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by Diane Zimmer
Let me start off by saying that I flew 800 miles to be a part of a monumental occasion... the Silver Anniversary of Hallmark ornaments. It was to be a time of meeting my favorite artists and fellow online collectors from all over the country. My extra suitcase was brought along to fill with souvenirs and the beautiful event pieces. Little did I know what lay in wait for a simple gal from the midwest!
After
securing my hotel room, registering, putting my best foot forward
in a club skit, and meeting a few friends at the official
welcoming site, we were told that the rest of the evening was
ours to do with as we pleased. If anyone was interested in
going room hopping, the occupants of hotel rooms that were
hosting a "hop" would identify themselves by leaving a
white towel in front of their doors. "How nice,"
I thought,"these kind individuals want ME
to come visit! Gee.. what a friendly place. Look at
all the towels set out! Three hotels are set up like this?
Well... alright! Let's go meet some folks! We can hash over
the daily happenings and exchange Hallmark stories."
At the first stop, being a
quick study, I realized that my bread and egg money was going to
be history very soon if I weren't careful. That was alright,
though, some of my club members had given me a list of ornaments
that they were looking for and a price limit on what they would
pay for them. 
I didn't "need" anything... so
I could just browse and see who was getting how much for what.
Nice game plan, right? So far, I was in control, until:
"ARGHHHH...IS THAT THE TENDER TOUCHES SET I HAD GIVEN UP ON EVER FINDING?"
"Gee... THAT one would go great with my cat/dog themed tree, wouldn't it?"
" Hey, Lee would love that one - she thinks the Frosty Friends are top shelf!"
"OH, LOOK... she's practically giving that one away. Got it!"
"Now I 'need' to find the rest of the series."
" OH, NO... I didn't know that Hallmark came out with a Rodney the Reindeer key ring! What a great idea, and I'm not TOO late... those ladies are distracted with those older ball ornaments. Gotcha!"
"Now, what are those ladies looking at? Gotta go and check it out."
This was how it started - a
mission to help out some of my friends. I had all the good
intentions in the world, and ZAP - I got sucked up in the
excitement of just acquiring. This was a dimension of
collecting I had never experienced before. But this was
only day one and the adrenaline was pumping through my body...
Kansas City, celebrations, the Big Time. I decided to go
with the flow. 
Day two finds me back to normal. Went to a seminar, had some signings, enjoyed the Exhibit Hall, did the BBQ dinner with companions. Was quite proud of myself 'til Hallmark made the announcement that a shuttle between all 3 hotels would run until midnight. "NO WAY... You mean I can check out the other hotels too? WOW..what a super thing to do! Now I can see the Herald display, say "hi" to Barbara Harris, Nicki Pierce, and Todd Ray from one of my favorite sites (Yulelog). After my visits, I was just able to squeeze in the elevator to the shouts of, "Did you do the third floor yet?" and, "Hey, check out room #634." Ahhhh... weak me. How could I not respond to the call of the sale? At 11:45, I was outside being shuffled back to my hotel. I opened the door to my room and noticed my roomie was not there. Now I am bummed out - who can I play "Show and Tell" with? After a couple of heavy sighs I heard the lock rattle and voila! in she comes with her own Trick or Treat bag of goodies. She heard they were still open on the 7th floor... what kind of roomie would I be if I didn't go and check it out with her? We stashed the unopened bags and got hopping. Had been to this room the day before, but SURPRISE! The seller was running a 50% off sale. Good grief... are we the two luckiest people you know or what? We kept her company until 1:30 AM.
After
four hours of sleep, it was back to Bartle Hall for more
fun. Just as I was starting to get a bit shaky, I turned in
my Santa's Grab Bag ticket and found I was the proud owner of a
variety of items. With the exception of a vase from
Tackyville that someone sneaked in, this was a wonderful
"fix" for my new addiction. Then I made another
mistake... I took the seminar by Diana McGehee showing us still
more innovative ways of using Hallmark ornaments.
Unfair! Now I needed a few more items to make her
display!!! Was this a tease? Did she have any idea
what she was doing to me? I personally think she may have
the same affliction, because she mentioned always being on the
lookout for new ideas. Hmm, you think?
Dinner was truly a delight. A special song brought tears to my eyes. I seemed to bond on a fun level with one of Hallmark's finest. Did you hear that, Bob Siedler? Cameras flashing made strobes out of faces while people were trying to capture the moment on film. Too soon, it was over and we all straggled back to our respective hotels. A warm, balmy night made even the walk back sentimental. All was well with our world until: "HEY...the 18th floor is rocking !!!" WOW...this was perfect. Certainly I can find those extra pieces from Diana's seminar now. NO waiting...no shipping costs..instant gratification. Sign me UP! 1:30 AM finds me once again toting yet another bag of treasures that I could NOT live without to my room. Don't be too hard on me though... I did find one ornament that my local club member wanted! Heck... doesn't that make me a mini hero?
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