My Kind of Town and Other Updates

So I'm back in Dalton after five days in Chicago. If you've never been to Chicago in the spring or summer, then put it on your bucket list. The city is awesome, currently at #1 on my Favorite US Cities list, narrowly beating out Washington, DC; South Boston, VA; Greenwood, SC; and Compton. Chicago has all of the things that New York does, but it is easier to get around, in my opinion, and more picturesque. The museums, the sports, the food...there is so much to see and do there. I was there for work, our biggest show of the year, NeoCon. It was very successful and we won an award, keeping the seven year streak alive. I had some good food, good wine and had some very enjoyable runs along Lake Michigan. Chicago is a very active city.

My two favorite moments:

1. I finally met Jeff Shaara. He gave a lecture on Saturday, discussing his previous work and his writing philosophy. It really inspired me to confront my fear about eventually taking a stab at a book myself. I'm still looking for subject matter so if you have a great idea that I can steal without giving royalties, please email or post your ideas...maybe we could work on something together (cough...Rachel....cough). Anyway, meeting Jeff was great and very meaningful to me. Thanks for being so accessible, Jeff. And if you have not picked up The Steel Wave yet, what are you waiting for? I'm about half way through and think that it is awesome.
2. Rainn Wilson was at NeoCon. He was appearing on behalf of a furniture manufacturer. Crazy, huh? So my coworker Rebecca and I stalked him and were able to snag autographs and meet him. He is very nice and accommodating. It was the highlight of NeoCon for me. I wanted to hear him sing Wild Side but I thought that would be too much to ask for.

While I was in Chicago, our awesome friends in Dalton hosted a baby shower for Kristina and Baby Jackson. Much of our families came into town for it and by all accounts it was a wonderful party. Thank you everyone for your generous gifts and we greatly value your friendship. Special thanks to Tracy, Janet, Lynsey, Alys, Mary Lynn and Ginny for hosting the group. Here are some of the pictures.