CHA is Over

So CHA is officially over. It is sort of a sad day, but a good day all the same. I went in, I shopped like a crazy person, and I left feeling pretty good about all the great stuff we will have coming to our store.

With all the business of the show, I haven't really had any time to appreciate where I am. Matt hung in through the entire show, only going back to the hotel room for 1 afternoon. He hasn't really got a taste of anything but the Convention Center. Tomorrow we will head out and I will show him what it is like in this beautiful state.

It is winter here and I only wish that winters back in Waterloo were this beautiful. Here is a photo of flowers blooming outside the Convention Center.

They have a beautiful fountain that is splashing in the sunshine.

I have a slight obsession with palm trees.

There are many different kinds of palm trees. These were a shorter version of the usual tall thin variety. The tops on these are huge and the trunks are very thick. Matt is standing at the bottom of this beautiful tree. I took the photo of the whole tree so you would get an idea just how big it is.

Here is an up close photo of my tree hugger!

These flowers are blooming in the gardens around the Convention Center. They look like the head of a bird.

In Waterloo we plant flowers in our pots.......in Anaheim you plant Palm Trees. These are still quite large........the pot is really big.

I made Matt jump up there for a photo. They only reason he could hop up there was because this pot was placed next to a cement wall that he could use as a ledge to get up.

After the show was over we headed to an outdoor mall and walked around for a bit. We went to a restaurant called Johnny Rockets for lunch. It is like a 50's style diner, complete with little juke boxes by every seat. You can insert a nickle and choose a song to play.


We grabbed a seat at the counter and got to watch the cook make our lunch. Matt enjoyed it very much.

We shared 3 mini burgers, onion rings and fries.

We didn't really do much else, as I was super tired and needed a nap in the afternoon. When I woke up, the sun was setting and this is the view from our hotel room. The photo does not do it justice, but you get the idea.

I do miss all my family and friends at home, but this is a nice little treat. Check back again tomorrow to see what we are up to on our first full free day!