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.