Escape From New York

Happy Friday to all of you! I am feeling giddy this morning because I made it out of New York last night before the “storm of the century” hit the East Coast. I grabbed the very last seat on the only direct flight back to San Diego and I couldn’t have felt more grateful to walk through my front door or to wake up this morning to the sound of the kids giggling together in their room.

I had to cut my trip short, and since this morning was supposed to be my time to sightsee, I only saw the tiniest bit of the city (basically the two blocks surrounding our office in Midtown). But I am totally committed to coming back next year, NOT in February, for a long, leisurely vacation. I am just smitten with New York City. I did manage to grab a beer at the bar that inspired the setting for “How I Met Your Mother” and watched mariachis serenade Chloe Moretz on her 16th birthday, so the trip wasn’t without a little bit of NYC star power!

For those of you who are wondering, a. our business presentation was a success and I loved doing it (I am the odd person who truly enjoys speaking in front of a room full of people) and b. my Drybar hair made it through the entire week! I may put it up today, but still, three days! Totally worth it.

In the hustle and bustle of my daily life, juggling work trips and emails and parenting, I often forget the big picture of what I do for a living. Let me tell you, though: walking through the revolving doors into the Random House lobby literally takes my breath away. The walls are lined with first editions of EVERY book we have published since we started in 1925. Authors come and go, deals are made, lives are changed. A few silly memories I have: washing my hands next to Jane Pauley in the office bathroom one year we were publishing her autobiography; Skypeing with Tyra Banks when she was discussing her debut young adult novel we sold; and most amazing and memorable of all, chatting with a dynamic, charismatic young senator from Illinois at a sales conference cocktail party just before he announced his candidacy for President of the United States. I am incredibly proud to work with books, especially children’s books, every single day and I get a little teary thinking about how many books and authors I’ve come to love over the last 12 years.

Anyway…I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. If you’re on the East Coast, stay safe! Here are a few things I loved reading this week:

Was Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance a demonstration of female power or of male objectification? (Thanks to Design Mom for sharing the link.)

One of my favorite blog writers ever discusses what goes into her gorgeous iPhone photos of her family (and it’s just as thoughtful and well-written as I would expect from her!)

This made me smile, especially since almost every single one of my friends is currently on an alcohol-free, Paleo diet. I’m envisioning less mom’s night outs and more tea dates

And finally, forgive me for a little self-promotion: here’s a blog post I wrote on my work blog about picture books adult readers love (and featuring favorites of my monthly panel of terrific book bloggers!)