Convention - Day 1

Hi everyone!
Just wanted to share a few photos from our first day of Convention last week. I don't have all my photos yet - usually my bff Tiffany sends me lots and lots of them since she takes most of them! but she had a rough journey home and is still recuperating! So, here's just a few to give you a glimpse of the fun of it all.

When we enter the Salt Palace Convention Center, the doors have Decor Elements artwork on them. These doors in the "salt shaker" entrance had our logo with some fun 'growth' that fit our "Grow" theme this year.

Wednesday morning - which is check-in day, I was invited to participate in a Focus Group. I can't tell you what we talked about or I'd have to kill you - top secret stuff ya know!
Everyone loved their Convention Bags! Here's a group of my friends showing off theirs: from L to R: Emily Haug, Tiffany Bauer, Sheila Cooper, Selene Kempton, Shelley Raines and April Sinclair.
Here I am with Tiffany and some of the girls in her downline team. See all the ladies around us? Well, that's just a small sampling of all the demonstrators who were spread out in the lobby. They were all ooohing and aaahing over their Convention Catalog Binders and the fun things in their Convention Bags!
I got to meet a ton of fun stamping friends from my upline Jan Wakeland's group, the RemARKable Stampers. I'm not sure of all the names in this photo, but Becky Evans is in yellow, Cathy Seals (I think) is in brown, Ruth Murphy is to my left in the photo and Michele Rey is in blue on my other side. Becky was named #2 Rising Star this year and I was especially happy for her. I remember being the #1 Rising Star at the 2007 Dream Big Convention in Denver and it was a very surreal experience. Such an honor and a surprise too!
Just look at this lunch room! A little bit bigger than my high school! This area was called the Gathering Place as we gathered here many times during Convention. It's set up to accomodate over 3000 of us and in this photo especially, it seems to go on and on. When you've walked all day, believe me it feels like it too! LOL!

It took all day the first day, but my bff Tara Bazata and I finally found each other during the Opening Night Party. Tara lives in the Denver area and even though we talk on the phone quite a bit, we don't get to see each other nearly enough! I was thrilled for Tara as she earned Founder's Circle again this year!
I had to include this fun shot from the Opening Night Party. My newest downline, Diana, is right in the middle of this crowd waiting with the others to rush forward for something! See her with the glasses and long blonde hair? This was her first convention and it was super special for her - she got to attend with her daughter, Della, who was also at her first convention and is her upline! How fun is that?!
So, you've already seen the photo of me with my Advisory Board Girls at our little party that night. Here are a couple photos of Shelli with Sara. Shelli is opening her gifts from us - some jewelry from Dear Lizzie (which she wore on two different days of convention!);
and a My Digital Studio 12 x 12 memory book of our year. We each have one and all signed each others for a very special memory! Shelli seems excited, don't you think?
So, that's all for today - I'll have more photos to share with you in the coming days - there was so much going on and I spent time with so many friends, it's going to take a few posts to get it all in!

Happy stamping~

~~Robin