Our greatest Bag Sale is almost here

So today Clayle and I were at the storage unit getting ready for the big day! We filled rack after rack with all that great yarn. I had to make a list of what's on the racks so we can make a pricelist, so I thought perhaps you would want to have an idea of some of the yarn that we will have.

Please keep in mind that this is only a partial list, since we will have another 50+ boxes full of yarn in our playpens.

If you use yarn for any reason, you will want to be there. If you're a quilter, you will want to be there. If you've ever thought of making your own designer throws, you will want to be there. Take my word for it: you will want to be there!

Pssssssssst........ I'll be baking chocolate chip cookies tomorrow and we'll have them on Saturday for you early risers.... Of course, the coffee will be on as well.

Here is the partial list of yarns you will be able to buy at 75% off....

7 Septembre 10 pack Baruffa
Adhoc 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Aquarius 10 pack Trendsetter
Aton 10 pack Trendsetter
Aura 10 pack Austerman
Barcelona 10 pack Austerman
Barcelona 10 pack Austerman
Bell 'Epoque 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Bergamo 10 pack Muench
Bongo 5 pack Filatura di Crosa
Bugia 10 pack Trendsetter
Calliope 10 pack Trendsetter
Capri 10 pack GGH
Carezza 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Chic 10 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Chispa 20 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Cinta 20 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Coconut 10 pack Trendsetter
Coconut Perla 10 pack Trendsetter
Cometa 10 pack GGH
Cortina 10 pack GGH
Cotone Mouline 20 pack Filatura di Crosa
Cruz 10 pack Muench
Daniela 10 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Dynasty 10 pack Muench
Eclipse 10 pack Trendsetter
Eleonora 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Emmy 10 pack Trendsetter
Emozione 10 pack Austerman
Esprit 10 pack Trendsetter
Euforia 10 pack Trendsetter
Fabu 10 pack Muench
Fee 10 pack Muench
Firenze 10 pack Plymouth
Firenze Boucle 10 pack Plymouth
Fortissima Sock Yarn 20 pack
Giardino 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Iguana 10 pack Trendsetter
Jewel FX 10 pack Berroco
Jolina 10 pack GGH
La Picola 10 pack Austerman
Legacy 10 pack Trendsetter
Linea 10 pack Trendsetter
Linie 97 Iceland 10 pack OnLine
Loto 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Ludique 10 pack Plassard
Lullaby 10 pack Berroco
Marabella 10 pack Trendsetter
Maratona 10 pack Baruffa
Marco 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Marco Stretch 10 pack Austerman
Masai 10 pack Trendsetter
Mayfair 10 pack Austerman
Melody 10 pack Austerman
Microlana 10 pack Austerman
Microlana Fine 10 pack Austerman
Mohair Buffo 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Murano 10 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Opulent FX 10 pack Berroco
Paola 10 pack S Charles
Plata 20 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Policash 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Pom Pom 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Prisma 10 pack Filatura di Crosa
Ravello 10 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Samoa 10 pack GGH
Scarlet 10 pack Austerman
Siam 10 pack Trendsetter
Sir Galli 10 pack Muench
Spumante 10 pack GGH
Streamers 10 pack Ironstone
Topacio 20 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Torino 10 pack Tahki Stacy Charles
Vintage 10 pack Trendsetter

Yarn Lady's Famous Bag Sale 75% off regular price

As you might have guessed, we made it home safe and sound. We've been doing a lot of sleeping. I guess the trip was a bit stressful and we need the rest.

Did you have a great Thanksgiving? We hope you didn't spend all of your money on the day after Thanksgiving and that you saved some for our Famous Bagsale!
For more information on our bagsale, check out our last newsletter at
http://yarnlady.com/newsletter/2006/06november20.htm

Since we are almost giving the yarn away, you will want to be there early for best selection.

Wonder what this picture is? Well it's a picture of one of our darling sewing baskets. When we were in Germany a couple of years ago I fell in love with them and we bought a bunch of them. It turns out that everyone loves them, just not at the price we needed to charge for them- sooo we won't be carrying them anymore. We do have a few left which we are selling below cost. So if you want one for your special someone for the holidays, then you better act quick. Call the store and Janice will get one out to you as quick as she can. 949 770 7809 or email her at mailorder@yarnlady.com
See you on Saturday. The Bagsale starts at 8 AM and ends promptly at 3 PM. Bring 10 of your best friends!!
oh, and please bring an unwrapped gift for our Toys for Tots drive.

God bless you!
Gaby

Isn't God good?

We were just watching the news from our hotel room in Phoenix and saw that many of the areas we just drove through are being pounded with severe weather.....

Thank God that the kids were alright in that center that was destroyed!

Lord willing, we'll be home tomorrow.
See you there!
Gaby

Getting closer to home

We're getting closer!!! We can almost smell home!

So we've had a couple of days of hard driving. Hotels for some reason or other were all full in two locations where we had planned to stay the night, which forced us to put in a lot more miles than we normally do.

Yesterday we were bucking 50+ miles/hour winds. Literally head on. I hope our poor truck has recovered today. Actually, Dutch and I both pray that it's still out there when we are ready to leave. We are really gunshy now and worry about it more than we used to.

I don't know if you've ever driven along Interstate 40. There are LONG stretches between facilities when you hit Texas and New Mexico. Finally there was a rest stop. Now there are PARKING places with no facilities along the way. Who ever thought of that!! Must be a guy thing!!! So here we got to a REAL rest stop and I along with women streaming out of others trucks and cars made a bee line only to find a sign saying CLOSED due to power problems. Mind you the lights were ON!! I wish I had a camera on me to record the looks on our faces and get to interview people right on the spot regarding their thoughts at the moment...... In fact, if you saw Opera's show lately where she and Gail drove cross country, you kind of know where we are.

But I am so very thankful for the clean rest areas and for the gas stations that provide facilities. I'm especially thankful to those whose job it is to get up every morning, knowing that their job is to clean lots of toilets that day.

So I pulled out my knitting. I was working on a poncho to replace one of the ones that got stolen. I think I am pleased with it. It's a little different from the old one which is probably good, since we needed a new look. When we get home I'll take a picture and write the pattern. Dutch is often cold- what am I saying: he is ALWAYS cold!! So I decided that he needed to wear a hat to bed since he wears his hair real short. So after we landed in the hotel last night I made him a hat and presented it to him all proud just in time before he went to sleep. Of course he didn't wear it...... But it's COLD outside, and he may be thankful for it yet :-)))

So Phoenix, here we come tonight!. We've already talked to Mia and told her we are coming. She is teaching knitting at her house so we'll have to squeeze some time in between. We'd also like to visit with Rob and Kay Shields (hi!!!) and perhaps Dutch's cousin. We'll see. So we'll probably be home late Friday.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I'm very aware of the love it takes to remember to pray. I so wish I were more diligent about it.

Talk to you soon!!
God bless you!
Gaby

People to thank

Before I forget, I do want to thank the people again who have come to our aid and to all of you who have prayed.

I couldn't have a first, second, third.... list but I want to be sure to thank Chuck.
Chuck was one of the men who worked the Stitches show and unloaded our trailer and brought things to our booth. If you remember, the trailer had to be towed from Philadelphia to Baltimore and there it sat without us being able to move it. The convention center gave permission to leave it near the loading dock for the duration of the show. Chuck and his colleages emptied and then loaded the trailer for us and then Chuck offered to bring his own truck to move the trailer and keep it at his house for us until we knew how we would get it home.

This morning we met up with Chuck who brought our trailer back to us and helped us hook it to our new vehicle. Since we needed to have electric brakes installed on the car for the trailer, he told us exactly where to go to have it done. He even called a few hours later to make sure everything worked out all right. On his truck he has a bumper sticker that says something to the effect: Does this look like the face of a people person? I told him: "YES! It does!!!" God bless you Chuck! We so appreciate you!

Even the car salesman, who saw us under immense pressure and not from our best side, called today just to make sure we had gotten the electric brakes and were now safely on our way.

The list goes on and on.....

Speaking of the place that installed our brakes: I don't think we ever had such good service! We barely got out of the car that they went to work, replacing a tire which was severely damamged by the thieves, installing a new hitch, bending metal straight here and there and, of course, installing the electric brake connection.

There are some bad apples out there but there are sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many good ones!!!
Praise God!!!!!!!!!

Going home at last

Well, I just saw Niqua's post. Looks like we are in front of a computer at the same time on oposite sides of the country..

Indeed, we are finally on our way home! While driving the last few hours, I mentally went over what I would have to say to you here and so many things came to mind then and of course now I draw a blank.....

I told Cherie yesterday that we were soooooo tired of hanging out in Philly, waiting for a descision by the insurance company and then the ardious chore of choosing a new car to buy to take us home. I HATE buying cars. So many choices and then all the haggling...... All our insurance is with one company and they have been on the phone with us a LOT. But since vehicles were taken, personal clothes and business property (yarn etc) we are dealing with three different departments. Some at home and some out here on the East Coast. YIKES!! Who can keep it all straight. As helpful as they have been, it still is very very frustrating. The day before yesterday the local insurance agent told us to hang in there another day before he would officially declare the van totalled. We couldn't make any arrangements until we knew if we were still responsible for the vehicle.

In the meantime all the hotels in the Philadelphia area were full so we couldn't stay two nights in a row except for one place. Looking for hotels alone drove us slightly crazy and when we looked for a way to get the trailer home things didn't get any better. Anyone that Dutch contacted said: too big- too far... Niqua found a moving company who might fit it on a truck going West but they wanted about $6000 for the pleasure. OUCH!!

So we decided that we needed to buy a new car anyway since we are now minus one car and we would rather put the money towards that. As I said before, I HATE buying cars!! We had to buy one big enough to pull our trailer but not so big that it would be impossible for us to drive around town. Pressure!! I could fill pages with the details.... not fun when you're far from home. Our old van was paid for and this one costs MEGA $$$$. Oh well..... Insurance will probably only cover 1/10th or so.

But we are so thankful that we have the means to make our choices. We can't even imagine how people fare who have lost everything and have no place to go and no money or credit. While insurance will hopefully re-imburse us for portions of all this, we do have lots of out-of pocket expenses with hotels, car rentals, phones, meals, clothing we had to buy and on and on. I have a whole new respect for organizations like the red cross who come to peoples aid when they are in need.

So now we're finally back on the road again and going home! Of course we don't hold anything against Philadelphia- we had many wonderful visits there, but this time around, we are so glad to be going home. We have learned so much and found again that when things get tough, we draw closer together and we needed that.

Cherie bought some special yarn at Stitches for all our "girls" who "kept the homefires burning" on the home front and at the show. Now they tell me that they like the yarn so much we will have to carry it!! And we promise that we will as soon as our budget allows.

We're in North Carolina tonight and plan on driving about 400- 500 miles a day.
We'll wave at you as we drive by your house!

Thank you so very much for all of your prayers. Please keep praying as we drive the remaining 3000 miles. Did we mention that we won't be driving to shows anymore, but that we'll be shipping? Speaking of bagsales, the one at our store is less than a month away. PLEASE mark your calendar for the first Saturday in December. Stay tuned for more information and please check out our website at www.yarnlady.com if you've never heard of our bagsale.

Gotta get the clothes in the dryer. Talk to you again when I can.
God bless you!!!!!!!
Gaby

Save the date!

Save the Date! Our semi-annual Bag Sale is scheduled for Saturday, December 2nd.

We have surprises for you that you won't want to miss.

Come rain or shine!

What's Next

Many people are calling and asking "What has happened since Gaby wrote her thoughts".
Since the end of Stitches East, the staff members have flown home and are now back at the store. They have lots of stories to tell as well. My parents went back to Philadelphia to find out what and/or when the van would be finished and they could come home. Much to their surprise, the cost to repair the van was enourmous and the insurance company decided to have the van totalled.

Ok, now they are in the same boat that they were in before Stitches and that was "How were they going to get the trailer home without a vehicle to tow them?" I have tried contacting numerous companies to see if they would tow it back to California. Most of them laughed at me and said no way. I am shocked as to how little resources there are in Philadelphia to get someone towed. I joke with customers who are at the store that if anyone wanted to start a towing business to do so in Philadelphia.

Our only options are to ship all the product home and sell the trailer while there or buy another car and tow it home ourselves.
After numerous phone calls and lots of praying, my parents purchased another vehicle and I am happy to say that they are currently on their way home. I am not sure how long it will take them to get home, but I am just glad that they are at least heading west.

Again, thank you to all those wonderful people who have given their all to help my parents during this crazy ordeal. I know my parents are greatful and are looking forward to thanking each and every one of you.

Niqua

Thoughts from Gaby

So we just returned from dinner in Amish Country. As I probably told you before, they have been so much on my mind and such an inspiration to me. When I walked back into the hotel lobby after discovering that our vehicles were gone, I sat on the couch, unable to really believe that this has happened. The first thing that came to my mind was how the Amish FORGAVE the man who hurt and killed their children. How could I do any less. We only had THINGS stooen, not children.

We are waiting for word about our van. Even though it was recovered, it blew the transmission within three blocks of where we took posession of it again. So now the question is if it is worth fixing with the other damage or if it will be totalled by the insurance company. If they do that, we won't have anything to tow our trailer home with. So God is giving us a time of rest now -albeit expensive with hotel bills and rental cars..... But that's only money. Dutch and I are fine, just very tired.

Although the van and trailer were recovered by the police, the thieves did get away with some things. We had brought three big suitcases full of additional merchandise and models and samples- some of which we just completed... computer equipment, and this list goes on. Because we were going to be on the road for close to 3 weeks, I had packed a lot of clothes and shoes. I didn't know what kind of weather we would encounter so we had everything from winter coats to bathing suits along. All of it is gone. From the trailer they took a rack full of Prism yarn and two hand trucks. Don't know why this is all they took from there- perhaps they were interrupted.... I had a carry-on suitcase full of Dutch's and my shoes, as well as a rain-type jacket and some oter warm clothes...that, too, is gone. So now the insurance company tells us that we must file another report in which we give them a list of everything that was NOT recovered. It looks like we will be wrapped in paperwork for some time.

We do not condone theft or crime of any sort. But after driving through neighborhoods the kind of which we have never seen before on our way to the police yard, in a way I do pray that someone will get warmth from my winter coat, good use out of my new walking shoes, perhaps one of the model garments that was stolen will make someone feel special in a way they never did before. I pray that God will turn for good that which the thieves meant and did for evil.

Before we left on this trip, my older brother in Nova Scotia wrote me a Bon Voyage letter in which he said that above all else he wished us KINDNESS along this trip. We have been showered with kindness from every corner. We are so grateful to all of you! We know that through all of this, good will come and hope that we are open enough to be used as vessels for God.

We are so thankful for all of our staff who helped us through this and held down the fort at home and we are especially proud of our "little" girl, who made things happen back home and set heaven and earth in motion to get her parents off that road. I can just imagine how she felt when she had me on the phone telling her that I was sitting alone in the dark and cold in front of an X rated establishment with cars honking at me. But it wasn't raining and I still hadn't wet my pants (I was there a LONG time) and I had a beach towel I could wrap around me for a bit of warmth. We didn't break down in the middle of the desert or some deserted place. We had people call us trying to help and we did have a rental van that could get us to a warm and safe place to sleep. Our profound thanks goes to the tow truck drivers, who came to our rescue.

So now please pray with us that we figure out a way to get our trailer (and us) home. Yesterday was Dutch's (and Caitlyn's) birthday and we had a wonderful time celebrating with our whole group. We always wonder how many people to bring to help us with the show because of the expenses involved. This time we had Cherie, Jan and Jenny as well as Elaine along. We needed each and every one and were so very thankful they were there. God does work in misterious ways His wonders to perform. I look forward to what's next. As I have access to computers, I'll keep you posted.
God bless you!
Gaby
(from near King of Prussia, PA)

Praise God!

I just got off the phone with my mother. Yes, she finally got her phone charged and now I can talk to her. She said that they got there at 2 am (11 pm PST) and that they felt bad for the tow truck lady because she had been up since 5 am and still had to drive back to Philly and go back to work again at 5 am. Thank you Lyons Trucking Company for getting my parents out of a bad situation.

My mother said that the staff at the convention center and the people running Stitches were such a blessing this morning. They had two workers ready with fork lifts and pallets and they allowed my parents to drive in and on the floor to unload. Note, they could not do this until 8 am (5 am PST) and the show was to start at 10 am (7 am PST). They had to hurry and get things set up and ready for the Market to open. Thank you to all who have put their time and effort to help my parents during this time of need. Without all your help, love and prayers, my parents would not be where they are now... safe, warm, fed and with all the people they love to work with. She said that the booth is almost up and ready, and Kaffe Fassett is there for his book signings. Cherie is working as fast as she can checking out all the people who want to purchase items. The booth is filled with people and hopefully it will all turn out for the best.

If you are in the Baltimore neighborhood, please stop by and give my parents and our staff a big hug. They could sure use it!

Thank you to all that were there and helped my parents, our staff, the staff at Stitches, the police in Philadelphia, Lyons Towing Company, Trendsetter Yarns, Muench Yarns, all the staff here at Yarn Lady, Rancho Capistrano Christian School for the assistance with my daughter while I was on the phone helping my parents, State Farm, my husband and all those whom I may of forgotten. Your love and support that you have given us during this time will never be left un-noticed.

Thank you Lord for watching over and protecting my parents!

Niqua

Help and Support

At this point, the word has gone around to other yarn companies and people were calling the store asking how they can help. Kirstin Muench of Muench Yarns has offered to send knitted samples over night to Stitches to help replace the items that were stolen. Hopefully it arrives in time and it could be of some use for the girls at the booth. Thank you Kirstin for your love and prayers during this whole ordeal.

It is now midnight (9 pm PST) and my parents are still there waiting to go. The tow truck lady was waiting for some lights to be placed on the trailor, as the ones that she had were too small. I called Cherie and informed her that my parents needed a place to park the trailor once they arrived, preferrably next to the convention center so the unload in the morning will be a little easier. Cherie did not know where they could drop it off as it was late and she didnt know who to contact. I felt bad, but I am in California and I dont know who to call either. Remember, there is no parking for large vehicles there in Baltimore Inner Harbor.

Find out if there is an end to the never ending saga!
Niqua

Holding On

So now that my parents are waiting for the tow truck, the tow company calls them and says they will be at least another hour because they dont have the right truck to handle the ball that is on the trailor. So they wait some more in front of the sex store and in the dark with no food and no jackets and its cold outside. Cherie called and said that the mouse of the lap top that she is using for a register at Stitches (Stitches is now open and customers are shopping the Market) is not working and the battery is dead. She needed to know how to open it and to insert a new battery. They were not going to tell anyone about the ongoing saga but customers were walking by and asking why they had such a large booth with little to no product. They thought they had better start explaining what has been happening and the customers began to understand. They starting selling most of the product that they did have. It ended up being a great sale day for them with little to no product to sell. The other vendors were helping the girls which is very much appreciated.

With everything that has been happening with my parents, I wanted to have a back up in case some thing else went wrong. I called Cherie to track Barry Klein down at Stitches. Barry called me back and asked what he could do to help my parents. I asked if there were any vendors there with a hitch. He said there was and that vendor said that after the show ended for the night, they would be happy to go down and help if needed. (They couldnt leave their booth until 10 pm their time). I told them thank you for offering, but that I needed to get my parents out of that area now and into a safer location. Barry informed me that he had a representative in the area and to give him a call. I called their main office in Van Nuys, Ca and Heidi called that rep and asked about the area. He informed Heidi that it was not a good area, especially at night. He offered to help and asked all his neighbors who had SUV's if they had a hitch. Again, no one had a hitch. I asked Heidi if the rep (Andy) could at least go there and be a third person there while they wait for the tow truck and to bring my parents some food and coffee. He said it was not problem as he was just 10 minutes away.

More to come!
Niqua

Break Down

My parents are heading up to Baltimore to finally participate at the Stitches show when the van breaks down in the middle of an intersection in South Philadelphia. At this point, they are not going to get back to Baltimore in time for the help. I called Cherie (our Business Manager who is waiting for my parents at Stitches) and informed her that they are not going to make it and to make arrangements for them to come in later. Now Cherie has to do plan B for the bank, bags for when they do sell product, set up the booth the best that they can for what they have, etc. The girls are troopers and are working tiredlessly on their end to help.

At first glance, my parents though that the van needed fluids, so my father took the rental van and went to go look for some fluids while my mother stayed behind hoping that she doesnt get rear ended. (Remember, they are in the middle of an intersection). My father comes back and nothing is making the van work again. The van is now dead and needs to get to a mechanic asap. Fortunately for them, a Ford dealer is right around the corner. They called AAA and they came and got them off the intersection and they took only the van to the dealer. It is now 3 pm (12 noon PST) and my parents are calling me in California for help. They need assistance with finding a van with a hitch to help pull the trailor up to Baltimore. Their cell phones are dying and they cant find anything. At this point, my parents have had no sleep or any food. I spent most of the day on the phone calling rental companies and Uhaul companies looking for a truck with a hitch. Wouldnt you know that there were absolutely no one who had a hitch. One lady gave me a confirmation number at a Uhaul about 20 minutes away from my parents stating that there was a 14 foot truck with a hitch waiting for them that they could take to Baltimore. Once my father got there, it was not available. Now they still have nothing and it is beginning to get dark outside. The staff at the store, our insurance reps, Barry from Trendsetter Yarns (while at Stitches) are now assisting me with finding other means to help get my parents up to Baltimore. Finally, a towing company says that they will tow my parents up to Baltimore, but that the driver couldnt be there for at least an hour. With my parents cell phone almost completely dead, I had to find out how they were holding up. My father was still driving around town, getting lost looking for a hitch to tow the trailor while my mother stook guard over the trailor and the products that they had to take out of the van before it went to get repaired. My mother was not a happy camper at this point in time because it was dark now, she is standing in front of an adult sex store and people who were driving by were now honking at her. If you know my mother, that does not stand well with her. I called my father and said to get back to my mother asap and just wait as I have help on the way. I was afraid every time the phone rang as I didnt want anything else to go wrong.

Stay tuned for more!
Niqua

Recovered Van & Trailor?

Ok, one would think that there is going to be a happy ending here and now, now that my parents were in Philadelphia and were able to get the van and trailor back. Let me add here that it was a long and hard day for my parents, the girls, the staff at Stitches, the staff at Yarn Lady and myself. I want to start off by saying THANK YOU to all those who were helping me today. I could not keep calm while in California without all of the love and support.

My parents picked up the van and trailor from a yard (not sure if it was the police impound yard or not). They noticed that the drivers side window was smashed in, the only way to start the van was to use a screw driver, there is some red paint on the trailor (looks like someone hit them or they hit something) and all the luggage was still missing. Besides all that, everything else was still there. The only bad part is that my parents still have no clothes to change into. At this point, they have been wearing the same clothes that they traveled there in which was now four days ago. I told them to get some new clothes and they said when this was all over they would. Right now, they needed to get out of the area and to a safer location. Besides all the clothes now being gone, some product that I had sent with them and all the knitted samples were also now gone. I figure its a blessing that those are they only things missing. My concern was for my parents.

My father is now driving their van and trailor in tow and my mother if following behind with the rental van and now they are heading back up to Baltimore. Wait, the saga doesnt end here. Trust me, it only gets worse!

Stay tuned!
Niqua

The Saga Continues

Hello!
I thought I would update you on the continuing saga of the stolen items while at Stitches East. A lot has happened within the last 24 hours.

The last we had mentioned was that the van and trailor were stolen and my parents no longer had any of their luggage. After a couple of days sitting and waiting to hear from the police, my parents finally decided to rent a van and head up to Baltimore where they can be with the girls while they try to figure out what their next step would be and all their options. The staff at Stitches were very helpful and supportive during this entire saga. They gave my father some insight and more options to consider. Just when my parents and the girls were just about ready to pull the plug and come home their cell phone rang at 1 am (10 pm PST). It was the police calling stating that they found the van and trailor. They asked if they could come over and pick them up within the next hour. My parents jumped up from a sound sleep and got ready to make the trip back down to Philadelphia.

One thing that most of the exhibitors at Stitches has been complaining about is the lack of parking for large vehicles, such as vans and trailors. Needless to say, my parents had to park their rented van blocks away from where their hotel was. At 2 am (11 pm PST) they went to the parking garage where their van was parked and found that they were not open until 5 am (2 am PST). They noticed a Holiday Inn across the street and thought they could just sleep in the lobby over there until the parking garage opened. The front doors to the hotel were locked because of the area they are in. After a little persuasion, the hotel staff finally opened the front doors for my parents to come in but said that they dont allow people to sleep in the lobby. Therefore, my parents had to stay awake for the three hours until the garage had opened. They didnt mind because it was safer than being on the street.

The garage opened finally and now they are heading down to Philadelphia where they can get the van and trailor and hopefully get back to Baltimore before 3 pm (12 noon PST) so they can get help with setting up the booth at Stitches. In the meantime, the girls are working at bringing over from the hotel all the books that I had pre-shipped to the booth using the suit cases that they had brought with them. They had to travel over 2 blocks each way toting the products.

Stay tuned to more of the saga!
Niqua