2023: the Good, the Bad, & Just Plain Yucky!

So… 2023 started out a whole lot differently that it had for the last EIGHT years! That’s because this was the first year since 2015 (other than the Covid year) that we didn’t travel to Ontario, CA in January for the Road 2 California Quilt Conference!

So why did we choose to stop vending at Road 2 California?

Actually… there were SEVERAL reasons.

• First- since the show runs in mid-January, our preparations had to begin almost the moment that Christmas was over, and that was quite stressful.
• Second- contracting to get our freight shipped and delivered to California in mid-January during a very tight window was beyond stressful & worrisome for us. And I have to say that the Road2Ca staff as well as the convention center employees have more times than not, actually contributed to the problem! (In 2022 for example, my shipment was actually REJECTED by the Convention Center staff without notice and for no apparent reason!.)
• and finally– there was a change in show management in or about 2016. Road 2 California, a family-run show, was passed from the Owner/Matriarch/Grandmother of the family to the grandson, who seems to show very little interest in dealing, working, or helping with the concerns of his vendors, and following the debacle known as the 2021 version of Road to California Show, I knew I’d had enough.

So, did it feel weird not heading out to Southern California in January? It felt sad perhaps… (because let’s get real… Southern California in mid-January is a wonderful respite from a cold East-coast winter), but I also found my first weeks of January 2023 to be much more peaceful, less stressful and remarkably freeing for having abandoned this show! I also enjoyed the time I redeemed from getting ready for, going to, & catching up from what was always our least profitable show, PLUS… it gave me time to forge ahead on my new design, the Double Take, which was published 4 weeks earlier than is our norm.

The diagnosis wasn’t a total surprise as there are others in his family who have suffered with this disorder as well. He’s got a great doctor and is fighting hard to stay strong. We have made a pact however to travel, do & enjoy as much as we can… for as long as we can… and to also take advantage of our opportunity to travel while we still can. In May, we headed to Paris, France with a few of our dearest friends! (The picture at above is from a trip we took to Paris & Normandy this past Spring.) It was a wonderful trip except for the fact that several of us came back with Covid… our third such bout, but hopefully our last bout with that pain-in-the-neck virus!

In April, we took to the road again and headed to Paducah, KY for the AQS Paducah Quilt Show. Paducah is our most consistently favorite place to vend, and this year was no exception. There’s a lot of history in this town and the residents are always so welcoming!

But unfortunately, Summer initiated the trial-of-a-lifetime for us when I had to make the impossible decision to move my elderly parents (against their will) to a “Managed-Care Facility”, even though it was WAY past time to do so. To say this decision would have an almost daily, negative effect on my life from that day forward, is a true understatement and I’ve been struggling to achieve some type of balance in my life ever since then!

By October we were swept up in the always intense preparations for “Two Crazy Weeks in Houston” otherwise known as the International Quilt Market & Quilt Festival, and if I’m being honest, I was REALLY  looking forward to getting far, FAR away from home & all of the drama going on here.
And once again, our friends & fellow vendors, Jim Chapman & Carol McCleod of Auntie’s Two Patterns, transported all of our “stuff” to & from Houston which enabled us to fly back & forth and avoid that long, arduous drive… or so we thought!

But this year, in this infamous words of Bugs Bunny, we took “a left turn at Albuquerque” on the way to Houston, and by that I mean that our flight got cancelled, and our only option for getting to Houston on that day was by way of LA! That’s right! The next thing we knew we were on a plane headed first to Los Angeles, then BACK to Houston. So… after spending a total of EIGHT+ hours in the air, we finally landed. Phew! We got there, but we also lost a setup day in the process! It could’ve been SO much worse, but that doesn’t mean it was smooth sailing from there!

While it was nice not having to deal with World Series crowds for a change during this year’s shows, both Market & Festival felt a bit confusing for us vendors as well as the attendees, since for some reason the show management “reversed” the floor layout this year. Then, about midway thru the Market my husband suffered a really bad case of food poisoning which threw him for a loop. We were really glad for that day off between Market & Festival, which allowed us to get back on our game.

We debuted our new Easy-Go Wallet pattern and both shows turned out to be very successful for us. And even though our return flight was on-time and uneventful, we came home to a pretty big mess at the “Managed-Care Home” involving my folks.
Suffice it to say, that due to what I have seen & heard over the past few months, I now have an immense appreciation for ALL of the folks that work day-after-day in these facilities, particularly those who take care of patients with dementia-related illnesses.

So with 2023 pretty much in the books now, we can say that for us, this year’s highs were amazing (and we were absolutely thankful for those), but the lows were gut-wrenching.
We thank God for our friends & family who have stood by us during this complicated time of our life! We’re surely hoping for… but certainly not holding our breath for… a more peaceful 2024.

And that’s precisely what we’re hoping for ALL of you too…
A HAPPY, prosperous and more peaceful 2024!

And now…. it’s YOUR turn!

What are YOU hoping for in 2024? Do you have any special plans you’d like to share? If so, please remember, we love reading your comments and answering your questions too, so please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.

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