Florida: Day 2

When I put up yesterday's post about the two Nancys, I only had a photo of Nancy #1. So here, now, is Nancy #2. Ms. Grout has been wonderful about picking me up and getting me to my destinations on time...always with some great Floridian anecdotes. Today, she freaked me out with tales of alligators who sometimes shuffle too close to the library (as if they can even read!).


Today's destination was the Satellite Beach Public Library. And right in the middle of the lobby was this chalkboard sign. Yep, I was in the right place...


The whole library contained signage to let people know about my visit (which made me feel a tad special, I must say). The window behind the circulation desk even announced my visit, and I snuck into the office to shoot the verbage from behind. Notice how productive those librarians are! And if you squint at the space above she H and E in my last name, you'll see another sign hanging far off in the teen section.


It was turning into a great Valentine's Day.


But I wasn't with JoanMarie for Valentine's, which did make me homesick (even though she'd hidden some yummy heart-shaped cookies in my luggage). So after Nancy #2's amazingly kind introduction, I asked the audience to help me out. I called JM's phone and when she answered she told me she was in a restaurant eating French toast, which was really good to hear except I didn't have much time to talk because I was in the middle of giving a speech. When I held up the phone, the entire room shouted, "Happy Valentine's Day, JoanMarie!"

I'm sorry half the audience is cropped out of this shot (I just couldn't step back any further!) because they truly made this a special Valentine's-Day-away-from-home.


This is Marlena, the Youth Services Librarian, along with some of her teen volunteers who helped organize the room and put together those amazing signs you've all seen.


When my speech was over, the teens invited me to do something I've never done but have long been looking for a chance to do. I played Guitar Hero! To be more accurate, I got my butt kicked and handed to me at Guitar Hero. But the fact that Madison beat me made the embarrassment a little less painful. Madison did a fantastic job helping me read from Thirteen Reasons Why at the beginning of my presentation (and she swears she didn't just wear the cap so I'd pick her to play Hannah Baker).


Then, to top-off such a whirlwind day, I went to see the new Friday the 13th.

What in the world was I thinking...