Perhaps reminiscing will put me in a better mood. I've told you about the fabulousness of the marathon...now, can I tell you about how fabulous California was? I. heart. California. Our first stop was the OC (sing with me now ....'Califor-NYAH, here I coooommmmme...') to see dear friends Taylor and Valerie. Taylor was one of my first college friends and I've known Valerie since college as well. They are good times. But really -- I was there to see their dog, Odile.

Schmoo Number One.

This is Odile with German Mickey. Odile knows how to party.

So, we spent one night in Orange with Taylor and Val and then went to the train station to catch a train to San Diego. AMTRAK! Whee! The Santa Ana train station is actually really beautiful, and I started snapping pictures until a guard apprehended me and told me to stop. Here's the evidence before I was accosted. So. pretty.

I was picturing a lovely, quiet train ride, sitting by the window with my knitting and my Jacob, watching the coast. Ahh. Well, not so much. There was definitely knitting, and Jacob, and the coast, but this particular train was pretty full and noisy. We also had an admirer who approached us in the train station for conversation (where he proceeded to tell us that we should "watch out for people like me - they'll rob you blind..") Sketch-y. So I was a little nervous on the train, because I thought Drunk Amtrak Guy was going to steal our stuff. Which of course didn't happen.

Here's what did happen: I finished my Morehouse Merino shawl.

Train Time.

So. Yay. I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of the rest of the entire weekend, the highlights are in the extended entry. My impressions of San Diego (mostly Ocean Beach): LAID BACK. I think that might be more of an Ocean Beach thing. And I loved it. I know that Southern California isn't all nice people and tequila parties and sunshine and ocean breezes, but my trip was! And you can get 30 cans of beer for $9.99 at Rite-Aid. HELLO?!?! Click for more:

Cousins!

Patron, or Don Julio?

Cactus.

Silly.

Yum.

Well, clearly there are more pictures, but you get the idea. I met lots of cool people and schmoos and ate good food. I'm setting up a photo gallery with the rest of the pics soon and I will link to it.

Happy Monday. Blech.

Perhaps reminiscing will put me in a better mood. I've told you about the fabulousness of the marathon...now, can I tell you about how fabulous California was? I. heart. California. Our first stop was the OC (sing with me now ....'Califor-NYAH, here I coooommmmme...') to see dear friends Taylor and Valerie. Taylor was one of my first college friends and I've known Valerie since college as well. They are good times. But really -- I was there to see their dog, Odile.

Schmoo Number One.

This is Odile with German Mickey. Odile knows how to party.

So, we spent one night in Orange with Taylor and Val and then went to the train station to catch a train to San Diego. AMTRAK! Whee! The Santa Ana train station is actually really beautiful, and I started snapping pictures until a guard apprehended me and told me to stop. Here's the evidence before I was accosted. So. pretty.

I was picturing a lovely, quiet train ride, sitting by the window with my knitting and my Jacob, watching the coast. Ahh. Well, not so much. There was definitely knitting, and Jacob, and the coast, but this particluar train was pretty full and noisy. We also had an admirer who approached us in the train station for conversation (where he proceeded to tell us that we should "watch out for people like me - they'll rob you blind..") Sketch-y. So I was a little nervous on the train, because I thought Drunk Amtrak Guy was going to steal our stuff. Which of course didn't happen.

Here's what did happen: I finished my Morehouse Merino shawl.

Train Time.

So. Yay. I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of the rest of the entire weekend, the highlights are in the extended entry:

Cousins!

Patron, or Don Julio?

Cactus.

Silly.

Here we are at Cathy's victory dinner - Jacob is making a ridiculous face. Note how sunburned we are...I'm still peeling.

Yum.

This is Cathy eating the biggest dessert I've ever seen at the hotel. Doesn't she deserve to eat the whole thing? I think so.

Well, clearly there are more pictures, but you get the idea. I met lots of cool people and schmoos and ate good food. I'm setting up a photo gallery with the rest of the pics soon and I will link to it.

Happy Monday. Blech.

Rock. N. Roll.

And we got to see it. People, if you're going to run a marathon anytime soon, may I suggest the lovely city of San Diego as a location? It's perfect. Nice mild temperatures, ocean breeze -- no humidity. Ahh. (The South has its finer points, but humidity SUCKS.)

I'll get back to San Diego and its fabulousness in a minute. THE MARATHON. So much fun. We got up at around 8:30am (no small feat since the previous night had included a tequila party -- pictures later -- and Cathy had already been running for TWO HOURS! ) and drove bleary-eyed downtown. Cat's husband and his parents were already staked out at mile 14. Somehow, through the grace of God and the organization of the Rock and Roll Marathon, Jacob and I ended up near the finish line. We camped out on a little grassy area about 3/10 of a mile from the finish. And then I cheered for about three hours straight.

I didn't realize how FUN it would be to watch people run a marathon. Lots of people write their names on their clothes, their numbers, or up and down their arms and legs, so you could yell "GOOOOO SARAH! YOU GOT IT! HOME STRETCH, BAY-BEE!!" and then the runners would give a thumbs up or a smile, and just keep on running.

I was getting so excited for these strangers, that they were so close to finishing a marathon -- so I should've been prepared for how PROUD and EXCITED I would be when my sister ran by. I wasn't. I was so overwhelmed! Luckily, Jacob was prepared, and had his camera ready to take some actions shots...

Go Cathy! Home Stretch!

So I started screaming, "That's my sister! Woo-hoo!" and running on the side when I saw her totally kicking ass. Here's proof:

Crazy Bag Lady Cheers Runners.

And she totally finished - 6 hours and 18 minutes. They even called her name out as she crossed the finish line!

Check out that medal!

So. Proud. The 800 runners/walkers from Train to End Stroke, (Cathy's fundraising group) raised over a million dollars -- rock stars, all of them. It was so inspiring to see people of all ages and sizes and shapes out there to raise money for stroke victims. It's enough to make a girl wanna train for a half marathon in Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day... I guess I shouldn't put that on the blog if I don't mean it!

I will post later this week with other details from our trip to San Diego, including the tequila party, Jacob's totally awesome cousins and their awesome friends, OB, PB, the OC, and more. Whee. Oh, and I finished one shawl, I'm 3/4 of the way done with another!

Rock. N. Roll.

And we got to see it. People, if you're going to run a marathon anytime soon, may I suggest the lovely city of San Diego as a location? It's perfect. Nice mild temperatures, ocean breeze -- no humidity. Ahh. (The South has its finer points, but humidity SUCKS.)

I'll get back to San Diego and its fabulousness in a minute. THE MARATHON. So much fun. We got up at around 8:30am (no small feat since the previous night had included a tequila party -- pictures later -- and Cathy had already been running for TWO HOURS! ) and drove bleary-eyed downtown. Cat's husband and his parents were already staked out at mile 14. Somehow, through the grace of God and the organization of the Rock and Roll Marathon, Jacob and I ended up near the finish line. We camped out on a little grassy area about 3/10 of a mile from the finish. And then I cheered for about three hours straight.

I didn't realize how FUN it would be to watch people run a marathon. I was standing in a particularly quiet area, so I decided to be the loud girl. It was so fun! Lots of people write their names on their clothes, their numbers, or up and down their arms and legs, so you could yell "GOOOOO SARAH! YOU GOT IT! HOME STRETCH, BAY-BEE!!" and then the runners would give a thumbs up or a smile. I was getting so excited for these strangers, that they were so close to finishing a marathon -- so I should've been prepared for how PROUD and EXCITED I would be when my sister ran by. I wasn't. I was so overwhelmed! Luckily, Jacob was prepared, and had his camera ready to take some actions shots...

Go Cathy! Home Stretch!

So I started screaming, "That's my sister! Woo-hoo!" and running on the side when I saw her totally kicking ass. Here's proof:

Crazy Bag Lady Cheers Runners.

And she totally finished - 6 hours and 18 minutes. They even called her name out as she crossed the finish line!

Check out that medal!

So. Proud. The 800 runners/walkers from Train to End Stroke, (Cathy's fundraising group) raised over a million dollars -- rock stars, all of them. It was so inspiring to see people of all ages and sizes and shapes out there to raise money for stroke victims. It's enough to make a girl wanna train for a half marathon in Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day. I guess I should't put that on the blog if I don't mean it... :)

I will post later this week with other details from our trip to San Diego, including the tequila party, Jacob's totally awesome cousins and their awesome friends, OB, PB, the OC, and more. Whee. Oh, and I finished one shawl, I'm 3/4 of the way done with another!

Here's a picture to bring joy to everyone. Or just my feet.

New shoes make a girl feel pretty.

I heart my new Sam and Libby shoes. I have extremely narrow feet and ankles that turn inward, so finding cute shoes that also fit well is kind of a challenge. Sam and Libby always fit me, and also, they were on sale at Rack Room, on a holy weekend: Buy One Pair Get The Second Pair Fifty Percent Off. Hooray for sales.

I also tried to shop for clothes in the juniors section this weekend, because the clothes in juniors are SO. MUCH. CHEAPER. Not so much. (Note to self: I no longer can wear juniors. Even the biggest size. My booty is taking over. Must buy clothes in the ladies section.)

I'm leaving for San Diego tomorrow to watch my fabulous twin sister run in the Rock and Roll Marathon. Go Cathy! Go Cathy!

Classy Cathy can run a marathon.

In addition to running marathons, Cathy teaches high school, and also lends me great clothes all the time. She's a schmoo.

The Rock and Roll Marathon has this cool thing called Wiggle Wireless -- if you register, you can actually receive text messages on your cell phone that tracks a runner's progress in the marathon. No kidding. So I'll get a TEXT MESSAGE! when Cathy is passing all the Kenyans and hitting the 10K mark, or the 20-mile mark. Isn't that so freakin' cool? (I told my friend Catherine about it this morning, and she said, "Surely we can end poverty if we can do something like that." Word.)

Oh, the knitting? Well, work was officially LAME yesterday so I decided to take a brief break and take some blurry secret pictures.

Yummy purple shawl.

I'm all about the shawls. This shawl is going really quickly - it's laceweight yarn on size 10s, so it's a little tricksy at times, but the Morehouse Merino is SO SOFT AND DELICIOUS. I'm planning to take this shawl and my Flower Basket Shawl on my trip. I also have a River Tape project in the works, although I left the pattern book at Jacob's parents house, so I may or may not be able to continue knitting on it. And of course, Jacob's sock.

Delirious! Wheee! I'm going to go try and wrap up all the looses ends at work before I take off for the West Coast. We are staying with Jacob's cousins right near the beach! Yay! And I'm going to get to see this fabulous girl because we're flying into the OC, and also I get to ride a train. I've never ridden a train! CAN YOU STAND THE FUN TIMES?

If you are familiar with San Diego and would like to tell me about a yarn shop, please do! I may have time to pop in and buy lots of yarn -- errr -- browse. Hope ya'll have a great rest of the week.

Here's a picture to bring joy to everyone. Or just my feet.

New shoes make a girl feel pretty.

I heart my new Sam and Libby shoes. I have extremely narrow feet and ankles that turn inward, so finding cute shoes that also fit well is kind of a challenge. Sam and Libby always fit me, and also, they were on sale at Rack Room, on a holy weekend: Buy One Pair Get The Second Pair Fifty Percent Off. Hooray for sales.

I also tried to shop for clothes in the juniors section this weekend, because the clothes in juniors are SO. MUCH. CHEAPER. Not so much. (Note to self: I no longer can wear juniors. Even the biggest size. My booty is taking over. Must buy clothes in the ladies section.)

I'm leaving for San Diego tomorrow to watch my fabulous twin sister run in the Rock and Roll Marathon. Go Cathy! Go Cathy!

Classy Cathy can run a marathon.

In addition to running marathons, Cathy teaches high school, and also lends me great clothes all the time. She's a schmoo.

The Rock and Roll Marathon has this cool thing called Wiggle Wireless -- if you register, you can actually receive text messages on your cell phone that tracks a runner's progress in the marathon. No kidding. So I'll get a TEXT MESSAGE! when Cathy is passing all the Kenyans and hitting the 10K mark, or the 20-mile mark. Isn't that so freakin' cool? (I told my friend Catherine about it this morning, and she said, "Surely we can end poverty if we can do something like that." Word.)

Oh, the knitting? Well, work was officially LAME yesterday so I decided to take a brief break and take some blurry secret pictures.

Yummy purple shawl.

I'm all about the shawls. This shawl is going really quickly - it's laceweight yarn on size 10s, so it's a little tricksy at times, but the Morehouse Merino is SO SOFT AND DELICIOUS. I'm planning to take this shawl and my Flower Basket Shawl on my trip. I also have a River Tape project in the works, although I left the pattern book at Jacob's parents house, so I may or may not be able to continue knitting on it. And of course, Jacob's sock.

Delirious! Wheee! I'm going to go try and wrap up all the looses ends at work before I take off for the West Coast. We are staying with Jacob's cousins right near the beach! Yay! And I'm going to get to see this fabulous girl because we're flying into the OC, and also I get to ride a train. I've never ridden a train! CAN YOU STAND THE FUN TIMES?

If you are familiar with San Diego and would like to tell me about a yarn shop, please do! I may have time to pop in and buy lots of yarn -- errr -- browse. Hope ya'll have a great rest of the week.

**Hey there! In the spirit of supporting wonderful family (like my sis!) and friends who like to walk/run for good causes, mosey on over and show your support for Miss Small Hands Chelsea, who's doing a run/walk for breast cancer this weekend. Any amount helps -- Click here to donate! **

Okay. First of all, Bella wants you to know that this is the BEST. BALL. EVER.

Don't touch my ball.

She's starting to go blond on the top of her head -- if she wasn't a dog, I would totally accuse her of bleaching her hair.

Moving on, here are some Glamour Shots of my latest knitting projects. Whee!

Close up of the Flower Basket Shawl.
Click here for a super close up of a basket. And pardon my hangnail.

I still love this pattern. I think it's going to take me a while, but I'm looking forward to my next car trip or flight so I can spend some quality time with the Flower Basket shawl.

And the Half Clappy!

Oh shiny recycled silk. You are so pretty.
Click to get closer to the silky happy times.

And, because I suddenly am obsessed with shawls...

um, hi. I started another one.

How can I resist the Morehouse Merino?

Okay, no more shawls until I finish these three ... I promise. And I did finish someone's sock....

He even modeled it.

And I already cast on the second one -- Are you proud of me? Good. I needed that affirmation.

That seems like a lot of projects! Clearly, I need to prioritize my life, quit my job, and just knit all the time. Har. Just kidding. Although I'm leaving in a week to go to San Diego to see my sister run her marathon (GO CATHY!!!), so I'll get some knitting in. And sightseeing. And drinking. Yay, vacation.

Now, back to Law and Order. And one of the shawls.

Okay. First of all, Bella wants you to know that this is the BEST. BALL. EVER.

Don't touch my ball.

She's starting to go blond on the top of her head -- if she wasn't a dog, I would totally accuse her of bleaching her hair.

Moving on, here are some Glamour Shots of my latest knitting projects. Whee!

Close up of the Flower Basket Shawl.
Click here for a super close up of a basket. And pardon my hangnail.

I still love this pattern. I think it's going to take me a while, but I'm looking forward to my next car trip or flight so I can spend some quality time with the Flower Basket shawl.

And the Half Clappy!

Oh shiny recycled silk. You are so pretty.
Click to get closer to the silky happy times.

And, because I suddenly am obsessed with shawls...

um, hi. I started another one.

How can I resist the Morehouse Merino?

Okay, no more shawls until I finish these three! I promise! And I did finish someone's sock....

He even modeled it!

And I already cast on the second one! Are you proud of me? Good. I need that affirmation.

That seems like a lot of projects! Clearly, I need to prioritize my life, quit my job, and just knit all the time. Har. Just kidding. Although I'm leaving in a week to go to San Diego to see my sister run her marathon (GO CATHY!!!), so I'll get some knitting in. And sightseeing. And drinking. Yay, vacation.

Now, back to Law and Order. And one of the shawls.

Okay, knitting first.

I finished knitting on my half clappy on the way home from Maryland. (Sorry I've been a little delinquent on the picture...)

My clappy needs some blocky.

I used some beautiful recycled silk yarn for my half clappy, and I've so far been scared to block it or do anything to it because I didn't want the yarn to get ruined. But, then I did some googling, and it turns out that you can handwash this yarn in cold water. I'm going to take that as a go-ahead to block it gently in some cold water and see how it goes. The article I read said that the yarn's texture might change a little bit, but I'm okay with that. I just didn't want it to be water stained! Still deciding if the clappy stays with me or becomes a gift....

And then I went and started something new!

Hello, Flower Basket Shawl!

This is my second attempt at the Flower Basket Shawl -- my first attempt was foiled by some furry yarn and some wine. (Note to self: lace and wine do NOT mix.) A fabulous friend gifted me with some Brown Sheep Cotton Fine and it's absolutely perfect for this project. (Sorry my picture doesn't really show off the pattern...but do you like my pajama pants?) I'm hoping that mine looks as lovely as this girl's...

Jacob's first sock is SO. CLOSE. I'm decreasing for the toe right now. Yee-haw!

Okay, and now for the fancy non-knitting content..

Then, on Saturday, my sister Cathy hooked me and Anne Marie up with some tickets to the ACLU Bill of Rights Dinner in Atlanta. Can you say, swanky?!?!!? I was not prepared for how fancy and pretty this dinner was. Of course we got all dressed up:

We clean up real nice, dontcha think?

And good thing we put on our Sunday best. We got to the reception before the dinner, and as I was rushing to the open bar, I noticed that General Wesley Clark was hanging out by the bar. Fun times. And then I found out that Coretta Scott King was being honored! The dinner actually honored lots of really great people who are working hard for important changes.

The reason we actually got to go is because they were honoring three high school students from Georgia who tried to start a gay-straight alliance at their high school and faced a lot of crap from their community and the school administration. I wrote about going to the high school and protesting here.
I thought it was pretty cool of the ACLU to recognize these girls along with Coretta Scott King and lots of other high profile people in Georgia. Here's me and my sister with the honorees:

Fun times, fer sure.

It was a really great night. Living in Georgia, it's easy to forget that there are people fighting for the right things in our state's government, so it was a nice reminder.

P.S. If I had known how fancy the dinner was going to be, I might have opted for a dress with less scandalous cleavage. There was some double stick tape involved.

P.S. again. I'm glad my twin sister is classy, because I don't think I would've been invited to this thing otherwise. Thanks, Cathy, for sharing the class with me and Anne Marie. :)

Okay, knitting first.

I finished knitting on my half clappy on the way home from Maryland. (Sorry I've been a little delinquent on the picture...)

My clappy needs some blocky.

I used some beautiful recycled silk yarn for my half clappy, and I've so far been scared to block it or do anything to it because I didn't want the yarn to get ruined. But, then I did some googling, and it turns out that you can handwash this yarn in cold water. I'm going to take that as a go-ahead to block it gently in some cold water and see how it goes. The article I read said that the yarn's texture might change a little bit, but I'm okay with that. I just didn't want it to be water stained! Still deciding if the clappy stays with me or becomes a gift....

And then I went and started something new!

Hello, Flower Basket Shawl!

This is my second attempt at the Flower Basket Shawl -- my first attempt was foiled by some furry yarn and some wine. (Note to self: lace and wine do NOT mix.) A fabulous friend gifted me with some Brown Sheep Cotton Fine and it's absolutely perfect for this project. Sorry my picture doesn't really show off the pattern...but do you like my pajama pants? I'm hoping that mine looks as lovely as this girl's...

Jacob's first sock is SO. CLOSE. I'm decreasing for the toe right now. Yee-haw!

Okay, and now for the fancy non-knitting content..

Then, on Saturday, my sister Cathy hooked me and Anne Marie up with some tickets to the ACLU Bill of Rights Dinner in Atlanta. Can you say, swanky?!?!!? I was not prepared for how fancy and pretty this dinner was. Of course we got all dressed up:

We clean up real nice, dontcha think?

And good thing we put on our Sunday best. We got to the reception before the dinner, and as I was rushing to the open bar, I noticed that General Wesley Clark was hanging out by the bar. Fun times. And then I found out that Coretta Scott King was being honored! The dinner actually honored lots of really great people who are working hard for things that I believe in.

The reason we actually got to go is because they were honoring three high school students from Georgia who tried to start a gay-straight alliance at their high school and faced a lot of crap from their community and the school administration. I wrote about going to the high school and protesting here.
I thought it was pretty cool of the ACLU to recognize these girls along with Coretta Scott King and lots of other high profile people in Georgia. Here's me and my sister with the honorees:

Fun times, fer sure.

It was a really great night. Living in Georgia, it's easy to forget that there are people fighting for the right things in our state's government, so it was a nice reminder.

P.S. If I had known how fancy the dinner was going to be, I might have opted for a dress with less scandalous cleavage. There was some double stick tape involved.

P.S. again. I'm glad my twin sister is classy, because I don't think I would've been invited to this thing otherwise. Thanks, Cathy, for sharing the class with me and Anne Marie. :)

Good thing there are so many cute summer things to knit, because the thought of knitting with wool right now makes me want to cry. Unless, of course, it's yummy merino wool from KnitPicks:

So. Soft.
(do you like our array of vacuums in the background?)

Jacob has never had a pair of handknit socks, so I'm trying to prepare for the goodness and wonder of the knitted socks. I'm not sure he's totally convinced, although when I jokingly (sort of) say I'm going to keep them, he says NO. He loves the colors though, which is huge. I got me a picky one. Now I just have to finish them...

I also finished a good summery knit: a cotton minisweater (pattern here)!

Can't you picture it with a little sundress?

This picture is a little strange because I'm still wearing my gym clothes and I had to use the self timer. Hee. But I used the leftover gray yarn from Jacob's Super Secret Sweater (click and scroll down to see it in the gallery) and it turned out great. Inspired by Stef, I decided to do an i-cord at the ends instead of using a button closure, and I'm so glad I did. It's just a *little* bit baggy because I kind of overestimated *ahem* how big my chest is. Wishful thinking, ha ha. I've already worn it to work once! My wearing of the knits is becoming more frequent -- I think it might be related to my improved finishing abilities. And my new habit: the actual weaving in of ends.

Well, it's gotta be short and sweet tonight. My friend Leslie is leaving for NY tomorrow so I have to go celebrate! But before I go, this little schmoo would like to say thank you to a little gnome for remembering her and Chili-schmoo in the mail...

Bella says: Thanks, Gnome G! That Casey's a lucky dog. Woof.

see ya later this week!

1. Anne Marie and High Energy Jenny are excellent travel companions, and they will have me laughing almost the entire trip. Except for when I'm sleeping in the car. And even then, I'm laughing on the inside.

That's Stacy in the back with HEJ. Aren't they cute?

2. My dog, Bella, is clearly part sheep. She's got the long legs and the funny walk, and I found some with similar coloring! Maybe the sheep are part Bella. Check out this one for evidence.

Sheepy schmoo.

3. Even if you're getting really bad service, dinner can still be fun, in the right company.

And also, Buffalo Chicken Salad makes a girl happy after a long day of yarning around.

4. Self portraits, even at the beginning of the drinking, will turn out horribly. Your companion in the photo will of course look great.

damn you, Vibegrrl!

5. When your imaginary online friends meet you in person, they will realize that you only put the absolute BEST pictures of yourself online. Your elaborate editing process will be revealed when they will start using their own cameras and see how the CAMERA ACTUALLY HATES YOU. Click to see how much the camera hates me. Further evidence can be found in Vibegrrl's Maryland Sheep and Wool photo album...

Read on, if you're interested!

We had to get up! Woo-hoo!

Work it Sarah!

Jenny has a quiet moment after bustin' out Lovefool.

I am proud to say that we totally started the karaoke up, and then all the other people in the bar started singing, perhaps to drown out our hooting and hollering. Of course Tiny Frecklegirl got out of control:

Party. Animal.

And then Lara and Snargle Sarah lost control...

she got friendly, down in the s-a-a-and...

and by the end of the evening, we were all exhausted. Click to see the exhaustion (except for Tiny FG, who's standing strong in the middle of the table...how does she do it?)

oh, my. It was just so much fun. I did get a little bit of yarn, for those who asked, but my current financial situation does not lend itself to many -- er, any extravagant yarn purchases. There was one brief lapse of sanity when me and the Sarahs were frantically digging through a 50percent off bin, and I came up for air with like 10 skeins of some cottton in my arms, and a crazed look in my eye, and thank GOD I took a deep breath and put it all back. And backed away. Yarn isn't worth the rent money, yo. :)

But, the trip was worth every last dime spent. I confess: I was there for the people. I was there to spend time with my dear friends High Energy Jenny and Anne Marie, and to reunite with some old friends, and to make some new friends who I really think I'll stay in touch with. This whole blogging thing is pretty crazy sometimes, and sometimes it can cause drama. But having a knitblog has introduced me to fantastic women who live hundreds and hundreds of miles away, and how else would I EVER meet them? I wouldn't trade that for all the Brooks Farm mohair blend yarn in the world. **

**Um, I mean, actually I probably WOULD trade it for the Brooks Farm mohair. But you get my point.

1. Anne Marie and High Energy Jenny are excellent travel companions, and they will have me laughing almost the entire trip. Except for when I'm sleeping in the car. And even then, I'm laughing on the inside.

That's Stacy in the back with HEJ. Aren't they cute?

2. My dog, Bella, is clearly part sheep. She's got the long legs and the funny walk, and I found some with similar coloring! Maybe the sheep are part Bella. Check out this one for evidence.

Sheepy schmoo.

3. Even if you're getting really bad service, dinner can still be fun, in the right company.

And also, Buffalo Chicken Salad makes a girl happy after a long day of yarning around.

4. Self portraits, even at the beginning of the drinking, will turn out horribly. Your companion in the photo will of course look great.

damn you, Vibegrrl!

5. When your imaginary online friends meet you in person, they will realize that you only put the absolute BEST pictures of yourself online. Your elaborate editing process will be revealed when they will start using their own cameras and see how the CAMERA ACTUALLY HATES YOU. Click to see how much the camera hates me. Further evidence can be found in Vibegrrl's Maryland Sheep and Wool photo album...

Read on, if you're interested!

We had to get up! Woo-hoo!

Work it Sarah!

Jenny has a quiet moment after bustin' out Lovefool.

I am proud to say that we totally started the karaoke up, and then all the other people in the bar started singing, perhaps to drown out our hooting and hollering. Of course Tiny Frecklegirl got out of control:

Party. Animal.

And then Lara and Snargle Sarah lost control...

she got friendly, down in the s-a-a-and...

and by the end of the evening, we were all exhausted. Click to see the exhaustion (except for Tiny FG, who's standing strong in the middle of the table...how does she do it?)

oh, my. It was just so much fun. I did get a little bit of yarn, for those who asked, but my current financial situation does not lend itself to many -- er, any extravagant yarn purchases. There was one brief lapse of sanity when me and the Sarahs were frantically digging through a 50percent off bin, and I came up for air with like 10 skeins of some cottton in my arms, and a crazed look in my eye, and thank GOD I took a deep breath and put it all back. And backed away. Yarn isn't worth the rent money, yo. :)

But, the trip was worth every last dime spent. I confess: I was there for the people. I was there to spend time with my dear friends High Energy Jenny and Anne Marie, and to reunite with some old friends, and to make some new friends who I really think I'll stay in touch with. This whole blogging thing is pretty crazy sometimes, and sometimes it can cause drama. But having a knitblog has introduced me to fantastic women who live hundreds and hundreds of miles away, and how else would I EVER meet them? I wouldn't trade that for all the Brooks Farm mohair blend yarn in the world. **

**Um, I mean, actually I probably WOULD trade it for the Brooks Farm mohair. But you get my point.

Here's the last picture I took before we hit the road.
Vibegrrl Lara, HE Jenny, Small Hands Chelsea, me, Anne Marie.
Damn, we just had Bob Evans for breakfast, and it was so good.

Read more in the extended entry! (Warning: this extremely long entry is full of pictures of me, other bloggers, and some farm animals. There is very little knitting involved. If this will bore you, move along, I say! If you are interested, CLICK TO EXPERIENCE THE FUN TIMES! WOO!)

Look! it's Frecklegirl in South Carolina!

So if you see an extra tiny person in some of the pics, it's Frecklegirl. and we love her.

The festival was SO huge. I was not expecting so many people to be at a Sheep and Wool Festival, but these people were NOT messing around. When we were walking in at 10:00 am, people were walking out with ginormously tall bags of yarn, roving, and other stuff, which of course made me want to run in and grab some before it all got bought.

But, really, I wasn't there for the shopping. I was there for the blogger sightings!

Anne Marie, Heather, Kelly

Me and Girl Reaction Carolyn

Anne Marie, me, Knittish Rossana, High Energy Jenny

And this was all in the first hour! It was very overwhelming, actually. The few times I've met bloggers previously, it was in a much smaller situation and there was lots of time to sit and talk, etc. This weekend was complete blogger immersion. Add that to the absolutely INSANE amount of breathtaking yarn that was at every corner and you've got an overwhelmed Carrieoke, fer sure. But that didn't stop me from trucking on...hello, there are people to see! Er, people and animals.

How cute are the cuddly lamb baby schmoos??

I tried on several occasions to pet a sheepy sheep and they hated my guts. One sheep liked this little girl better, even though she was squeezing his neck and pulling his fleece. Clearly, I repel sheep.

And of course, I couldn't miss the working dog demonstration. All my pictures of it suck, but the border collies out there were so smart and cute and totally showing the sheep who is boss. I got to spend some time with these fabulous ladies while we watched the schmoos:

Me, Two Purls Jen, January One Cara

(I always think of Jen's blog as Snoozing Pug because she has a cute little pug named Oscar. So, all day, I'm hanging out with Two Purls Jen, not realizing that Two Purls Jen is actually Snoozing Pug Jen who I've known online for like two years. D'oh!) But either way, she's fabulous and so is Cara, who showed me the evil delciousness of Brooks Farm...oh, the yummy, yummy yarn. I love you, Brooks Farm Harmony.

I totally forgot to snap a picture, but someone (One Stitch Short Sarah? **edited to add**it was actually Pink Monkey Jenna!) spotted Wendy on the grassy knoll and Jenny snagged her so we could all say hi. SO super nice and easy to talk to. And then we got to meet the Harlot. She is witty and gracious and friendly and she was totally chilling on the grass outside the main exhibition, looking at everyone's purchases and laughing with us. In a sad twist of fate that I'm calling the Photo Gods Hate My Guts, here is a picture of me, the Yarn Harlot, and Tiny Frecklegirl.

Hi, my name is Carrie and I look COMPLETELY STONED in my picture with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.
At least Frecklegirl looks respectable.

I also randomly ran into two bloggers that I was hoping to see there! I'm hoping neither of them think I'm insane... Elspeth, the extremely funny and nice Wry Punster:

Check out her Audrey!

We recognized each other and I got to chat with Elspeth and her nice companions for a bit before moving on, and then I realized that I didn't take a picture (!) so I actually chased her down in the crowd, yelling her name. I'm glad she didn't run away after that.

Also recognized Kim of Kim's Knitting World while perusing the yarn in the Main Exhibition Hall ...

the bloggers are everywhere!

It was super fun to scan the crowd and try to see familiar faces. I actually had several people say hi, I'm a reader, which was so nice and exciting and strange(in a good way). I think Grape Fanta gave me away a couple of times! It also gave me a really strange sunburn.

Okay, I'm delirious from all the linking and the typing and the fun times, so I'm going to stop this one here. Next installment will include Korean karaoke, large lemony beverages and a windshield cleaning. And more blogger pics. CAN YOU STAND THE FUN TIMES?

Here's the last picture I took before we hit the road.
Vibegrrl Lara, HE Jenny, Small Hands Chelsea, me, Anne Marie.
Damn, we just had Bob Evans for breakfast, and it was so good.

Read more in the extended entry! (Warning: this extremely long entry is full of pictures of me, other bloggers, and some farm animals. There is very little knitting involved. If this will bore you, move along, I say! If you are interested, CLICK TO EXPERIENCE THE FUN TIMES! WOO!)

Look! it's Frecklegirl in South Carolina!

So if you see an extra tiny person in some of the pics, it's Frecklegirl. and we love her.

The festival was SO huge. I was not expecting so many people to be at a Sheep and Wool Festival, but these people were NOT messing around. When we were walking in at 10:00 am, people were walking out with ginormously tall bags of yarn, roving, and other stuff, which of course made me want to run in and grab some before it all got bought.

But, really, I wasn't there for the shopping. I was there for the blogger sightings!

Anne Marie, Heather, Kelly

Me and Girl Reaction Carolyn

Anne Marie, me, Knittish Rossana, High Energy Jenny

And this was all in the first hour! It was very overwhelming, actually. The few times I've met bloggers previously, it was in a much smaller situation and there was lots of time to sit and talk, etc. This weekend was complete blogger immersion. Add that to the absolutely INSANE amount of breathtaking yarn that was at every corner and you've got an overwhelmed Carrieoke, fer sure. But that didn't stop me from trucking on...hello, there are people to see! Er, people and animals.

How cute are the cuddly lamb baby schmoos??

I tried on several occasions to pet a sheepy sheep and they hated my guts. One sheep liked this little girl better, even though she was squeezing his neck and pulling his fleece. Clearly, I repel sheep.

And of course, I couldn't miss the working dog demonstration. All my pictures of it suck, but the border collies out there were so smart and cute and totally showing the sheep who is boss. I got to spend some time with these fabulous ladies while we watched the schmoos:

Me, Two Purls Jen, January One Cara

(I always think of Jen's blog as Snoozing Pug because she has a cute little pug named Oscar. So, all day, I'm hanging out with Two Purls Jen, not realizing that Two Purls Jen is actually Snoozing Pug Jen who I've known online for like two years. D'oh!) But either way, she's fabulous and so is Cara, who showed me the evil delciousness of Brooks Farm...oh, the yummy, yummy yarn. I love you, Brooks Farm Harmony.

I totally forgot to snap a picture, but someone (One Stitch Short Sarah? **edited to add**it was actually Pink Monkey Jenna!) spotted Wendy on the grassy knoll and Jenny snagged her so we could all say hi. SO super nice and easy to talk to. And then we got to meet the Harlot. She is witty and gracious and friendly and she was totally chilling on the grass outside the main exhibition, looking at everyone's purchases and laughing with us. In a sad twist of fate that I'm calling the Photo Gods Hate My Guts, here is a picture of me, the Yarn Harlot, and Tiny Frecklegirl.

Hi, my name is Carrie and I look COMPLETELY STONED in my picture with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.
At least Frecklegirl looks respectable.

I also randomly ran into two bloggers that I was hoping to see there! I'm hoping neither of them think I'm insane... Elspeth, the extremely funny and nice Wry Punster:

Check out her Audrey!

We recognized each other and I got to chat with Elspeth and her nice companions for a bit before moving on, and then I realized that I didn't take a picture (!) so I actually chased her down in the crowd, yelling her name. I'm glad she didn't run away after that.

Also recognized Kim of Kim's Knitting World while perusing the yarn in the Main Exhibition Hall ...

the bloggers are everywhere!

It was super fun to scan the crowd and try to see familiar faces. I actually had several people say hi, I'm a reader, which was so nice and exciting and strange(in a good way). I think Grape Fanta gave me away a couple of times! It also gave me a really strange sunburn.

Okay, I'm delirious from all the linking and the typing and the fun times, so I'm going to stop this one here. Next installment will include Korean karaoke, large lemony beverages and a windshield cleaning. And more blogger pics. CAN YOU STAND THE FUN TIMES?