FROM THE PENSACOLA ART SHOW TO AN ALLIGATOR AT OUR HOTEL..OUR WEEKEND!!

Good Morning~!~ I don't have any pictures of this weekend...Sorry..The first picture is of the Nature Trail that is on the campus of the University of West Florida, where the art show was held. The show was fun, and I got to see a lot of my old friends!!

I had dinner on Thursday with my friend Kyle, and his new wife, Tammy. I have been friends with her on Facebook, and am so happy that I got to spend some time getting to know her. Kyle cooked the most amazing dinner!!! I think I need to hire him to give Nature Boy some cooking lessons!! It was great being over there, and seeing the kids, and John!

 My kindergarden through 5th grade best friend  (Melissa) came to see me!! OMG!! I love her!! She is a person whose light just shines through. You can see such joy and happiness emitting from her.We've known each other for ohhh..about 40 years now..maybe 41..It's so cool to think that she would come and see me!! Honestly..I think she looks the same as when we played Barbies together at the age of 6! 

My second grade teacher came to visit me. She is my adoptive ("heart" adoptive, not literally) mother. A great woman named Shirley. She had me in the first class that she ever taught..and later, she taught my daughter at the same school. Then, she retired. We probably drove her to that. I kept in touch with her all those years. The school was directly across the street from the house that I grew up in, and I did many, many bulletin boards for her throughout the years. Several of them were still being used when my daughter went there!!

My friends Theresa, Mitch and Anne (Theresa's mother) came also. This couple are some of the most amazing that I have ever met.  I met them when I was around 23, I was a new single mother, and had been a seriously abusive relationship for over a year. I had just gotten rid of my husband, had a tiny baby, and I met these two kids (they were around 18-20 years old at the time)..They were sent straight from God to me. They kinda took me under their wing, and did so many nice things for me. Including ..bringing me a truckload of wood to burn in my fireplace for winter..I am so happy that they are still happily married (25 years!), and STILL two of the nicest people that I have ever met. I remember Theresa telling me that my aura was yellow..and that I was afraid..LOL..Don't know why that has stuck in my head all these years....Theresa's mother came too!! It was so good for my heart to see them all again!! I love you guys!!

I stayed a few nights with my friend Linda, who has the best dog (and the worse cat) EVER!! It was so good to spend time with Linda. She has been a wonderful friend, and true confidant for years! I love her so much!! I have laughed with her --longer and harder--than with anyone that I have ever met. She was wonderful. I miss her so much now, and realize that I have missed her since I have been here. She needs to come live with me. Her dog's name was Zoie..and Nature Boy loved Zoie!! I think I can now convince him to let me get a small inside dog. Linda's cat was beautiful, but scary..LOL..every time that I walked by..it hissed, and looked scary. I was seriously afraid it was going to eat my face...hahahaha.

My friend Sheri came by..and it was great to see her, and meet her daughter. She is the girl that I knew from high school in Pensacola, FL..but she was actually raised right down the street from where I live now!!! Her daughter reminds me of my own!! So Cool!

My elementary school teacher and her husband came by...I have also kept in touch with them through the years!!

Family came..and that was neat. For them to see me as an artist..not as the bratty child that I was most of my life!! Haahahah..

One of my buddies had a food vendor trailer at the show too! It was great seeing Jaimie, and meeting his wife and two kids!! Also, wonderful people. I tell you--I have been SO BLESSED with good friends my WHOLE LIFE. I thank God first for my daughter and husband, but then I thank him for all the people that he has brought into my life!!!!

Anyway--I got carried away...I forget that I am "Blogging" and not keeping a detailed LIFE JOURNAL...hahaha..so forgive me if I rambled...

The show was pleasant, not the amount of buyers that I would have liked, but the care of the artist was outstanding!! The people in charge of the show went above and beyond to make sure that we were fed, and taken care of. They held an award dinner for us, and I won a Judge's Award! I got a beautiful white ribbon. Throughout the show--they brought a cart around with coffee, and donuts, fruit and chips for us. Thank you UWF Festival on the Green Organizers!!

One of the nights that we stayed in a hotel..

This is what we saw in a river/swamp area below us...LOL..Nature Boy was so excited!!! The hotel was high up, and I don't think that this alligator could have gotten in the parking lot..I thought it was extremely cool to see this AT OUR HOTEL though!!! LOL..
Live Artfully!!!!