Five for Friday

1. So, I had a fabulous time in Minneapolis last weekend!

I traveled there with 38 women from my church to attend the

Women of Faith Conference: Loved, the Farewell Tour.

 We got there Thursday evening, which gave us a free evening at the Mall of America.

I bought this top in black, & a short sleeve orange V-neck from Macy's.

I also picked up these cowboy boots for Sage -- who loves them!

(I'm bummed that her feet are now bigger than mine, so I can't borrow them.

They're pretty cool...)

 The next day, we had our bus driver take us to the Eagan Outlet Centre

-- what a great mall!

Originally, my best friend and I were only going to shop there for the morning

and return to the Mall of America, but by the time the bus was suppose

to take us back, we were only in our third store! LOL!

So, we stayed there for the day.

I got a sleeveless top from Banana Republic and a black puffy, hooded vest

for Sage, as well as a pair of jeans and a few tops.

But the best deal I got was a new winter coat from Calvin Klein!

It's nice, looks warm and it was regularly $340, but with all

the discounts I got, I ended up paying $138 -- and there's no tax in Minnesota!

Sweet!

2.  The conference was very good!

Once again, I started crying during the first song.

(Something about this conference has the same effect on me as a flashmob --

I just get all teary! It's crazy!)

There were so many great speakers who make you laugh, but also make you think.

I bought this book by Glennon Doyle Melton and I am determined to read it.

(I tend to be more of a fiction reader than non-fiction.)

I'm also determined to tell my story.

I'm not sure what exactly that will look like, but it will probably happen here

on my blog, so stay tuned.... ;)

3. Another highlight of the concert was seeing the band Building 429 play.

I decided to buy their CD for Austin and a T-shirt for Jonah.

Then, I realized that they would be signing autographs,

so, knowing how much Austin would love to have it signed,

I stood in line for 45 minutes to wait.

They said we couldn't take photographs with the band,

but I noticed a woman a head of me get one.

So, while I got this nice shot of the lead singer,

I decided to ask if I could get a photo with him.

He said, with a very nice smile: "Well, we're not suppose to take photos."

"But that woman ahead of me got one," I replied.

"Well, we make acceptions for family," he said.

So, I said: "But I'm your sister in Christ."

He smiled and said: "Well, that's true. How about a hug instead?"

"Sure!"

He was very sweet, as was the rest of the band members.

And the CD is great, too! ;)

4. We got back late, late Saturday night, like after 1am. 

Sage and I drove to St. Francois Xavier on Sunday afternoon to this lovely old church.

(Look, Sage is wearing her new boots!)

There, we got to watch Austin perform with the Central Manitoba Youth Choir.

They had actually taken the stage a little early, because their choir manager had read the time wrong.

They decided to wait until 3pm to start, so I asked: "Can we take some photos while we wait?"

So perfect!

And their performance was amazing!

Laughter, tears, wonder and chills..... it was so fabulous!

I'm so glad Austin could be a part of such a talented group & 

have such a great experience touring with them!

5. Lastly, I have a card to share that I made using some Reverse Confetti products

for the Fusion Card Challenge: All Hallow's Eve.

Now, I probably should have made a Halloween card for this challenge,

but I made a thanksgiving one instead....

I was inspired by the owl on the perch, the woodgrain & the fun foliage.

I decided to use my Pumpkin Patch stamps & coordinating Confetti Cuts.

I started by inking the back of my white cardstock panel with some

Altenew Frayed Leaf ink.

I trimmed a piece of Crate patterned paper to create my shelf.

I stamped my leaves (from Pumpkin Patch) on my background and onto diecuts,

using a rock 'n roll technique with Frayed Leaf and Altenew's Forest Glades.

I repeated the same technique on my pumpkin using

PTI's orange zest and terracotta tile inks.

 

Thanks for looking!