I am...

positively GREEN with envy.  I mean, overall I'm pretty happy in my life.  It's a good life, and it's mine, which has to count for something, right? 

I love my family, I love my job.  That's more than most people can say.

But...to be Teri Lesene, the awesome guru of YA lit...
       or have a cooler-than-cool blog that everyone reads like the ReaderGirlz        (who, by the way are amazing authors, too..as if the blog wasn't enough...sheesh!) ...

or have readers so in love with your books that they go to midnight release parties like J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer....
   any (or all!--can you even imagine???)  of those would be an awesome addition to the great life I already have.....

     OR...maybe I could just have a few days of alone-time in the house with scads of just-from-the-oven-warm chocolate chip cookies (the magical kind that make you LOSE weight while eating them) and a mug of steaming coffee and a soft warm blanket wrapped around me while I sit in my favorite chair and read to my heart's content....a girl can dream, can't she???

dreaming of grandeur on a cold and wet and oh-so-dreary day...

Our Roland Smith visit!!!!

Our visit with Roland Smith was the culminating event in our One Book, One School program this year.  The entire school read I, Q and were waiting with great expectations for the arrival of Mr. Smith.  He did NOT disappoint!   Roland Smith was engaging and witty and held the kids in the palm of his hand.  I highly recommend him to every middle school out there looking for an author to visit!

Another view with the cutie cute sea otter in the background. 

and then there's Megan....can I just say that I have the coolest kids ever at my school?  Seriously.  Megan took off on a theme from the book--origami cranes made from McDonald's wrappers and ended up starting a real trend.  The entire 7th grade made origami cranes...including some "super-sized" versions...that's Big Mac hanging from the ceiling in the pics of Roland speaking to the crowd.  This one was dubbed Mini-Mac.  She's also (on her own) making the coolest website ever to go along with the book.  When it is completed and up and running she's said I can link it...:)

The entire school made some amazing projects and really got a lot out of I, Q. 

and boy, is my waiting list long for part 2!

Check out Roland's blog here for a nice mention of our school...
His website here...
our local paper had a really nice article about it, too, but at this point the archives cost $$ to access.  Oh well.