today was my last signing for the year.  it was at a wonderful store in fort smith, arkansas called books-a-million!  i have to say a HUGE thank you to carol and all of the awesome employees too.   i can’t even tell you how great it was to meet everyone…megan, i look forward to reading YOUR stories!  and patricia!!! WOW!  i know we were meant to meet.  i have to thank jana for introducing us.  you’re an inspiration and a doer of all things crazy and wonderful! 

i cannot believe this wonderful experience of mine is over.  well, except for the three days straight of traveling back to los angeles.  but i don’t consider that part wonderful.  )  i am supposed to be arriving in los angeles on tuesday.  of course, i’m not exactly sure i will remember what my house looks like.  it’s been soooooo long!  now that i AM headed home though, i have started thinking about things i DO miss, just a little.  i even made a little list of things i miss and look forward to!  a list.  me.  go figure. 

1. like my sushi restaurant, owata.  i cannot wait to get my veggie cucumber rolls. 

2. my little gym in my garage.  cannot  WAIT to get on the precor and run on my treadmill!

3. my office.  love my office.  it’s filled with cool signs like “never, never, never give up” and “believe” 

4.  costco.  costco is one of the most awesome stores in the world.  whether or not you need a year’s supply of coffee filters or not.  it just rocks. 

5.  my 7-egg white omelet at the cheesecake factory.  only on a sunday afternoon.  in the bar area, at a hightop, watching the lakers on tv.  and of course, bill bringing me the perfect meal. 

6.  my big grocery store, ralph’s.  i love knowing where everything is.  i can zip up and down the aisles and once i saw ashlee simpson in there with her then boyfriend.  i wanted to ask her to sing live but the timing wasn’t great as she had just (not) performed on saturday night live…not uh, yeah.  not so live after all. 

7.  can’t forget to give props to the two other grocery stores i LOVE!  whole foods and trader joe’s.  a little of everything from both of them.  trader joe’s, so cannot wait to get more of my favorite tomato sauce.  and whole foods?  my high protein bread.  mine in the freezer is beyond freezer-burned. 

i think that’s about it.  although i do love my SUV, i also appreciate being driven around.  i asked the driver if there is any way he would want to drive me to the grocery store in the rv, just once, so i could experience the joy of that.  i can’t repeat what was expressed by him.  apparently, he saw no joy in that for him. 

i also cannot WAIT to decorate for christmas.  i am usually finished decorating by thanksgiving night.  clearly i am far behind.  and before decorating, there’s the issue of cobwebs and dust in my house.  and then there’s the excitement of cleatus and i getting our christmas card picture taken.  that’s always a nice, easy, stressless day.  oh, yeah.  i’ll keep on dreaming.  this year i think the card will somehow involve us reading before i go.  quite possibly draped in christmas lights.  not the book.  me and cleatus.   good times. 

every good thing must come to an end.  and sadly, this part of the tour is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  the GREAT news is…after a few weeks off, i get to go back out for more events and signings!  so…keep checking my website often!  i’ll still be blogging about before i go press, news and happenings!  and as more 2007 dates get confirmed…who knows!?  maybe your town will show up on my website!

thank you, thank you, thank you.  to every bookstore who supported me and before i go…to everyone i met in the last few months in all those great towns, thank you so much for coming out to meet me and writing me throughout my tour.  your letters have meant the world to me.  i am just beyond thankful for every experience i have been blessed with on my first book tour. 

thank you all from the bottom of my heart.