I’ve finally unburied myself enough from deadlines and laundry piles to upload my pictures and post about the ACFW Conference (which was only, like, almost a month ago….yikes!)
For those of you unfamiliar with ACFW, it stands for American Christian Fiction Writers. They have an annual conference that is phenomenal! So in September, I packed up my things, headed to St. Louis, and joined 700 other Christian fiction writers to learn and connect. It was a whirlwind of an experience as always, and I loved seeing friends old and new. Before I get to the pictures, I wanted to share a quote that stuck with me.
Keynote speaker Tracie Peterson talked about how we as writers can minister to our readers. She said, “How can we encourage if we don’t know the Encourager? How can we love if we’re not in tune with the Lover of our Souls?” Wow. That applies to anyone, not just writers, doesn’t it? Her words reinvigorated my desire to seek the One who gives me words in the first place. And that alone was worth the time and money! Okay, on to the photos now….
At the Books & Such dessert reception–Do you see who I’m standing next to in the front row? Janet Grant! Pinch me now. 
Dinner with fab friends Jody Hedlund, Jenny Kale, Katie Ganshert, and Jeannie Campbell
Beth Vogt–always the encourager
My dear friend Wendy Miller–Yes, it’s crooked, but we were trying to take a self-photo and get the whole arch in the background. :)
Roomies!
Out on the town with my crit partner Jeannie Campbell
Blogging and Twitter friends Jenny Hale, Heather Sunseri, Jody Hedlund, Eileen Watson, & Katie Ganshert
The super-sweet Keli Gwyn
At the gala with agent-mate and friend Cynthia Herron
Livin’ it up with my Writers Alley girls
Have you had any fun getaways lately? What’s your favorite way to reconnect with friends?
*In other news, my latest article just published on Ungrind. Did you know your kitchen floor represents the state of your heart? Read on here.
Oh dear, about my kitchen floor. lol I mop about once a week but I usually think about mopping three days before I do it. I’m SO conscious of specks on it. I sweep it about three times a day (yep, after every meal, lol). Interesting concept but now I’m thinking I might be overly anal. LOL
Great pics!!! I can’t believe I missed seeing you. Oh well. It looks like you had tons of fun. I did too!
Oh wow, Jessica, You can come to my house anytime and sweep my kitchen floor, LOL!
Hi Sarah -
Great pics! I’d love to meet all my blogging friends. One of these days I’ll get to ACFW.
Blessings,
Susan
Oh Susan, I hope you can make it to ACFW sometime! I would LOVE to meet you in person!
Thanks for sharing all your pics. I can’t wait for next year!
Missed seeing you this year, Julie. Hopefully I’ll be there next year to give you a smile and a wave.
Great pictures, woman! It was so much fun seeing you at the conference!!! Wish we didn’t have to wait until September for all of us to hang out!
I know, Katie! We need another conference right in the middle of the year! Hmm, we could make our own, right?
Great photos and great times, definitely. Wendy and I live in the same town, and just met recently for the first time, at the post-office! It’s a little more low key than a conference, but we had a great chat!
How cool about meeting Wendy, Joanne! Isn’t she the best? She’s the real deal, for sure.
Ouch- I wish I was there with you all! Lord willing I pray to meet you all next year in Dallas, TX! Woot!
I’m off to read your article!
Oh, I hope I’ll get to see you in Dallas next year, Tamika! I pray the Lord makes a way for us both.
You know, I just realized I never blogged any pics. or anything. Ohps. I love that we’re laughing in that pic.!
You’re a blast!
~ Wendy
That might have something to do with a little camera snafu, Wendy. I still feel bad about that. :/
Oh, that was fun to see those pictures … and to think of all the ACFW fun again!!
And by the way: I loved meeting you face to face finally!
And the red dress you wore to the awards banquet? One of my favorites!
Thank you, Beth! I loved meeting you face to face too!
Looks like you had a great time! Thanks for sharing these with us.
You’re welcome, Karen! Maybe you’ll be in one of these posts in future years?
I love that picture of you and Wendy in front of the arch!!
Isn’t it a fun one, Heather? The side story is that we were trying to hurry because we were drawing all the wrong attention with our little picture session, if you know what I mean. Deserted street, two women acting goofy, ’nuff said.
Oh, Sarah! It was like re-living it all over again! Didn’t we just have a blast?! LOVED hearing Tracie’s keynote address. Her words, her tone, and even her mannerisms resonated Jesus! It was such a kick to meet other authors face to face that we’ve only met in cyberspace. And the workshops? Amazing!
I enjoyed your photos–thanks so much for sharing!
Now…onward to Dallas!
I agree, Cynthia! Tracie really did ooze the love of God, didn’t she?
Looks like you had a fabulous time! I love having a live critique group twice a month – that’s a great way for me to connect in person with writer friends. Love the new profile pic and blog look!
How awesome that you can connect twice a month, Stacy! It makes this whole journey so much more tangible, doesn’t it?
my kitchen floor is sparkling clean….except under the throw carpet. hmm….
i LOVED reconnecting with you in person at the conference. it’s truly a highlight of my year! can’t wait till next year!
A highlight for me too, Jeannie! Can you believe how far we’ve come since last year? Can’t wait to see where we are next year!
Looks like you had a great time! I hope to attend next year. It would be a blast to meet all of you blogging pals in one place.
Thanks for sharing.
I hope you can come too, Loree! I would love to meet you in person!
Thanks for sharing your pictures, Sarah. It was wonderful to see you again. I love thinking about all the great things that have taken place in your writing world since I met you at the ACFW the year before. I have a hunch there will be plenty of good news for you before we head to Dallas.
Thank you for your encouragement, Keli! And same goes to you…You’ve had quite the exciting year since Indianapolis. The possibilities are endless for the next year…
I loved seeing these–thank you so much! You roomed with Patti Lacy? She’s a dear friend and mentor–we live a mere 2.5 hours apart, and she’s sown much love and writerly encouragement into my life.
So glad you had a great time, Sarah!
Hi Jeanette, Yes, I did room with Patti! She’s such a sweet spirit, isn’t she?
I am just flat jealous of the community you fiction writers share! Love it and you are all so dear.
Oh Jennie, We would LOVE to have you join us sometime! We’ll smuggle you in.
Great pics, Sarah!! Miss it already!
I miss it too, Eileen! It was great to see you!
I apologize for not visiting my favorite blogs lately, and i promise to do some catching-up with everyone in the next few days. We are experiencing cooler weather starting today (Thursday) and as for myself I’m looking forward to falls return to the Lancaster Pennsylvania area. And are the color of the leaves changing your your way folks as they are mine. Hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful fall season that has now begun. Richard from Amish Stories.
Great pictures, Sarah! Was trying to pick out the faces I knew in the Books and Such pictures, looks like more authors than I thought (that I know) are represented by that agency. Look what company you are in!!
Thanks, Casey! I seriously have to pinch myself to make sure I was there.