I know - I know, you don't have to tell me.  Haven't posted in my BLOG in a couple years.  You see I've found Facebook.  LOL My bad.  So, now I am posting.  Hurray.

The reason for all the new found goodness?  Well, I have loads of pictures to share with you and my feeble brain only knows how to do certain things, and so I've made a cool Journal of sorts of my recent trip to Houston, Texas for The ISGB Conference "The Gathering" July 16 - 21, 2014.  ISGB stands for Interenational Society of Glass Beadmakers. It's a lampwork thing - some people call it flamework. Has to do with melting glass on a mandrel with bead release on the mandrel.

 I was generously awarded a full scholarship of 5 nights at the luxurious Hyatt Regency plus full Conference Fees all paid in full and a ticket to the Banquet!  Oh be still my heart.  I'm still in shock ... Thank you Generous Benefactor.  Thank you.  I'm humbled beyond words. I had a wonderful time even if I did have to eat all my meals in my room as I didn't have enough money to eat out.  Yogurt in the morning and sandwiches at lunch (with grapes of course) ... as well as an apple and peanut butter for dinner.  And I don't even like peanut butter - you know what?  it worked! My birthday was July 17 - I think this was the best way to celebrate my birthday ever.

Without further adu ... I'd like to add a link to where all the pictures I took are located - all 149 of them.
Click here for the Flickr link to the Gathering pictures  Under my name at the bottom left of the screen I have typed on most of them the name of the picture (so you will know what you are looking at) and also some have paragraphs of information there as well.  There's some great information hidden down there, but you have to know to look for it - at least I did.  BTW, thanks for looking!

I don't exactly know how to put them in this Blog without them being one at a time forever long on the page.
Write to me and let me know what you think, okay?  I'm posting this on Facebook as well so please pardon duplicates if you will.

       ~ Babette