* Jenni Bowlin *

Greece - what can I say?

If you asked me 10 years ago if I thought my feet would ever touch the Aegean Sea I wouldn't have believed it. This amazing "job" (can I call it that?) has taken me to more places than I could ever have imagined. In fact, until I began working in this industry I think I had only been to 5 states total. My how things have changed!

Mykonos was beautiful. The people were very warm and the food was amazing. Every morning we were served chocolate crepes, ham and cheese souffle and croissants (and much, much more but these were my favorites)! Good thing there were at least 40 steps to climb back up to our room when we were done.

If you have the opportunity to do something like this I would highly recommend it. It was thrilling to me to have the opportunity to really get to know the group of woman that attended. Tricia did a great job at scheduling the classes, dinners, etc. in even smaller groups to mix it up a bit and make sure everyone had the opportunity to mingle. Elina and the staff at the hotel were amazing not to mention beautiful! It was an experience I won't soon forget and I'm so grateful to Tricia for including me. Tricia - you did a wonderful job and put on a lovely event!

We did manage to take some photos, but I must say I was relying on the fact that there would be a flicker group and a CD available. Jared took several and here are a few of my favorites. . .

I LOVE this picture because if you notice, Karen is holding her camera and Ali has her IPhone. I, on the other hand am not holding a piece of technology (surprise, surprise). Although, I could have used a pair of sunglasses. I so enjoyed getting to spend time with these girls. I had not seen Karen in years and it was so nice to reconnect. Ali and I had some time together after the event and it was lovely. She has always been one of my favorite people.

This was the view we had everyday starting our walk down to breakfast. . .

One of 5 windmills lined up along the edge of the island. . .

One of the churches that sat mingled in between homes and shopping all over the island. . .

One of the benefits of this trip was the opportunity to just "be". We have been so busy and overwhelmed that this forced us to relax and think clearly. Funny how decisions we needed to make and directions we needed to take became very clear to us here. Although I am finding myself settling back into "old ways", I am trying to hold on to the renewed sense of purpose and determination I had when we left to come home.

One of the things I want to re-commit to is this blog. My plan is to begin posting every day during the work week. I have a schedule laid out and big plans. Now that we have the Inspiration Blog and even a new blog for our retailers, I really can go back to focusing more on creativity and personal inspiration here. I have plans to have the blog redesigned too.

And in this spirit, we are making some positive changes at Mercantile too! New shipping with FedEx that will provide cheaper rates for most customers, a new Message Board (it's about time!) and new member benefits including first-to-purchase options for members. Be looking for more information in an upcoming newsletter and over at the Inspiration Blog.

Also this week, we plan to open registration for our Christmas Vintagefest event, December 3rd and the 4th to be held near our home here in Lebanon, TN. I have 3 very cool classes planned. I have been collecting materials all year. I am hoping to get some studio time to get them started tomorrow but I may have to open registration with descriptions only. We will see how the week goes!