Spa Retreat - Part 1 - Arrival


I'm home!  Am I refreshed?   ha.... I'm exhausted actually..... but it is a good exhaustion from laughing and having a great time with 10 other ladies.   The whole experience was AMAZING!  Our hostess' for the weekend were Kristine Widtfeldt, VP Sales & Marketing and Monica Wihongi, VP Training, Events and Events for Close To My Heart.  

We arrived in Salt Lake City in the afternoon and a shuttle whisked us away to this beautiful scrapbooking retreat in Heber City, Utah.   We settled into our rooms where we found these gift bags on each of our beds waiting for us!  It's a tote that contained these fuzzy pink slippers (so cozy!), my favorite snacks and a Diet Coke to wash them down, a monogramed coffee cup, 4 CD's of fun scrappin' music, a mani/pedi kit and an adorable door hanger!   (see close up below)  What a way to start the weekend!  We also each got a new Faux Leather Album!

Door Hanger  
Marci, our weekend chef, had a wonderful meal waiting for us once we settled in.   Then we played a 'get to know each other game'.  The winner received ALL FOUR Autumn/Winter WOTG kits.  WOW!! It wasn't me.  I do have to say that Krista (the winner) was over the weight limit by 9 lbs when she checked her luggage.   No worries, she took them out of the her suitcase (among a few other items) and carried them on the plane in her tote.  (I think her tote now weighed more than her suitcase!)  

After the game we proceeded upstairs to the scrappin' area where we began the first layout of the night.  Now, I'd LOVE to show you pictures and tell you all about this first layout but it's a BIG SECRET that will have to wait until the new Spring/Summer Idea Book comes out!  YEP!  That's right!  We got a sneak peak at the newest WOTG kit.   YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!!!!    
Scrappin' with Kristine (she's standing at the end of the table)
Now - you can look and even magnify this picture to your little hearts content but you won't see the new paper pack in this picture!   This was the next day and that pack was already tucked away.  Did I already say ...." YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT"..... oh I did..... but I had to say it again.  :)

We completed 11 layouts and 4 clear cards this weekend.   I won't show them all tonight.... I will save them to show over the next few days so you will have to keep checking back.   

One last thought for the night....  This was an AMAZING experience.   9 strangers from different parts of the US came together with one thing in common.... Close To My Heart.    We left this morning with tears in our eyes because we bonded so much over such a short period of time.  Kristine and Monica were so 'real' and each day I kept thinking how blessed I was to be a part of Close To My Heart.   I will forever cherish these memories and these friendships that I have made this past weekend.   
Cherish Today - Our Cover Page for our Album

Comments

  1. MelanieOctober 11, 2010 at 10:25 AM

    LOVE IT! (Wonder how many of us were trying to see if we could get a sneak peek...LOL...had to then crack up at your paragraph AFTER I clicked on the picture! LOL)

    So glad you had fun...looking forward to more stories from your weekend!!! LOVE the farmhouse! Looks WONDERFUL!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Krista Hershberger ---- Krista's Crafty with CTMHOctober 11, 2010 at 3:50 PM

    Oh Gina! :)

    I was so excited to read your post! What a great job...I need to start blogging! :) I can't quite get started with anything at home today...I just keep thinking of all of my new friends and wondering how everyone made out in their travels back to their homes.

    I hope you had a great Monday! We'll be in touch, but have a WONDERFUL time in Florida later on this week! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. VocabdivaOctober 11, 2010 at 4:12 PM

    Your post was amazing! I can't believe it's over already; I miss spending the days with you scrappin' and the nights eating and laughing. What a pure blessing to get to know each of you 9 EXTRAORDINARY moms, artists, wives, professionals, and FRIENDS. Glad you're home safely!

    ReplyDelete
  4. LaurieOctober 11, 2010 at 6:59 PM

    What a fabulous, wonderful weekend. Glad to see you made it home safely - miss you, Have fun in Florida!

    ReplyDelete
  5. ThreekidsOctober 12, 2010 at 8:44 AM

    What a wonderful weekend!!! What stamp did you use on the cover page - it looks like ceramic tile?

    ReplyDelete
  6. KarenOctober 14, 2010 at 5:53 AM

    Melanie, I did the same thing! lol Sounds like you had the time of your life. Close To My Heart certainly knows how to have a good time!

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownOctober 15, 2010 at 7:53 PM

    So happy to read your posts and reminisce alittle! Gosh i miss everyone so much. You took some awesome pics too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Shelly VaughtOctober 18, 2010 at 9:10 AM

    Oh my gosh! I did the close-up on the photo before reading the next lines too. LOL! Sneaky. I'm looking forward to your pictures & story of the retreat. It's like a good book that you can't wait to get to the next chapter. :o) Thanks for sharing this with all of us!!

    ReplyDelete

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