My Conference Experience, The PG Version

Today I have a few pictures to share from my recent trip to St. Louis. There have been many wonderful pictures floating around various blogs and Facebook and I'm so thankful there are!

When I got home and scrolled through my pictures, I realized that I hadn't taken very many at all. And the ones I did take aren't of stellar quality.

But even considering my lack of photographic proof, I had a wonderful time! Aided greatly by my tour guides, Keli Gwyn and Erica Vetsch, two angels that always seemed to appear every time I felt lost or overwhelmed or alone.

The conference itself offered a plethora of learning opportunities; from the various workshops and publishers spotlights to the nerve-wracking appointments and the early bird session.

Which, by the way, I have to talk about for just a minute. Stanley Williams gave a wonderful 150+ slideshow presentation about story structure and the moral premise behind it all. For the record, this five hour class made the entire trip worth it for me. Seriously. It was wonderful!

But if I may be a goof ball for just a moment...

So, I'm sitting in a big conference room with two ladies that shall remain nameless. We're on hour 3.5, we're getting hungry, I'm freezing(!) and things started to become extra...funny.

Mr. Williams was citing the movie Where the Heart is with Natalie Portman. He was going into great detail about the symbolism (amongst other things) in the movie and how beautifully it was scripted. One of his examples was how the character Forny, was a safe place for Natalie Portman's character (I forget her name). He said, "Since she has been searching her entire life for a home it's only obvious why they named the guy Forny. Forny...homey...they kinda rhyme."

In my head I'm thinking, "no they don't" but I wasn't about to point out what word really came to my mind since I didn't want to offend my new friends - just in case they weren't as jaded as I can sometimes be. Thankfully, one of them leaned over to me and said, "uhh, that's not what that rhymes with."

It took me 10 minutes to compose myself enough so that I wasn't biting holes in my tongue to keep from laughing out loud! That poor lady sealed her fate then and there. I'll forever be a big fan!



Another fun moment was the morning I had breakfast with these three awesome ladies. Too sweet and too much fun. There are some people you meet and you feel like you've known forever. I love it when that happens!







The food on the other hand was not as wonderful, in my humble opinion. There was just always a little something that seemed...off. This was served one morning for breakfast. I won't say any more! :)


For me, this conference was just what I needed right when I needed something. I learned things I've wanted to learn, I talked with people I wanted to meet, I got dressed in something other than my mommy sweats, I found other Seat of the Pants writers (definitely more spiritual), I bonded with other "I'm-all-about-being-a-mommy" mommies, and I laughed and laughed! Which is always such good medicine for anything.

Interesting how I haven't mentioned my appointments yet (which were all very successful). I guess it just goes to show that relationships truly are more important than anything else.

Have you ever been to a big conference? Was it scary for you? Did you have people to help champion you along?
And for extra credit: Do you know what a Home Run pie is? What is your favorite flavor? (It has nothing to do with anything except for the fact that I'm eating a cherry one right now!) :)