VS Retreat, Part 1

Home now from my Victoria spring break, I must unpack and get back into the home routine. This little vacation was certainly what I needed to brush off the winter blahs. A long drive and time with friends in the spring has become a habit of mine, one not to be broken.

Last Tuesday, I drove to Connie's home in Lacey, arriving shortly before she got home from work. DH John and daughters Amy and Lizzie were there and I was able to get my hands on little Gracie for the first time - such a sweet little peanut. Alana surprised me by running right to me and hopping into my lap, regaling me with all kinds of stories which I only half understood! :D After dinner, Connie and I drove to Anacortes, spending the night there so we could catch the early morning ferry to Sidney, B.C., which is just a ways north of Victoria. During the drive north, we received a most unusual phone call, which you will have to read about when Connie writes her account of the story on her blog. :)

Weather was pretty good, mostly cloudy, not raining, for our San Juan Island hop over to Sidney on Wednesday morning. We had to get going before the motel had their breakfast ready, so we snacked on some fruit and nuts I'd packed in the car, then once we got on board, had a good carbohydrate-dense breakfast and a big cup of coffee. Upon arriving in Sidney, we spoke with the customs agent who questioned me about the big boxes in the back of my car. I was returning the three Victoria Sampler trunk shows back home to the VS studio, and once he understood that they were Canadian products he waved us through. Next we had to find the VS office in Sidney, which we did quite easily with only a little bit of a scenic drive to get back to the right road. This was my first visit to the office and opportunity to meet Cathy and Lisa in person, and they are every bit as wonderful as I knew they'd be.

After hauling boxes out of my car and into the office, Thea took Connie and me out to lunch at Fish on Fifth - mmmmm, excellent food!! After lunch and taking Thea back, we drove into Victoria and checked in to our hotel.

To be continued. . .