IDEX 2006 Each of the photos on the page is linked to more photos so click on them all! Lots of fun and friends at IDEX! I flew down Friday morning, met up with Paula and Lianne at the airport and drove off to the Doubletree. I unpacked a bit and then headed over to the convention hall. I found Diane (Diane's Dolls) in the lobby there with Maria (Saving Graces Doll Shoppe). Diane had my ticket to the show and I got to go in and see the new dolls. We were asked not to take photos so the only one I have photos of is Rain Dropper from the Heaven's Helpers series because Marie got a Dolls of Excellence nomination for her from Nayda Rondon, the editor of Dolls Magazine. The brunch and signing were great. Marie gave us a copy of her new 15th Anniversary book with a limited edition cover that only the 150 people at the brunch will have. Marie had signed all the books. When you bring these books to the events this year, find your name on the inside cover, Marie will circle it and write a little note to you by your name. All the names of everyone registered at marieosmond.com on Oct. 1, 2005 are printed on the inside cover. The event doll was from the Heaven's Helpers series: "Faithful Friends". We also were given the Hershey's Kisses Tiny Tot that hasn't even been released to the public yet! If you were thinking, you could have had Ping Lau sign the doll at her booth (I wasn't thinking). There was a fan of "Faithful Friends" head, signed by Marie. All the things were in a black carry bag with the 15th Anniversary logo on it along with a copy of Doll Reader magazine and a pen. Brian and Marie spoke for a bit. Marie talked about how much we all mean to her and she considers us friends. She showed a slide show of the dolls coming in the March limited edition show. There's a new Amaya, 10 inches, wax over porcelain, edition of 500, dressed in fuschia. On the backs our chairs were pink tulle bows which Marie told us were made from the fabric of Friendship Rose's dress. She told us to take them with us. On the back of one chair at each table was a 15th Anniversary sticker and who ever had the sticker got to give the candle centerpiece to a friend. I had the sticker and gave it to Paula. Jasmine and I had been really good and went down to the brunch at 8 am so we were almost at the front of the line. The brunch started at 9:30. For some reason, we all spaced and went back to our rooms between the brunch and signing. We ended up at the end of the signing line, pretty much and waited about three hours. We swapped off waiting in line and wandering around. It was a bad picture day for me - not many of my photos came out good. Luckily, I have friends that gave me theirs. Marie left at quarter to four. She and Brian were off to the airport to head home. We went back to our rooms to drop off stuff and then headed over to Friday's for dinner with the MDF crowd. They had us in one section sitting at tables and booths for six so it was easy to table hop and visit with lots of different people. Kelli did a great job making the arrangements and provided a wonderful cake for us. Too bad Friday's didn't do a great job of providing good service. One table waited over an hour and a half for their food and then was told by the manager it was their own fault. How's that for customer service? Sunday, Sue and Denis picked Diane, Mary and I up at the hotel and took us to Disney World. We had breakfast at the Crystal Palace with Winnie, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. We roamed the park - rode on Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Carribbean, Haunted Mansion, and a few others. There was barely any wait time which was great. I found the bride's ring in the cement outside the Haunted Mansion. Well, actually, Mary asked the ride attendant and he showed us where it was. I would have kept searching without thinking to ask. I found Jasmine and Aladdin and took some photos. We watched Cinderellabration. The park wasn't very crowded and the weather was perfect. We had dinner at the Crystal Palace (they have a great buffet) then went on Space Mountain, watched the fireworks and headed home. Sue is sending me pictures from all that :) Monday, Jasmine left early. Teresa and I got organized, headed off for breakfast at Cracker Barrell and headed to the airport. The security line was outrageous!! It took over an hour just to clear security. Basically, I got to my gate and boarded the plane for home. On Saturday, January 28th, a one of a kind auction was held at IDEX. Marie and Charisma brands donated a one of a kind pin cushion doll named "Cinderella's Splendor". I heard she sold for $500. The weekend was terrific for a lot of reasons, but the best was visiting with all the friends I've found since I started collecting Marie's dolls: My first "Marie" friends - Paula and Lianne (along with Hilaneh, who couldn't be there); my roomies at IDEX - Teresa and Jasmine; Chris in VA who made the wonderful MDF Survival Kits; Kelli, who organized the dinner at Fridays and brought the cake; Tanya and Vicky, who keep MDF going; Sue and Denis, who gave us a great Disney day; and my buddy, Diane (Diane's Dolls) who always has the time to chat with me about the dolls and life in general. |
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