Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Goofin' Off With the Winds of Change

I can't believe it has been almost three weeks since my last post. The past three weeks have been crazy, but it all came out great in the end. If you have been following me for some time, you'll know that we have had five weddings of nieces and nephews this summer. Well, the final wedding was a destination wedding...to the Caribbean...on a cruise ship. Well, Hurricane Irma changed those plans a few days before we were to leave. But more about that later...

Because things have been so crazy, I haven't been at my sewing machine much the past few weeks. I did manage, however, to put those last borders on my Gingerbread Square Dance quilt. You can see the finish below. 

Gingerbread Square Dance Completed Top

Now it's time to work on the Toy Story quilts for the happy couple that got married in July with the Toy Story themed wedding. They will be two lap size quilts to keep them warm while studying (or watching TV or playing video games) this winter. 

Here is the first set of fabrics that I've put together. I hope to be cutting into them in the next 24 hours. My rotary cutter is just itching to get picked up and slice through some fabrics. 

Fabrics for Woody/Toy Story Quilt

I did manage to get a bit of stitching on Mickey and Pirate Friends. It seemed an easier project to pick up and put down while all the travel changes were going down. Page 1 of ??? has been completed. I can see all of Goofy's eyes now.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 09/20/2017

As I mentioned above, Hurricane Irma decided to make herself known a few days before we were to leave for our Caribbean cruise. We were given the choice of taking a shortened cruise leaving four days late or canceling and getting our money back in the form of a cruise credit. The entire group that was going on the cruise decided to just cancel as there was no way we would be able to make it into Fort Lauderdale to catch our cruise ship. The flights were all booked up.

That gave us just a few days to make alternative plans. The wedding party was able to come up with an entire new plan in less than 48 hours. We would still be "cruising", only it wouldn't be on a cruise ship, and it wouldn't be to the Caribbean. It was decided that the wedding would be held in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. 

Victoria from the Front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel

We all boarded the Victoria Clipper in Seattle on Monday, September 11th, at way too early of a time in the morning. It was a beautiful three-hour trip up to Victoria and a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70s. 

Let me just say here that when the Fairmont Empress in Victoria heard the story of the wedding plans being spoiled by Hurricane Irma, they were extremely accommodating. They allowed the wedding to take place in one of their flower gardens for no charge. They upgraded the room of the happy couple and made room for our large group to enjoy lunch together after the wedding. 

The Fairmont Empress is extremely beautiful and exquisite. Here are a couple of pictures I took of the lobby area. 

Mr. Goofin' Off on the Lobby Balcony in His Caribbean Wedding Atire

Lobby of the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC

The picture doesn't do this chandelier justice. It had to have been one of the most elegant chandeliers I've ever seen. And those fresh flowers just smelled so wonderful. 

After the wedding and lunch, Mr. Goofin' Off wanted to check out the miniature museum which was behind the hotel. We spent about an hour there. I think Mr. Goofin' Off probably could have spent another two hours there, but we had my mom with us, and I don't think her feet and legs would have held out as there was nowhere to sit down. We walked the waterfront for a while, and then went to catch the Victoria Clipper back to Seattle. 

After we got back home, we now had some airline miles that had been refunded back into our account and five days left of vacation that Mr. Goofin' Off had taken off of work. So what do you think the Goofin' Offs did?  I'll give you a hint...

Our Change in Vacation Plans Thanks to Hurricane Irma

You can look forward to a few pictures from our trip over the next couple of posts. As always, thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment or question below. 

*As a side note here, I just want to mention how much my heart hurts for those recovering from all the hurricanes, fires, and earthquakes. The Goofin' Offs send our prayers and good thoughts to anyone suffering from the devastation.*

33 comments:

  1. I'm glad to hear everything worked out despite the hurricane!

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    1. Things really did fall into place to make all the changes. It mostly just took time on the phone...waiting...and on hold to get things arranged. Us Goofin' Offs try to be as flexible as possible and just have fun. Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  2. I'm happy the wedding turned out so well. Sounds like a great wedding on such short notice.

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    1. Thanks, Pamela! We are flexible as much as we can be. In the big picture of all the disasters happening right now, ours was just a minor blip. Now I can sit back and just enjoy working on some projects. Thank you for dropping by! Andrea

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  3. Congrats on the quilt finish and page finish of Mickey. Looks like they still had a beautiful wedding.

    Linda

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    1. The hotel was so accommodating. It really did turn out to be a beautiful day and wedding. Thank you for dropping by! Andrea

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  4. So glad the wedding went off ok and love the quilt.
    Oh boy i am loving that Mickey and friends stitchery,well done xx

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    1. Thank you for dropping by! I am having a lot of fun with the Mickey and Friends stitching piece. It's fun to see it come to life. Happy stitching! Andrea

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  5. The quilt finish looks great and love your progress on the cross stitch project. It has been a little while since I've last seen it (apologies, things have been busy on my side too) and it is coming along really nicely.
    I am so glad the wedding went ahead despite Irma's tantrums. Looks like you all had a wonderful time, safe and sound.
    Looking forward to admiring your pic from the Disney trip - lucky you! ;)

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    1. Thank you! Despite Irma, we did have a great time with the wedding and the unplanned Disney trip. But now that we're home, I am just as much having fun getting back into a routine. Happy stitching! Andrea

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  6. How wonderful to come here and see the Empress Hotel in Victoria! I haven't been in it, or the miniature museum since...hmm...1994 (had to go back and ponder that date for a bit!) Glad you got extra-special treatment there, and glad you got a trip to Disney as well. The quilts are shaping up nicely! Know what you mean about the feel of the rotary cutter in one's hand. :-)

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    1. Sandra, It was nice to visit Victoria for the day...especially because of the beautiful weather and wedding. My quilting has been calling me all week with the weather change, so I hope to sit down and start cutting into the fabric this afternoon. Happy sewing! Andrea

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  7. Great quilt, and nice that the wedding plans worked out in the end.
    Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Susan, Thank you! Yes, it was nice that everything worked out. I think a good part of that was just pure patience. Have a great day! Andrea

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  8. Glad Irma announced her intentions before you guys started out on the cruise! Looks like the Wedding was just beautiful and so glad you got to make the most out of your vacation time.

    The quilt looks great but Goofy is looking amazing!

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    1. I agree with you...Goofy is looking amazing. I am so excited to get started on my Toy Story-Woody quilt. So many projects; so little time. Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  9. Oh my gosh! Talk about making lemonade from lemons! This looks like fun too!!

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    1. Thank you! We do enjoy making lemonade from lemons here. It's much more fun that way. Thank you for dropping by! Andrea

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  10. Your cross stitch piece is amazing! What a whirlwind three weeks!

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    1. Thank you! It's been a busy three weeks, but I've been using my rotary cutter this morning cutting into fabrics, and it feels wonderful. Happy sewing! Andrea

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  11. How fortunate that people worked together to make the wedding special for all of you despite not being on the cruise. I love your cross stitch. But it is such an undertaking; WOW!

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    1. Thanks, Debbie! The cross stitch piece is definitely a huge undertaking, but it was a special request from my hubby. He doesn't ask for much, so I am happy to oblige. Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  12. How lovely to have the alternative wedding location, when the hurricane caused such problems.
    I love the colours for the the couple's quilts & look forward to seeing your progress.
    Kay.

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    1. Thank you! I enjoyed cutting into the fabrics for the new quilt today. It feels like it's been way too long since I cut into some fresh fabrics (even though I know it hasn't). Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  13. I am so glad that wedding was able to happen. It is nice when businesses are accommodating when other plans go awry. So glad that you were able to use your travel miles and vacation time.

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    1. Thank you for dropping by! Yes, we just took a deep breath and everything took care of itself in the planning department. We just had to be patient being on hold on the telephone for long periods of time. Andrea

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  14. So nice that everything turned out well despite the hurricane, I love those big eyes of Goofys.

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    1. I love Goofy's big eyes, too! They are almost as handsome as Mr. Goofin' Off's eyes. He has these deep brown eyes that make me swoon even after almost 30 years of marriage. Thanks for dropping by! Andrea

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  15. Victoria is a lovely place, and would have been a beautiful location for a wedding.
    Goofy is looking fabulous!

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    1. Yes, Victoria is a lovely place. The weather was perfect for an outdoor garden wedding that day. Thank you for dropping by! Andrea

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  16. Love your quilt finish. Love the fabrics for the new quilt too. Your stitching looks fantastic. Congrats on the page finish. Sorry your plans had to change but sounds like it worked out. Plus you got to go to Disney....definitely a positive there.

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    1. Thanks, Katie! Yes, it's always a positive when you get to go to Disney! The Toy Story fabrics have been fun to play with. Thanks for dropping in and leaving a message! Andrea

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  17. WOW... that's one wedding that's going to be remembered for a long time to come for sure.

    Glad to see that you were able to make some progress on Goofy.

    Thanks so much for linking up to last week's Stitchery Link Party and for the link back. Aloha hugs!

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