Hello from Shipshewana!
Yesterday,after my daughter drove me to the airport, I had to do a last minute shuffle of things in my suitcase (all those pens and bookmarks made my bag too heavy!), then finally I was on my way!
We all met at the Hertz counter in Chicago. I have to say it was so fun to see Amy Clipston and Vannetta Chapman again! I first met Vannetta last year at ACFW, and the last time I had seen Amy was when she and I signed books together at the International Christian Retail Show in Denver. I think that was four years ago! We were met by Katie our super-organized publicist/leader and before we knew it, we were on our way. Somehow I ended up front with Katie and promised to help her navigate.
Traffic was heavy out of Chicago-and, okay, we got lost a couple of times-(yep, not the best navigator!)-but we finally made it to Barnes and Noble with a full 40 minutes to spare! Then it was time to quickly change clothes, grab a sandwich at the cafe, and start the signing!
We met a lot of super nice people, some who were waiting for us to arrive! We met Larry and his daughter who Amy and Vannetta knew from Facebook. I got to visit with Kathy, who I'd been writing to over the years, too.
After the signing was over, we hopped back in the van and got on our way to Shipshewana! As soon as we got off the highway, we started seeing buggies-at 10 at night! Then when we drove through town, we saw all the lovely buildings already framed in white lights. It's so lovely here!
Of course, I ended up hosting a whole crew of people in my room last night until after midnight! I guess it doesn't matter how old you are-getting the chance to be on the road with other women means lots of time to talk and chat!
Today is sure to be awesome! We'll be meeting a tour group from Grand Rapids, visiting the Blue Gate Theater, and participating in the Christmas Parade and tree lighting tonight!
It's cold here~so glad I brought gloves!
Thanks for stopping by~
with blessings to you,
Shelley
Vannetta getting ready to sign books!
