That was a good thing, because these are women you absolutely want to talk to. For as long as you possibly can.
We tasted fabulous wine and ate delicious food (taco truck! Brussels sprouts! and OMG the cheese!). And we talked and talked and talked, about our children and our shoes and our work and our hair and everything else you can imagine. We made up terms to describe the wine — feisty! flirty! obnoxious! — and laughed more than the moment really required.
On Friday night, while we were sitting by the pool relaxing, Gabby said, “So what’s your next big project?” And I found myself stumbling to come up with an answer. For so long I’ve been struggling to balance the projects I currently have on my desk, the writing and editing and everything else I am contractually obligated to do. I get up every morning and make a to do list and work my way through it and fall into bed and get up and do the same thing again. There’s no time to think about projects.
Except that now I’m wondering: What will my next big project be?
Broad Summit gave me a chance to stop and think about the next big project. I spent the weekend surrounded by women who inspire me, sharing stories and theories and pants (ok, only Melissa shared her pants, but it was all in the spirit of … something) and all of that laughter and talking inspired me to really think, about what I do and how I do it.
Getting out of the rut of my everyday life, and going to place where there were massages and yoga and wine tastings at 10 am was wonderful. But it was the moments when I wasn’t being pampered — when I was being compelled to think smart, and fast — that made the weekend worthwhile.
Thanks again (and again) to the Broads, for organizing this weekend, and to the wonderful sponsors, who made it all happen.
1. Being greeted on Friday, after a long day of travel, by Maggie and Laura insisting that we have a massage right now! (Don’t ever say no to a massage. Ever.)
2. Rooming with Melissa, who demonstrated her impressive Irish goodnight technique for us.
I’m on my way to San Francisco today, to spend a whirlwind weekend tasting wine and talking fast at the Broad Summit.
Getting to San Francisco from Oklahoma is a hassle no matter how you do it; there are no easy flights for one thing — in fact, Chris and I are on a red-eye home on Sunday night, which will officially make Monday the Longest Day Ever in the History of Long Days OMG Kill Me Now Please I Am Begging You But First Bring Me a Very Large Coffee and a Scone Thanks. On top of that, though, I’m running into some unusual delays today.
My morning has gone like this:
Wake up at 4 am. Shower, get dressed, let Rita in because Wade is in Dallas and there’s no one to watch my kids from 5 am until school drop off. Whoops.
Drive to airport, check in, get coffee, get on plane, fall asleep, wake up in Denver.
Walk 11,000 miles from gate where we landed to gate where we’re leaving.
Flight delayed because of fog in SF.
Whoops! No not delayed! Quick, everyone get on the plane!
Oh, sorry, plane is broken. Everyone get off.
New plane is coming!
Oh wait no it’s not.
Yes it is, but we don’t know when.
Oh look a plane! But not at this gate. Hmm.
Hey let’s change gates! Fun!
Aaaand now we’re waiting. Still.
I’m meeting Chris and Melissa and Laurie and Jenny at SFO; Jenny and I get in first, or we were supposed to, so I’ve sent her about 30 text messages. Late! Not late! OMG late again! Wait less late than we thought!
She’s going to punch me in the head when she sees me. I can’t wait.
On the way home from school today, Henry was reading to Charlie from his dictionary (nerds — where do you think they get that?) and they discovered that the Constitution was included in the very back of the book, with a list of all the signers.
Charlie is named for an ancestor of Wade’s who — wait for it — was at the Constitutional Convention and signed the original document. Oh wait I may have solved that whole “nerd” question.
Anyway.
Henry started to read the preamble to the Constitution, but lost interest right after “We the people of these United States …” and so I recited the rest for him, from memory, while driving.
(God we are SUCH NERDS.)
He was amazed. “HOW did you KNOW THAT?” he asked.
And I had to admit that I learned it from Schoolhouse Rock.
At dinner, the kids told Wade about the dictionary and the Constitution and the preamble, and then OF COURSE Wade and I had to sing the song, and then the kids said, “You’re making that up!” so we showed them the YouTube video.
