A Beautiful Bouquet

Subbing the whole day before the signing proved interesting. I used quite a bit of my voice up during the two classes of adorable kindergartners, but it did keep me from getting too nervous or excited.

After school, and my friendly school secretary shooing me out the door as quickly as possible, I ran home to change. And how do you pick what to wear at a signing? Something a bit dressy, but not too overdone. Warm enough if you’re by the door, but not too hot. Womanly, but still safe to modestly bend over a table as you sign and such.

I’m sure Donald Miller simply throws on a shirt and off he goes …

I’ve got pictures of the whole night on an album here of The Familiar Stranger‘s launch party.

I might never have smiled so much. Dear friends, both oldtimers and newcomers, stopped in and I wished I had more time to talk with every one. Before I knew it, more than an hour had passed and we were called up for the readings, then I went back to keep signing while Chris and Conrad played.

Buy their CD. They are amazing! And if they play close to you, you must go see them. Fabulous live music.

People brought me birthday present after birthday present; my take-home loot pile was huge … and is still spread across the living room. Hug after hug. Support and love and excitement on my first birthday as a single adult.

And one of the highlights of the night? Coming home to find this gorgeous bouquet of flowers awaiting me!

 

(The flash washed it out a bit, but trust me that the pink roses are the perfect shade.)

But as I reflect on the evening twenty-four hours later, when my feet are just beginning to touch earth again, I remember how much Christian Supply and Shaun Stevenson and Kelsey and Jordan, and K-LOVE and Ana, and Chris and Conrad, and Robin Jones Gunn, and Chris McDaniel, every friend and family member who came by … all these are unique flowers God has placed around me, adding beauty to the bouquet of my new life.

Thank you!

Rose McCauley posted this at the beginning of her blog:

The Familiar Stranger is one of the best-written debut novels I have ever read, so I am happy to be a part of its online blog tour this month. You can win a copy from me by posting any time this month on my blog, having a US mailing address, and leaving a way to contact you. AND you can have another chance to win a copy from the author herself by posting on my blog on October 31st which is the day her blog tour will stop in for a visit. Or you can visit any of the other stops on her blog tour (a different site each day this month!) to have an even better chance of winning because she will choose 10 winners on October 31st from all the comments left on her blog tour this month.

 Patty Wysong posted the first of a two parter on Patterings. She has been giving away books the entire month of September in a Back to School Book Bonanza, and will be giving away The Familiar Stranger by Oct. 8th, so leave a comment! In case you haven’t read the book yet, she has the same excerpt posted as what I read at the signing.

2 Responses to A Beautiful Bouquet

  1. Jessica October 2, 2009 at 4:13 am #

    Sounds like you had a wonderful day! 🙂

  2. Christina Berry October 8, 2009 at 11:55 pm #

    Jessica, wonderful to the nth degree!