Thanks for a GREAT Launch! Come SHOP at Two Chicks Louisville this Saturday, December 1st!!!
Friends! WOW. Just wow. Monday night at Middletown United Methodist Church (MUMC) was a dream come true! Did it really happen? To God Be the Glory.
THANK YOU to ALL of you who came. What a fun crowd! Liz Curtis Higgs was the bomb to kick off our night with beautiful, funny, and hope-filled words.
Nancy Tinnell, from MUMC, and all the gals of Branches Book Club pulled out all the stops and put together quite the celebration. Huge thanks. (Please keep Nancy on your prayer list as she got a new knee the morning after our Launch! Healing hugs, Nancy! She told me she comes home this Thursday.)
One of my many favorite take-aways from Monday night was seeing y’all savor Bonnie’s Butter Bride story we shared from the 4th stop in my book. Thank you, Bon Bon, for letting me include excerpts. Y’all can truly picture the Butter Babes hearing this for the first time! Unstoppable laughter!!!
One thing I forgot to share with you is that on the second page of my book, where all the copyright info is, you’ll see “Interior Art by John Hoagland, Jr.” Yes, dear friends, that is our oldest son! He did all the sketches at the beginning of each chapter. Don’t miss them! Way-2-go, Johnny! (He was home putting Claire to bed Monday night. He said she was out by 7:01 which is about the time Lizzie launched my book.)
Another highlight happened Monday afternoon when Jane Chilton and I got to go on Rachel Platt’s 4:00 LIVE newscast, on WHAS 11. We were both Nervous Nellies, but Rachel’s welcoming demeanor put us at ease and we had a blast. Jane made her famous pound cake to share with the folks at WHAS. (Recipe’s on my website! Go to: www.elizabethhoagalnd.com and click on “My New Book” , then “Recipes”. It’s “Pound Cake with a Boatload of BUTTER.”)
Next up? Oh, the super fun girls at Two Chicks Louisville have invited me to come sign books this Saturday, December 1st, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pop in and see all their fabulous Christmas gifts, among other goodies, such as jewelry, baby gifts, foodie gifts, etc. I’ve already been in twice since they decorated for Christmas and have found great hostess gifts and stocking stuffers. (A dress jumped off its hanger and landed in my arms. Imagine that!) Maybe grab lunch at the Cheddar Box and shop at Two Chicks before or afterwards?
1212 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, KY 40243
Finally, allow me to close with the beautiful words by the late Eugene Peterson. He wrote the Afterword in his wife, Janice’s new book six months before he died. The book is: Becoming Gertrude: How Our Friendships Shape Our Faith.
“Everyone is in a process of becoming. More gradually than rapidly, we grow into the unique people we were created to be, throughout a lifetime of learning in Christ and practicing the way of Jesus…
Even eighty years is still a relatively short time to prepare for citizenship in the Kingdom of God…
We need the companionship of fellow disciples as we make our way on our lifelong pilgrimage. Such companions, have holy agency: Our lives are healed and shaped by the people whose company we keep.”
THAT is a perfect depiction of friendship.
Hope to see you Saturday!
‘Til next time!