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THANK YOU!

Thank you!

Thankyouthankyouthankyou to everyone for the kind wishes and congratulations sent about yesterday's big, honking, life-altering news. I am still breaking out in random giggles. I have also watched the video of the nomination announcements about a dozen times to make sure this is all real. Not only is it real, but he said my name right. How cool is that?

And congratulations to my fellow finalists: Kathi Appelt, Judy Blundell, E. Lockhart, and Tim Tharp!

Now I have four days to pack for the tour, make sure all my bills and stuff are taken care of, take Mom to the doctor's, unpack the suitcase because I am sure I have not packed properly, repack the suitcase, order the books of my fellow nominees (such a luxury to HAVE to read books!), figure out how to tote my projector across the country, pause every now and then to breathe into a brown paper bag, and oh yes -

- the hardest thing -

I have to find a dress.

This does not sound like a big deal, right? People, well, mostly women, buy dresses all the time. Some women, like Sarah Dessen, actually enjoy shopping for dresses. The OfficeMouse views shopping as a relaxation technique.

You have no earthly idea. The mall gives me hives. I would rather have root canal than step foot in a dressing room.

It's not that I am opposed to the theory of a dress, not at all. Back in 1999, I actually found a dress that I liked (and if worse comes to worse, I will be wearing it again!) albeit after many shopping trips and after being locked in the dressing room by a friend who refused to let me leave the mall until we found something.

The dress makers of the world don't think of me when they design their offerings. I'm tall, for one thing. My shoulders are broad enough to make me a passable middle linebacker (most of my shirts are men's mediums), I have ungodly long arms, and despite my mother's best efforts, I am not ladylike.

I need a dress that won't rip a seam if I hug someone, won't malfunction if I jump up and down, (here's the tricky part) actually fits me, and is comfortable.

And since I'm dreaming, I want it to have pockets, too. And if it could be made of sweatshirt material, that would be just peachy.

I have four days.