Birthday Fun at THE TALK!

Wow! It's been far too long since I have posted, so I decided I'd start off by sharing some of the fun things that have happened over the past few months.

First of all, I had another birthday. And this year I decided to ask my husband if he would take me somewhere really different. Somewhere I have really, really been wanting to go:

To be in the audience of a taping for the t.v. show "THE TALK"!

I don't know that he was all that enthusiastic about the idea, but he knew it was what I wanted and he was anxious to make my wish come true. (He's such a good sport!) :-)

So, Mike took the day off from work and here we are- actually going out somewhere during a weekday while the kids were in school. That doesn't happen too often!

We had to pick up our friends Sue and Ron really early and get on the road in good season, since it was a Monday morning. And, given that we were headed up to Los Angeles, well... that could mean some serious traffic possibilities!

But, thankfully we made great timing with no delays. The closer we got, the more excited I became!

Hello L.A.- covered in typical early morning haze!!!

Approaching the CBS studios!

In line in the CBS garage - here is my dear friend Sue, her husband Ron, and my wonderful husband Mike.

While we were in the elevator- packed full of people, Mike just had to tell everyone that it was my birthday- and got them all singing "Happy Birthday" to me. That was one loooong elevator ride!

Haha! We were actually shown several times during the show. It is broadcast live for the East Coast, and shown recored here on the West Coast. Of course, we taped it so we could watch it when we got home.

It was more fun than I can even tell you! I love the hosts: Julie Chen was my favorite from the beginning, but now that I have seen it (basically every day since it started) I love them all. Sharon Osborne is absolutely hilarious! Leah is super funny, too and Sara and Holly really round out the group. I think they all provide a wonderful mix of personalities and work really well together. I always look forward to that hour break in my day with them.

The guests included the band HEART (they were fantastic!) and they performed a couple of their songs. Everyone in the audience was given a copy of their music dvd, too. And, to top it off, we all got $100.00 spa gift certificates, as well. Happy Birthday to me! :-)

Well, sooner than I would have wanted, it was time to head back home. But before I was even out the door of the studio I was planning in my head my next trip up here!

Goodbye L.A.! Until we meet again!

We then went to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. It was the perfect ending to a wonderfully happy day!

But my birthday surprises were not over, as I was greeted at home with this absolutely gorgeous arrangement of flowers sent to me by my precious East Coast friend Maryann.

She is an amazing friend whom I miss dearly, and she never misses my birthday.

So there you have it: one of the many ways I have been occupying my time while I have been unable to stamp. My hand therapy has gone well, though and I am happy to report that I am (slowly) getting back into my studio and creating again. I have only made a couple of cards over the months, which I will soon be sharing. But I have lots of other things to share with you as well.

I've missed blogging and plan to make up for these months away as best I can. So... thanks so much for your patience while I was gone and please leave a comment if you'd like. I've missed hearing from you! :-)

Until my next post.... I hope you are having a wonderful start to Summer!