i am just going to show all my pics….this is going to be long.
maybe you need to take a bathroom break before you start?
or grab another cup of coffee?
ready?

here we go.
we drove to omaha on thursday….talked non-stop.
we followed the GPS to an empty field by the airport and it said "you have reached your destination"
the laughing was as funny as the GPS.
jana got our her pink phone and we followed that gps instead.

the first event at silver bella is a welcome dinner.
jana and i got out of our travel sweats and all dolled up….ready to face a room of strangers!
i hate that feeling.
so glad i had jana to help me feel brave.
 
 

to put me at ease…megan was the first person we met in the door.
and she was talking to jo packham…editor of where women create.  
megan said a bunch of really nice things about me to jo and i was flattered…it felt kind of out-of-body.
i was so happy to meet megan in real life and give her a hug.
she's tiny…and i had on very high heels.  (can you say amazon?!)
 
 

then i met jen.
she was so sweet…i wished we'd had some time to get to know each other.
but we had no classes together even.
another time jen.

and i met miss lynn.
she was delightful.

so we ate and got to know the women at our table.
then there was a craft sponsored by fiskars.
it was chaotic….but we received a bag of stamps…that was cool.

after the dinner & craft it's time for SWAPS.  
jana and i didn't take part in any swaps and we were very glad about that.
but i think we may be the only women who didn't….and that's ok with me.
(swaps are where you make one thing per person of whatever the swap theme you signed up for)
we went back to our room and talked some more.

friday morning we didn't have a class so we hit the antique store.
our first workshop was after lunch….with jennifer murphy.
it was much more fun than i was expecting!
 
 

this snowman clip was really cute once you started…it was challenging too.
my hands hurt when it was over.
i have a new appreciation for jennifer's art. (she's in the pink apron)
and lisa was at SB by herself…lives in omaha and has 4 boys at home. (gray sweater…no blog)
we had many classes together, so many that she was probably sick of me.
hi lisa!

 

funny story:
while working on our snowmen the ladies at our table start talking martha stewart.
and by talk i mean trash talk.
and i am one of them.
i love martha…but i also can't stand "martha"…does that make sense?
we all had our stories and after about 5 minutes the young beautiful girl quietly sitting by jana says 
"i was on her show this year."
so humble.  
so quiet.  
the table went nuts!  
"WHAT?!  FOR WHAT?! TELL US EVERYTHING?! OH MY GOSH!?  WOW?!"
she said we were all right about what we said but that she loves her too…she was gracious for the opportunity to be on the show.
exactly.
martha is the queen you have to admit it.
i would bow down if she walked into the room.

this is amy powers.  i love her blog…i was thrilled to meet her. 

 
 
the second workshop was to make a rosary style necklace.
i thought we would be putting charms on a necklace…no…we made the whole necklace!
it took a full three hours.
i can't believe i really did it!  i
am pretty proud of it.

 

immediately after that was the FAMOUS silver bella vendor fair.
that means shopping.
jana and i are pretty good at shopping…
there was so much glitter and jewels it was a bit overwhelming.
the theme was aprons…so everyone was wearing one…in case you notice that.

 

 



 
 

this is where i spent my money.
i was dying to see her work with my own eyes….it's amazing.
i loved meeting professor lasertron and lasermom.  :)
i could've just sat down and talked all night…if i wouldn't have missed all the shopping.

after this was over we walked outside and ate at the twisted fork.
SO GOOD!
and i loved the decor.
very cool place.

the workshops were early on saturday…
i hate getting out of bed anytime and especially when i am on vacation. 
but we made it.
we learned how to make a heart shaped box…i didn't finish…in 3 hours. 
oh well. 
i think i will buy my boxes anyway…but it was interesting to learn how to do it.

 

we went to a luncheon from here to hear jo packham speak….she had about 7 minutes.
there must have been a time problem because before she even got into her speech
they said she was out of time. 
it was sad.  she was so interesting and i REALLY wanted to hear her speak.
that was truly sad.
i bet she had taken a lot time to prepare her presentation too.
we could've learned something from her…
can you tell how bummed i was and still am?

but i met jeanne at that lunch.
that was worth the frustration of having no speaker.
she asked jana and i to come to dinner with her and her two new friends.
you know how to boost a woman's self esteem…..invite her out with you!
 

we went to two more workshops after the luncheon.
(i know…you are feeling tired of reading this right?  i warned you it was long)

workshop #4 was with charolette lyons.
a free spirited mobile of houses and trees.
loved it.
we had the entire time to just create with what was there…no instructions….ahhhhhhh.

 
 
then our last workshop was with jennifer again.
a little birdie in a box.
it fun and different than something i would try at home.
lisa was at our table again and princess lasertron and carmen.
we were all (all the silver bellas..not just our table) very tired by this time of the day….very.


mine is the brown one to the right.

we cleaned up and walked out from the workshop and all the silver bella stuff was gone and another
conference was all set up and a wedding reception was going on also.
that was kind of weird.
there was no goodbye or anything.
strange.

we walked to dinner with jeanne, sharon and kana. 
it was possibly the highlight of silver bella.
i think that was what i was looking for…connection.
 

it was such a good time…we laughed and we cried.
the table was all tenderhearted women that cry when there is something to say from your heart.
kana said "i hate that i cry all the time….i have a tender heart but it makes me MAD!"
so funny.

jana and i stayed up until after 2:00 finishing our mobiles and more talking.
bigger stuff…
she asked me about my dreams or what i really want.
i have no answer for that.
i haven't let my mind go there…that's scary.  
those late night talks can get deep!  

we slept in on sunday.
we packed up our car…took the wrong way many times to get to pottery barn and anthropolgie…
but it was worth it.
we made it home just as the kids were getting into bed.
loved that.
they missed me and i missed them.
and then cuddled up on the couch with mr. craig.
all was right in my dreamy artsy world….for that evening.  :)
gotta catch those moments when they happen.

silver bella was an experience.
it was cool.
i loved having a whole weekend with my friend.
i loved getting creative.
i loved meeting other bloggers…other creative women.
i loved the shopping.
i loved being away from my "mom" duties.
i loved eating out late and talking about stuff that is hidden in my soul.
i loved everything i got to do and see and the people i met.

but

i think silver bella is not for me.
i wanted something a little more personal..
and i don't why i thought silver bella would be that…at 200 women strong. 
i don't think that i knew i wanted something more personal until i got there and saw that it wasn't.
i think after having been to SB….silver bella doesn't fit me.
or i don't fit silver bella?

and that's O-K.
   
but it does for so many other women (and you may be one of them).
and that is awesome.
we are not all the same…we can all like different things…i am so glad for that.
 
and now i know.
and for that knowledge i wouldn't trade my weekend for anything.
it's the start of something big…a journey for me…i am on the edge of it….it's just beginning.
 
i know the kind of thing i may be looking for next time.
(if my husband ever lets me leave the house again)