I heart Conference!
Jul 14th 2009
Karen RoseOn Writing!
Hi all – reporting in from the Washington DC Marriot Wardman Park hotel, where romance writers have begun to congregate.
Today I checked in and caught up with Goddesses Madeline and Sabrina. BTW, didn’t recognize Sabrina at first! She’s been too modest about that weight loss of hers 
I did see Goddesses Claudia and Lori for a short time and Handmaiden Kim made it from Indiana, with gifts of chocolate for me. Everyone looks great
!
Today the real fun begins, but last night I had a nice, relaxing evening. I chilled in the bar with Madeline and Sabrina, who gets tipsy REALLY easily after her surgery. She had three sips of a margarita and I was fixin’ t’hide the lampshades 
I love to watch writers at conference. Normally we’re solitary creatures, our computer chair and a quiet office our natural habitat. Once a year we visit, hug old friends and make some new ones. It’s one of my favorite vacation pastimes. Tonight is the Literacy signing and the Goddess party – I’m hoping we have enough wine, LOL. I bought nine bottles! I’ll have my video camera ready for any not-to-be-missed moments.
My most eventful RWA conference was New Orleans, back in 2001 – I got a tattoo! Well, it was henna, but Mr. R thought it was real for a few days. Did he freak out! It was all the fun, without the needles. I’m wondering what mischief I can get into here in DC.
p.s. – I got a makeover at Sephora on Monday with youngest daughter. Now my makeup bag is replenished and Claudia’s fears about my causing a panic with my unadorned visage are laid to rest.
Do you party when you’re on vacation? Do you ever get away with the girls? What’s been your most awesome vacation experience? What have you done on vacation that you might not ever do otherwise?
34 Comments »
34 Responses to “I heart Conference!”
Sabrina Jeffries on 15 Jul 2009 at 4:19 am #
Yes, I get very, VERY tipsy. But the bad part is it goes away in about half an hour. Sigh. Of course, I could always fire it up again really quick but one half hour of …. er …. craziness is about all I can take!
Karen Rose looks great, btw, as does Madeline. And I saw Gannon and PJ and J Perry and Santa and Kim! And they saw me … very tipsy. Ah, such are the joys of conference!
I always eat too much at conference. But not this year! Well, maybe a little too often, but too much isn’t really an option anymore.
Karen Rose on 15 Jul 2009 at 5:08 am #
Seriously, Sabrina didn’t do anything other than grin a lot. I tried to get a picture of her grinning a lot, but my cell phone camera totally sucks.
Today … I bring a real camera in the hopes of catching smiling faces.
Susan M on 15 Jul 2009 at 5:42 am #
Sounds like you guys are having lots of fun in DC!!
Do you party when you’re on vacation?
I’m not much of a party person. But I always have a good time!
Do you ever get away with the girls?
One year my best friend and I went on vacation together. It was “The Great Elvis Trip”. Memphis, Tupelo, and Nashville. We had a blast!
What’s been your most awesome vacation experience?
Last year when DH and I went with friends to NC and rented a house right on the beach. It was awesome! And so relaxing.
What have you done on vacation that you might not ever do otherwise?
Last year I learned how to boogie board…and I am terrified of the ocean. I’m convinced Jaws is waiting for me to come into the ocean. Not sure how they got me out there but it was fun.
Judy F on 15 Jul 2009 at 6:01 am #
hAVE fun ladies and try not to make the local news. LOL
I have partied on vacation but its been a long time.
I haven’t had a get a way with the girls in a long time. Planning on doing that next march when I turn the big 50. Also plan on going to Nashville next year to with friends.
I best vacation experience was when I took a cruise was never so relaxed in my life. Went with my best friend and we had a blast.
On that same vacation I tried foods I never ate before. That is about as wild as I get. LOL
Kathy on 15 Jul 2009 at 6:02 am #
It sounds like you are already well in to a great time! wish I was there!
I like the henna tattoo idea.
my girlfriends (from WAY back when) are getting together August 7th and 2 of them have tattoos and want the untattooed to get one. I don’t have a problem with needles but with my allergies, that would be just my luck, to have a really bad reaction.
Henna would be fun.
There will be drinking, something I haven’t done in yrs.
lots of catching up; One of the “girls” confided in me she will be a grandmother in a few months, so lots of celebrations will be happening.
I am also going to be sleeping in a tent- which I hope the drinking will help me get through
Lisa H on 15 Jul 2009 at 6:17 am #
Hi Karen R!!! Have fun ladies!
I don’t drink, so I don’t party in that way, but I do have a great time. Laughing and joking around, my girlfriends and I are all very close, our bond makes our times together pretty fabulous.
I go away once a year with my one best friend to meet another best friend in PA. Terry lives in VA and Gettysburg is a four hour drive for each of us. I love those weekends. This year we already went in Feb and are going again in the fall.
On vacation I stay up late, talking and laughing and get up early so I can have more time with my friends and or my family.
Pesky on 15 Jul 2009 at 6:21 am #
Best vacation…hmmmm…I gotta say my best vacation was a camping trip down in Jamestown, the weather was great we got to see all the attractions locally (including Williamsburg), I met a lot of intersting people and it was the start of the outdoor volleyball season at the campsite we ended up at. Those were some of the absolute nicest people in the world and a lot of fun.
I also really enjoy when we hop across the pond to ireland. My family is cracked, each and every one of them, and I love them to death.
We always tend to have a great time.
Pesky on 15 Jul 2009 at 6:25 am #
And congratulations Sabrina! And to all the Goddesses have an amazing time!
Suzanne Enoch on 15 Jul 2009 at 6:56 am #
I’m here! Staying at the next-door hotel with Karen H. We both have deadlines within the next two weeks, so this morning we’re working! Yuck! Can’t wait to see my fellow goddesses tonight, though. Yay, us!
Karen Hawkins on 15 Jul 2009 at 7:00 am #
Do you party when you’re on vacation? I love to hang out with my buds and talk, usually in a bar because where else can you go for some one-on-one time?
Do you ever get away with the girls? No, except for my annual trek to the conference with Suzie, but that’s something I need to do that more often. It’s so HEALTHY to hang with the gals sometimes.
What’s been your most awesome vacation experience? Going to Istanbul, Turkey with Hot Cop. I still grin when I think about that trip. It was incredible from beginning to end.
What have you done on vacation that you might not ever do otherwise? Shop. I’m not a big shopper, but I loooove seeing shops in other places for some reason!
Freshechelle on 15 Jul 2009 at 7:08 am #
RWA Attendees, be sure to cause an international incident while you’re in DC.
At least one of you has to leave that burg with a misdemeanor charge, a “suggestion” that you don’t darken the door step of some national treasure and a story that has us briefly questioning your moral compass. Party on chicas!
Margaret on 15 Jul 2009 at 7:11 am #
I just spent a week in West Virginia where we did a lot of partying. For me, that would involve a glass or 2 of wine and, maybe, one mixed drink. I can make those last for hours. I never have been much of a drinker and, other than Christmas, this is about the only alcohol I consume during the year.
I was with my extended family. We rent a house big enough to hold 25 or so people. Families share one bedroom. I was in the bat cave this year. A room with NO windows and darker than the deepest part of Carlsbad Caverns. Slept like the proverbial log.
Our partying consisted of board games every night. This can get pretty loud with players ranging in age from 70 down to 8. Lots of laughter and yelling over the rules and whether or not you can do a certain thing. Sort of a ‘had to be there’ thing. I was up till 1 or 2 am every night.
Sorry I’m missing the goddess do tonite. I had planned to be there but my hot water heater expired on Tuesday. Apparently Lowe’s thinks I should pay for the one I got. Pay big. I tried explaining I had urgent business in DC, but they were unsympathetic. Have fun for me. Take some good pix.
Cail on 15 Jul 2009 at 7:25 am #
well, i’ll be going to a party tonight, that’s for sure! I’m currently at my friend’s place just out side of DC, and she and I will be heading to the Marriott as soon as she gets off work. We’ll be stopping by all the Goddess tables and going to the the Goddess party. I even brought my Goddess pin!!! I’m so excited! I brought my birthday money to spend, and I’m hoping everyone has tons of books (esp from their backlist!)
Can’t wait to see you all!
Most awesome vacation experiences were probably the horseback riding treks with my mother. Also our post-layoff trip with my DH was a wonderful experience where we basically said ’screw it corporate America, we’re just going to have fun.’ since that trip, we’ve moved, and started towards careers we actually like. I think that’s a decent result of a trip!
Even though this is short, I think my DC trip will be memorable. I’ve been commenting here on this blog since it was created and I’ll finally meet the people face to face that I’ve been calling ‘friends’ tonight at the signing and party. I’ve got my camera!
Lisa H on 15 Jul 2009 at 7:29 am #
Have fun Cail!!!
Cail on 15 Jul 2009 at 7:55 am #
thanks Lisa! it was a long drive, that’s for sure, but next year it will be MUCH closer!
Karen Rose on 15 Jul 2009 at 8:27 am #
So I’m back from breakfast with Sabrina and going to work for a while before my agent gets here for lunch. Then my friend and roomie gets here and we go shopping for shoes.
Once, on an authors’ cruise, I was almost persuaded to parasail. Many margaritas were involved. Luckily the parasail place was closed when I finally got the nerve to sign up.
I’m thinking another henna tattoo may be in order this year. This would freak out my teenager, which I must do every so often to keep my hand in.
On Monday, teen and I went to Sephora’s for makeovers, like I said. I wanted a dramatic look for Saturday night when I wear my RITA gown. I told the lady I wanted “One step from hooker.” LOL. Teenager was SO MORTIFIED. Score!
SuzyQ on 15 Jul 2009 at 8:48 am #
Have fun everyone!
I always have fun on vacation. My best trip was a cruise to the Caribbean with the girls. Party? Well, yes – I picked up a bottle of Barcardi in one of the ports and then ordered a case of Coke through room service. I have the picture of the waiter at our door with a tray of Coke – very funny.
I still try and get away with the girls every so often, usually to a spa where we can just relax during the day.
LauraR on 15 Jul 2009 at 9:11 am #
Wish I was there! Hope you all have a great time.
Something I wouldn’t normally do? Probably when I took the helicopter tour in Kauai and the helicopter had *no* doors! I loved it. They had the 3-point safety harness and the pilot was terrific.
Lisa H on 15 Jul 2009 at 9:29 am #
LOL Karen “One step from a hooker.”
My son told me while we were on vacation that with my new high heels I looked like “a stripper but not as good.” How does he know what a stripper looks like?????
SheridanLA on 15 Jul 2009 at 9:39 am #
Sounds like you all are off to a good start! I am going to enjoy hearing the stories – kinda like being there.
I do anything that sounds fun or interesting when on vacation.. so yes – most definitely
sleigh ride in Canada, elephant ride in Thailand, a canopy walk over the jungle tops in the Amazon, listening to all the clock bells chime while standing over Salzburg, listening to the opera company rehearse outside the theater in Venice…these are why I travel. 
I took a cruise to Mexico with a friend last year… headed to Banff for xmas one year with another friend, camping with others.
Most awesome vacation experience? I am collecting these… each trip has its own little moments of being cool as hell.
What have you done on vacation that you might not ever do otherwise? *snort* went into the red light district in Bangkok and watched the ping-pong show.. ok, I would have done it no matter where… but not many places allow such a thing. I also went on a night hike in the jungle – phobia of spiders aside it was awesome (and there were some BEAST spiders-our guide would warn me where NOT to look when he could. ugh)
Margaret on 15 Jul 2009 at 11:51 am #
Karen Rose, what is the fun in having teenagers if you can’t make them want to hide behind a rock every so often. Otherwise you spend all those years listening/dealing with all their dramas over zits/boys/girls/parents, etc. We have to get our own back somehow.
This happened on our family vacation and was a two-fer. The women got to dancing and shaking their booties to some fine music Gregg, my favorite, SIL had on his iPod amplifier. The man has an excellent collection. And there was some excellent booty shaking going on, too. Also, the Macarena and some song where you sing ‘To the left, to the left. To the right, to the right’. And there was a contest to see who could shimmy the best. We have 2 soon-to-be teen boys. They were properly horrified. LOL I videoed it with my digital camera & it’s on YouTube. Wish I could show you, but am promised certain & swift death if I set it for Public. Some people are no fun when the alcohol wears off.
elsiehogarth on 15 Jul 2009 at 11:55 am #
Karen, that’s wonderful that you are all having a great time at RWA. Take lots of pictures for “show & tell” later.
I can’t wait to see you, in October, at NJRW-Woodbridge, NJ.
I do party while on vacation…I check out all the activities at whatever hotel I’m staying in and take it from there. I also get the henna tattoo’s. Always a bat. I’ve entered and won beer contests ….and I don’t even drink beer, My Uncle Angel and I won a dancing contest, my cousin Peter and I won a week long Bocce tournament etc. What really gets to me is that you always end up winning some huge bottle of either Champagne, scotch, vodka or Captain Morgan.
My Mom and her 6 sisters go away on vacation every September for 3 to 4 weeks. They range in age from 62 to 78 and let me tell you that those women know how to PARTY. They eat, drink, dance, gamble and the men just love them. Be it young or old. They flock to them because they just know how to have fun and have a good time.
The vacations I really enjoy are going to any Caribbean island and just hanging out at the beach with a couple good books, getting a massage and playing some beach games. That’s relaxing.
Karen Rose on 15 Jul 2009 at 12:21 pm #
Margaret, you crack me up. Truly, some people aren’t fun when the alcohol wears off!
Elsie, I can see you getting a bat tattoo! BTW, I’m sitting here with my friend Terri. You met her eons ago when you and Laurie took us out on NYC and we ate in that Cuban place. That was excellent food, excellent company! Terri says hey.
Lisa H- I think you don’t want to know how he knows what a stripper looks like, LOL.
Karen Rose on 15 Jul 2009 at 12:25 pm #
Laura R – no doors ?!? There would have been no Karen in that copter. Just sayin’. I bow to your courage! Especially since no margaritas seem to have been involved…
SuzyQ – I have a bottle of wine here in our hotel room, so we are self-contained. We don’t need to wait for the waiter with the colas! Oh, and it has a screw top cap, so we don’t even need a wine steward (I couldn’t spell sommelier.) A few years back, we had a bad experience with a cork that did not want to vacate the bottle. So now, screw tops are the new up.
Karen Rose on 15 Jul 2009 at 12:26 pm #
Just saw Julia in the restaurant at lunch – she looks dang good! All that wogging has paid off
elsiehogarth on 15 Jul 2009 at 2:02 pm #
Karen, say hi to Terri for me. I hope that she’ll attend NJRW so we can again get to see her.
amy1242 on 15 Jul 2009 at 2:44 pm #
Sounds like you are all having a great time so far! Have fun at the Goddess Party!!
Do I party while on vacation…depends on the vacation and who I am with. I try to.
Do you get away with the girls…absolutely! They are the ones I have the most fun with! They don’t care about the stuff that doesn’t matter. They love me for me, no matter what. We accept one another and it’s like life’s experiences never parted us.
Most awesome vacation experience…so many to choose from. Touring Scotland by myself. Riding in the Montana wilderness, just me and my horse. Sailing with a bunch of laughing friends in San Diego. Vegas with the girls. Seeing new places through the eyes of my kids. I guess I just LOVE vacations!!!!
What have I done on vacation that I might never do otherwise…relax. I can have the most exciting vacation, going from one thing to another, but I’m always relaxed and into the moment. I know that I may never get this experience again, so I let my hair down and go with the flow. That’s very relaxing for me.
Again, Have A Great Time Everyone! Stay Safe!!
SheridanLA on 15 Jul 2009 at 2:45 pm #
how come my post from earlier today is awaiting moderation??? I behaved!! I swear!! *pout*
Nancyg on 15 Jul 2009 at 3:40 pm #
Have a great time at con!!
My girlfriends & I do a sleepover about once every 6 weeks. The best time was with my best friend…Paris monaco & Cannes in 10 days – Xmas present from Mr. G.
I get crazy on vaca!! Parasailing in Ixtapa, dancing on the tables & bartop in Cancun, flying a paper airplane off the top of the Eiffel Tower – let’s have some cocktails & party – that’s my mantra!!
Jamie on 15 Jul 2009 at 6:04 pm #
I am sure that all of you are having a great time. Wish I was there with you, maybe when you go to NYC in 2011.
Every year my buddies and I get together to go on vacation. This year is Key West, Florida. I can’t wait! It is like a giant slumber party with my gal pals. During the day, we go to musuems and such. We are history buffs, so that is always fun for us. We often go on sails and we made a bunch of sailors blush! This one was dressed as a pirate and climbed the mast to take a picture of all of us. Some of my buds stood underneath him and looked up his pant leg. Hey, for years men have been looking at women like that – I say what goes around comes around! HEHEHE!!!
With my buds, I have the nerve to do things that I wouldn’t do if I was just on vacation with my fam. We were in Baltimore, MD and saw a water taxi called “Indefatigable” after Hornblower’s ship. The girls squeeled at the top of their lungs. The taxi driver yelled, “No screaming on my boat!” I laughed and then told him why the girls were doing the fangirl squeal.
Karen Rose on 15 Jul 2009 at 9:17 pm #
Just got in from the goddess party! Great time had by all! Thanks to all the goddesses who came and chatted and drank a great deal of the 9 bottles of wine!
Karen Rose on 15 Jul 2009 at 9:21 pm #
Sheridan, I approved the post, but it’s still not here. Argh! I’m sorry!
Amy, riding your horse through Montana sounds like a dream.
Jamie, poor sailors – they’ll never be the same
Karen Rose on 15 Jul 2009 at 9:22 pm #
Sheridan, your post is there now!
Elephant riding! Cool!
Patricia Barraclough on 15 Jul 2009 at 10:36 pm #
We aren’t really party people. When we go to A. F. reunions like we will in October, we do visit a lot and have a few drinks. They are a great group of people and we enjoy seeing them every 2 years. Never went away with the girls – Girl Scout leader retreats and camp outs don’t count.
The best vacation we ever had was spending about a week on Prince Edward Island and the same on Cape Breton Island. It was the most relaxing enjoyable time we ever had – even if Sept. 11 did happen in the middle of it. It was actually to to see that event through the eyes of another country.