Nine women, nine quilt shops and a limo...

Crazy huh? Turns out crazy is just what I needed.

For several days prior to the Shop Hop (that's what they call these types of outings) I was looking for an out. I was a little anxious about being away from Mike for a day - never mind I spend entire work days away from him and I'm ok - but on Friday I sucked it up, got in Ruby (our van in case you forgot) and met Catherine and a few other members of the Headwaters Quilt Guild for our big adventure.

Catherine had turned some mature agewhere upon your husband buys you a limo for the day hands you a credit card and says "See YA!" So, there we were: Catherine, Margaret, Shirley, Mindy, Joan and me on our way to 13 shops in a day. We picked up Mary in Park Rapids and caught up with Kathy and her friend Sherry in Detroit Lakes at our first shop.

I, apparently, have been living under a rock or maybe it was in the tipi, I don't know, but I was completely clueless as to what we were doing. At the first shop Mindy took me by the hand and helped me get my "passport" and free quilt block package. "Get your passport stamped at each shop and don't forget to get your block." she schooled me. Turns out this thing we were doing is part of something called the Minnesota Shop Hop. (shrugs). There are thirteen shops in our section of the state and if you get stamped at all thirteen you get thirteen yards of fabric. Plus, they give you a pattern and fabric from some Minnesota fabric at each shop. Hmmmmm....cool.

So, there I was, all Mimosa'd up and shopping with the pros! Did I mention we had food and drink in the limo? Mindy brought fresh carmel rolls and mimosa mix. Margaret had cinnamon tortilla chips and fruit dip. There were also Twizzlers, chips, cookies and chocolate; a rolling snack feast is what it was.

We rolled about 400 miles on Friday. We went to Detroit Lakes, Moorhead, Fergus Falls, Pelican Rapids, Perham, Park Rapids, Walker, Hackensack and Pine River. We arrived back in Bemidji around 8:30 that evening all shopped out. Did I buy fabric? YES...Did I have fun? YES...would I do it again...YES. I enjoyed my time with some of the quilters I only get to see on second Tuesdays from 6:30 - 8:30. It was nice to get to know them a bit better and share a lot of laughter.

Did I survive being away from Mike....YES...but you all knew that. There were times I wasn't even worried about him and I needed that more than I knew. So, I'm thinking that maybe Catherine, when she invited me, knew this too, at least that's what I'm going to think.

It wasn't until our second to last stop that Joan and I admitted to each other how hard it had been to get ourselves to go on this trip. Joan is in the same boat with a husband who is newly battling cancer (Margaret's husband is too but I think they've been at it longer and might be better at it than Joan and I...I aspire to being better at it someday). Still, Joan and I were glad we gone along.

Now here is where I'm supposed to have some sort of revelation or sage words but really all this was...was another lesson in keeping my feet moving and letting others help me along a pretty long tough portage. So, for those of my quilting sisters who are reading this I say THANK you for your healing! I'm a lucky girl!

Piece,
Karen