I’m writing this from my hotel room – which by the way is really nice! What a peaceful retreat to have during such a whirlwind trip. My day started at 330am when I left my house to get going.
I was pretty anxious about delays and epic FAIL in flights… but American Airlines for the win!! Everything was 10-15minutes early and all smiles. HOORAY!!
I had a short layover in Texas (Dallas) where I ordered a side of chips & queso thinking it’d be a yummy little $4 snack. Um… they gave me a TUB of cheese!!! 
This made me laugh a lot – I mean it really is all bigger in Texas, I guess! SCRAPBOOKER NOTE: I like taking some screen shots of googlemaps on my iphone of where I’m at when I travel. I zoom in and out – just love seeing that blue dot somewhere new.
So Texas didn’t hold me captive this time, it would seem the DFW airport is just much more in sync with me than the Houston one. good to know. Onward! Two unremarkable flights and about 9hrs after I left my house (and two romance novels) later… Columbus!
A few notes:
- Ohio is a whole nother country! They have all of these restaurant chains I’ve never seen and many I’ve never heard – most don’t exist in California! Driving in I said it’s the land of sugar and carbs – oh sweet temptation there are so many carb-a-licious options!
- Tim Horton’s apparently isn’t just a kind of Keurig Coffee – it’s a real place! (I had lots of giggles over this… I thought it was just a random coffee brand!)
- They have Jimmy Johns here! (another thing I don’t have in Ca) I will be having this.
- I must resist Dunkin Donuts (sugar + carb overload!) honestly it’s just not that good – but somehow the whole “we don’t have that at home” messes with me every time I’m near one!
- There are trees everywhere… but it is so flat! I’m used to trees + hills. Very lush and green, rainy and absolutely lovely here.
- There really are Ohio State merchandise stores everywhere.
- I’m reminded how much I like to explore and check out new places. This is going to be a fun adventure
- THEY HAVE CRACKER BARREL HERE! (sorry… more on this obsession tomorrow – it’s another ‘we don’t have that in CA’ thing)
The hotel/convention property that the Simon Says Stamp Create event (the whole reason I’m here) is being held at is amazing. I love every detail, it’s all just really beautiful! Bonus? For $10 you can get a piece of cheesecake and a glass of milk delivered to your room. WIN!
Speaking of win… check out my beautiful blue rental car.
I normally do NOT rent cars on trips like this – I just taxi in then deal with whatever I’ve got within walking distance. However this trip a) cracker barrel b) great rate through Costco and c) realizing it’d be easier to have a car all factored in. This one is so cute! It’s also very tiny. A carry-on suitcase BARELY fit in the trunk!
Excited to get this adventure kicked off – starting with a dinner with some of my Simon family!
I’ll be back tomorrow with the “behind the scenes” day before the event report…