The Story is in the Trip Itself (Lasting Memories Guest Designer Week 2)

Hello everyone! I'm guest designing for Lasting Memories throughout September! I'll be sharing an extra layout every Sunday at noon for the next 3 weeks (and don't forget to go back to last Sunday to catch my first entry). Each one follows the weekly challenge posted at Lasting Memories, and I encourage you to join the challenge! Post your version using the link at the bottom of their post.

This week, we are sticking with the NPTC 2021 convention, but going a little out of order. I'll return to the Glen Echo Friday night picnic in the next post. On Saturday morning, before the main meeting, I made a trek to the LBJ Memorial Grove. Remember that I did not drive to DC, and this is one of those locations where a car would have been helpful. I had initially intended to rent a scooter (the kick-push kind), but I quickly realized I do not have the balance for that, or a bicycle. My next plan was to take the metro to the Pentagon station and pick up an Uber from there, as it would be cheaper than taking an Uber from the hotel. Navigating from the station platform to a spot where the Uber could pick me up was a challenge. Clearly, I could not go into the Pentagon. However, the parking lot was restricted too, so I had to find an alternative way to the road to get picked up. But I managed, and he was able to drop me off at the park near the entrance to the Grove. 

I enjoyed a short visit, as there really isn't much to see other than the monolith and an information sign. There's a small boardwalk to the river where I got to watch more birds. And then I had to get back for the meeting. I called another driver to take me to the Metro station. I watched on the app as they drove around, unable to find the parking lot where I was standing, and then drove away, canceling my ride! Luckily, someone else was able to take the request, and I did make it back in time for lunch and the meeting.

Welcome to challenge #767--striped paper! I created this layout using a VERY old CM sketch (this is actually from the OLD CM company). I chose the striped background in a red-white-and-blue pattern to maintain a patriotic tone, given my embellishments. To soften the bold stripe, I used a sheet of white vellum where the sketch called for a large rectangular block. To adhere vellum, you should try CM's vellum adhesive. It's a bit goopy when you apply it, but when you burnish the paper over the adhesive, it disappears! I chose the blue star paper for the large circle element and a fussy-cut embellishment for the smaller circle. All of the embellishments come from the Eastern National scrapbook kit. You can journal directly on vellum if you like, though you might want to give it an extra minute or two to dry before handling so that it doesn't smear.