Party BLOWOUT!!!! HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!

*deep breath*

IT'S HERE!!!!!!! TODAY, SUNDAY THE 21ST, I HAVE BEEN BLOGGING FOR EXACTLY ONE YEAR!!!!

Yes, one year ago today I sat down at the computer and registered my url: enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com. I agonized over what I should title the blog, (you all know I'm terrible

 at naming things), figured out fonts and colors and started adding my favorite blogs that I was already visiting. Chose the right picture for my profile, took a deep breath and wrote my FIRST POST

Since then I have blogged 350 times! I would say I am just a tad obsessed. :-) And as I scanned through the list of posts I came across one of my older posts that I think might be one of my favorites. I have held giveaways, book reviews and introduced authors to you, my blogging public. But I think some of my favorite posts are the devotionals, they have proven a great tonic for many a spiritual ailment for me. :-)

I have met 252 WONDERFUL people that have supported and encouraged me to no end. This is ALL for you! I never did celebrate hitting 200 followers, but don't think for a MINUTE that I forgot. I was actually waiting for this to combine it into one event. So today one of the prizes (details soon) will be taken strictly from the follower count. As a huge THANK YOU to you for how much I appreciate your support and enjoyment of this blog. God is SO good! He took a desire of mine and increased it a hundred times more than I could EVER expect!

Now let's get on with the party right?? Sorry the post is so long, hopefully you won't mind who you see what I have for today's BLOWOUT!! :-)

Are you ready?!?!?!?!?!? I AM! I was BORN ready! Hehe. :-)

What is your favorite party memory?

Julie Lessman: Well, as much as I HATE surprise parties (with a “passion,” I might add!), one of my millionaire sisters (I have three and I’m not real sure what I’m doing wrong … J) threw me a surprise party when I turned 47 because she figured it would throw me off since it was an odd number. And I have to tell you, walking into her huge great room and seeing about a 100 of my closest friends and family SO blew me away, that I think I started crying on the spot (yeah, imagine that!).

My sister had it catered (to-die for appetizers and desserts) and I still remember being overwhelmed with love while opening a mountain of presents in a massive hearth room with a crackling fire (it was a chilly November, of course), where people circled the perimeter of the room. I will never forget the shock and the thrill of so many people I loved being in the same room at the same time—AMAZING!! So much so that it almost cured me of my dislike of surprise parties … almost! :)

Mary Connealy: The one that comes to mind first is a birthday party when I was about. . .ten maybe. We didn’t do the birthday parties back then like they do now. Big events. I’m from a family with eight children and we always just did our birthdays with family. One grandma lived about a mile away from us and she’d come. Cake, candles, that’s it. Everyone got a slice of cake and it was GONE.

But we each got ONE real birthday party. That was my mom’s rule. And my birthday, which is in March, was always just so DREARY. Either blowing rain or dirty melting snow or a blizzard. The weather was my birthday ENEMY. But my year to have my party, it was just a perfect spring day. I invited every kid from my school. We went to a one-room country school house so that was about. . .ten kids, plus my brothers and sisters. So huge and NOT huge. . .subtracting my brothers and sisters who would have gotten to come over to my house anyway. The kids just all came home with me and we played. Nothing organized. Cake for everyone. That’s the extent of it. But we had FUN. Ran around outside for a couple of hours, which since it was SPRING AT LAST, we all enjoyed.

I think we’ve lost the knack for having simple fun.

If you could invite one person to a party of your own making, who would it be?

Julie: Well, if we’re talking one person who ever lived, then hands-down, it would be Jesus Christ. If one author who ever lived, it would be either Margaret Mitchell or Harper Lee. If one friend that I have today, then I’m afraid it would have to be more than one and I can’t narrow that down. But … if you asked me what “group” I’d like to invite to a party, then I would say The Seekers (who will be coming to my house for said party next year at ACFW in St. Louis) AND … are you ready???  I would KILL to be able to have a party for my favorite blogger/reader friends (like you, Case!) because I cannot imagine anything more fun than meeting good friends I have made on the Net and talking books!!

Mary: You know, this is just a MEAN AND NASTY QUESTION, CASEY. THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE I’D LOVE TO SEE. YOU NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME IN QUIET CONTEMPLATION OF THIS QUESTION. FOR SHAME!!!      

I can’t decide. So, I guess I’ll invite my one and only grandchild. I would like some one on one time with her.

Sniff, sniff. Fine Mary. I'll go now...... At least JULIE likes me. ;-)

Describe your perfect party attire.

Julie: Grin. Keep in mind that I am an immature teenager trapped in a 60-year-old body, so I would go with tight jeans, high heels (which would come off immediately on the dance floor!!) a flashy top (satin or rhinestones, maybe??) and long, dangly earrings. Can’t help it —I’m a sucker for glitz.

Mary: I’m the world’s most casual person. Leave me in my jeans.

Where would you hold your party? And who would you like to attend?

Julie: I would LOVE to hold my party on my downstairs deck, which runs the length of the house and overlooks gorgeous woods (with lots of dear and hawks and squirrels, etc.). We have a fire pit down there, too, so when it gets dark, we light it and the tiki-style torches for PRIMO ambiance, which I love!! And as mentioned above, I think a party with the Seekers and all my favorite bloggers/reader friends would be to die for!! We actually had my son’s out-of-town wedding reception down there with 150 people and it was a blast! But … don’t expect twice-baked potatoes with your initials piped in because I am SO over the Martha Stewart Syndrome disease!! J

Mary: Well, gee. I guess, since this is a fantasy, I’ll go to Maui. . .only magically to avoid the long flight. . .and all my kids can come to and their spouses and the one precious granddaughter. Oh, my husband, too. And what the heck, Casey, you’re invited.

Ahh, thanks! Maybe you do like me after all. Phew. :-)

What would a party look like with you and your characters all in one place at the same time?

Julie: Oh, man, I just got warm, wonderful chills!!! It would be like old-home week for sure, because I have lived with these people for years now and they are … ahem … just as passionate and crazy as I am, so I’m pretty sure it would be a blast. Except, I would like to have it at the O’Connor’s house on Donovan Street where I could sit in the kitchen with the girls and talk while the hunks hang out in the parlor playing chess. J

Mary: It’d probably be a cattle round-up. They’d all be working and I’d be lucky if they’d take a break to drink coffee. I write tough, no-nonsense characters with hearts of gold, though sometimes it takes some digging to find the gold.

LOVE you ladies! Thank you SO much for making my celebration such a spectacular event! You guys are what have made this past year so very memorable. Wow, I still can't believe I have been doing this for a whole year. I honestly thought this might be a fad that would wear off in time, but I don't think so! I certainly don't want it to be so. :-)

Here we go! Hang onto your hats and READ CAREFULLY, okay? :-)

For Followers only! As an appreciation thank you! I will draw winners from the count on the sidebar, so join the blog if you want to be entered! :-)

Here is how it works: One follower will receive their choice of one of Julie Lessman's FABULOUS books (plus a top CBA book)

And another follower will receive Mary Connealy's very latest hit, Wrangler in Petticoats

FOR EVERYONE!!!

Feel free to enter all giveaways, that is what makes today a BLOWOUT!

One winner will receive: their choice of one of Julie Lessman's books (plus a top CBA book-yes this IS correct! :-)

One winner will receive Mary Connealy's latest hit, Wrangler in Petticoats (yes this IS correct! :-)

One winner will receive Susan May Warren's very latest novel (never before read! Thanks Susie!) Nightingale

One winner will receive THIS bracelet!

One winner will receive a chapter critique (from me), up to 15 pages!

One winner will receive a gently read copy of Chasing Lilacs by Carla Stewart

Whew! I think I got it all! I hope so! Here is how this will work: you have all day long to enter. Winners from ALL THE POSTS will be announced by 7:00pm Pacific Time. If you commented first on any posts and then today you will get an EXTRA shot at the prize you want to win. Neat huh? :-)

So if you didn't get the chance to visit the previous posts, I hope you will now, it was great fun and it hasn't ended yet! Thanks for making this such a fun year!

Food is being brought in. Appetizers and deserts, bring something if you wish and enjoy the dancing! What is a party without dancing? Grab a partner and start swinging, I've turned it up loud! :-)

There is plenty for everyone!

HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!!

LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!