Reflections: Meeting Authors and 360 Degrees Dinner

I drove up to Louisville Thursday after school to attend the Kentucky Reading Conference. My trip ended up taking an hour longer than expected and so as soon I arrived I checked in and then went to dinner with some friends. We had a great evening chatting and then I met up with some other friends a little later. It is so nice to be able to know so many people at these conferences now. I remember a couple of years ago, I would feel so lonely at these events and now I have to be conscious to devote my time to everyone I know.
Anyway, on Friday I was supposed to work 4 hours at the registration desk. I was in charge of handing out name tags and information to all of the conference presenters and facilitators. After I had been working for a few minutes I was able to meet Linda Gambrell. I almost hyperventilated. I have used her work in my own papers before!! It was so great. A few minutes later the same thing happened with Marie Bradby, whose book More Than Anything Else is wonderful and is one I have used every year in my classroom. Then came John Rocco. I was able to talk with him a little later and he is absolutely amazing. I also was able to get a signature and picture with Caldecott Winner Brian Selznick, the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I love meeting authors. I know it is dorky but I would rather meet an author instead of any actor or actress any day!
Friday evening the KRA board members enjoyed a dinner at RIVUE, the restaurant that spins at the very top of the Galt House. It was very, very interesting. It was a very fancy restaurant and sections of the floor were shaped in circles that actually spun very slowly. You could feel yourself moving but it was very gradual. So if you looked around at the very beginning of the meal you might have one view and then a few minutes later the view around you would change and then again a few minutes later and so on. We were there about an hour and we had made a complete 360 degrees circle. It was very weird, very cool, and a really neat way to end a very exhausting day (even though we did have a board meeting right after our meal).
Saturday I learned a lot too. I was able to hear Richard Allington speak again and had a great rest of the day learning from other various sessions. I headed home just in time for a meal with Bryan before our Bible Study and then we went to roast marshmellows at Casey and Jo's house. It was a very long but great day!!
Here are a few pictures from my very busy weekend:

Brian Selznick