Home!!!

I know--I write a post with this title about six times a year.

Still-- as dusty and decrepit as it is, this home is mine, and I'm comfortable here.

Anyway--

*phew*

That was some trip!

I was sort of busy pimping  Fish on a Bicycle before I left, so I know I didn't give details!

I arrived in Albuquerque for GRL on Wednesday night, and as usual, GRL was a whirlwind. The author lounges and reading spotlight were wonderful and Amy felt the AMAZING amounts of author love-- thank EVERYBODY who came by and hugged and cried and were kind and gave gifts. (I got two skeins of yarn from AUSTRALIA, y'all-- and a BADGE. Seriously. A special investigator BADGE. And a llama fan and an alpaca pen--it was SOME HAUL, and I am, as always, tickled.)

Also, I got to see some author friends and that was lovely too :-)

Now, on Saturday, literally at the tail end of the signing, I ran out of the signing room with my stuff, shoved most of my stuff back into my suitcases, and caught a plane (or two, actually) to Seattle.

So, around eight o'clock on Saturday night, I arrived at Emerald City Writer's Conference right in the middle of THEIR big spotlight signing event. I am starving, I am a little shell-shocked, and I am exhausted.

During the day, I thought--at different times--that I'd lost both my sunglasses and my wallet, and when I discovered my wallet during check in literally iN MY DUFFEL BAG I cried in front of the registration desk.

Oh yeah-- they remembered me on Monday.

Anyway-- Kim Fielding, her friend lyric, and I all found a place to eat eventually (there was a hangry, nervy trek through a mall first, and very real threats to just go to Panda Express) and then, after dinner and a short nap, Kim and I got up because we both had classes to teach in the morning.

The class went really well. Like, a number of people hunted me up afterward and told me they were grateful for the bullet points and for the worksheets and for the actionable takeaway. I was happy--it felt like a good reason to have put myself through Saturday so I could give that class on Sunday.

And then--after lunch and the guest speaker, of course-- a wonderful thing happened.

A long-time reader and Seattle resident--Tori--and her husband, Dave-- took me on a tour of Seattle. Now remember, I go to a lot of places and DON'T always get to look around, so this was pretty wonderful. They knew their way around the city--I saw everything. I saw the Mo-Pop museum, the Amazon terrariums, the view from Queen Anne Hill, where the Mariners play, and the Seahawks (I got to hear them too--they were having a game that day and that city on game day--WOW!), and we got to see people throw fish and stand in line at the original Starbucks.

And then we got to go to a yarn store--Serial Knitters--and that was one of the best parts. In the same place we found Rocky Horror Picture Show themed yarn, cat themed yarn, The 12th Man yarn (go Seahawks!), and a yarn called Badlands, that was so very mine.

It was a truly charmed day, and worth the very steep price of admission and I'm so glad I went.

I met Kim and lyric for dinner afterwards, and then lyric took Kim to the airport, and then... well, I slept, mostly. Monday  morning I slept some more. My plane didn't leave until nine o'clock at night. When I left the hotel room, I worked, then I caught a lyft to the airport and worked some more.

And finally, home.

Glorious home.

I don't have enough words.

Anyway--so that's where I went. And I wish it was my last trip for a while, but we've been planning a trip to Disneyland with the kids in November, and... well, I wish I could bring the dogs, that's all I can say.

I miss everybody when I'm gone.