Sorry to take so long writing this post for you guys! We know lots of you were asking about it ever since we got back this weekend, but in true Petersik fashion we took way too many pics and had to figure out which ones to use and then felt like over-sharing about the whole thing… and thus this giant full-o-pics-and-words post was born. Anyway, the first tour stop for our book in Cincinnati this weekend was, well, kind of nuts. But the good kind of nuts. The kind where it’s like a whirlwind of awesome and can’t-believe-this-is-happening experiences all jammed packed into about 36 hours.
We promise we won’t pour over the details of every single tour stop over the next few months, but we thought checking in every week or two with an update would be a good balance along with all of the usual DIY fare (we’ve always loved sharing travel happenings). And because this was our first stop it was just too novel and exciting to keep our mouths shut… unlike this Instagram photo below from our flight on Friday (where both of our mouths are firmly shut).
We left Richmond behind around noon on Friday and headed to the “Nasty ‘Nati” (as one reader told us it was called – although there’s nothing nasty about it) by way of Philadephia. Clara and Burger stayed back at our house with my parents for the short trip, so it was our first night ever spent away from Clara. It was definitely an adjustment, but it wasn’t as bad as we feared. Most 2.5-year-olds that we know have already had sleepovers with their grandparents or other family members for at least one night, so we figured it was high time that we ripped that band-aid off anyway. And she did great!
Our flight got us in about 90 minutes late. It wouldn’t have been a huge deal had we not arranged to House Crash someone that afternoon (the flight delay meant they had to wait patiently at our hotel for over an hour – eeks!). But they were great sports about the whole thing and their house was gorgeous despite the fact that we lost all natural light by the time we arrived. Thankfully we still got a bunch of awesome shots! You’ll get the full photo tour in a week or two (we’re juggling a few other House Crashings that we’ve secretly done and still have to write up for ya) but here’s a pretty little snippet.
Note: To all of the amazing folks who invited us to house crash, we wish we could’ve visited you all!
Despite the delays of the day, we still made time for some Cincinnati staples on Friday night: Skyline Chili and Graeter’s ice cream. Locals warned us that Skyline might be an acquired taste, but I thoroughly enjoyed my “three way” (chili + spaghetti + cheese mountain) and Sherry’s chili on a potato was equally good (for anyone wondering, she dumped a gallon of hot sauce on it and said she was in love). At Graeter’s (which is famous for their massive chunks of soft chocolate chips) Sherry downed a giant scoop of the popular black raspberry chip and I got cookie dough chip on a cone. It was great, even though it was about 45 degrees outside.
But the real fun started on Saturday at The Books By The Banks Festival. We can’t even begin to articulate how mind-blowing it was to see stacks of a book that we actually wrote for the first time ever (before this event, we had only seen one of them – and there were a lot more boxes of books under that table). So there might’ve even been some tingling sensations. Sherry claimed that her nose went numb. Which might be the only excuse for the series of dork-tastic photos that we took. Like the Home Alone inspired pic that we shared here and the Where’s Waldo one below:
The festival doors opened at 10am so we were able to get our book signing hands warmed up for about 45 minutes before we got whisked away for our 11 o’clock presentation. We had only written our presentation about three days prior and practiced it maybe three times (we both don’t like to over-practice something since it sounds stiff and scripted) and it was a bit intimidating to suddenly find ourselves in front of all of these people. This was just half of the room – my pic of the other half came out too blurry thanks to my jittery hands.
We had some technical difficulties with the slide remote not working (nothing like a rocky start to boost your confidence!) but word on the street is that we weren’t terrible. Phew. A big thanks to Emily for snapping this Instagram picture that makes us looks like we know what we’re doing. Keeping it real fact: we were both nervously bouncing our knees under the table the entire time. #tablecloththankfulness
Speaking of other people’s pictures, we had so much fun snapping photos with those of you who stopped by once we were back at our book signin’ table. So please know that you don’t need to be shy about asking for a photo. In fact, we’re cool if you just hold up your camera and say “Snap snap, yo.” (Thanks Laura for the one below).
And feel free to take advantage of our weirdness by making requests for how we should pose. Annie suggested we do the see no / speak no / hear no evil thing (not sure why I did coy geisha hands) and Natasha requested her favorite: the “what’s going on?” hands pose.
Another heads up to anyone coming to a future tour stop. If you bring your child, Sherry will go into full time fawning mode. The younger the kid, the more intense it will be. Especially on stops like this where Clara isn’t with us. Ok? You’ve been warned.
We also finally got the chance to meet the awesome Dana Miller from HouseTweaking (spoiler alert: she’s actually one of ten guest bloggers that pop up in our book!). This picture was especially entertaining after Katie Bower asked where my other hand was. Oddly enough, I think it was on Dana’s husband’s back (I have quite the wingspan). Oh and if you’re looking for a breakdown of Dana’s experience, she wrote about it here <–complete with who to bring, when to get there, what to wear, and tips for making friends in line
And thanks to the many suggestions from you guys to use the blank dummy copy of our book as a tour “yearbook” (it has blank pages inside), we asked everyone to sign it. We got signatures, some sweet notes, and even some awesome kid drawings. Heck, a few adults even drew us pictures, mostly because Sherry egged people on. Allison drew a portrait of Burger, Bill drew us a castle (at Sherry’s suggestion), and then Mike tried to top everyone with a technicolor unicorn (another Sherry suggestion).
Perhaps the most shrill Sherry-moment of the day was when someone brought a ceramic animal that they wanted her to sign. How awesome is that? I think that was on $herdog’s life list.
If you can’t tell yet – it was a fun day filled with lots of fun people. We could not get over how nice everyone was. Seriously. Everybody was just so kind and happy – even after driving long distances, waiting in line, and even after finding out that we had sold out of books (our publisher only a had a finite amount ready since it was an extra early event, so we signed book plates and took photos with the people who didn’t get one). Some sweet folks even brought gifts. GIFTS people. Who are we to deserve this niceness? Or is this just how midwesterners roll? Thanks for the sweet glass bird, the print for Clara, and the Kentucky horseshoe & grass seed, guys!
One thing’s for sure: Cincy has set the bar really (really really) high, so we can only hope that everyone at our other stops are as understanding, kind, and gosh-darn adorable. That’s right. I’m a dude and I just said gosh-darn adorable. You guys were so amazing to make the drive, survive the wait, and completely understand when the book bounty ran dry. Of course no one wants these things to go more smoothly than the hosts, our publisher, and Sherry & I (we’d have 1,000 books at each event with no line if humanly possible!) but it’s so nice when folks are all laughing and having fun in line together. #giddy&grateful
Laura even thoughtfully gave me a bottle of their favorite local soda – Kentucky’s Ale 8 One ginger ale. But since it’s Aquatober (my month of only drinking water) I just tucked it in my bag to be enjoyed on November 1st. Sadly the TSA official at the airport thwarted my plan. Drat! Forgive me for not having the chance to enjoy your present, Laura! #confiscated
The sweetest moment of the day goes to Riley, the little girl who saw this Charley Harper book at another author’s table and thought “Clara would like this” and gave it to us to bring home to her. Sherry totally cried. As in, she was actively wiping tears from her eyes when the next folks in line came up to us (she’s mortified, but I told her it was cute). And Clara totally loves the book from “her friend Riley.”
Things slowed down for us around late afternoon (we were only supposed to be there until 1, but since the earliest flight home wasn’t until 6 we stayed around to continue meeting people and signing bookplates until right before the festival ended at 4). And on our way out we snuck in some time to enjoy the tail-end of the festival ourselves. For instance, we snagged this pic with Clara’s favorite bear couple to show her when we got home. Berenstain Bears for the win!
And speaking of meeting celebs, we had a chance to meet Bob and Cortney Novogratz since they were at a nearby table signing their new book, Home by Novogratz. We were all so preoccupied with our presentations that our interaction was sadly just a rushed exchanging of signed books before they had to catch a flight home to their seven kids. Though we did sneak in a quick picture too – which started off like this (Sherry likes to say that her default setting is “creepy”)…
… and ended like this:
Both Bob and Cortney were super nice and their book is great. We’re especially loving all the budget breakdowns in there (it correlates with their show, so it’s fun to see how much certain items and projects really cost). And how crazy is it to see an HGTV star holding our book? BANANAS.
In addition to getting a signed copy of the Novogratz book, we also got signatures from Gillian Flynn (author of Gone Girl) and Tad Hills (creator of some of Clara’s favorite books). It was one of those crazy whirlwind days that you almost don’t believe actually happened until you look back at the pictures.
But before we could even begin to absorb all the wacky and wonderful things we had just experienced, it was time to hit the airport for our flights home. Speaking of wacky… I guess a long day of meeting awesome people and skipping lunch to keep up with signing = hyperactive airport hijinks.
As much as we expected to just be dead tired, we were still so energized by all of the love in that room. We even had some fun in the kids’ play area before we had to board our real (and notably less giant) plane home.
We landed in Richmond shortly after 10pm, just over 36 hours since leaving the morning before. We were still riding on that Ohio-induced high, but definitely eager to get home, snuggle Burger, and catch a few winks before waking up Clara with some major hugs the next morning (she was already happily snoozing when we got in).
Thanks again to everyone who took time out of their Saturday to come on down. It made us so excited for our next leg (Manhattan, Wilton CT, and Ridgewood NJ on Nov 1st & 2nd) and everything else beyond that too. But most of all, we’re psyched (and still a bit anxious) that this book is finally in the hands of people besides ourselves and our publisher. That’s probably the craziest part of this whole thing. Two hundred of our babies are out there in circulation. Getting read, and hopefully being enjoyed. Thanks so much to all of you guys for making this possible. #whowouldathought
Arty says
Hey has anybody told you look like Reese Witherspoon?? U do remind me of her… good day! :))
YoungHouseLove says
Never got that one!
xo,
s
lindsey g says
Please come to Knoxville!!! I so so so want to meet you guys, and I know you all would love east tn…even though your trips are whirlwind.
Rachel McCoy says
This was so fun to read! It was GREAT meeting you both, totally worth the wait in line. Readers–they are just as cool/nerdy/gracious as you might expect them to be. What you read here is what you get! I thought it was incredible that you guys were the biggest attraction at this event! No one else had a major line like you guys! It must have been surreal. Oh the power of the interwebs. Anyway, thanks for coming to Cincy, it was so much fun! Glad you guys enjoyed it as much as everyone else did!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re so sweet Rachel! It was totally surreal!
xo,
s
Sarah Anne says
I can’t wait for y’all to come to NC!!
I have been looking for a coupon holder like yours for months! Please tell me where you got it from!!
YoungHouseLove says
That was from Target!
xo,
s
Jennifer Harrup says
http://www.greenroomeco.com/
Katie says
I’m guessing since you referred to it as “ginger ale” you guys have obviously never actually tasted the deliciousness of Ale 8. It does not taste like ginger ale… it tastes like Heaven. You should’ve broken your Aquatober rule and guzzled that beast down right there in the airport. I spent 8 months in Afghanistan and had cases of it shipped to my unit. If you ever get the chance to have it again, it’s not one you want to miss!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man now I wish I had broken my rule right there in the airport!
-John
Debbie says
I’m so glad that Cincinnati was awesome! Unfortunately I can’t make it to one of your booksignings (because I live in California), but if I could come, here’s what I would say… “Being a stay at home mom with two kids under the age of two, I have very little time for myself. But the one thing I make time for every morning is taking 10 minutes to read your blog. It makes me laugh, it keeps me sane, it’s the perfect “me time” to start my morning. So thank you thank you thank you!! You guys rock my world!”
YoungHouseLove says
Aw so sweet!!!!
xo,
s
Lindsey d. says
My Cincinnati born-and-bred boyfriend introduced me to both Graeter’s and Skyline and I’m totally in love with both (and the boy). In fact, I may be dragging HIM to Skyline when we are in Northern Ohio for Thanksgiving next month.
I’m bringing my mom to the Dallas signing for a girl’s weekend of YHL and shopping (it’s an eight and four hour drive for us, respectively). Can’t wait!
Alisa D. says
So happy for you guys! Hope to make it to a Richmond book signing.
mollie d says
I have to say, I love the million book tour pics. I like seeing all the people you meet too. I know you said that you didn’t want to overload us, but I say bring it on!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Mollie! We just want to keep a balance do the whole blog doesn’t turn into your stuff, but we have lots of DIY projects and house crashing to share too!
xo,
s
Tyler @ HomeSpot HQ says
I didn’t realize you were swinging by Manhattan. I might have to grab the wife and drop in.
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo!
xo,
s
Monika says
I’m so sad that I missed you by a weekend!!!! I’ll be in Cincy THIS weekend :o( At least I can look forward to your book arriving in the mail since I preordered it…CAN’T WAIT!
Katie G says
Great post guys!
Must say though… every time I scroll back to Sherry’s “creepy” picture I laugh out loud :)
Congrats on your first tour date, maybe I’ll see you in Toronto!
AviLynn says
Let’s hope Courtney & Bob are in Minneapolis when I get there too :)
Olivia says
Ahh, so many fun details, so much to absorb! Glad you had a big turnout, I’m not surprised at all. Love the pic of Sherry fawning over the baby and creeping behind Cortney. Also, Riley buying Clara a sweet book?? Swoon!
keri says
I can’t WAIT until you come to Boston! I need to send in pics because, really, you should crash my house :)
Linda says
I’ve been absolutely beside myself waiting for this post. I was planning on coming to the book signing and my husband was hospitalized! He’s fine, but I’ve been HEARTBROKEN that I didn’t get to see you guys in Cincinnati! Thanks for the post and best wishes to you for the rest of the tour. Love, love, love you guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw I’m so sorry Linda! So glad he’s ok!
xo,
s
Karen says
You guys…I’m so jealous of the GRAETERS!!! I lived in Cinci for the first 18 years of my life and now that I’ve moved away, my lack of access to Graeters is tragic. True story: I once ordered my parents 6 pints and had it shipped up to Maine where they (now) live and my mom told me it was the best present that I’ve ever gotten her.
Glad you had a good time in the Queen City!
susan says
I wish I could have come to the book signing! (sigh) You definitely hit the right places, though. Nothing beats Skyline Chili and Graeter’s. Also, I’ve lived in Cincinnati for years, and I have heard it called the Nasty ‘Nati. :)
Can’t wait to get your book!
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
Guys I’m so excited to meet you and get your book! I just signed up Aaron to go with me (I told him it was like going to a wedding without your husband/date so he had to say yes :). Please don’t think I’m lame if I show up early to get a good seat!
See you in less than 2 weeks in Wilton!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Can’t wait!!!
xo,
s
Michele @ Moonfield Lane says
Oh, you guys! I’m so excited for you both and totally wiping tears away over the Charlie Harper book, too. Love the photo of you guys and Dana’s family. The very, very, very best of luck on your next tour.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re so sweet!
xo,
s
Lauren Nicole says
Three things:
1. I thought I was going to dread reading this post because Cincy was the stop closest to where I live but I had plans I couldn’t change so I couldn’t come. However, while I was reading it I found myself feeling so darn happy for you guys because you are so “gosh-darn adorable” yourselves!
2. Can’t believe you’ve never been without Clara overnight before! Hope you capitalized on that one!
3. Go Green! shoutout to the guy in the Michigan State sweatshirt in the background of the photo of Sherry signing the ceramic animal. Represent Spartans!
Love you Petersiks!
Alyssa says
Just wanted to give you a heads up that there’s some confusion about the book stop in Chicago. One is about time (listed in EST but we’re in Central). Other questions seem to be popping up about the RSVP issue (now that the event is closed).
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve heard that everyone who RSVped is on a list so they will get in. Also the time we have listed here on the tour page is correct, so go by that! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
karen little says
So happy for y’all!! I’d love to come to one of the signings, too. When I was a little girl we lived in Cincinatti right near a really large city park overlooking the river; the park had lots of koi ponds, elaborate gardens, etc. I still remember it with fondness and it was 55 yrs ago! Great place to begin your book tour! My husband and I now live in Williamsburg, Va and have been on the East Coast for many years but I do remember the “warmth” of the midwesterners for sure. Best wishes to you all! Can’t wait til my two books arrive!!
Sky says
Sherry’s creepy mode is the best!
I think most pictures taken of me have the same face. In fact- I’m certain that if I ever ‘happen upon’ the Petersik clan, creep mode face will go into overdrive and my smile will explode – Creepers Unite!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo,
s
Sarah Cosper says
Ah. Man. My husband bought me an Ale 8 One on our first date 14 years ago and we toasted with it our wedding. Get yourself some if you ever get a chance. Some of our local eateries even using it recipes and cocktails. ~S from Louisville
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo,
s
Katie says
I’m all about the tour stop posts, keep em’ coming!! Dear Mr. Publisher, please send YHL to St. Louis. :)
Britta Reder says
Can’t wait to see you in Minneapolis! And you’ve convinced me to bring my baby Elsie now too. :) I am going to leave the toddler at home (Kilen is almost exactly Clara’s age). Looks like you had such a fun trip, congrats on making it through the first one with flying colors!
Anika says
I love, love, LOVE all these pictures! They say so much about both your personalities – I can’t imagine how much fun you guys are in person (especially considering how fun and entertaining this blog already is!). Thank you for being willing to share a real and detailed look at all the emotions and crazy experiences you guys are having. Congrats on all your well-deserved successes!
Renee says
This post gets me stoked for your DC visit!! So glad to hear your first stop on the book tour was a huge success :) PS – pretty jealous you met Gillian Flynn – that book is awesome!
Natalie C says
Gone Girl is SO GOOD! Gillian Flynn is a KU grad (Rock Chalk!) and her novels are captivating.
I’m really really jealous that you got to meet her. And jealous of all the people who got to buy advanced copies of YHL!
Kate says
It looks like you guys had a BLAST! Can’t wait to see you in Minneapolis :)
Kara @me_and_elna says
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed Cincinnati!!! I’m born and raised here and people really are that nice. :)
Kathi says
OK – that does it. Reading about the signing made me realize I really want to come out and meet y’all so I’m taking the day off to come see y’all in Toronto in November…can’t wait! It’s the day before my birthday so I’ll just consider it an early birthday gift to myself!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo!!
xo,
s
Kelly K says
So happy for you both! Though you are self-deprecating and don’t take yourselves too seriously :), it’s obvious how very hard you must have worked and how truly talented you both are!
Karin K says
What a great post! Of course, *I* would have brought a broken ceramic animal to be signed, but whatever. (insert “oozing jealousy” tag here) You guys are rock stars, so there’s no reason to be surprised to see Courtney Novogratz holding your book. But how cool to get to meet them!!! As much as their taste is a little too edgy for me and the hubs, theirs is one of our favorite shows, mostly because of them – they just seem like the nicest people. As do you two! But I guess the Tori Spelling incident put any hope of seeing you guys on HGTV once a week to bed. Sniffle.
jessica says
Do you guys know Charley Harper? I heart him. My mom grew up in Cincy, and Harper actually painted the walls of her high school. She started collecting his prints before I was born, and I have (very very) happily inherited a few already!
YoungHouseLove says
Thats so cool! We don’t know him personally but LOVE his stuff!
xo,
s
Christina @ Homemade Ocean says
What a great post! This makes me so excited to see you all on the 10th :)
I got soooo giddy when I saw the post on House Tweaking, I’m getting pumped haha.
Have you read Gone Girl yet? It is sooooooo good! I blogged about it a week or two ago, she is an amazing writer!
Sherry- love your style, as always!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Christina! You’re do sweet. I’m just starting it and can’t wait to read the rest!
xo,
s
Sam M. | Atkinson Drive says
Again, thank you guys SO much for doing this amazing book tour! Though, I’m sad I didn’t get to sign your yearbook…how did I miss that? Maybe we’ll have to come visit in Chicago, too!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Come on down!
xo,
s
Sara says
Looks like you had so much fun! Come to Philly!! We have cheesesteaks and I have a cute baby for you to smush.
Sarah Miller says
I’m so glad the tour started off so well! I hope that means that the whole thing will be nothing but awesome for you! Looking forward to seeing you in Chicago in a couple of weeks!
Angel says
SO SO SO AWESOME. Go ahead and talk about all the stops, I thought this post was great, feels like we are right there with you! p.s. “creepy” novogratz pic made me laugh-cry.
Natasha says
Ahhh! It was so nice to meet you all and I was shocked to see my face when reading today’s post. I only have more love for you all after meeting you and I hope that the rest of the tour exceeds your wildest expectations!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Natasha!
xo,
s
Christy Niebaum says
Bahhh! I loved “Gone Girl”! What a fantastic book. So jealous you got to meet Gillian!
You guys are totes adorkable.
Jessica F. says
I really can’t wait to meet you guys in Tacoma! I have the day off work and all ready :D
Would you suggest getting a book before the event? I would hate for it to be sold out!!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re doing our best to stock lots of books at each even, so buying one there is best since it shows love to the folks who have paid to host us (for which we’re eternally grateful!).
xo,
s
Kim W Rily says
If you end up coming to Los Angeles, you’ll have to go to Galco’s Soda Pop Shop. It’s a whole grocery store (from the 50s, so smaller than Giant or Kroger) with just Soda and old fashioned Candy. It’ll be after your no soda month, and you can ship some back home.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome!
xo,
s
Kristen @ LoveK says
This post just made me even MORE excited to see you at your Seattle/Tacoma stop!! It sounds like you had a great time! I’m so jealous of all the people that scored an early book!
Jules says
I’m so happy for you guys! Congrats on a great start to your book tour, and here’s to many more just as wonderful.
p.s. Dear Publisher/PR Department,
California is the state on the left, near the bottom. kthxbye
Jules
HelloDoorSeven says
I am so excited for you guys, but also to get my own copy!
Cannot wait!
Julia says
Ah yes, I do remember the fawning over my little dude (Ethan, then 4 months) at the Portland Home and Garden Show!
I am looking forward to getting a signed book in Portland soon! I hope you do more of these tour posts, it’s fun to see what kind of fun stuff you encounter in these cities!
Sherry says
I just pre-ordered your book! Yay me!!