Washington D.C. RWA conference happiness!!

Wow! This week is crazy. I wasn't sure what bringing kids to conference would be like, but was determined to be low key about it and have a good time and not stress about what I was missing, and so far so good. They've been great and really helpful - all 3 of us helped set up the giant signing which raised money for literacy charities and they've been having a blast meeting so many of my friends and colleagues.

OK, I don't know how to begin to break this down unless I do it day by day so here goes:

Monday, flew in, cab to Marriott Wardman park - gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I don't know what I expected from the largest conference hotel in DC but it wasn't this. Beautiful landscaping, feels almost like being in a country estate. flowers everywhere. Location is terrific, too, only blocks from the zoo and surrounded by many many places to eat and little shops too (already hit the CVS for the loaf of bread, jar of peanut butter, and jar of jelly. (did I mention kids? LOL)

Threw kids in wonderful outdoor pool Monday evening to burn off travel energy

and then hung out with friends. Even slept! In a hotel! which I can never do!

Tuesday: off to the spy museum first thing. This place is insanely wonderful. My son is still telling everyone we see that they MUST go - and I have to agree. He and Eileen Carr's sons went on a special interactive 1-hour program where they actually became spies, deactivated a nuclear bomb, and saved Canada. Or Kandar. I wasn't exactly sure. But they loved it! The rest of us toured the rest of the place, which is also hugely interactive and very very cool. Princess climbed through the overhead duct system spying on the crowds and felt very "spy-ish" she told me. Success!!

Lunch at a microbrewery and we were fueled up for an afternoon at the Smithsonian. Air and Space first, saw Amelia Earhart's plane and went to a show at the Planetarium. LOVED it! Rejoined the Smithsonian since there are good chances we'll move here next summer and then of course blew some more money in gift shops. A quick sweep through Natural History and then back to the hotel with our aching feet.

Dinner with Serena Robar, Cindy Holby, and Barb Ferrer, where I received a photo of my first-ever "dump" - a standalone cardboard case of only my books that gets prominent placement in the stores!! My friends and I were squeeing (embarrassed kids again; theme of the week. Heh.)

Will tell all about Wednesday later, including my 5-minutes before the booksigning news that I HIT THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST AGAIN!!! Thank you again!!!

But for now, pictures!!