The Conference That Got Away

Two years ago I planned to go to a writing conference in Orlando.  I registered for the conference, bought airline tickets, had a place to stay.  I was SOOO excited because I'd get to meet my agent, Sara Megibow, for the first time AND I'd get to hang out with one of my best friends, Karen Hooper.

I was 6 months pregnant and healthy and doing great.  And then I wasn't.  I had some major complications and had to cancel my registration a week before the conference, get my plane tickets refunded, and tell my roommates I wouldn't be coming.

It sucked.

Now, two years later, I'm finally headed to the conference that got away, RWA (in Los Angeles this time). Karen and Sara will be there along with many other writer friends.

I'm SOOOO excited!

You probably know that RWA is short for Romance Writers of America, and if you've read this blog for a while you know that I'm not a romance writer.  I write books for kids.  So why would a children's writer go to RWA?

Short answer: because I've heard it's the best.

I've been to a couple other conferences.  They were super fun and I learned a lot at each of them, but everyone I've talked to says RWA events are on a different level.  I can't wait to see if they're right!

Is there a conference you'd love to attend?  Is there one you've been to that you highly recommend?

On Traveling with Children

I always think summer will be some magical time when I finally catch up on everything, get back into blogging, and write outside while my kids play sweetly in the grass.  Surprise, surprise, that's never the way it goes. :)

I'm still horribly behind and my blogging has been awful. I promise that someday I will be better--unfortunately, at this rate, "someday" might mean 10 years from now.

Anyway, here's my attempt at not letting the blog die.



We try to take our kids on some sort of summer vacation every year. This spring as my husband and I were talking about where to go we skipped over all the usual places and decided instead to take a road trip through the western U.S. and Canada.  Why did we decide this?

Because clearly, we are insane.

Have you ever taken a long road trip with one child?  Not fun.  Now multiply that by FOUR.  I cannot even tell you how many times we stopped to pee or how many times we didn't stop and wished we had...

Most of the trip at least one child was unhappy. Every twenty minutes someone was hungry or thirsty or had to pee or needed a diaper change.

But guess what?  I'd do it all again.  Because when my kids think back on the experience all they'll remember is this:

 And this:

 And most of all THIS:

Worth it.


What are your favorite family memories?