We all have dreams. When we see someone living our dream, we put ourselves in their shoes. We reflect on the things we would say, improvise the speeches we would give, practice the signature we would sign with a flourish.

Or was that just me?

On Friday, Nov. 8, I was blessed to realize this dream when I celebrated the launch of Lush Money with family, friends, author pals, fellow Hillwood docents, neighbors, and readers at my local independent book store, One More Page Books. It was the fruition of a lifelong dream coming true, and I was so glad to share it with so many people who helped to make the dream possible!

The celebration began with a bang Thursday morning when I looked through my peephole after a knock at the front door and saw my brother on the other side! While my parents were expected, my brother was not!! He was an amazing surprise guest!

For the event, my mom provided $100-dollar-bill napkins, chocolate coins, greenback mints to honor the “money” and together we made Spanish tapas — gazpacho, albondigas (meatballs), and tortilla — to honor the “lush.” One More Page Books provides wine tastings and poured delicious Spanish wines for the event.

What made this incredible event spectacular was the presence of my dear friend, Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Colleen McCain Nelson. Colleen and her husband moved away a couple of years ago, and I thought asking her to come interview me for the “author chat” portion of the event would be a good lure to get them to come back for a visit. Colleen covered the Obama White House for the Wall Street Journal; I knew interviewing me would be a cake walk. Colleen asked the most AMAZING questions, made me feel much smarter than I actually am, and did such a wonderful job of keeping the event interesting for everyone.

The event eventually had to end because WE SOLD OUT OF BOOKS!!! My little author soul had never been prouder. I am blessed to have so many cheerleaders on the journey to this dream.