Back From Vegas!

We have officially "Left Las Vegas!" And now the wind down begins... So, to give you a brief run-down of our trip here is a quick review of our 5 days on the go:

Day one-

Feeling like we have packed our house in preparation for the show, we fill every last square inch of our car, and head down the road in the direction of Vegas. Aunt Korri is hanging out with the boys until husband's folks flew in that evening to watch them for the next few days (thanks Jerry and Judy!!)

In expectation of our long road trip, I made a special purchase at the store of a 4-disc, "Best of the 80's" music tribute. I was SO EXCITED because I got it for so cheap! That excitement wore off later that night when we started jamming to the music only to realize that I got the poor imitation version-not the real thing! It was one of those too-good-to-be-true moments, and believe me husban is never going to let me live that one down!

Day two-

5 1/2 hours to go, but my heart has been racing in excitement of the day. We arrived at the convention center to start a long day of unpacking our stuff. The hardest part of this day, for me, was the realization that I was in the midst of very talented artists-and at one point I became overwhelmed with comparing myself to them all, that I almost shut-down. I had to have husband stop and pray with me right then and there because I felt fear would overtake me. It's an overwhelming feeling to for the first time, put your "baby" on display for critique, criticism, and review. I experienced a little bit of that in college when we would critique our work, but this was real-life. Husband and I loved the fact that our hotel was 200 yards from the convention center-and a "smoke-free, casino-free" hotel. After about 6 hours of moving stuff in and setting up, we were off to find food, and a Home Depot!

Day three-

The show started at 10 everyday, which was great for allowing us to sleep-in, and have a casual breakfast. I can't remember the last time that I had a 8 hr night's rest with no little kiddos waking me up! I sure missed them though... We headed over to the convention hall hearts racing in anticipation for the "big day" that I had been preparing months for. Today was the first day that I got to get to know our fellow artist neighbors-and that was a bit of a culture-shock for me! Let's just say there were two sets of "alternate lifestyle choices" on either side of us-but they were all very nice. This was probably our busiest day. Tonight we went to a sushi place that husband said "was the best he's ever had..." I think he's finally been converted!

Day four-

A bit of a slow morning, but as the day progressed things picked up and we got another 2 orders today!! I'm pretty sure that the expected 3,000 buyers ended up being more like 1,000-so that has really effected how people are viewing the show-and how well it went. We are feeling like our products might do better at a "gift show" than at this particular type of show-and we've also had alot of other vendors asking why we haven't tried any retail shows.....So I'm thinking about trying out the Eagle Farmer's Market this summer! Tonight we walked down to the strip, went to PF Changs, and did one of our favorites-saw the fountains at the Bellagio, and went and checked out their atrium display (see pics).

Day five-

We are really beginning to miss our boys, and today is the slowest day yet-being the last day of the show. We wrapped everything up at 4-tore everything down by 5 and were out the door headed to our half-way mark in Salt Lake. Let's just say next time I think we'll be flying!!

Day six-

Get home to our two awesome boys! What a great trip of experience, newly found customers, and alone time spent with my wonderful husband. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers as we journeyed on this adventure! We are definitely letting it all "marinate" for a bit, but we feel encouraged by the response and connectivity with other artists, and buyers. Whew! Thanks again family members for supporting us in watching our 2 prized possessions (aka Big boy and Peanut). We love ya!
Our poor car filled with most of my possessions!
What we awoke to the 2nd morning-beautiful Utah!
Husband taking our picture on the road-while driving-he's a multitasker!
Husband fixing the lights on our booth-it's almost go-time on our first day!
The cheesy self-picture of me in our booth with my big-hair! Hey, you have to catch attention somehow, right?
A glimpse of the convention floor from the entrance-their were over 800 vendor/artist there!
This is Husband and I on our night on the town!
AAHHH...The fountains at Bellagio. I love this part!
One of the flower sculptures at the Bellagio Atrium display
On the road again...Our view of the mountains heading home.