I'm baaa-aack....!

We just returned last evening from two 1/2 days at the North Carolina State Fair! Whew! I am worn out-but a GOOD worn out! Our first stop when we got there was to check out the arena where we heard the Christian contemporary group Casting Crowns. My building-inspector husband calculated roughly that there were 7,500 seats in the arena-most of which were full! It was pretty awesome, let me tell you, to see the mix of young and old alike taking time out from the midway, livestock, agriculture, deep fried anything-you-can-think-of-to hear a Christian band! And it wasn't just Friday night--on several "free" stages there were gospel groups from all over giving free concerts-and the last group we heard--well, I cannot wait for the cd they have in the works! Four men who have only been singing together for a year-and they were awesome! We worshiped Sun. am in the 140+ church located on the fairgrounds and, once again, the mix was eclectic and while we were fewer in number, the sound in that little ramshackle building rocked! God is alive and well! We had other fun, too! Didn't ride this ferris wheel--but it brought back fond memories of the ones I rode as a child with my grandfather! One of my favorite parts of the NC fair is visiting what's called Heritage Village-crafts of yesteryear demonstrated and for sale by crafters in dress appropriate for that era. It's neat to see. Our "photo" focus has changed somewhat---after all, you can only have so many "traditional" fair photos! We don't have grandchildren-yet--we keep waiting and hoping--but we do enjoy watching parents with their kids and grandparents with grandkids---and we've taken to capturing some of their excitement as well! Sometimes from afar, sometimes close up with permission, of course! I call them my "fair families"! Lol! Pretty bad when you've got to "borrow" other peoples families to scrapbook!

On another note...my camera just fizzled out with yet another "battery exhausted" message in the middle of my downloading all my photos. PRAYING they aren't lost for good. I am in search of...a new user/beginner friendly camera. Any advice--what to or not to get-is appreciated. I got all excited when the new issue of Creating Keepsakes arrived in Friday's mail before we left-and there was a camera comparison in it---but was totally disappointed as it listed (but didn't explain) features, etc. I was more lost than before I read it! But I am about at the end of my rope with my little nikon coolpix point and shoot. I want something light-weight, that has a decent zoom, and can accommodate a variety of light settings (I like the museum setting for instance when I don't want the flash glare on something...)--PLEASE...help me out here, fans.

It's a crazy week "back in the saddle"--this afternoon Theresa and I prep the kits for my class tomorrow night--will post pics of that-hopefully-and then I get ready for a "Me & My Buddy" Halloween scrapbooking event I am doing, hosted by our local library on Saturday! Whew! I need a vacation from vacation and before I get going again! Until next time, happy stamping and scrapping! Blessings, Sharon