Adventures in Beaumont!

Ok, I know, I KNOW it's over a month later and I am such a slacker jerk. Let's just say, life back at home is nuttier than a Snickers bar. Back to my crappy apartment, back to work, back to LIFE... Oh and my long lost 18 year old son showed up and is taking up residence in my recliner, so now in addition to everything else I am trying to figure out how to be a mother of an 18 year old. Yikes! ♥

But at long last, here are the pics I got from my adventures in Beaumont, Texas to the AVSA "mothership", and adventures beyond. Gahhhh, looking at these is making me a little sad, can I go back on vacation now please?

We left Austin on my birthday, and drove by Houston. So I snapped this pic from the car.

It's really FLAT in TX which Jenny finds boring, but I liked it because you can see so much pretty sky....

And then, BEAUMONT!!

We dropped Janet Reimer off at her hotel where they had these crazy things

They were so cool!

Then Jenny took me to a convenience store where I saw a partially eaten can of Vienna sausages chillin' by a garbage can.

The next day, we got here! AHHHHH!!!

The front office where Amy works hard all day!

This cool thing is on the wall when you first walk into the building.

The AVSA office plants!

Stairs! And I completely forgot to take pics of the upstairs. I'll have to go back one day, that's all.

Some stuff in one of the front rooms downstairs

I helped Jenny tally the stuff sold at convention. Andrea Worrell's awesome new DVD 'Meet the Commercials' beat out everything else, way to go Andrea!

African Violet Magazine archives!

MORE African Violet Magazine archives!

I helped Amy file the "change of address" forms because it's her least favorite thing ever.  And I'm such a dork I thought it was fun.

I also had my OWN job to do, so I plugged in and took some coach.com chats.

African violets at the Kroger less than a mile from the AVSA office. I just thought it was ironic. I wonder if ANYONE buying these knows that THE AVSA is like, right there down the street. BTW, it's "Kro-grr" not "Kraw-jer". Ha!

Janet worked hard for 3 days on the AVSA archive stuffs.

FINALLY we went to Elena's Mexican restaurant and had my awesome birthday celebration!

Birthday dinner! Yes I ate all of that. And that's why I'm fat.

Amy and I went outside of the restaurant and saw a store next door selling ICKY ICKY FAKE PURSES! Gross, y'all. Just don't. A $10 bag from Wal*Mart is better than a fake. 

My awesome hostess, Jenny Daugereau in her kick-azz backyard garden!

Some REALLY WEIRD bug chillin' at the AVSA office

A lizard chillin' at the AVSA office

OMG! Yes here I am at the AVSA MOTHERSHIP!!! Now you know it had to be HOT AS HADES for me to wear shorts and a T-shirt. I had to throw my "no tattoos showing" rule RIGHT out the window. Yuck!

My membership in the AVSA computer! Hahahaha

My life goal.... one day I WILL have one of these!

Weird albino lizard who dropped his tail chillin' on Jenny's back door.

Um, I thought everything was BIGGER in Texas? So please explain these melons.

Jenny made me chicken and dumplings because I never had it. Good gawd, I want it again right now.

Jenny and I packed up to head to the Gulf of Mexico!

And I saw these weird oil things on the way...

My feets @ The Gulf!

Ok so.... this almost brings a tear to my eye. When I first went into the water, after I got over the initial shock of how warm the water was, I looked up as I started swimming, and I saw 4 pelicans in a row just gliding over the top of a wave. It was just one of those "magical moments" and I never want to forget it. I kept watching them do it for hours, but this was the best pic I could get, which kinda sucks, but at least I can remember it in my head.

Then Jenny took me for lunch at Stingeree.

Gumbo and Gulf shrimp FTW!

I thought I was tough and told Jenny, "Naw I don't need sunscreen." Um... Most of the pics I got of my burn are very NSFW, so I will just show you what my feet looked like and you can imagine the rest.

Jenny cooked this stuff called boudin for me, and it was bliss.

It was REALLY HARD to say goodbye to Jenny and her awesome hubby Kim. Gah, I miss them so bad.

I purposely volunteered to get bumped from my flight on the way home so I could reap the rewards. I walked from my free hotel down to a gas station and saw this ENTIRE SHELF of SPICY snacks and... I almost thought maybe I should never go home. 

I took this pic in the airplane bathroom to make into this funny meme

Booo! Then I was home again in Portland, Maine.

Well that's that! I want to once again give a HUGE THANK YOU to all the people all over the world who contributed for my trip. It was one I will never forget!