This year, I am trying to increase my awareness of the many good things that happen, which are frequently overlooked by me. To help me, I am joining Ruth Ayres' Celebrate This Week.
As I write this post, it is still Saturday on the west coast. I find it a challenge to get this post up every week. Partially due to the fact that I hate working on a blog post on Friday nights. Too often I am out and by the time I get home it is a bit too late. And Saturdays are often packed. Since, I missed the past few weeks, I felt that I had to get something up for today.
So, this might be late but here it is.
Here's what I am thankful for this week...
1. Summer Break - I am thankful for some much needed time off to reflect and be creative.
2. Authors - Have you ever said or heard someone say "authors are rockstars". It is definitely true, and this week, I had a chance to interact with some wonderful writers and illustrators.
Arree Chung - Recently, I participated in a blog tour for Arree Chung's new book NINJA. I truly think this is a wonderfully delightful book. Thank you Arree for this beautiful signed print. I can't wait to frame it and hang it in my office.
Tracy Holczer - I love living in Southern California where so many wonderful Children's and YA authors live. One of those wonderful folks is Tracy Holczer, The Secret Hum of a Daisy. This past week, Alethea and I had dinner with Tracy. We had a wonderful evening talking books and writing and more. As a thank you, Tracy brought us "answer jars". Read her wonderful debut novel to find out about "answer jars".
Jillian Cantor - Thank you Bloomsbury Press for inviting us to meet Jillian Cantor prior to her signing at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. There were 4 of us who had a chance to chat with Jillian and ask her questions about her new YA novel, Searching for Sky. Jillian was wonderful to hang out with, and I am looking forward to reading this book.
Walden Pond Press & Christopher Healy - Though I have never met Christopher Healy, I recommend his books all the time. Today, I received from Walden Pond Press a copy of The Hero's Guide to Being an Outlaw with a signed bookplate as a thank you for participating in the recent blog tour.
3. My friends is home from the hospital. - Yes, after two more surgical procedures, my friend is home. It is still going to be a long recovery period but we are thankful for how he has pulled through this most recent round of surgeries.
4. Collaborating with friends - At the end of this month, I will be presenting at the American Library Association Annual Conference. I am honored to be able to present with Mary Ann Scheuer, Cathy Potter, and Louise Cappizo. I was also super thrilled when I discovered that SLJ recommended our presentation Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries as one of their staff picks.
5. Great Tweets & Facebook posts - On Friday, I received some tweets from John Scovill. He made my day when he shared that teachers that he works with cited me in their presentation on informational text. It really goes to show that we are connected in so many ways to other teachers and educators and we have no idea about how our work influences others. I am very thankful for my Nerdy Book Club friends because it is through them that I have come to know so may excellent educators.
Hope you are having a wonderful week and weekend and a Happy Father's Day.
