Therefore, my goal was to make it to my 15th year, go to CTMH's annual Convention, FINALLY get up on that stage, and then be done. I managed to do it, being my own best customer, and now, a year later, the time has finally come.
This saddens me greatly. I have enjoyed Close To My Heart immensely, and it breaks my heart to no longer be a part of that family. I have been to six CTMH Conventions, which is the party of the year. I have made life-long friends, and life-long memories. If it weren't for Close To My Heart, I never would have scrapbooked so many albums worth of those memories. I am forever grateful.
This last Convention, for my 15th year last June, was the perfect end to my incredible journey. I had come full-circle - the very first Convention that I attended in 2002 was held in Salt Lake City, as was my last in 2017. Several things made this last Convention even more special, aside from finally being able to walk up on stage for 15 years of longevity: my husband and two children joined me for the trip, and we all flew out three days early to do some sightseeing (got to hear the Tabernacle Choir practicing - heavenly); the first day of Convention we were all taken by bus to the CTMH Home Office for a tour - what luck!; during our Team Meeting, we made an awesome yearbook with photos of everyone on the team; Stacy Julian was the keynote speaker again - this was my third Convention with her as the speaker - I love her!; I found a Utah Sticky Boy (CTMH Convention tradition) on the last day - incredible!; and this was the last gathering of the Creative Hearts Team - after Convention, we found out that our team leader had taken a full-time position with CTMH at their Home Office, so the team was disbanded. Here are a few of the visual highlights:
