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Sunday, September 28, 2014

I Ran Away -- and I Liked It!!!

Runaway Retreat was the BEST EVER this year!!!

Let the retreating begin!!!

We started out huffing & puffing - it's hard work packing THREE quilters and all their stuff for FIVE days into one car....


Yep, it took an extra luggage carrier to get it all to Kentucky!!! :*D  

Friend Carole has a large SUV, but even it wasn't big enough for all of us - and I packed light!  (Don't laugh - I really did!!!  I have witnesses!!!!)  Of course, it was even more full on the way back LOL!!!
We made a few new friends on the way ....


There's nothing quite like a road trip with quilting friends - you never know what might happen!  On the way home I called 911 for the first time in my life because of the drunk driver directly in front of us on the interstate!  He was going at least 80 mph, weaving all over the both lanes and even several feet off the shoulders.  Then he lost control completely - we knew it was inevitable and were just praying he wouldn't hit anyone else!  He veered wildly all over the road before he went all the way down into the middle of the median and almost turned over - but he never even slowed down, just turned it around and headed back up on the highway - straight toward us!!!  Thankfully, Carole was calm under pressure and kept our vehicle a safe distance from him.   Prayers sure kept us safe that day - and believe me, we were all praying!!!  We never heard if the highway patrol got him, but I sure hope so!!!

So.... back to Runaway Retreat 2014..... What could be nicer than spending five days with great quilting friends, many of whom I don't get to see very often?

Norma, Judy S & Barbara

Ruth, Carole & Betty

Terry greeted us in full "LET'S HAVE SOME FUN" mode!!!
(Love the Scissors through her head LOL!!!)
Terry and Margaret put on this retreat every year and do an EXCELLENT job!!!!
I didn't realize until we got home that I didn't get a picture of Judy L & Brenda :(  They live in Kentucky, so it's always special to see them every year.  (Judy L gave me the precious Kitty Pincushion I showed you yesterday ♥).  Sorry girls - you know I love you!!!!

The Retreat Center is always like returning to an old friend .... 


View from the 3rd floor my last morning -
Ahhhhhhhh what a view!!!

This quilt hangs on the rails of the courtyard to greet us every year....


The Courtyard leading to the cafeteria and classrooms -
Such a peaceful place to find a relaxing few moments :)

Mornings at Runaway this year were especially beautiful and serene.... 






The Auditorium where we sewed is on the right

The first evening, I put together the ORANGE Soul Searching block, and then sewed up the flimsy quilt the next morning.... you can read more about that HERE.


It feels GREAT to finally have something finished this year :)  After that, I concentrated on getting my Blooming Nine Patch rows together ....and I still have a ways to go!



On Wednesday, I taught a class on my new pattern, Amish Beauties, to 20 students ....


..... and then on Thursday we took a little side trip to Boonville, Indiana, to visit one of our favorite quilt shops, The Village Mercantile.  This excursion is one I look forward to all year long!  What could be better than going on a day trip with great quilting friends???

I sat in the third row on the way and knitted
After shopping, we stopped at this restaurant to eat
(I kept looking for Dolly Parton but she never showed up!!!)

Then we had to stop at our favorite ice cream place for real ice cream cones!!!
Mine was a double scoop of butter pecan in a waffle cone -
Can we say "Oink Oink"???????


                                              Carole was trying to be "good" so she got a "Baby Cone"
                                                Really????  This is just WRONG on so many levels!!!!!

                                       Where does this thing get the nerve to call itself an ice cream cone???

Our last stop was at an antique shop on the way back.  Now I'm not a big antique fan, but even I found a couple of things I couldn't live without....

Antique yarn spool, twine holder & cast iron pressing iron

Won't this be cute with a ball of yarn instead of the twine?  It even has a surprisingly sharp pair of scissors that sit in the top!


And I always loved my grandmother's little black iron - I believe I actually remember her using hers. I do remember that it weighed a TON!!!  This one does too :)  It is in pretty good shape and has a lot of nice markings on the handle.  I'll think of Granny every time I see it, and that's worth any price!!!!



Oh, and I know you are wondering .... what did we buy at the quilt shop?  I'm not sure you could handle all that today!!!  Let's just say that fabric acquisition was accomplished by all of us - and lots of it!  I mostly bought some cool tools that are hard to find, but I also found some great pieces that will work nicely in a few of my projects :)

Carole and Judy L even visited a couple little antique shops on the square while waiting for the rest of us to finish up our purchases.  I almost choked when Carole said she bought TWO sewing machines!  I figured I would have to be tied to the roof on the way home, because there sure wasn't any room in that car!  But then she smiled and said they were toy machines :)  Yeh, she's real funny.....

We made it back that afternoon just in time to get in line for dinner - and we were all stuffed!!!  But we knew we had better eat something or we'd be starving at midnight LOL!!!  After that, it was time to start thinking about going home.  That was tough, because we had so much fun and weren't really ready for it to end.

My first morning back home was a shock to the system - I actually had to COOK MY OWN BREAKFAST!!!!


Boy did they ever spoil us at Runaway:*)  The old saying, "Wish you were here!" was definitely true for me - it could only have been better if all of you had been able to be there too!  I'm already looking forward to next year....

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=

22 comments:

  1. Hey--did you go to Mt.St.Joseph on your Runaway Retreat? My guild is near Lake Barkley in western KY and we go every October. I can't wait!! We also go to The Village Mercantile the last day!! I've also told you before that my name is Teresa! Jeez this is getting scary!!

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    1. Hi Teresa!!! Love your name *wink*......Yes - we went to Mt. St. Joseph - always so fun!

      By the way, did you know you are a No Reply Blogger? I would have loved to respond by email but couldn't :( If you want to change that, send me an email and I'll give you a couple of links that might work. Thanks for the smile :)

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  2. What a fun trip. Yep at my age and already ample waist, I would just go for the big cone! YUMMY

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  3. Looks like a wonderful time and wonderful place. Baby cone - shameful.

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  4. Sounds fantastic! How funny that you couldn't fit all your projects into one vehicle!
    I have to wait until February for my retreat :(

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  5. Sounds like you had a fabulous time!! Retreats are always so much fun. I'm looking forward to my guild's retreat in November.

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  6. Wow--wish I could runaway, too! Looks like a wonderful place where you are well taken care of.
    Glad you made it safely there in spite of the heavy load, drunk driver and animals on the road.
    I hope your class went well (I'm sure it did, I just hope you feel good about it).
    My new favorite ice cream find is coconut almond--and it is a good thing I can't get it without driving an hour, or I would be in trouble.
    I like your antique finds. Those scissors are practically indestructible!
    Oh, back to the grind of cooking your own meals. I have a friend who once told me it wasn't worth it to her to get away, because it was always too hard to come back and face reality (of course, she had 10 children, so her reality was more work than mine).

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  7. This looks like so much fun! Your quilts are gorgeous.

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  8. I would love running away with you too. It looks like a wonderful place for a retreat. Do you all fill up that whole building?? What an ice cream cone someone had - big scoops of chocolate. yummy. I love your little antique finds - especially the yarn holder. I know you will put it to good use.

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  9. What a beautiful place for a Retreat! I've loved reading about all your adventures and those purchases! That was one rather large icecream there too! Lol. Looking forward to drooling over the photos of those quilty items you bought too. :-)

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  10. I know how much stuff I pack into the back of my van ... with all four seats dropped down. I can't imagine how you all could get all your stuff packed ... and still have room to sit! Even with an extra luggage carrier. ;-)

    I love retreats and wish I could find one soon ... I know of one in November (sold out) and one in February (the same weekend as T#1's birthday). As much fun as retreats are, I can only imagine how much more fun they are with quilty friends!

    How did your class go? I'm confident that you did a great job. ;-)

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  11. Ahh, the memories of Runaway past. I always loved the setting. And the cows lowing, and the manure fertilizer, and the bats in the belfry .....

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  12. Your beautiful photos show the fun you had on your retreat. Gorgeous photos of the area. Is your Amish Beauties a published pattern or is it your own? Love that quilt.

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  13. It looks like you had a simply marvelous time! I love the scissors-through-the-head hat! And chocolate, fabric, ice cream and gorgeous views . . . a perfect retreat!! I think I might like to tag along next year! Haha!! :)

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  14. Looks lovely! I love your blooming nine patch and your Amish beauties is so pretty too. And I may or may not be the one who orders the baby cone. ;)

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  15. That sounds like an awesome time!! Good food, good friends, and lots of quilting. The shopping sounds good too....

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  16. Just call me jealous. :) blessings, marlene

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  17. What fun! Scenery so pretty and serene. I am grateful your prayers protected you while traveling. Amish Beauties is so colorful. Thanks for sharing your runaway!

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  18. It looks like you had a wonderful time at your retreat! I like your antique find!

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  19. Your retreat sounds so wonderful, I am green with envy. But thanks for taking us/me along,.

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  20. Other than the drunk driver, is sounds like a great time. I've seen a few drunk drivers, but, not that bad, thank goodness.

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  21. sounds like a lovely time. do you sell your pattern amish beauties???

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