meet, greet, sign, reunion, spit-shine

Saturday, I was supposed to be getting ready for my family reunion. 
Instead, I snuck out of the house for just a little bit and made it to the Author's "meet, greet,  & sign" for Sherry Hartzler's book:  "Three Moons Over Sedona". 

It was wonderful.  Sherry did a reading from the book, then question and answer time!  Very interesting on how the book and storyline came about, why certain parts of the book were there, and character development.  Over 30 women took time from their days to make the trip and visit with Sherry.  Some people knew Sherry before the book was published, some knew her because of the book.  There were women of all ages, a couple of book clubs, and just a few relatives, so it was not a "stacked" group. 

That's Sherry
on the stage
sitting in front
of the
greenish doors.
Sherry is just as down to earth, pleasant and funny in person as her writing is.  I was able to grab a couple of signed copies of her books (yes, I paid for them)- one for a friend, one for a Christmas gift. 
 
And, NEWS FLASH!!:  Sherry is writing a new book now!!!!  She expects publication in Spring 2010!  Isn't that wonderful? I think I can wait that long!
The working title is "Island Passage".  She said it is about "reconnecting with an old friend, an old house and an old lover!".
Great interlude, back to reality.
So, I went back home and finished getting ready for my family reunion.  I made home made chicken and noodles.  Baked the chicken the night before, made the egg noodles that afternoon, sauteed some celery and carrots, added the broth and cooked them right before family arrived.  Also baked a delicious pumpkin pie cake.  It's definately a keeper recipe!  Sweeties' brother dropped off a dozen straw bales for us to use around the fire for the weiner roast.  The only thing I didn't get done was mopping the kitchen.  Author meet/greet instead of mopping. I think that was a good trade off, don't you?  And it didn't matter!  If anyone noticed they were kind enough not to say!  Family is nice that way.
So, a couple of pictures...
Here's a group shot of most of the folks that made it:

And I should have taken a picture of the dessert table when it was loaded. 
It was an 8 foot table in the back sun room.  The desserts were all wonderful and just covered the whole 8 foot length.  That in itself deserved a picture, 
but what cracked me up:  my sweetie set up the dessert table next to the treadmill!!!!!  

So I took
a picture
of the
"after table"
with crumbs
and all
and treadmill.


I know that having the treadmill there next to all of those desserts DID NOT deter me one eensey, teensey, teeny, tiny bit.  I still tried them all!  And by looking at all the near empty plates and dishes, I think that everyone else did the same.  Crumbs, just crumbs left!
It sure was nice to connect again with family we don't get to see regularly.  And my house got spit-shined like it does only a couple of times a year!