2012 ACFW Conference Highlights

I know I’m breaking a blogging rule by posting a day early, but I can’t wait to share some pictures and bullet-point highlights from this past weekend!

FRIENDS! Getting together with friends is always the best part of the conference

• Hung out with my amazing critique partners, Lorna Seilstad and Shannon Vannatter.

  

• Also hung out with several of the Inkspirational Messages ladies : Stacy Monson, Dawn Ford, Shannon Vannatter, and Lorna Seilstad. Linda Fulkerson even dropped in for an evening. Shannon, Linda, and I had a fun slumber party Friday night and stayed up way too late. It was worth it. 🙂

  

• Minnesota and the ACFW Minnesota NICE group were well represented. (The pic doesn’t include all Minnesotans at the conference.)

  

• I got to know the lovely Rose Ross Zediker.

  

• I was thrilled to meet two of my favorite authors, Becky Wade and Mike Duran!
• I’m sure I’ve left out names, and I apologize for that. I met so many wonderful people that the weekend’s a blur.

FUNNY

The Wardrobe Malfunction

I was feeling pretty special being all dressed up in my fancy banquet dress as I strolled into the banquet hall Saturday night. All the Genesis and Carol Award finalists got to go in early to choose the best seats and save up to three seats for friends. (I was honored to be accompanied by Shannon, Lorna, and Dawn.)

So, as I’m walking into the hall all confident (and probably a wee-bit prideful), my pantyhose started dropping like a broken elevator then screeched to a halt mid-thigh. Panic hit. What should I do? No way was I leaving the room to fix them–securing a good table was priority–so I decided to sit until dinner was served, then I’d sneak out.

Plans changed when I whispered to Shannon what had happened. She whispered back, “Take them off under the table.” I considered it for a second, then grinned as I slid them off. After all, pantyhose went out of style long ago, right? Or are they coming back in? Oh, whatever. Then I said that I hoped I remembered to retrieve them at the end of the evening. Can you imagine what the custodian would think if he found a pair of pantyhose beneath the table? Well, Shannon saved me and stored them in her purse and then she claimed dibs on including this incident in a book. Can’t wait to read it! 🙂

FROWN 🙁

• Not all the Inkspirational Messages ladies were there. Regina Merrick, Kav, Kim Payne, and Shari Barr–We missed you!
• Laura Frantz couldn’t make it.
• Nor could Stephanie Prichard.
• Maybe next year, right?

FANTASTIC!

Well, the entire conference was fantastic, but a few items stood out above the rest:

• Worship – There’s nothing like 700+ people of different backgrounds and denominations all joining together in praising the same God. WoW is the best word to describe it.

  

• Singing with the choir – Under Rachael Phillip‘s marvelous direction, we sang “I Then Shall Live” a capella on Sunday morning. Check out the heart-rending lyrics <here>
• Seeing my name and picture on the big screen at the gala. Now that was a surreal moment.
• Receiving my Silver Finalist Pin
• Getting proposal and chapter requests from all my appointments. I can’t wait to see where these open doors lead to!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Waiting for the awards to be announced did provide anxious moments (relieved tremendously by the wardrobe malfunction). When Amy Matayo‘s name was announced as the winner of the Genesis Contemporary Romance category, I had a moment of disappointment, but then longer moments of relief. I didn’t have to give a speech! Whew! Turns out my husband and son, who watched the awards via the live blog, were more disappointed than I was. But, if you think about it, how could I possibly be sad about placing in the top 3% of a category? No way! I’m thrilled and blessed to have made it that far! Best of all, I was surrounded by amazing, encouraging friends! That makes me a winner.

All proof that God’s plans are far grander than my own!

~ ~ ~

Congratulations to all the Genesis Award Winners and the Carol Award Winners!