There’s No Place Like Home

There truly is no place like home.  And you know what makes you really appreciate home?  A vacation!

And yes, while home is where the heart is, it cannot be denied that vacation is where the restaurant food, hotel beds and far-away friends are.

And I just spent a week in the company of my beloved writer friends.  We laughed, we ate, we brainstormed & plotted, we dressed up, we dressed down & we hung out.  And it was so good for my soul.

More happened than I can possibly recap for you, but here are a handful of snapshots that’ll give you an idea.

 

There were these lovely hanging stars in the main conference hotel.  I found them strangely fascinating.  They were sort of a theme, actually.  I discovered different versions of them all over the place.  Is there an explanation for this?  Is is a San Antonio thing?  Or was it just a theme for the decor?  Either way, they were beautiful.

 

 

 

The talented & amazing Joan Kayse opened her heart–and her room–to me this week, graciously sharing her bed and her roommate with me.  (Hi, Lisa!  Hi, Karen!  I’m wearing pants!)  This is us lounging around in bed with snacks & a mere sampling of the free books we were showered with.  (insert big, happy sigh here)  Free.  Books.  I *love* RWA’s national conference!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of books, here’s a small sampling of the Romance Bandits who participated in Read for Life Literacy signing, giving away their books to raise money for literacy.  I couldn’t get photos of Tawny, Beth or Anna Sugden–I ran out of time–but I was proud to be among them all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there was the eating & the drinking.  I love food–and I especially love food I don’t cook or clean up, so eating out all week would have been a joy in & of itself.  But the food in San Antonio came with friends!  There was dinner with my Romance Bandits & PJ Ausdenmore from the Romance Dish…

 

 

 

 

 

…Drinks in the bar with thehilarious Susan Gee Heino…

 

 

 

 

 

 

And breakfast meetings over bacon.  (Mmmmm, bacon.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wrapped things up with our version of the Oscars, the Golden Heart/Rita awards, where I was shocked & amazed at the line I had to stand in.  Evidently, other people also wanted to watch the proceedings.  Who could’ve known?

 

 

All too soon it was time head home.  I’m missing my writing friends something terrible but I’m using all that emotion to fuel the next story.  I’ve managed to hack my way to the end of Chapter One, & I think–I hope–I’m on the right path.  But if I’m not, I know who’ll steer me back to it.  I just spent all last week basking in their friendship, & advice is only an email away.

So tell me, what’s been the highlight of YOUR summer so far?