This past Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting some fine folks down in Valrico, Florida. Josh and I drove down to Horizon Christian Church early in the morning so I could set up shop for the day at their Christmas in July Craft Fair. It was a really neat church, and boy was it packed with vendors!I found out about the event through my new friend, Michelle, of Bad Day Ben. She and I both belong to FEST, the Florida Etsy Street Team. It was so neat to connect with her in real life! She makes handy jotters that are bound with a ring and have her original illustrations for covers.
It was really enjoyable chatting with members of the community as they passed by my table. My very favorite passerby was a young girl who I would guess was in about fifth grade. From the get-go she had a nice smile and polite response to my, "Hello, how are you today?" She was wearing a sweet cotton dress with a little front pocket that held a tiny pink coin purse. As this was a Christmas in July event, this girl had a mission to buy something for everyone on her list! Although she was on this mission, and there were over forty vendors to visit, she took the time to pick up just about every item on my table and ask questions about them. She was really curious about how everything was made. When I told her about the paper, thread, board, glue, and time that went into each of my items, this little gal really listened!
I'm reading a book, Big Russ & Me by Tim Russert, that has me yearning for a yesteryear that I wasn't even around for. Days like Saturday complete with a welcoming community, social children, and handmade goods make it feel like that yesteryear is either still here, or it will come around again!
It was a great day that was made complete when Josh's Grandma and Nana drove up from Tampa to say hello. After I packed up my books & boxes, and Josh put his sketchbook away, they took us out for a lunch full of stories and laughter.