Busy Day

Today was gallery closing day - made the appointment to tear down for 9:30 am. Recruited my mom to help tear down, fold, unpin, etc. We arrived - and found that the gallery director (and possibly some volunteers) had ALREADY TORN DOWN my displays and had everything ready for me to pack. It had to have been a big job - putting it UP took me almost 3 hours. It took us just 20 minutes to pack the totes and bags and cart it all down to the Jeep. If I didn't know and like the gallery director so well - I would have thought they were kicking me out! I only sold the 3 pieces the day of the opening though. A little disappointing - but happy and thankful that they asked me to participate at all. Now I have the task of making room for all the unsold pieces at the shop! YIKES!
So after hauling it all back in to the shop, and spending the entire afternoon bagging and tagging new (well - almost new, slightly used) beads - and a leisurely lunch, of course - we got to have a wonderful dinner too! My husband and I have started a tradition of treating our parents (my parents/his mom) to dinner at a RITZY expensive restaurant soon after my parents make their trek home from Florida. It helps that we've had gift certificates to these ritzy places twice now - but I believe we'll continue the tradition, anyway, as long as we can. They all enjoy each other's company, and my dad and his mom went to school together - so it's always a nice time listening to them talk about old times.
Tonight's gift certificate place (a Christmas gift) was in a town about 30 minutes away - Williamston - a place called The Red Cedar Grille. (Anytime a place around here uses the E on the end of a word - we know it's expensive!) It was a wonderful place, excellent attentive service and great food. It was also my dad's birthday this time - so it seemed extra special.
I wish I had one of those fancy camera phones so that I could have taken a picture of our little group! Maybe someday.....
Then we returned to our place and walked my front garden and smelled the peonies....
All in all - a busy day - and a GREAT day with family....
TTFN