I love Sale-a-bration! It is an annual event and I remember 11 years ago I had decided I didn’t want to continue to be a demonstrator. I hated workshops- they made me nervous and I didn’t like to get up in front of people and talk! My husband was going through some medical issues and I had 2 little ones at home. Needless to say I had enough stress in my life! Then the mail came and I got my first Sale-a-bration brochure- I was a new demo and had no idea what Sale-a-bration was all about. I opened up the brochure and realized it was about FREE STAMPS!!! I love free stamps so I decided I would do a couple of workshops during Sale-a-bration and then be done as a demo. I had never intended to make this a business- I was a scrapbooker and I loved Stampin’ Up!’s products- I just didn’t like to pay full price for them. When I first signed up I told my husband I was just going to do this for 6 months and then I would be done- I figured after 6 months I would have everything I wanted from the catalog (at a discount or better yet- FREE). Little did I know how much Stampin’ Up! would bring to my life. A few months after I signed up, my husband was diagnosed with Kidney cancer- most people find out about kidney cancer too late- God was on our side that Christmas. Les had gotten sick on Christmas Day with kidney stones, several days later he went in for an ultrasound- and even though the stones were in the left kidney the ultrasound pick up a little of the right kidney- and that is when the cancer was detected. I remember after his surgery he was home recovering- the community of Red Lodge had come out in full force to support "the Napa guy" and his family. There were benefits, prayers and dinners for our family. I spent many evenings stamping thank-you cards for everyone that helped us- I bet I stamped 200 cards! It was great therapy for me and gave me something to do during a very stressful time in our lives. I remember one guy in particular who called to thank me for the card! It was then that I realized what Stampin’ Up! was all about- It is about relationships and how getting a hand stamped card makes a person feel, it is about having a hobby that you absolutely love and sharing it with everyone you know, it is about having a stress reliever that isn’t illegal or immoral, and it is about friendships. Stampin’ Up! has brought me through many trying times over the past 11 years- it has also brought me through some of the best times!! I’ve taken my kids on trips that they will remember for a life time and it has brought people into my life whom I never would have met- my customers and fellow demonstrators- my friends!  Thanks for supporting me! I hope that I can continue to inspire your for the next 11 Sale-a-brations!