Has it really been two and a half weeks?

Announcements first:

1. I will signing with Jessica Day George and a few other authors this Friday (2/12) at the new Dragons and Fairy Tales Bookstore in Eagle Mountain, Utah from 5-7pm. I think we will each be reading a bit from our books.

2. I will be speaking, reading, answering questions, handing out nail polish, and signing books at the Orem Barnes & Noble from 1-4pm this Saturday (2/13). Everyone is invited! Oh and if you're going to be at LTUE this weekend, you should pop over to the signing. It's only a few minutes away!

3. I'll be doing an online chat on Feb 16th hosted by TwilightMoms.com. More details to come...

Okay, on to the post:

So, um, I just realized that I haven't blogged in two and a half weeks. Okay, so I realized that every day for the last few days, but saying the word "just" in that sentence felt like a better opener than saying something like, "Every night for the past 1.5 weeks, just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I'd suddenly sit up and say, 'Oh crap, I still haven't blogged yet!'"

But any who, it's been a crazy 2.5 weeks around here so I thought I'd get you up to speed with the goings on in Bree-land. Or "Land O' the Bree" as I like to call it. (Ok, not really, but I did just take a bunch of Dayquil, so I can't be held responsible for anything I say in this post from here on out.):

1. I've been working like a madwoman on TDD2. T-minus 5 weeks until deadline. (Hence the blog silence.)

2. Spent 2 weeks covered in KidA's boogers because he had a cold.

3. Caught KidA's cold after holding him while he cried for two hours straight because he had an earache. (Once again, hence the blog silence.)

4. Got to spend Friday in the Fort with the awesome Myra McEntire (author of HOURGLASS, coming from Egmont USA in 2011) and Taycob.

(Look, he bakes!)

5. Took hubby out for his B-day and let him choose any movie he wanted to see. Was thinking he might pick AVATAR 3D

or something like that . . . but instead he chose WHEN IN ROME.

This is why my husband is the perfect man for me. (Side Note: We'd already seen SHERLOCK HOLMES or he probably would have picked that as his B-day movie. But once again, that's why he's the perfect man.)

6. While I was at the movie theater, a 15 year old guy started to hit on me . . . that is until he got close enough to see how old I was. He was like, "Heyyyy . . . ewwww . . ." and then he turned away really fast.

7. I attended a Dark Divine book club party MADE OUT OF AWESOME hosted by street team member Debbie and 20 of her closest friends . These ladies went all out for this party. They decked the whole house in purple balloons, chiffon, and beads. They even served a full Thanksgiving feast in honor of the Thanksgiving scene in TDD.


8. At the book club party, I was asked to judge a TDD pedicure contest. The winner had purple toenails decorated with little walnut tree branches.

They also made themed jewelry, bookmarks, and keychains. And at the end of the night, they presented me with a beautiful embroidered tote bag filled with tons of purple goodies, including comfy socks and M&Ms printed with TDD themed messages. (Squee!)

(Grace & Daniel under the walnut tree. Caption: "First Love Bites." Isn't that the cutest thing ever?)

9. Also at the party, I met Shelli and Nancy of the the Infinite Jewelry Company (Official jewelers for the Twilight series) and they presented me with this beautiful necklace

and said that they are excited about the idea of creating a signature line of TDD jewelry--(double squee!)

10. Before the party started, one of the ladies warned me that their group could get kind of CRAZY. Boy, was she ever right . . . And I felt right at home! Seriously, it was like they were all my BFFs by the end of the night. (And when I left the party at 11:30pm, and they were still going strong!)

11. Crashed hard the next day when my cold came back with a vengeance. (Hence no blogging last Sunday.)

12. Got a terrible earache last Monday.

13. Woke up early Tuesday morning to discover that my left eardrum had burst and I was temporarily deaf in that ear. My doctor says the hearing loss will last anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months. Um, kind of hoping for the first of those two options.

14. Taught a class on blogging and social media for my local chapter of SCBWI with BFF and writing buddy, Brodi Ashton . . . in which we stressed the importance of updating your blog consistently. (Hehe.) Most of the class was discussion based, but if you'd like a copy of the hand-out I gave the class, CLICK HERE. Also, Brodi said she'd post her blog tips HERE if you want to check them out. (And she's a much better blogger than I am--you know, because she'd never neglect her blog for 2.5 weeks.)

15. I was nominated for a SMOOCHIE Award for The Best YA Kiss of 2009. Actually, Grace and Daniel were nominated for their smooch under the walnut tree . . . but I'm the one who orchestrated the whole thing, so I'm taking the credit. ;) I'll keep you posted on whether or not Grace and Daniel win.

16. Spent part of the weekend in Park City with my mom and sisters for a little R&R. Let my mom pick which ever movie she wanted to see . . . so I saw WHEN IN ROME for a second time. (My review: riddle with plot holes, but still totally cute. Enjoyed it just as much the second time around.) Then we stayed up until 2 am talking and laughing. (But shhh . . . don't tell my sister Brooke because she left at 10:30pm and we told her we were all going to bed as soon as she was gone.)

17. I participated in an Authorpalooza with 30+ other authors at my local Barnes & Noble on Saturday. It was a ton of fun and I met some great authors, spent way too much on books, and was reunited with some old friends. (More to come on Sunday about the Authorpalooza--and a giveaway of some of the goodies I picked up, so be sure to come back to check it out.)

18. Yep, that's right, I'm going to blog TWICE this week to make up for my blog slacking as of late.

19. So what did you do in the last 2.5 weeks?