Wow! Super Security!

With another "almost" airplane tragedy happening while I was in Portugal I was anticipating security to be more of a pain, but what we got was amazing (if that's the right word for it!)

The rigamarole that we had to go through was incredible!

First, we went through the normal, very intensive, security with long waits, searches, and such -- ok, expected. Super scrutiny of passports with more long waits -- well, ok, again expected.

But then it got rediculous. The Paris airport had sectioned all the US flights on one side of the international terminal and to get there, we had to again wait through long lines to show our passports again (where they literally look you straight in the eye, then look at your passport, then in the eye again to be double sure that you are indeed you). Continuing on through the long line, we had to wait for one of 4 security personnel to completely search everyone's bags, purses, backpacks, coats, etc before we were directed to the male/female specified security personnel where they pat searched us and scanned us with the wand detector (even my 9 year old son got this treatment! Wow!! Do suicide bombers really take their kids with them to be blown up too?)

So, after finally getting through that (and thankfully our flight had been delayed about 45 minutes, otherwise we would have missed it!) we were herded onto the ramp to what we thought was the plane. But, no... we were herded down a stairwell & onto a shuttle, we shuttled about 100 yards over to the next terminal (that was outside of the cordoned off US security side, I guess), where we filed off the shuttle, climbed up a stairwell and --finally-- onto the plain!

Wow!!!

Honestly, I was in Portugal during 9/11 and returned to the US about a week after (NY was still in turmoil, and quite empty) and I have to say that security was not half of what it was coming back from this trip after the attempted bombing on Christmas Day. Incredible.

It's just a good thing that the stay in Portugal was really nice, otherwise the hassle of the trip there and the trip back might scare me off of dealing with travel for quite a while! As it is, I'll think twice before scheduling my next trip!

And that's a bummer! I love traveling and it's just really a shame that the world has come to a point where you can't feel perfectly secure traveling to different countries and cultures around the world. Hate is isolating and isolation is never a good thing for humanity!

hmmm...

2 Days of Travel Hell!

I usually enjoy the whole airport/travel experience (even the lines and waiting) just because it means I'm going somewhere cool -- sort of part of the experience -- but this trip was above and beyond and by the end I was really eyeing the first class passengers with envy ;)

The trip is normally about 6 - 8 hours including layovers! We were transferring in Paris Charles de Gaule with a short wait and then straight into Lisbon Portugal.

That was the plan anyway -- We finally made into Portugal 2 days after leaving Washington DC!

Here's what went down:

There was a big storm in Paris that delayed our flight out of DC by 4 hours (and our airport shuttle was already on the way when we found out so we couldn't postpone it and we had to spend an extra 4 hours in the airport.

Then we found out that because of the delay we were going to miss our connection in Paris by about 15 minutes! Ugh.

There was not another flight out of Paris Charles de Gaule anytime soon, so they scheduled us a flight from the other airport in Paris (Orly) -- a one hour bus ride away -- on a different airline -- and we had about 4 hours between arriving in Charles de Gaule and departing in Orly (to go through customs, catch the bus, travel through traffic, check back in with luggage and board!!)

--We did notice when we first arrived into Charles de Gaulle that our original connection had been delayed also, but only by 30 minutes, not enough time for us to stand in [a very long] line and have our tickets changed back! Bummer, onto to Orly anyway.--

Well, the bus to Orly was late because of some security issue and, of course, by the time we got to Orly we had missed the rescheduled flight also!!!! sighhhh....... Plus it was REALLY cold in Paris and we were NOT dressed for it!

So, after many long lines, lots of waiting, and trying to keep a 9 year old from losing his mind, we managed to get another flight scheduled for the following day. That meant another bus trip to a hotel, a quick overnight stay, and back to the airport first thing in the morning. (luckily Air France paid for the hotel and dinner and breakfast!)

So, we arrived in the morning for the flight, sat in line for an hour, did the whole security thing again and FINALLY got on the plane to Portugal! Whew!!!

Arrival! Yay!! I was never so glad to be rid of airports!

Anyway, I'm excited for Christmas and an awesome New Year's party. Hope all your's are fantastic!

Out for the Holidays!

I'm in Portugal for 2 weeks! Taking a little vacation after the holiday rush!

My shops are on vacation mode until I return, but I'll be checking my email, so if anyone needs to chat or ask a question I'll be able to answer fairly quickly!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

The DC Rollergirls 2nd Annual Craft Fair & Holiday Bash!

What an incredible time!

This show, at McFadden's on a Saturday night in downtown DC, was incredible. So much fun!

It was a little dark, so seeing crafts was difficult, but I still managed to have a pretty good show for the 3 hours we were there! There were tons of people coming by, although it was super-packed in the bar and I think if they'd have made a least a couple announcements about us being in the back, we'd have been even busier! As it was, there were plenty of shoppers looking for Christmas gifts, and jewelry is always a good Christmas gift :D

My husband was able to come with me, which was great because not only did he help with loading/unloading, but I felt much safer leaving at midnight with him there. But best of all, it allowed me to have a couple of beers! Yay!! He's such a good designated driver ;-)

Anyway, this was my last show for the year. I'm in Portugal for 2 weeks over Christmas and New Year's and am very glad for the short hiatus. Being an indie jeweler at Christmas-time is exhausting! LoL!!

Best to everyone and Happy Holidays!

~deb

p.s. I'll try to post a least of couple of times while I'm away, but we'll be traveling around so much, I'm not sure how many posts I can squeeze in :)

Super-Cool Craft Show! DC RollerGirls Holiday Bash!!

I just wanted to share an event that I'm doing next weekend. --especially for those of you who are local to the DC area!

The DC Rollergirls 2nd Annual Craft Fair & Holiday Bash!

It's in downtown DC at a bar, McFadden's, sponsored by the DC Roller Girls!

It's from 8pm to 11pm and I think it'll be a blast just because of what it is...
...a craft fair ...in a bar in DC ...with the DC Roller Girls! How Cool is That?

Here's a link: http://www.dcrollergirls.com/

I'm planning on having at least one beer while I'm hawking my wares to the DC crowd!!! LoL.

Hope to see you there!

A LOT of Fun! Did you get a chance to Pop in?

Yay! The virtual trunk show was sooo much fun. Somehow quite nerve-wracking, but super fun. I made a couple of sales in the hour of the show, so I feel pretty good!

For some reason though, I felt quite nervous, which is hilarious because I do craft shows all the time where I hawk my wares for 8 hours straight and I don't get nervous. Maybe it's because it was the first time I'd done a virtual show and had no idea what to expect? or maybe that so many things can go wrong and you have no control since it's virtual? Who knows! LoL. I'll have a better idea next February, 'cause we're doing another one for Valentine's Day!!! That should be a good show :D

Stay tuned for details!

Here's one item that sold! A fave of mine :D

Cyber Monday Holiday Trunk Show!

So Kids! It's Cyber Monday! THE day to do your online holiday shopping!!

Some of the members of the Etsy team EART are planning a very special Holiday Trunk Show in the virtual labs of Etsy! How cool is that? It's tonight, Monday 11/30 at 7pm EST.

We'll be in the "SKY" room: Open Door to Enter :D

There are 9 shops participating in the Trunk Show and I know most (if not all) are giving special Trunk Show promotions. So if you're looking for some unique gifts, here's your chance to get some great deals!

Here's who'll be there:

MichellesCharmWorld
PnkGeeni
EclecticSkeptic
HairBowsWonderWorld
InspirationRecycled
BeautifulSchlopp
DivaDea
AweShop
IndigoOrchid

Hope to see you there!