Sandy reporting in from New York.

It’s good to be home. I’ve spent the last 10 days traveling. Although most of the time was spent working, I did have a few fun moments of down time.

The first bit of fun was the birthday celebration for the daughter of my dear friend in Austin. The young lady is now 12-years-old and I was able to attend her birthday party. We had yummy pizza and a chocolate and champagne party(!).

You see, about 6 months ago my friend and her daughter were attending a charity fundraising event. An event with a silent auction. The young woman in question asked her mom if she could do the bidding while my friend was chatting up friends. Of course, she said yes and said young woman began to peruse the offerings. And then auction fever took over. The then 11-year-old bid on several things and bought tickets for raffle items. She won 4 of 6 raffle items and won the grand prize at the auction too — a champagne and chocolate private event at Maggie Louise Confections for–wait for it– a winning bid of $400. My friend nearly fainted! The brand ambassador for Maggie Louise did a lovely job of explaining chocolates and technique and marketing to the girls and the adults who bravely handled the champagne part of the tasting.

Oprah calls Maggie Louise Confections one of her favorite things. I agree!

So, I found myself full of pizza and chocolate and champagne on a beautiful sunny day in Austin Texas. Traveling can be so lovely.

After a week of work, I traveled to St. George, Utah to visit friends. It was the first time I visited their lovely home and I got to join them on a hike in the area. The scenery is impossible to describe.

I know I’ll be back some day so I can visit one of Cindy’s favorite places, Bryce Canyon National Park.