What a difference a day makes!

Oh my,  a day can make an enormous difference.  Yesterday, Patti and I stayed at a hotel whose name I can't even remember.  I think it was the Comfort Inn and we were in Chattanooga. Today we are at La Quinta Inn and Suites in Paducah. Not that the hotel yesterday was sketchy but it was a bit on the run down side.  My room for the next couple of days makes up for that one night.  When I finally got to the room last night about 9:30 PM, I couldn't find the bedroom!   Yep - I got a huge suite and there is so much room, I don't know where to put my stuff.

And it's pretty much brand new so that is a treat.  The carpet has this weird multi-height texture which is cool when you walk on it.  I want the clock that is by the bed, the lamps in the room are very bright - just need a sewing machine and I could stay here forever!

Yesterday was essentially a work/travel day.  Our intention was to leave the hotel at 9 AM, but we didn't end up leaving until 10:30.  Patti needed to get some work done on her car and I needed to check in with the team back at the office.  So while Patti got her car serviced, I was in a SKYPE meeting which Patti later joined. Everything got fixed up and then we were on the road.

It was exciting to see the Paducah signs as we approached.  The geography here is beautiful.  Actually, the geography in Tennessee was very hilly, lots of trees and interesting roads.  It was like a knife had cut the hills away once we hit the Kentucky border - we were immediately into farms and flat land.

Thank goodness for text and phone abilities at a reasonable rate as Rich, who was coming in from the northeast, and I were able to keep in touch.  He also had his car serviced yesterday!

We weren't a hundred percent sure where our booth was and we started off at the bubble.  I guess it's called the Dome - one of those giant inflatable tents. Nope - not our booth there, but I ran up and down all the aisles.  I just pray that we are kept so busy in our booth that we have NO time to walk around.  There's so much to see!!!!   Great vendors with awesome stuff to buy.

My boothmates have already offered to take my credit card away from me and it might not be a bad idea!!

So while the Dome has a very high ceiling and is airy, we are in the convention center.  OK. but when we arrived, we are in the "dungeon".  The ceiling is 8 feet high, there are cables and wires running EVERYWHERE.  It's very weird, but the lighting is not bad as they have installed a lot of lighting.  I got the impression from chatting with others that they did not always have this lighting and well - that could be a big problem.

We got our booth set up - these things always take longer than you think they will and then it was preview night.  People spent $25 each to get in for a two-hour preview of the main event.  The first hour was a bit slow, but then we had a lot of people come by.  Hello to Marsha from Canada who stopped by and we spent a lot of time chatting with Susan, the designer and creator or the Town and Country 365 Block A Day quilt.  I had met her in Houston, but Patti knows her quite well and well - we just had a super good chat.   Always business-related of course!!!!

Northcott booth at Paducah

Right side of the booth

Left side of the booth

Yes - it's going to be squishy for three people, but we'll manage.  And perhaps one of us will get squeezed out and well - I might just have to take my credit card!   No - we'll be fine in the booth.

I do have to say that it's exciting to be here.  There are people everywhere, buses everywhere, but it's not all in one location although things are close by.  I'll take pictures so you can see.  It's just a very weird set-up. The show got huge, the place didn't have the facilities and they made the best of it.

Patti and Susan - The Gourmet Quilter

On that note, I'd better get my GPS out so I can find my way back to the bedroom and ultimately the bathroom so I can get ready for the day.  I'm kidding  - it's not quite that big, but it's not small.  Funny - we had to stop at the hotel to pick up a box that I had shipped here. When we arrived, they couldn't find the box, although I knew it had been delivered. Rich had already checked us in and I was in a room on the 4th floor.  But when I ran up there - there was no box.  Back to the lobby and after a bit of searching, it was confirmed that I wasn't supposed to be on the 4th floor. Nope - I was booked on the second floor. Got the new key and ran up the stairs and there was my box.  I was in a hurry and never even noticed that it was a suite, not a room.  That's how much of a hurry I was in!!!!

And while I know the weather is warm back home, it is so pleasant to be walking around with no jacket or even a sweater.  Ah - spring has arrived.

I won't be able to post pictures during the day - keeping those data costs down, but we have free wi-fi in the room so all my posts will have to be at the end of the day - on Facebook. But you can text me - I have unlimited access to talk and text.

Have a super awesome day!!

Ciao!!!!