Too busy to post as it happened, so here's what happened...

Yep, I got so busy in Dallas that all of my online time was spent actually working. Imagine that! I logged in a couple of times a day, checked email, the boards, said hi to the folks who pinged me on IM, and found no time to blog. So here's the lowdown...

Wednesday, I finally got in, and I was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy to finally hug the girls. The best moment was when I was in the back, helping Camy do some setup, and someone called me Dream. Duh, that's the name most people know me by. All of a sudden, I hear this loud squeal. "Dreamy!" I'd been working with a friend I'd talked to online for years, but we'd never met. It had taken a couple of hours to realize that DUH, we know each other. We went to Chipotle for dinner, which was a treat, because while I eat there all the time, most of the folks hadn't been there before and they were excited to try it. We returned, finished our work, and then continued catching up on life. Can I just say that I know some of the best people in the world?

Thursday, we had the early bird session with Margie Lawson. I've talked about her before, but it bears to say again that her classes are fantastic. She's also a great friend, and I love her to pieces. I sat with friends, lunched with friends, and then things got underway for the conference. Fun, fun, fun. The editor/agent panel was interesting, and I got a couple of little tidbits. I might talk about that later. Afterwards, we went to a late night chat with our Steeple Hill editor, who gave some great insight into how her mind works. Even the multi-published authors felt like Krista's comments would improve their writing. Finally, we landed at the bar and finished out the night giggling like little girls.

Friday, um yeah, Friday... Friday was day of pressure for Danica. I taught my class, had my agent appointment, and had all of my volunteer stuff scheduled. I honestly didn't plan it that way, but that's how they scheduled me, so that's how I played it. I had two amazing meetings, and while I'm not ready to discuss it, let's just say I'm very pleased with the conversations that happened. Then, I got together with the girls and got to know a few others a little better. We ended up having an incredible prayer session. Basically, we prayed for four hours. Uh-huh. Four hours. We took a couple of breaks, but add it all up, and yeah, four hours that felt like four minutes. We honestly could have prayed all night, but when it got to be 3 a.m., we realized that we had a jam-packed day ahead of us and needed at least a couple of hours of sleep.

Saturday... I skipped breakfast so I could sleep in. I think I meant to go to the morning sessions, but I ended up at my happy place, this lovely little patio overlooking the pool, and got caught up with some of my author friends. Then, we had the luncheon, and did the booksigning, which was fun. I worked as a runner, helping the authors, and I got to meet some really great people. Plus hug more of my friends. :) Afterward, we were able to connect with some other authors. However, I was dealing with some stuff, and we ended up in the prayer room. Another power prayer session.

Saturday gets two paragraphs. Because, of course, Saturday night was the big awards banquet. Lots of winners, lots of fun. The girls and I all got ready together, and I really should have taken pictures, but I forgot. We were just too cute. Afterward, the real fun happened. A group of us went to Sambuca, which had an incredible jazz band. My beloved Chip MacGregor asked the question every woman dreams of being asked. No, it wasn't, "Will you be my client." He asked me if I knew how to swing. Oh yeah. We all ended up dancing, and let me tell you, that man can dance. Wow. Talk about a jog down memory lane. I used to be an excellent dancer, but I gave it up ten years ago due to a hubby with two left feet. Well, after last night, I think I'm going to try again at getting him to learn how, because I had way too much fun. I hadn't realized how much I missed it. How fortuitous that my former dance partner is now my neighbor. We closed down the joint and then went to hang out some more with folks at the hotel. I seriously had a hard time letting folks go to bed and going to bed myself. I was going to miss them! Only getting to be with your dearest friends once a year is very stinky. We did end up going to bed at about 3.

Sunday, my lovely roomie Pammer had made arrangements to have communion in our room. I sorta remember having a herd of women in our room and thinking, "oh yeah, I want communion too." And then I lost consciousness, finally coming to in time for worship. Missing communion was probably okay for me, because the grape juice ended up being fermented and yucky. Worship was great. God gave me answers about the intense prayer session from the day before. Sadly, I had to leave before I could decompress with the girls. We had lunch and then I had to rush off with my ride to the airport, who took me to visit her lovely home for a while. I ended up getting on an earlier flight, which was nice. I was missing my honey and my girlies.

I know, my conference reviews are always about me and my silly friends. But you know, that's what I love about going. Yes, I learn a lot and find ways to improve my craft. However, this is where the relationships get built. I have some amazing friends. At this conference, I realized just how badly those friends want me to succeed. I'm not in this alone, but with an incredible support group of cheerleaders who are going to do everything they can to help me along the path.

So how does this relate to you? I am convinced that anyone can accomplish anything they set out to do. But the key is that you can't do it alone. There's this guy, his name is God, and He's got to be there. You have to let Him in and listen to what He tells you. But you've also got to have some human support. Jesus traveled around with twelve of them. Who are your twelve?

Oh. Wow. My. Wow.

I think God just completely blew me away with that one. That's the beauty of a free form blog post. You all just got to watch God smack me. And show me the pieces of the answer to my prayers.

However, because I am a big fat meanie head, and frankly, it would take a book to explain it, you don't get to know the details. All I can say is WOW.