in a line with about 1,000 other women, to go back in! We went back in and they had marked down the prices even more…..we got what we wanted and then checked out again. Then we headed home.

Let me just tell you some of the deals we got…..purses that normally retail for $80, I bought for $10. Wallets that are normally $20…$5….Make-up Bags that retail for $55 – I paid $5 for. Diaper bags that retail for $90,, we paid $9. Eye glass cases for $2, purses for $5, big bags for $7. It was truly AMAZING! Joy ended up buying like 18 gifts for different people! I got Mother’s Day gifts for both or our mothers…..Christmas gifts, baby gifts, teacher gifts….and of course, some for me! My best buy was this one bag that is normally $92 – I paid $4 for it. All in all, I spent about $400. Now, I will get about $100 of that back for two that I bought for people who are paying me for them….so that isn’t bad! I am really kicking myself for not buying more! It was just so over-whelming! Next year I will be so much more prepared, as far as what to expect and what to look for. But it was such a fun experience and Joy and I really had a good time! We have decided that next year we want to take a total of 7 of us so we can have the whole bed and breakfast to ourselves and have a big slumber party! That would be so much fun!!! It was a great, great time!!!!

So, we were back late Friday afternoon and had the whole weekend to spend with our families. It was a nice weekend. We were busy, but it was nice! Isaac had t-ball practice and then a soccer game on Saturday. Oh, and I had to drop off a gift at a baby shower in there too, then we had a birthday party and then the girls and I came home, but Scott and Isaac went to the Red’s Game. Then on Sunday, we took naps after church (me and the kids) while Scott went to visit the shut-ins. Then when he got home, we put together a gazebo thingy we bought for our back porch. We had to call my Dad to help us at the end – when we were raising the roof. It said it was a 4 person job, but I don’t think that Isaac and Faith Anne count! They tried to help, but they just weren’t tall or strong enough! Anyways, we got that up and then it was time for quick dinner, baths and bed!

Yesterday was a typical Monday at work….blah! Then we had a softball game last night, the church team. It was a good game. They didn’t win, but it was fun and it is really neat to see what an out-reach this has become! There were a lot of guys there that don’t come to church on a regular basis. And there was a big crowd there to cheer them on! We had a good time and then we went to Frickers afterwards with Jason, Tera, Madison and Hunter. Faith Anne’s best friend….they are so cute together, her and Madison. They just hug each other and hold hands and have a good time. Faith Anne was so sad when we had to go our separate ways.

Oh, at the Reds game on Saturday night, we adopted two new members to our family! We now have a Mrs. Brown Bear and a Mr. Banana Monkey in our home. Scott is a SUCKER and let Isaac talk him into the “Build-A-Bear Workshop” because the game was in a rain-delay. So, he made himself a monkey and Faith Anne a bear….they are very adorable. But man, our kids are SO VERY SPOILED!

BTW…I am listening to K-Love at work….Mandisa is on there! Her album must come out today….how cool!

Well, I gotta go! I can’t comment on Dancing with the Stars because I didn’t see it last night. I will have to get caught up later! Love you all and talk to you soon!!!!

P.S. Alicia and Rylan (the baby) are doing good! Alicia has been released from the hospital and Rylan is doing great. He won't get to come home for another 5 weeks or so. But they thought he had fluid on his brain, but he doesn't! And he was completely off the oxygen, but they put him back on a little because he has been eating.....and that makes him struggle with his breathing a little bit. So, GOD IS SO GOOD and this family has seen HIS MIRACLES first-hand! Thanks for your continued prayers for them!