A Breakfast Meeting

I attended the most amazing meeting last Thursday.  Although it was a breakfast meeting I skipped that portion.  I would much rather share breakfast with my hubby than a bunch of strangers.

Early Birds Long Arm Quilters

I found out about the meeting from a little blurb in one of the local quilt guild’s newsletters.  Typically I glance over publications skimming for key words that catch my interest.  This newsletter was no different.  I let my eyes wander about until they landed upon this phrase,

Early Birds Long Arm Quilters

In case you are not quite sure which part grabbed my attention it’s the three little words “long arm quilters.”  The text or body of the mini clip provided the date and location of the meeting along with a sampling of topics.  Also included in there was the phrase, “new members welcome.”  My mind began racing with excitement at an industry specific venue made just for me.  How had I missed connecting with these artisans until now?  This had the potential of being an outstanding resource, a great place to network.

What Time is the Meeting?

The first thing I needed to do was shoot an email off to the group facilitator.  I just had to find out as much information as I could.  Thankfully the organizer promptly replied.  Next I added it to my Google calendar.

Waiting patiently for the day to arrive was very difficult.  I tend to be a demanding person.  When I want something I’m not very good at waiting.  Immediate gratification would be my preferred outcome.

Where Was I Suppose to Go?

The morning of the meeting arrived rather quickly.  I had a mental picture of where I thought the restaurant was so I set out for my destination.  Presumably I had scheduled enough leeway to afford myself ample time to arrive.  Arriving at what I thought was my destination I was horrified to find out I was in the wrong place.  Instantly I began scanning my memory banks trying to remember where the restaurant was located.  It didn’t take long to realize I had passed the establishment on my way.  How silly of me to get them mixed up.

The cushion of time I had allocated was not long enough to allow me a timely arrival.  There unfortunately was nothing I could do to change my predicament.  My only option was to turn my car around and head in the other direction.  By the time I arrived I was only tardy by five minutes.  Not too bad for my first time attending.

Where Are They?

The establishment parking lot was rather full.  This restaurant is known for being busy.  I was very fortunate to find a parking space very near the front entrance.  I gathered up my belongings and headed inside.

I had no idea where I would find the other attendees.  Their names were not familiar to me.  Because their names didn’t ring a bell there was no way I could put a face to them.  I surveyed the patrons looking for some sort of clue, some sign pointing me in the right direction.  Not one face was familiar.  Nobody looked like a quilter.  But then I wasn’t quite sure what these quilters would look like.

The host of the restaurant must have sensed my puzzlement.  I’m certain the expression of bewilderment was evident in my face.  He walked over to me and asked who I was meeting.  I confided that I really wasn’t sure.  All I knew was they were quilters.

He led me to a table where an older gentleman was seated.  How could this possibly be the right table.  Again my look of uncertainty caught the host’s attention.  His desire to assist me led him to seek further information.  He walked over to one of the waitresses and asked her for input.  When they both returned to my side she reassured me this indeed was the correct table.

Politely I thanked them for their guidance then graciously sat alongside the gentleman.  An exchange of conversation began quickly.  Before long we were joined by two other women.  As I would later discover one was married to the gentleman and the other lady was our facilitator.  The one with whom I had traded emails.

Time to Order

Of the four of us two ordered breakfast.  One brought her own because of food allergies and, as I stated earlier, I had already eaten.  Once the waitress had taken the orders our meeting commenced.

What transpired was a goldmine of information.  I learned more during our meeting than I had from all of the other resources combined.  By the time I left there I had a list of resources and answers to a long list of questions.  In spite of my distress at arriving late and not knowing whom I was looking for this turned out to be an extremely valuable resource.

Next Time

I’ve already registered future meetings in my calendar.  This is one meeting I won’t want to miss.