So what do I talk about now? There are so many memories of this trip that I want to get them all out before I forget them all. And trying to keep them in order is making my brain hurt. LOL!!!
Anyways.... Gina and Marita were picked up by Elena's friend Jacquie and spent the morning recuperating at her apartment while Elena and I went to Miami airport and picked up Eileen, Jen and Sue. (We had some sushi at a little Japanese bar while we waited for all of them to arrive.) Elena tried to get me to try the "Cuban" coffee but I can't stand the taste of coffee. (I hear this stuff will put hair on your chest and is only drunk a shot at a time.) After everyone was gathered we headed off to a Cuban restaurant called Versailles and had a fabulous meal. Afterwards we were serenaded by the Spanish version of a mariachi band.

Starting at the "red shirt" and going around the table clockwise, this is who everyone is. Marita Kovalik, Gina Goodling, Sue Young, Jennifer Rogers-Daniels, Juliet Arrighi, Jacquie Valdespino (standing) me, Lillian Mederak, Elena Vigil-Farinas and Eileen Bellomo.
The food was awesome and I got to try all kinds of new flavors. There was fried plantains, fried yucca which is kinda like a french fry, fried ham and cheese sticks (don't know what they were called) with a wonderful dipping sauce. We all had some really good Sangria and nibbled on each others dishes all night. It ended with a wonderful dessert called tres leche (spelling?) which means "triple milk". It's a sponge cake with 3 kinds of milk soaked into it with whipped cream on it. It's enough sugar to make your body go into insulin shock but it was delicious.
Once we got back to Key Largo we had to stay and chat to get to know each other so I know the 3 of us that stayed in the big RV didn't get to sleep until almost 1am. (Gina, Marita and I got the RV suite.) The cute thing is that there was a package each night from the pillow fairies and we had no idea who was doing it.

The first night was a package of ear plugs and 2 fortune cookies from fabric with a saying in each one. I thought I had it figured out that Nicole was the one doing it but I was proven wrong later. (Nicole is Elena's sons girlfriend and lives with them.)

The second night was a roll of this cool packing tape with images printed on it. When I thanked Nicole for it she looked either confused or satisfied but I wasn't sure which. (I still had no idea it wasn't her.)

The next night we got this package of cards and a luggage tag for our suitcases. I have no idea what I will use the cards for but they are extremely hilarious. (Is still have no idea who is doing this but I am sure it is not Nicole because of her reaction the night before.)
So on the second day....
I am usually an early riser but I didn't haul my ass out of bed until about 8am. Once we all got breakfast and everyone else had their shot of cuban coffee the "sisterhood" started in a frenzy.
Patty, Jen, Eileen and the back of Lillian's head are having breakfast.
Everyone busted out the goodies in the beach bags and exchanged all the other gifts we brought for one another. Once they all got their hands on the journals that I brought it was decided unanimously that they wanted to work on them so they could be bound before they all left. Before the journal was started we all gessoed the background of our rosin paper for Eileen's class on Lynn Perella's workshop. (More explanation on that tomorrow.) The first technique I showed was the Drunken Scotch technique on the ticket frame for the front of the journal. (I then showed then how to make it into a shaker box.) Once that was completed to a chorus of oooooo's and ahhhhhh's the next technique I showed was something I have dubbed "Inlaid Embossing". (The video tutorial will be forthcoming so don't fret.) It's a way of layering embossed images on top of a smooth layer of thick embossing powder so that it looks like it's inlaid. Some of the powders even ended up looking like copper enamel ware so I think it was very cool.
Juliet, Jen, Eileen and Nicole all busily working on embossing or painting. (The suspected Pillow Fairy looks too cool, calm and collected at this point.)
Linda and Patty are busy working on embossing also. They are 2 of Elena's Scrapbooking buddies that didn't join us at the restaurant. (You can just see me in the mirror from the other room if you look close.)

Gina is happily embossing away. Occasionally her and Marita would get into little squabbles over where some supply disappeared to. Then the ensuing "mine, mine, mine" could be heard and we all had to join in. (like the seagulls from Finding Nemo.) By the end of the week we were sure that Elena's Blue Macaw, Pancho, would have picked that one up but so far he hasn't.
I think we all ended up at a local restaurant called the Marlin for dinner but I am still in a daze from it all. I can't remember what we did after dinner when we got back but I'm sure it will come to me eventually. (I just hope no one has any compromising pictures of me from that night.)
Be sure and come back tomorrow for more details....