Friends

What a fantastic weekend we had!  That weather was almost beyond belief; we had the kind of days one should hold tightly in one's memory file to pull out on the dismal, grey days to come.  Meeting with friends (we were a total of 5 couples) is always a pleasure, and this particular group is quite special as the men have known each other since at least their early college days in the sixties and some even longer.  The women have entered the lives of the men over a period of time, but averaging it all out, we've known each other for 40 - 50 years.  Oh, of course, there was time out when we all concentrated on careers and raising families, but for the most part, we managed at least to stay in touch with the odd holiday cards.  Now for the past 3 - 4 years, we have gotten together once a year to share news, tour various cultural/historical venues, engage in some modest revelry, and strengthen the bonds of friendship.  A special thank-you goes out to our host and hostess who open their home, plan, and make this event possible.  This year was, as was each preceding year, memorable.

Like you, this group of friends is an excellent example of the support I have received over the past six months.  Now it is actually the final week of the McCall's Quilt Design Star contest.  In the beginning, the chances of meeting each Challenge successfully enough to move on in the contest seemed only remotely possible.  With each step forward, I felt more confident in my ability to do this task I had set myself but continued to doubt my ability to please enough others to enable another forward step.  Each time you, too, rose to a different challenge and voted often enough to push me on, and your comments lifted my spirits when I was at various low points.  The power of family and friends kept me going.

There are now only two days left of voting and commenting (technically the voting ends Wednesday, November 9th at 1:00 A.M. mountain time) , and then it will be up to the judges.  Please continue to vote and comment, and stay tuned to hear what the end result is!