Viva Las Vegas! A TPT Conference Linky

I have hooked up with The Elementary Entourage today for a fun linky that is filled with stories from TpT sellers who visited Las Vegas for the 2015 TpT Conference. In case you are interested, here’s mine!

Well,
the plane has safely landed, but it left me on cloud nine. Seriously friends, I am
going to crash from this TpT high I have going on
right now. Brace yourself because this post might get a little sappy.

Have
you ever had that moment in your life when everything just comes together? I
waited forty years for it to happen. The two puzzle pieces were sitting there
all along, but I just couldn’t figure out how to make them fit together.

From
a very early age, I did know that teaching was my calling. That was an easy
revelation and it was one of the puzzle pieces. It is the part of the puzzle
that has been my career for 18 years. It is the part of the puzzle that gets me
out of bed every morning and gives my life purpose.

The
other thing I have always known about myself is that creation is my specialty.
I’m definitely not an artist, but I probably love colors, shapes, lines and
patterns more than most people. My brain just loves to think about those things
and my eyes are drawn to design. Creating things makes me happy. Creativity is
the other piece of the puzzle. It is the part of the puzzle that brings me joy.

Teaching
+ Creating= Life Purpose & Joy

Teachers
Pay Teachers is the marriage of the two. This is what happened when TpT became a part of my life.

So, this week in Vegas, as I sat in that crowd of amazing people, I thought to myself.

Self,
this is what you were meant to be. It has been sitting there in front of you
all along you big dummy. Snap those puzzle pieces into place and make it happen.
Make. It. Happen.

In
my opinion, teachers are the best people in the world. Teachers care.
Teachers share. Teachers are passionate. Teachers make an impact on the world.
Put a group of teachers in a room together and the greatness is so intense that
it makes me feel intoxicated. I’m not kidding. I did not drink a single drop of
alcohol in Vegas, but I may very well have a hang over in the morning.

My
goal for going to the TpT conference in Vegas
was to meet some really awesome people. It is safe to say that I accomplished that goal.

TPT Founder Paul Edelman. Check. So sweet and humble.

TPT
CEO Adam Freed. Check. Super smart and really nice.

My
idol Deanna Jump. The fabulous Deedee Wills. Double check. Can’t believe I was even in the same room with these ladies. Yikes!

The
brilliant Rachel Lynette. Check. I love her even more now that I met her in person.

Goodness.
I’m breaking into a sweat just thinking about it.

Then,
let me tell you about these two amazing ladies. I know that God sent them into
my life for a reason. Brynn from The Literary Maven and Angie from Fun in Fifth Grade are both other TpTers from my beautiful
state of Pennsylvania. Brynn is actually the first real, live TPT seller I met
back in February. She introduced me to Angie and I could tell right away that
we would be friends. It just felt right. I feel mushy, gushy thankful for their
friendship and support this week. It feels so good to hang out with people who are so like-minded. They even tolerated my need to run for front row seats in every session. 🙂

Now,
let me tell you about Laine from A Little Peace of Africa. I had the pleasure
of meeting Laine on my first night in Vegas. Fate would have it that I plopped
down in the only dinner seat left, right across from Laine at the B & B
Burger and Beer. This brave lady traveled all the way from South Africa to be
at the conference! She
is just so stinkin’ cute with that
South African accent. Not to mention that she was bubbling over with enthusiasm
and friendliness. Laine gave me this special bracelet that is more than a
business card. You can read about it here. Laine is a talented artist and she
makes clip art and digital papers that you need to check out.

I
met so, so many other awesome people at the conference. This is Suzanne from
Kindergarten Planet. She was on my list of “hope to meets” since our blogs were
practically born on the same day and we have become virtual buddies. I’m so happy that we bumped into each other at breakfast.

I
must also show you some pictures of The
Venetian. The pictures will speak for themselves.

Of
course I did a little of this. 

And
a little of this. That banana crepe was insane. I may or may not have eaten two of them during my stay in Vegas.

I
even won this hilarious door prize at the The Primary Pack meet up. Read the words if
you want to blush. Heehee. I never win
anything, so it was really fun to prance up and accept that prize. I’m sure
that the hubs will find me simply irresistible in this night shirt. Did I
mention that he and I spent a long distance 11 year anniversary during my Vegas trip? I am
so grateful to him. My husband is the table that supports my puzzle pieces and the glue that bonds them together.

Finally,
I want to leave you with these pictures. Las Vegas is smack dab in the middle of a
desert. I once drove through that desert, but this time I had a very cool
perspective from up in the plane as I departed. Isn’t it amazing? There are so
many things that you can see from up high that are not as apparent when they
are right in front of you.

If
you got all the way to the end of this post, I’m sending you a virtual hug for
reading all the way through. If your puzzle pieces haven’t come together yet
(whatever they may be), I’m sending good karma your way so that you will hear the click very soon.

Stay
tuned for my next post that will share a helpful tip for organizing task cards in a repurposed
container.

Now, head on over to The Elementary Entourage to read about so many other Vegas experiences! Have fun!