I am so happy to be in Minneapolis! I am exhausted tonight, but thrilled to be here.
I love Minnesota. I have lots of happy memories of being here for fishing trips as a child. I have lots of bittersweet memories of Minnesota from being here with my niece, Eliza, when seeking treatment at Mayo Clinic just a short distance from here. And I'm happy to be back for the International Reading Association Annual Convention.
I decided that it was really close enough for me to drive here - and it really is. However, I'm not really used to driving that far all by my lonesome. I did okay, though, and didn't feel too guilty stopping when I needed to...or just when I wanted to. IMy favorite thing during my drive here were the wind farms in Iowa. The windmills are absolutely enormous, and just fascinating to me. I love seeing those huge windmills scattered over the horizon!
The first day, I drove from KS to Albert Lea, Minnesota, just over the state line. Albert Lea is a nice town, and I had a restful night there. Today I came the rest of the way to Minneapolis, which was less than 2 hours of driving. I got to my hotel here, checked in, and then went to get registered at the conference. The main thing I had to do at the conference today, besides registering, was attend the Awards Ceremony. I got to receive an award for the Kansas Reading Association called the Award of Excellence. It was a nice ceremony, and then they had a reception for us, too.
I love Minnesota. I have lots of happy memories of being here for fishing trips as a child. I have lots of bittersweet memories of Minnesota from being here with my niece, Eliza, when seeking treatment at Mayo Clinic just a short distance from here. And I'm happy to be back for the International Reading Association Annual Convention.
I decided that it was really close enough for me to drive here - and it really is. However, I'm not really used to driving that far all by my lonesome. I did okay, though, and didn't feel too guilty stopping when I needed to...or just when I wanted to. IMy favorite thing during my drive here were the wind farms in Iowa. The windmills are absolutely enormous, and just fascinating to me. I love seeing those huge windmills scattered over the horizon!
The first day, I drove from KS to Albert Lea, Minnesota, just over the state line. Albert Lea is a nice town, and I had a restful night there. Today I came the rest of the way to Minneapolis, which was less than 2 hours of driving. I got to my hotel here, checked in, and then went to get registered at the conference. The main thing I had to do at the conference today, besides registering, was attend the Awards Ceremony. I got to receive an award for the Kansas Reading Association called the Award of Excellence. It was a nice ceremony, and then they had a reception for us, too.
Tomorrow will be a good day. The Opening Ceremony is tomorrow, and there is always an interesting speaker the first day. After that, I'll get to go to the exhibits hall where they have lots of things for sale, lots of free stuff, and lots of authors!! One of the authors I'm hoping to get to meet this time around is Jane Yolen. She has written lots of books, including Owl Moon.
I'd better go for now. The bus will come to shuttle us to the convention center very early in the morning, and I am very tired tonight. More tomorrow...
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