Tuesday, September 30, 2014

ACFW Recap (Celebrating Tina, too!)

Tex here, fresh off the heels of the 2014 ACFW Conference in beautiful St. Louis, Missouri.

And what a conference it was. Nice and relaxing.
Probably because I didn't have any duties to worry about. Yes, I volunteered, but I gladly passed the torch of Carol Awards coordinator to the amazing Casey Herringshaw.
Isn't she cute?
She's now my fourth daughter and I couldn't be prouder of the way she handled not only the contest, but she rocked the Carol Award presentation. She was poised, polished and oh so comfortable with her new job. 

Yay, Casey!

So this conference, I had no worries. 
I attended a great session on marketing, as well as many wonderful workshops.

I got to hang with my editor, the incomparable Melissa Endlich.

And my agent, the fabulous Tamela Hancock Murray.

Oh, I got to eat some really, really good food.
I highly recommend the salmon at Charlie Gittos, a cute little Italian restaurant in downtown St. Louis.
Cooked to perfection.

Of course, the gala is always the culinary highlight of any ACFW conference.
Here is this year's menu.

Sorry, no pix of the salad, but hey...it's a salad.

But the entree...
The beef was tender and cooked just the way I like it!

And yes, this Trim Healthy Mama scarfed down all of her dessert.
The BURNT caramel cheesecake didn't taste the least bit burnt at all. :)

Then it was on to the awards.

Tina Radcliffe and I were both up for a Carol in the Short Novel category.
Talk about mixed emotions. Of course I would love to win, but I wanted Tina to win, too.

And the winner is...
The always lovely, yet hates to have her picture taken, Tina Radcliffe.

(insert crazy loud applause)

I am SO happy for you, Tina!

But alas, all good things must come to an end. 
By Sunday morning, we were all a bit foggy, including the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.
But, oh, the memories we made and relationships we grew will live in our minds forever.

12 comments:

  1. Mindy, I have to say I was rooting for both of you.So glad Tina won but thankful both of you were recognized. You look beautiful and Tina was rocking that pashima!

    You must have been in heaven eating real food...well, solid food. And it looked like a beautiful weekend!

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    1. Yes, I ate plenty of real food this weekend. Oy! Feels good to get home and back on track again.

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  2. Woohoo -- thanks for the conference snapshot. I'm soaking it all up. And I was rooting for both of you too. What an awesome recognition. I screamed myself hoarse when they announced Tina's name. Oh -- and Casey was fantabulous, wasn't she? So gorgeous and elegant. Uber impressed.

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    1. Kav, I can't wait until I see you at one of these conferences so I can hug your sweet neck. But don't you just love that they have the live feed for the gala so you know what's happening in real time? And yes, Casey was fabulous. She owned that awards ceremony!

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  3. I agree with Julie.... I would have cheered (honestly) for any of the three of you because I love Irene's work as well. And that's just plain happy/honest/gladness that three strong, lovely works got recognized.... I'm so proud of all of you, and Irene is about the most gracious person on the planet, I have a hard time mocking her.... now with you and Tina, that is NOT THE CASE, LOL! :) Bless you for your gracious self and yeah, finalling is huge because it's great in a sea of greatness.... and I'm tickled pink you both did final!

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    1. You're right, Ruthy. Irene is an awesome writer. One of my faves. But I've never had the pleasure of meeting her, so I wasn't as personally vested in her. Tina, on the other hand... You know, for someone who claims to be ornery, she's awful nice. I mean, you don't get nominated for Mentor of the Year for being ornery. Tina's got a big ol' heart and I'm glad she won.

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  4. Ah, conference! Great snapshot of the weekend, Mindy!

    The best part? Getting to see you, Tina, and all the Seekerville peeps, meeting new friends and reacquainting with old. Happy sigh. :)

    And Casey did a fabulous job. She's so sweet. I keep throwing hints to my oldest son, but he hasn't asked for her email address yet. ;)

    But there's no place like home, is there? Glad to be back to the routine, but looking forward to my next conference at the same time.

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    1. Jan, if I did nothing else at conference but see/meet friends, I would be a happy camper. Er, conferee. It's like big family reunion,

      Casey would indeed be quite the catch. Cute, sweet, Godly...wish my oldest son was older. ;)

      And yes, I am happy to be back home and on plan.

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  5. Thanks for sharing! I still haven't been to a St. Louis conference. I MUST go next time. Tina said the hotel was amazing.

    Congrats to all of you finalists! What an honor to be named among them!

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    1. Tina is right, Missy. Best of all, they appreciate us as much as we appreciate them. A match made in heaven.

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  6. So sorry I missed yesterday. I hit the ground running when I got home. The cats were not impressed by the award.

    And on another note. THAT CASEY! Is she not gorgeous and all grown up now????

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    1. Only one of the reasons I'm not a cat person. Now a dog would have been wagging all over the place, filled with delight over your award, Tina. :)

      Casey is amazing. Just a beautiful young woman both inside and out.

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