Back from Beyond

Hannah and I had a mah-velous time this past weekend at the Emerald City Writers' Conference, and I even managed to get my speech done before we arrived in Seattle. Not all that much before, but hey, before is before! In point of fact, I finished it in the front seat of the car while Hannah drove, and by the time I closed the laptop, I had five hours to spare!

Once we arrived at the conference hotel and settled into our room, we finished putting together the kick-ass basket we donated to the raffle. Trust me, it was tough to give that thing away--Perrier Jouet champagne, 2 champagne flutes, 500 grams of Leonidas chocolates (which make Godiva look like four-year-old Hersheys), a Sweet Savage Thighs logo mug, delicious bath products from Lavanila, a Kate Spade wallet, and matching sterling silver Tiffany necklace and earrings. We cried a little when the raffle committee took it away.

After that was done, I spent the next few hours with my knees knocking while I waited to make my first public speech since my senior year of high school. Let me just say that high school was a long, loooooonnnnnng time ago. But I managed to deliver the welcoming dinner address without abject humiliation, so that was a win. And to celebrate, we went to the bar and spent a few hours savoring some of the best lemon drops of my experience and some really wonderful company. We met several wonderful writers from as far away as Oklahoma, did an awful lot of laughing, and got to bask in the presence of the always wonderful and enormously witty Cherry Adair.

Saturday and Sunday, we attended workshops and lunches, went out for a fabulous dinner in the Queen Anne area of Seattle, and finally said our goodbyes with every intention of returning to the conference again next year. It is really just that good!

Oh, and before we left, I won an awesome raffle basket (inspiring serious envy in Hannah, despite my promises to share), which was just brilliant, since I can't remember the last time I won anything.

All in all, it was a truly stellar weekend. I have enjoyed every single one of the ECWC weekends I've attended, and I encourage everyone who is able to invest the time and money in this fabulous event!