So I have been with red hatting a year and half. I AM HAVING A BLAST!!!

I am sitting here on the couch the boob tube is on and I have a little while before I head to work.  Thought I would write a little and maybe finish tomorrow when I am not doing much but thinking about sewing.

I figured maybe since I have a little down time would write a little on my first year of being a red hatter.  No not a mad hatter a red hatter.  It is a group for ladies who are over fifty and want to have a good time.  Well you can be under fifty as well.  You are just called a pink hatter instead.  These groups are made up of all makes and models of ladies who just want to get together and be with other ladies.  Not to worry about what is going on in the world but to just get out and have a good time.

Believe me in the past year and half I have been having the time of my life.  I never knew there was something like this before I joined.  The motto is live, love and play or is it laugh.  I have been doing allot of that lately.  The only stipulation is wearing a red hat and purple clothing and hell lots of bling.  More dressy If you like or you can just tone it down to what you feel comfortable with.  Or if you have a birthday month then you reverse the colours.  Just so every one knows it is your birthday and they can wish you well.  Play you a birthday tune with our kazoos the official instrument of the red hat society.

My first experience was going to a movie with my now group that I spend a few days a month with.  This group is a laugh a minute.  Always something is said that will break us all up into historical laughter.  I do not think I have been out once with them were we did not end up happier then before we got together.  I just love meeting up with them.

I had hummed and hawed when I saw the add in the paper.  Want to get together and meet other ladies.  Have some fun along the way.  Finally I said oh what the hey and I called.  She welcomed me In with opened arms.  The group has now expand from when I started.  We only had about four to the group the first year now there are at least ten ladies in our group.  Some of them are members of other groups to get a little more time out and about and some of us only belong to the one group.  I have expanded myself and am a member of a couple of virtual groups as well.  These are on Facebook and have met a few ladies through them as well.

Facebook has given me some extra ladies who I have met.  I have them as friends on my page and as I go out in the world I have met up with them as well.  Me I am a quiet one and love meeting these ladies but I still do not say much when me meet.  A great hug does go a long way though.  Also allot of big smiles.  When I started this I had a huge shell around me and would not say much of anything to anyone.  Wondered what the heck I was doing going out in the world on my own to meet ladies I have never seen before.  The shell is now gotten a huge crack in it.  I still like to sit in the background and just watch, but now I do put my two cents in once in while.  Some people say I am a different person.  I feel like a different person but am still shy on the inside.  I am trying and hope that I get even better at the socializing.  I don't know if it will happen but right now I am happy with the results so far.

So I figured why not see what the world is like.  I signed up for a few of the funventions around the country.  That is what these get to get hers are called.  The first  one I went to was in Sacramento.  The theme was over the rainbow.  I was afraid I was going by my self, but the ambassador of our area called me up and said come on over to my place and I will give you a run down.  Also she was going with one of her chapterettes.  It was also the other chapterettes first time going to.  So we both got the rundown on what might be happening as we went through our days.  Oh boy what did I get myself into.  She told us allot of funny stories as well as some very strange ones.  How we should dress and what should be taken along and what will just be extra that you do not need.  Well I had a vage idea of what was going to happen now and I now had a couple of ladies to travel with also.  We were on the same plane.  Boy does that help allot for my first time.

As I get to the airport I am getting more excited all the time.  I am going off for the first time without any family member going with me.  Am I doing the right thing.  What the hell am I doing?  There is my biggest question.  I have never been to this airport before.  Boy oh boy more and more questions going through my mind.  I get to the airport as I am riding with someone else or else I would not have known were I was going.  When we get there a nice small airport and just a short ride to Seattle and then on to Sacramento.  As we are waiting for the plane to arrive a few more ladies show up traveling on the same plane.

These are the ladies I traveled with.  Such great ladies.  This was taken at the Sacramento hotel were we spent our time together.  During this time I got my feet wet and enjoyed myself emensly.

Here are a few pictures of my dressing up for parts of the events that I had gone to here and at funvations.

Costume from Sacramento.  Suppose to be a witch. Don't think I got it too right

This was the first dress up event.  Royal gala fund raiser in abbotsford for a hospic fundraiser 

Here I am at a Halloween event in chilliwack 

Christmas dinner at the ramada in abbotsford

Here is one from Chinese New Year.  Ha nice outfit.  Am I getting into this or what?

Little old pirate me in Las Vegas 

Another pirate event

Gold fever in Vegas 

And ooo la la my show girl outfit for Vegas.

Heading for a red hat birthday dinner in chilliwack 

A special dinner to celebrate ladies over eighty.

Very dressy dressy in Reno 

And then a little dorky for the next night in Reno.

An event down in ferndale Washington 

The dress up night in Vegas.

Titanic adventure in Oshawa 

My day of registering for Oshawa 

Fuzzy but I am with capton smith.

This is the group of ladies I hang with most of the time.

I know this is not me but I am having this dress made for me.  It will be going with me to my next funvations.  That will be San fransisco.  I sure hope it is done in time so I am able to wear it.  She said July.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  

So to put these all in order since my pictures are not in order.  I joined the red hat society in September of 2013.  I went out a few times with the ladies around here.  My first bigger event was a pirate meal for talk like a pirate day in September. In abbotsford.  After that I started getting info on my email for events that were going on around close by that are funvations.  I said gee that would be fun to do and started signing up for them.  I went in full throttle.  I signed up for Sacramento, Reno, Las Vegas afew monthss latter and then Oshawa.  This has given me a few months of places to go.  Gosh what was I thinking.  I want to go but by myself.  Well if you are going to do you are going to do it.  In between these events were smaller events around this area.  Like the Halloween dinner.  Christmas dinner and Chinese new year.  Let's see what else. Moh yeah there was the red hat birthday dinner a project runway in Washington.  And then there were more funvations emails coming in.  So I signed up for a couple more.  And yes I am going to these on my own.  Some of them I am flying with other ladies but for some I have driven on my own or flown on my own.  

For this I am being called a gusty gal.  That is someone who is traveling to these events them selves.  The thing is when you get there you are not alone anymore. You are so welcomed in by every lady you meet.  For me though it is a little hard.  Being as I do not talk too much and just like to sit back and watch.

As you can see in my showgirl outfit I am getting into this fun.  I just love playing dress up.  I did when I was a little girl and now I can be that little girl again and dress up to my hearts content.  I just love this. This last event in Oshawa I was even up and dancing instead of saying okay am I going to make a fool of myself.  Well if you want to dance get your but up there and go for it.  

I have been pushing myself to do this.  I beleive it is paying off.  I was out with my small group the other day and they said there is a change in me.  I am talking.  I looked at them and said hey yeah I am.

So now my next adventure is in August.  I am heading for a big event. It is the national event.  I am going on my own as I usually.  I know there are some other ladies coming from this area so I know I will not be alone when I get there.  I guess it all depends on what day they are going to be there. This is going to be a really big experience for me.  I will be walking across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Meeting ladies I have friended on Facebook.  Then I may have to slow down a little or I will end up with no money to keep doing this fun stuff.  Well I guess I will have to keep working as well.  I am so glad that with work I am able to go on these trips when I want to.

At Christmas time I will be going to ferndale again.  They are having a Christmas dinner get together that will have quite a few ladies there from the States and Canada.  I am in the process of making a quilt for it as a prize.

Here is part of it done.  Just have to get a few more things done to it and it will be done.  I like the way it has turned out so far.  Just hope I do not screw up on the last little bit.

Then next year I have one more to go to.  It is in Edmonton.  I am figuring on costumes now and also I am doing a quilt for this one too.  I have drawn up the pictures for it but have not started on it yet..

Now there is one more event in Seattle.  This one is the month before Edmonton.  I am still debating on it.  I would like to go but do I want to got to two so close together.  I am thinking I did go to Sacramento and the Reno the month later so maybe I will.  I better get cracking before all the spaces are filled.

Okay so do you think I am having a blast.  This quiet shy person who does not say much.  Well yeah I think so.  I may be spending allot of money on it but I am also having the time of my life.  I am getting out.  Doing things on my own.  Yes I am trying to talk myself out of it after I have signed up but then I come back at myself and say.  What the heck you scared of.  Get your butt in gear and do it.  You have already paid for it now go do it.

Well you see it has got me talking to myself as well as dressing is silly costumes.  This is not the person that people use to know.  This is a new and improved me.  Well it is once in while other times I still want to be in my shell.  Just not as much as I use too.  I smile and my stupid giggle is back.  I feel so much better about myself and that I can do this.  Just have to talk myself into it.

Allot of this started because I was diagnosed with arthritis which someday the doc says I may not be out walking much anymore.  So this was the clincher to tell me I have to do some and live before I will not be able to anymore.   I do not want to sit on the couch every day staring at a tv. Or my husband.  I want to be out and about and doing things and meeting people.  No I am not going to be the grumpy old lady in the house widows and cats in the house as my company.  That scares me.  So exercise and get the frige out of the house a do something fun.  I am and it is great.  Plus I am now back crafting which I had done as a kid and stopped because I was told it was a waist of time.  Now I don't care.  I want to do it and yes I will do it.

So this is my blog for now.  I thank you red hat society for the experience.  I will keep up this experience as long as I can.  Yes I AM HAVING A BLAST!!!