The
road to Chicago is paved with HeartsThe
road to Chicago is paved with HeartsOur journey was long
... our goals were the same,
Two obsessed women ... With Ty on the brain.
While collectors would greet us and retailers would meet us,
Our hearts longed for adventure in Oakbrook
So we began our trip to Chicago by train.
Our journey began last
Thursday afternoon.
Sara Nelson (Beaniemom)
and I would head to Chicago with the hopes of fulfilling a few
dreams, which would lead us to mystery and intrigue.
After our 17-hour looooong
train ride we finally made our way into the city of Chicago.
Although it did not take my breath away as New York had it still
fascinated me.
Because of my unpleasant experience with taxi cab drivers in New
York, I decided that I would screen all drivers in the future.
I asked our driver if he was safe, did he obey the speed limit
and would he promise not to scare me to death? After we came to
a mutual agreement I finally decided he had passed the test and
away we went.
As we made our way to the hotel I noticed him checking his mirror
to see if I was watching him. At one point he commented on how
slow he was going and how everyone on the road was passing him.
I told him he was doing a fine job and not to worry about the
other fools on the road they would all probably get tickets.
After a while I explained how I had recently visited New York
and did not appreciate the way the Taxi Cab drivers drove. I also
explained that I never wanted to experience that again. The poor
man, he probably thought I was crazy and could not wait to get
rid of me. Oh well, at least we arrived safely and in one piece.
Sara and I would make a mad dash for the hotel, unpacked, showered
and greeted our first day in the big city. We phoned home, checked
on our kids, had a late lunch and geared up for a night out with
the girls!
We meet up with Cyndie
from Cyndie's Promotions, her friend Esther, Becky and Becky and
Vicky Krupka.
Cyndie had felt sorry for Sara and I after reading about us almost
starving in New York due to their outrageous prices and decided
to make it up to us.
She took us to an incredible Italian restaurant, the food was
in abundance and delicious.
We sat and ate for
what appeared to be hours. We shared stories, laughed and got
to know one another.
Although I had meet Vicky at other shows I had never had the opportunity
to meet the Becky's. They were both delightful and witty.
The main topic of this evening's conversation was of course Ty
Beanie Babies, Ty Kids and the man himself.
We also learned that
Becky Phillips would be teaming up with pbbags.com
They would now offer an authentication and grading service that
would help to protect collectors with the expert advice help of
Vicky Krupka. For more information about this service, please
visit their website at the following link. http://www.pbbags.com
Our first day in Chicago
would prove to be fruitful, we both had an enjoyable day but the
time had come to settle down and plan Saturday's events. We both
felt adventurous and wanted to do something we had never done
before.
After making plans and going over every detail it was time to
turn in. We would need a good night's rest to succeed with our
master plan.
Saturday morning would
come and we would be ready to make our mark on Oakbrook, Ill.
I called my friend Sherrie who would pick us up and take us to
our destination.
Now, before I go any further, I would like to make a suggestion.
Please play in your mind the theme song to Mission Impossible!
It will make your journey a lot more interesting. Sara and I would
be under a time restraint and our mission was to get in and out
of the Ty complex without being noticed.
We had one goal in
mind, snap as many pictures as we could, try to get a glimpse
of Mr. Warner and get the heck out of there!
Once inside the complex we went right to work. The camera was
loaded, Sara was the lookout man and I snapped the pictures.
Anytime we heard a car coming we would jump into the bushes and
wait for them to pass.
Our work was hampered
by the splendor of the building. We quickly learned that Ty was
just as meticulous about where he worked as he was about his product
lines.
From what we could see everything was first class right down too
the shrubbery.
The back of the building was absolutely beautiful, there were
ponds with a small bridge in the middle, there was an abstract,
freestanding sculpture, which appeared to be blocks of some sort.
This sculpture would end up giving us the scare of our lives,
as the wind blew it moved which was totally unexpected as with
everything from Ty. We wondered why he had not used hearts instead
of blocks but figured he had his reasons.
Our work was done and our mission was almost successful. Although
we felt we had accomplished our picture taking session, we never
did get a glimpse of Ty. Perhaps he wasn't even in town or we
just missed him, but none the less we never saw him. For now,
his picture will have to be what we remember.
As we drove back to
the hotel we had to devise a plan in order to cover our tracks.
Our next mission would be to not reveal what we had done at tomorrow's
show. We wanted to keep a closed mouth until we had left Chicago;
silence had to be golden.
Look for part two of this story to be posted in the next couple of days. Hopefully we can stay out of trouble until then.
