We Concord Boston!

And no, that wasn't a spelling error - if you pronounce "Concord" like a Bostonian, then you'll get the pun!

So two Thursdays ago I got up at 3:30 AM to start off for the "worst city to drive in" about an 8 hour drive without stops. Picked up two wonderful friends who were kind enough to go with me so I didn't get lost, didn't crash, and could sell my items with ease.

We made it to our hotel in Burlington without much problem. Burlington is only about 20 miles away from downtown Boston, where the DONA conference was. However, we couldn't check in until 3pm sharp, and by the time we freshened up a bit, it was already rush-hour traffic with cars baked up for miles.

What should have been a half hour's drive took us 1 and a half that first evening! Luckily for us, we ended up with a great spot at the show in part because of our lateness :)

Our "parking garage" that first night ended up being a back alley way where the guy parked the cars bumper to bumper and the fact that he kept our keys made one of my friends a tad n

ervous (turns out she doesn't like cities! - I'm so glad she was willing to go with me despite this!)

But all turned out well and we got set up and settled in. However, we knew there was no way we'd get to enjoy our free continental breakfast (eggs, Belgium waffles, etc.) the next two days since we'd need to leave before serving time in order to avoid the hour and a half drive into town again.

But day two went well. The figurines were well-loved, and I sold most of them that second day. After packing up, we enjoyed a dinner at the Cheesecake Factory at the Burlington Mall, after waiting half an hour for a table and then another hour before we were really eating. So we had half an hour to shop!

We hit up the bulk candy store for some lego-shaped candy, then I got a Shot Cake icecream cupcake, and had two minutes to shop in the LEGO store. Oh.My.Goodness. Lego heaven!! I so wanted to have time to look around, but alas, I ended up getting some keyshains for the boys and myself, and a deck of cards and some stickers. For the girls I picked up two fancy folding fans from a cute ethnic shop we perused while we waited for our table for dinner.

Much to our dismay, besides the mall closing at 9pm, our beloved hotel pool also closed by 9, due to a city ordinance, apparently. My two pregnant, tired friends REALLY missed the opportunity to go swimming.

But Saturday we still had to get up bright and early at 5AM for our last day in the harbor city. We did well in sales that day as well, and by the afternoon decided to take a tour of the city. We ended up wishing we had bought the tickets the day before as it turns out the tour was good for two days, and you could board and un-board as many times as you liked at any of 16 stops. It also included a free 45 minute boat ride and a museum admission, neither of which we had time for.

But we still enjoyed the tour of the city and got to see the first post office in the US, the balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read, and one of those city wading pools where little kids and adults alike were cooling off in the 108 degree weather.

But then it was back home, where we waited until we were off the toll road to eat because of the jacked-up prices. It was 10pm by then, so many places were closed for the evening. We were lucky to find a Pizza Hut open until 11, and then we got gas JUST before the place closed at midnight. Very fortunate for us, indeed!

I made it driving home until about 3:30 when I passed the wheel over, though I still stayed awak until we were home. By the time I pulled into my driveway, I'd been up for over 24 hours, and was quite exhausted!

But it was a great time, I made lots of new friends, and I really hope I can do it again!

While at the conference, I bought a little stuffed Lobster, whose tag says his name is, "Baby Rock." So I decided that he should accompany me on any trips I make with my ware, and when people ask me, "What's the Lobster for?" I'll reply, "I'm glad you asked....it all started in Boston!" At least it will be a conversation starter :)

So don't be surprised if you see photos of him in upcoming product pics!