Celebration Saturday - Newbery/Caldecott Banquet and Show Your Work

 I'm so happy that Ruth Ayres started a Celebrate Link-Up on her blog!!!  I will be joining the celebration every Saturday!!

 

It's been a couple week since I posted a Celebration post, so I have a few things to share!

 

- Right after the Choice Literacy Writing Retreat, my husband, 18-yr.-old daughter, and my mom headed to Las Vegas.  I was covert when planning this trip, to be honest.  My husband really enjoys going to Las Vegas, and I knew I wanted to go to the ALA Annual Convention's Newbery/Caldecott Award banquet, which happened to be in Vegas this year.  Our 25th anniversary was on July 1st, and the banquet was on June 30th.  SO...I said, "Honey, want to go to Vegas for our 25th?"  And he said (just like I knew he would), "Sure!"  That's when I said, "Oh, and do you mind us getting there on Sunday so I can go to the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet? ;-)  I'm kidding a little, because even if I had come right out and said I wanted to go to the banquet first, he would have been fine with that.  He's incredibly understanding and supportive of my book nerdiness and knows I think authors and illustrators are rock stars.  My daughter wanted to go, too, and soon Mom was included because her 70th birthday is July, and she always wanted to celebrate it in Vegas, but my Dad doesn't like to fly.  So this was her opportunity to get there!  Ed, my husband, joked that his co-workers laughed when he said he was going to celebrate his 25th anniversary in Vegas with his teenage daughter and mother-in-law and that I was going to go to some librarian convention. ;-)  Anyway, we had a WONDERFUL time!  When we got into Vegas on Sunday morning, I immediately headed over to the convention center and began an incredible day of meeting authors and illustrators.  Here are some of my favorite pictures:

 

                                      Tom Angleberger                       Margarita Engle

                       The great Kate!!             Andrea Davis Pinkney               Lindsay Leavitt

The amazing Judy Blume!             Christopher Paul Curtis                    Raina Telgemeier

 

 This one cracks me up!  I look like a giddy schoolchild.  I was THRILLED to meet Aaron Becker.  Journey was my favorite picture book of 2013, and it inspired my OLW this year.  He is super nice, and I wish him MUCH success with the follow-up to Journey - QUEST.  Be sure to preorder a signed copy!

 

The pop-up Locomotive banquet program,



 

 

 

 

I sat with @heisereads and @Cathy_Blackler, who were kind enough to save me a seat.  The whole thing was incredible.  I had to keep pinching myself to make it real.  The talent in that room was AMAZING!

 

A picture of the winners:

 

While I enjoyed Brian Floca's speech a lot, it was Kate's that brought down the house.  Everyone was in tears.  Read the text here.

 

The other celebrations of the week; my mom's birthday and our anniversary were also wonderful.  We went to shows galore: The Cirque de Soleil's Beatles LOVE show, Penn and Teller, The Jersey Boys, and Mom and Katie went to Cirque de Soleil's O Show, which they LOVED while I was at the banquet.  One of the highlights was Katie, Mom, and I zip-lined above Fremont Street in downtown Vegas!!!  Katie convinced us all to go, and we loved it!

 

Katie, Mom, and I at Venetian

Mom and I watching the Bellagio fountain show

Ziplining!

Anniversary dinner - I celebrate that I'm married to an amazing man!

Mom and Katie at Stratosphere

 

- One more thing to celebrate (well, there are lots, but this post is getting LONG):  Megan and I have been working on a proposal for a professional teaching book for a year.  We submitted a short proposal in the spring that got returned with many revision suggestions, and then we reworked it and added to it and just turned it in again for a final YES or NO.  It's a little difficult to share this news because it could very well be a rejection, and that would be hard to have to share.  However, after reading Show Your Work, I think it's really important to share the creative process with people.  I love my PLN, and trust you all immensely, so I know this news is in good hands, and no matter what happens, Megan and I have learned SO much about writing.  We can take that knowledge and share it with students.  We love that.  We eagerly await the decision, and if it's a no, we'll keep shopping it.  We believe in our message. :-)  You can read our philosophies in today's Nerdy Book Club post!

 

Now, off to read all of your celebrations!!