Well this weekend has been a complete and utter whirlwind full of lots of awesomeness, but also lots of craziness! Books, family, friends, food, and running… all of my favorite things!
My weekend started with the Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival! I’ve been on the committee for the past two years with lots of fellow librarians, and it’s been SO crazy but so rewarding. We get around 30 YA authors each year (this was the 9th annual), and I am talking HUGE bestselling authors. Check out our TBF alums on the site here. So my crazy weekend started Friday when I took off work to help set up and prepare for the festival which was held on Saturday. There was lots of running around during the day, and then Friday evening we had our welcome dinner with the authors. The amazing Simone Elkeles sat at my table and I loved chatting with her. I read Perfect Chemistry a few years ago and am a big fan.
Saturday started at 6 AM when my alarm went off and I was off to the festival for some last minute set up before the author parade started at 8:45. They arrive in limos and old cars while thousands of teens cheer them on. I was stationed at the merchandise table for the day, which was lots of fun. TBF literally draws a crowd of thousands each year, and it is so epic that people travel here for it. Our authors have told us countless times that it is one of the best festivals ever because they are treated like rock stars. I love it so much and it literally gives me chills to see how books can bring so many people together, and how many people are touched and excited about books. There are so many booklovers all in one place… these are my people!
After the festival I had to hurry home for our housewarming party! It was hectic and crazy but great to see so many of our friends and family in one place and enjoying our new home! We had a “dips and drinks” party, and asked everyone to bring a favorite dip. Our house quickly became filled with lots of awesome food and even more awesome loved ones. Everyone seemed to have a great time! I was busy bustling around trying to be a good hostess and talk to everyone, but it’s so hard! It felt like my wedding where I wanted the chance to talk to everyone, but really only got a few minutes or seconds with each person. At any rate, we had a great time showing off our new digs and hanging out with everyone.
Sunday was another early morning as we headed out for our first race of the year, the Lilac Festival 5K at 8 AM! Jerry and I ran with our friend Denise (above). All three of us actually met on MyFitnessPal so how cool is that? It was an awesome race, and the perfect day for it! I’ll post a race recap later on this week. My parents came to show their support, and my dad, the photographer, got some great shots.
I’m really into low-key weekends, but once in awhile, it’s nice to be busy and get out there. I’ll be looking forward to relaxing a bit more next week though! I’ll be around the blogosphere more this week now that my crazy weekend is through. I will also be sharing some exciting news sometime in the next few days.
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