Some Rose Moments:
- Meeting (and hugging) online writer friends in person for the first time
- Reuniting with dear friends whom I don’t get to see often enough
- Connecting with people in the lounge after hours
- The Waterbrook Multnomah dinner on Friday night
- Chatting with Rachel McRae from LifeWay (hey, that rhymes!)
- The Live Free, Write Free workshop given by Allen Arnold and Jim Rubart
- Watching friend and historical author, Rosslyn Elliott, win not one, but TWO Carol awards
- Seeing Wildflowers from Winter in the bookstore
Some Thorn Moments:
- Missing good friends who weren’t able to make it this year
- Saying goodbye
- Breaking my camera! My childhood nickname, Clumsy Katie, lives on.
I’d say I can’t wait for next year’s ACFW Conference in Indianapolis, but oddly enough, I’m praying I’ll be absent. Hopefully, Ryan and I will be traveling to the Congo to bring our littlest man home. Or even better, already holed up in our house, adjusting to life as a family of four.
Let’s Talk: What are some of your rose and thorn moments these past few days?
In other news, my editing cave awaits. Which means I’ll be largely offline this week. Wishing on Willows needs my full attention. I want to give you lovely readers the best reading experience possible.
Praise the Lord, Katie! Thanks for sharing your ACFW Conference experience! And I think it’s just SO great that you’re looking forward to adding a little one to your family. *Smiling*
I wish you all the best (in your writing too)!
What a blessing to squeeze your neck and see that darling little picture. Sigh. My heart is happy and full. 🙂
I hope you don’t make it next year either, because God has something so much more important for you! I loved meeting you. Hoping we can do some more nitty-gritty catching up this winter!
I’m glad there were so many roses for you at conference, Katie. Seeing you was one of mine.
As much as I’d like to see you again next year in Indy, I hope you’re unable to attend because you’re busy loving your new little guy up close and personal. He’s adorable!
I am so thankful I got to meet you in real life, Katie. 🙂 So good to be there with like-minded mommies all struggling with the daily juggle of responsibilities. Chatting with you was surely a highlight for my conference experience!
Ooo, sorry about your camera! Maybe one of your friends can provide some pictures.
I pray you get your heart’s desire soon – an addition to your family. 🙂
Sounds like you enjoyed the conference! How neat to think that next year at this time you’ll be enjoying another little one! Have a blessed week. Happy editing!
Glad you enjoyed the conference, Katie. I will be praying you miss the next one to care for your new little guy!
Thorn: Having an agent tell me to scrap novel #1 and work on novel #2.
Roses: Having the same agent tell me I’m improving. Hanging out in the lounge and meeting so many great people. I loved getting to hear all their stories – not the fictional kind. Meeting Tricia Goyer who was so kind and gracious. And last but not least hanging out with my awesome roomies – I miss you already Katie, Jeannie Campbell and Meg Moseley.
What a great picture of you and Jeannie! Missin’ you ladies already. Happy editing!
Rose–Enjoyed watching the live stream of ACFW awards and trying to figure out what dresses all my writerly peeps were wearing (fashion-obsessed, though too poor to buy it!). And I’m going to hate it if I make it next year and you’re not there, Katie! But I know it will be for a very happy reason.
Thorn–Still waiting to hear back from publishers and hubby still hasn’t heard back from job interview. Trying not to stress and take things to the Lord.
i so love you, friend. and am missing the connections we all made. i’m sick now, full-on cold. but SOOOOOOoooo totally worth it.
that actually turned out to be a great picture of us! 🙂
love,
jeannie
Loved meeting you, Katie!
I can’t think of a single thorn from the conference. And that itself is a rose.
We had so many of the same “Rose” moments!!
And I’m so happy for you! Your new little one has no idea how blessed he’s going to be and what a blessing he’s going to be!
Sounds like a fun time. I’m sorry I missed it.
Did I just hear you say it’s going to be in Indianapolis again next year? Woot! What have we done to deserve this honor?
What great reasons not to be there next year. Wishing you the best of luck.
So fun to meet you in person, Katie! I heard so many good things about that Live Free, Write Free workshop. I’ll have to listen to the cds.
Honestly, I think my entire conference experience was a rose. Okay, there might’ve been one thorn moment–a couple hours before the MBT pizza party when the hotel was behind schedule and I wondered how in the world we’d pull it off. But it all went well. 🙂 Some specific roses:
-Meeting soooo many wonderful online friends in person.
-Meeting my agent in person and realizing she is such a hoot. I think there’s a reason God connected us.
-The aftermath of devotions on Friday and realizing God spoke to hearts even through my nerves. He is so good!
-Seeing Lisa Jordan win the Carol on Saturday night. Oh the tears of happiness!!!! And Susie winning, too!
So glad you got to go, praying I’ll get to attend next year.
A blogging friend of mine did make my year though. She emailed me from the conference and told me she heard my name and blog mentioned a few times! I thought that was awesome!
TC, that is wonderful! You have an important blog!
I had already considered that you might not be there next year. That thought makes my heart sad for me, but so so so excited for you. Now I guess I should start hoping that you aren’t there. 🙂 Hate that I missed you this weekend. Hope y’all had a blast!
Thorn: I haven’t gotten to go to a conference like ACFW yet……for that matter, I didn’t even find out about a local one till I saw Susan Meissner’s Alaska photos online!
Rose: Thanks to Facebook I did get to meet Susan Meissner last week. That was awesome.
Thorn: I need to finish my novel someday.
Rose: At least I have a stellar idea!
Sounds like a memorable event! 🙂
I can’t wait to attend my first ACFW!
It was great seeing you again! Wasn’t that Live Free, Write Free workshop amazing?!
It’s Jeannie!!!!
Rose moments and thorn moments…sometimes I can’t differentiate. lol I had a great family weekend with the hubs at a cool hotel, but I also had to fight a nasty headache.
Congrats to Roslyn!!
Thorns first…an INCH of gray roots…my hair is falling out because of my thyroid meds…I have white eyebrows…my daughter still lives with a dweeb…I’m not skinnier than I am.
Roses?
I was asked for a proposal and sample chapters by an acquisitions editor!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I won a critique from Kathleen Y’Barbo (what a cool name!!) and a social media consult from Amanda Dykes!!!!!
My house has stayed clean for a week!!!!
Rose moments:
Hugging friends. Celebrating their victories. Meeting my editors at Howard Books.
Thorns: The exhaustion of it all. Missing my family. And when those two collided on Saturday at lunch and I sat at the table with friends and started to cry for no reason at all.
Oh! Another Rose moment: Seeing the photo of your little guy! Praying for your family as you count the days until your trip to the Congo.
You need to visit me. Or I’ll come there. I can’t go two years with no Katie. And hey, I broke my camera last year, remember? 😉
Glad you had a good experience. Excited to hear more about it.
We had a solid family weekend. Soccer games. Dance class. And lots of desserts and fun.
~ Wendy