It’s really, really hard to put into words how it felt to
attend my first big writers conference (American Christian Fiction Writers).
Suffice it to say…I felt like I’d finally come home.
And here’s some pictures to prove it. Notice my big cheesy
grin in nearly all of them.
Thank you to everyone I met for making me feel so welcome!
For those who couldn’t be there, we missed you! I hope I get to hang out with
you next year at ACFW.
Muah! Happy Friday!
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| Me and Ruth Douthitt at the Phoenix airport EARLY in the morning |
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| Me and Jessica Patch. I. Love. Her. |
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| ACFW wouldn’t be the same without crazy friends. And cookies. |
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| Me before appointments. Didn’t eat much! |
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| Me and the amazing Keli Gwyn. She is the bestest! |
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| Waiting for appointments with Casey Herringshaw and Melissa Tagg |
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| It was awesome to meet fellow newbie Jeanne Takenaka |
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| Donna Pyle has such a large heart and I’m blessed by it! |
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| One of my roomies, Gabrielle Meyer, possibly one of the sweetest people ever! |
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| The fabulous Beth Vogt. As amazing as I thought she’d be! |
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| Me, author Katie Ganshert, Ashley Clark, and Gabrielle Meyer. I’m not showing the next picture in this sequence. Hehe. |
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| Me and Susan Meissner at the gala. She’s one of my favorite authors! |
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| Ashley’s grin kept me going several times during the conference. |
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| One of the best things ever: meeting my CP, Melissa Tagg, soon-to-be-published Bethany House author! |
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| Jill Kemerer makes me laugh, and encourages me so much. |
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| Me and the Alley Cats. I’m trying to be cute, but my butt just looks huge! |
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Your Turn: Have you
ever been somewhere new that immediately felt like home?
Somewhere new that immediately felt like home: my first MBT retreat! I was such a newbie and didn't know anyone, but–and I know I say this ALL the time–I will never forget sitting there up in that Minnesota retreat spot on Saturday morning, listening to Susie teach, and suddenly getting tears in my eyes…because I KNEW I was supposed to be there. So good! ACFW definitely felt that way this year, too. (My first year I was all awestruck and last year I was a little nerve-ridden–haha. But this year definitely felt like home.)
I LOVED meeting you!!! The whole conference was just so wonderful…every little bit of it! Already counting the days til '13. 🙂
Yay, I'm hoping Storycrafters feels exactly the same for me. So…how many days ARE left until ACFW 2013? 😉
I love all your photos! So much fun!
Thanks, Julie. There were so many good ones. I'm really glad I remembered to take them!
Loved meeting you in person, LindsAy! Like Melissa, I felt at home at my first MBT retreat where I met women who would become lifelong friends. Attending ACFW is like a family reunion for me. And every family has a few nutty relatives, right?
Exactly! Sooo…just what are you saying about me? ;P
Looks like a fun time was had by all! Thanks for posting the pictures. I enjoyed seeing everyone's smiling faces. 🙂
My stepmom said she could tell I was having a good time by how huge my grin was in all of the photos.
Linds, I loved meeting you!! We had so much fun. I only wish we could have had more time! We. Need. More. Time!!!!
Our first hug was awesome!! 🙂 And I know. You need to come to AZ or I need to go out there. Let's make it happen.
Looks like you had an awesome first conference! You did much better on the pictures then I did at my first conference…I was so nervous and star struck, I barely took any pictures. I plan to make up for it next year! 🙂
I hope we get to meet then, Lacie!
It was so, so fun to meet you at ACFW! and I know I'm not the only one to feel this way. And now you have a nickname too: Curly!!
😉
Haha, yep. Guess I do!
Lindsay!! Love all the pictures – but I love the memories even more. You were such a bright spot in my first ACFW Conference experience – and it's easy to be sweet to someone as loveable as you. 🙂 Looking forward to many more ACFW Conference together – and a few retreats, too!!
I'm looking forward to that too. Glad we could be newbies together.
Wow! I totally get what you felt, Lindsay. When I arrived at my first ACFW conference, I felt like I'd come home, and, oh, was that a wonderful feeling. It was wonderful to meet you in person and to hug your neck–even if I did have to stand on tiptoes. =)
I loved every moment I spent with you, Keli!
My conference experience was the same way! I just belonged there. Those are my people. Julie J and I kept joking that it was like church camp for writers and we never wanted to leave! It was SO fun to hang out with you! Thanks for sharing your pics.
It totally WAS like church camp. I even felt that same anticipation I used to feel before church camp. Hehe.
LOVED all the pics! It felt like I was right back there. There's just something about hanging with other writers who GET us. 🙂 Hugs!
I know. It's nice knowing I'm not the only crazy one who thinks about grammar and characters ARCs, etc.
Wonderful photos of the ACFW! ACFW looks like an AMAZING, MIND-BLOWING, ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME conference to me. I better go to that conference sometime and meet some of my bloggy friends. 🙂
Glad that you had fun, Lindsay!
Yes, you totally should, Livia!! It was quite awesome. If you ever do go, be sure to let me know!
So fun to see all the people that share such helpful and encouraging comments everywhere I go!
I hear next year is in Indianapolis, that is much closer to me. I hope to go 🙂
That would be awesome to meet you, Lisa! I'm hoping to go too. 🙂
Next year!!
Yaaaaaay!
Love all your pictures, Lindsay!! 🙂 It looks like yall had too good of time at ACFW 2012!! That's great!
I hate i missed it. I recognized some names and faces in your pics. I would have loved to meet Melissa, Susan, Jeanne, Lisa, Beth and Jessica!! And too many others to name. I'll have to see all of yall on blog commetns, MBT chat, etc. for now. Hope to be going to the conference in the future! ttyl girl!
I hope you get to come in the future too, Morgan! 🙂 I'd love to meet you.
These are SO cute!!!! Love them. And your bootie looks just fine. 🙂 Thanks for sharing! I hope someday I get to meet you at a conference.
Fun pictures! I love the double-blue with you and Susan Meissner. Lovely!
It was fun meeting you as well. You were great at the Pizza party!