A Traveling We Will Go: Virginia, Washington and NE SCBWI

This past week was action packed. The kids were off for Spring Break so we drove down to the  Virginia/Washington D.C. area to visit family. Remember how painful the drive was last year? The travel gods were with us this year and for the most part granted us a smooth ride. We had only one minor glitch, having to do with the lack of gas when we approached NYC and drove over the George Washington Bridge during lunch-hour traffic in a major downpour. Talk about stress! Though I held it together pretty well and didn't nag or yell at The Husband. No "I told you so's" came out of my mouth. I figured the white-knuckled, wild-eyed look on him was enough. Plus, no need to have the girls freaking out. 

I'm certain The Husband will listen to me next time I suggest filling up for gas.

We had the best time in Virginia. We went into D.C. and hit all the great spots, though the kids loved the National Zoo the best. I took a bunch of pictures. Here's one of the Siberian Tiger. 

We also went to Mount Vernon, which Eldest insisted is the best place ever. If you're into history, this is a fantastic place to visit. Everything from the main house...


to the garden house (Middle One is the leader)...

to the fascinating museum filled with a treasure trove of historic wonders, information packed videos, beautiful grounds along the Potomac River and more. 

Interesting fact: Who knew George Washington's dentures were made of human and animal teeth in a lead plate? 

If you ever have a chance to go to Mount Vernon, do it!

The kids were sad when we left Virginia on Thursday. I had to get back home so I could drive to New Hampshire on Friday for the NE SCBWI Conference. 

So, are you all ready for what happened next? Did you skim ahead to get to the good stuff? Have you been ready to yell at me for taking so long to get to the conference part? 

Okay. I'll stop torturing you.

Deep breath.

I had a blast. I was so nervous going in. This was my first conference and even though I knew people who would be at the conference, I didn't have anyone to hang out with and when I'm around a crowd of people, I turn into a wallflower. Which would amuse any of my college buddies and former co-workers, but that's another story.

Okay, so I made it to the conference on Friday afternoon and was just about ready to climb up the walls since I had to wait for my Query Letter critique with an AGENT. I've never sent a query to an agent and wasn't sure what to expect. My heart was racing and I knew I was just going to trip and fall, or drool, or forget about PB, or something pathetic during this moment. 

But, I didn't. Even though I wanted to fall off my chair because the agent had such nice things to say to me. Definitely a BIG moment.

Some other highlights include:

 
1. Cynthia Lord's keynote address: Wow. If you ever have a chance to listen to one of her speeches, you must. And bring tissues. She will bring you to tears and then pick you up with laughter. 

2. Floyd Cooper's luncheon keynote address: Floyd uses a technique called on oil wash on board. He paints a board with oil paint and uses a stretchy eraser to erase the paint to draw his pictures. What an honor to be able to watch his demonstration and hear his story.

3. Great presentations by Jacqueline Davies, Eric Luper, and Jo Knowles.

4. Eric Luper gave me an ARC of his new upcoming book, BUG BOY.

5. Mitali Perkins, Barbara Johansen Newman, Liz Goulet Dubois, Jeannine Atkins, Gael Lynch -- for their kindness.

I've just realized this post is getting rather lengthy, so I'm going to stop. I need to finish up some revisions!