ICRS UPDATE
What a whirlwind week. Here's a peek at my last seven days:
July 4: Took Jen and her little girl Jordie out for lunch then did the grandma thing and got Jordie a litte MP3 player. She was thrilled! and so were we with the picture she drew us!
AMES and the baby! Ami McConnell is amazing. Four little kids, three under four, and she's just as calm and focused as always. I've missed her SO much! She's back at work now, 2 days a week in the office. But just seeing her name flash into my email makes my day.
July 5: We stopped at Nelson to visit with my family there. I got to hug Natalie Hanemman and Lisa Young who I only get to see maybe once a year. And of course my other buddies Amanda Bostic, Jennifer Deshler and superman Allen Arnold. It's always the highlight of my year to stop by my publishing house! Those who are coming to the ACFW conference will get to meet Jen and Allen in person and absorb their passion for fiction.
July 6: Donald Maass of Writing the Breakout fame. What a day. My head felt like it literally could not hold another piece of information. The best piece of info I came away with was to have a little synopsis for every main character as if THEY were the main focus. And have their goals in conflict with my protagonist.
July 7: Allen Arnold, fiction publisher at Nelson, brought me my first copy of Abomination. He gave it to me at our table at the Christys. Friends, I made a complete fool of myself blubbering like a baby. It was amazing to hold my first hardcover in my hands. And it's just so gorgeous! I can die happy now! LOL Lauren Winner did a great job with her speech and I was so inspired I reread Bret Lott's speech from last year and that doubly inspired me to work harder and harder on telling a story with meat.
July 8: Nelson fiction dinner! Whoohoo! I got to hobnob with my Nelson family which is always so fun. And this year Dave and I were seated across from Mike and Gail Hyatt. Mike is so smart and fun to talk to and he totally turned around Nelson when he came onboard. It was like night and day. And Gail is the sweetest lady, so pretty and smart. They make a great couple. Ted Dekker got up and said all the things I was about to say about Allen. LOL How his passion and belief in us all has changed our lives. I'm so blessed to be part of the Nelson family!
July 10: Did you know I've finally found a personality? Yep. It's a shock I know. But for the first time, I got to sign at the personality party. And I had a LINE, people! One that never stopped until they shut it down. I was so happy! And Jen topped it off with a sweet thank you card from Jordie.
July 11: Homeward bound. We'd planned an uneventful day of travel but I got a call that morning about 12 that my mom had been taken to the hospital again. She has to quit doing this when I'm out of town. You hear me, Mother? No more! LOL Luckily she's okay but it was a scary day with not being able to do anything. Okay, even if I was there I couldn't DO anything but being stuck in the car I lost all semblance of control. LOL
July 12: I write about murder and mayhem all the time but it was a sobering day to come home to the funeral of a local state policeman. Master Trooper Det. David Rich was helping a motorist and was shot and killed. I've never seen so many police cars in my life. They came from all over the country. We were expecting 4000 in attendance. I cried as I watched them drive slowly by my house. These brave men and women do so much for us with so little thanks. Rich left behind 4-year old sons and a 7-year-old daughter as well as his wife. It was so sad. So I salute our police and firemen who go in harm's way every day. I'm praying for David's family.
Oh and the black socks? Kristin was whining about me making her open her suitcase in public but I had to put them on in public! But I got a great pair of socks out of the deal! Oh and the mall attached to our hotel had CARIBOU COFFEE!!! I was in heaven!
Things weren't the same without our Di with us though. We prayed for her on Sunday, all holding hands. She's got to ditch that mask and get life back to normal! We want all the "girls" together again soon!
ICRS UPDATE
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9 Comments:
It sounds as though you have had a wonderful but exhausting time.
I was thinking about your policeman. I heard about it on the news up here. South Bend/Mishawaka has had two policemen killed in a year's time. Watching the procession of police cars was amazing. Even more humbling and tear jerking was the parade of cars, firetrucks,etc with all their lights on at night. They would drive past the favorite places of the men and end up at the police station. People lined up along the streets with candles, lights, etc as the cars passed.That was an awesome tribute. It made you very thankful for the men and women (and their families) that give their lives on a daily basis. It makes you realize the reality of what they face each day.
Sorry to kind of sidetrack your blog but this has been on my heart since our last officer was killed a couple of months ago. Just had to share.
Oh Andrea, I bet that was something awe inspiring to see! Everyone here stood out on the tree lawn as the procession passed as a tribute. It was a sad, sad day. We take our public servants too much for granted.
Thanks for sharing about ICRS, Colleen. I enjoyed it. Praying for your mom and the policemen. And Diann. She's still in the mask? I didn't know. BTW, your enthusiasm for people and things warms my heart. God bless--
Okay, what's Caribou coffee? I love coffee; it's my beverage of choice. So what have I missed?
We had a huge funeral here for a motorcycle cop. I've never seen so many motorcycles in my life. But I sure wish people would salute these men and women while they're alive.
A huge thank you is due to them all.
And I missed seeing Diann, too. I also missed Denise. Was she here, too? I saw Kristin and you; missed Allen Arnold at the Christys, but I made myself behave and didn't table hop like I normally would have. I want to be invited back again. ;o)
Oh Caribou Coffee is fabulous! It's mostly in the northwest so I was surprised to see it there!
Oh my goodness, Ami and the baby look beautiful!!!! So good to see them! Thanks for sharing, C!!
Kristy, I can't believe I didn't even catch a glimpse of you this past week!
Ted Dekker? I would have just died upon being in the same room with him. I have a freaky obsession, I'm sorry.
You guys feel more normal, LOL.
Great picture of Ames and baby! She's so lovely!
Great update. As always, so great to see you!
Love, Rachel
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