I'm amazed how time can actually stand still while simultaneously disappearing during an accelerated race from crisis to crisis. The last thing I remember clearly was the day before Father's Day 2009...and now, like a time traveler, I'm catapulted forward to right before Memorial Day weekend 2010. This past year has been filled with one disaster and emergency after another as my elderly father's failing health continues to advance. Life threatening cardiac events, serious infections out of nowhere, bi-monthly trips to the ER, hospital stays, surgeries, sudden moves from one level of assisted living to another…it’s been endless. Add in multiple irons in the fire with a new licensing agent and promising contacts, deadlines, projects, collections to create,trade show follow-ups and submissions....and it’s obvious why things like my blog or socializing with friends have been so sadly neglected. I also stopped phoning or emailing friends, tweeting, checking facebook or even reading Linked-In updates for months as my "free" time dwindled to nothing. When the phone rang, I’d cringe, expecting it to be yet another emergency that would devour my week and leave me working into the night and all weekend (again) to meet a deadline. In reality, each day's "surprises" and steep learning curve navigating our very flawed medical system came too frequently & too fast to document, much less process. All stress, all the time.
My husband & I managed to leave town for a few days to escape the never-ending winter and visit our son & daughter-in-law in Miami. Miraculously, nothing bad happened with my dad that week. I returned 5 days later totally relaxed, able to concentrate and feeling recharged. And ready to embrace an opportunity to propose, coordinate and teach workshops at the upcoming CHA (Craft Hobby Association) Consumer SuperShow in Chicago (Rosemont Convention Center) the end of July.
Following directly after the Craft & Hobby industry’s mid-year trade show, this consumer show was first introduced last year in Orlando....and was a smashing success! Now that the trade show is back in the Midwest, people will be traveling here from everywhere by the busload to attend this 2 day consumer event. Instead of feeling stressed with my dad’s continuing saga, I’m really looking forward to teaching 2 Workshops at the Consumer SuperShow, as well as working with younger crafters in the KidsZone.
I absolutely love inspiring people to discover their creative selves and explore crafty possibilities! Developing these workshops has also given me a fantastic opportunity to focus on something wonderful—crafts! “Playing” with craft materials is a great way to de-stress. Plus, I have something really, really fun to look forward to when the trade and consumer shows roll into town--reconnecting with long-time friends and business associates, demoing my new line of Sweet PETatoes rubber stamps with Impression Obsession and escaping for just a little while.
Don’t worry about my dad…he won’t be neglected. My brother promised he’d be available for anything that may occur during that time…
And here is the link to the CHA Consumer SuperShow….. www.craftsupershow.com and link to my blog…. www.gailgreen.blogspot.com I also have a banner and a flyer that include info plus a discount coupon for the show. Let me know if I can email it to you as an attachment and you can post that on your blog as well. My workshops are going to be SO incredibly fun….one is Rubber Stamping Techniques and Beyond with my new line of Sweet PETatoes stamps (kittens and puppies….all the pet lovers will go wild…) and the second is From Trash to Treasure....reusing, recycling, repurposing everyday “throw-away” items into amazing usable treasures by adding environmentally safe and sustainable craft materials … (including EarthSafe paints, Glue Dots, Strathmore’s bamboo and hemp sustainable cardstock…and more!)
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