I'm going to apologize in advance, because this post is going to be very unorganized, because I have so much rattling around in my head and don't really know how to say it all. I feel I have to say it now, though, while it's still fresh on my heart. (If even that makes any sense!)
I spent this last weekend at a little lodge just an hour or so out of town. Actually, quite close to Camp Grizzly where I spent last summer and will be spending this summer, again. I was there, because my church was holding a ladies retreat and this year I was able to go. YAY! It couldn't have come at a better time for me, since I had been very discouraged after spending most of Winter Break with very negative people. I have never loved my church ladies more in all of my life. As one of my friends said at the end, and if you read this (you know who you are) and I misquote you I apologize: "I've never thought that any of you have it all together." That says it all. They
are godly on so many levels, but they are also
incredibly REAL! Can I say it enough?! I
LOVE my church!!!!! I truly loved many of the ladies who were there and don't go to my church regularly as well. They occasionally visit, but they go to other churches. Loved
all of them!
I rode up on Friday night with my friend and neighbor, Genevieve. It started snowing on the way there, which made me really excited! As if I wasn't excited enough already! When we got there we found our rooms and threw our stuff in there. Gathered what we thought we might need for the evening and headed upstairs to find the ladies. About half of us were there at that point. They were making little bags for themselves with their names on them. They involved snowflakes. I tried to make the cut out kind, but it was very traumatizing for me! (I remember that being a lot easier when I was a kid.) Guess I haven't had enough practice with scissors and folding paper lately. The bags were for "words of affirmation." My love language! This made me even more excited! We were to write words of affirmation on little notecards to each other and put them in the person's bag they were intended for. I enjoyed doing this and I very much enjoyed the one's I received! But I'll tell you about that later! We also had some finger foods! Some of the ladies brought some VERY delicious things!
Then, we enjoyed some games designed to get to know each other better. The first one I found really fun, even though at first I didn't like it. We each had to draw a letter out of a bag or a box or something. I don't remember what it was. That's not important anyway. I drew the letter A. Then, we had to think of words beginning with that letter that described us. In a very short amount of time. Have I mentioned on this blog that I don't work well under pressure? Well I don't. We could also use the first letter of our first name. Phew! A was an impossible letter! Thankfully S is a little easier. Under that amount of pressure, I only came up with three words and none of them began with A! They were Sanguine, Silly, and Saggy. I got a lot of laughs on that last one. I hope I don't have to explain what I mean by that. They didn't all have to be flattering. The last one definitely wasn't. My friend, Cami, suggested after that an A word for me could be "adorable" and an S word would be "Sunny." She told me that's what she thinks when she thinks of me! Boy, was this weekend filling my love tank! Words of affirmation, anyone!!! I thought of short and sassy, later, also. Again, I had a lot of trouble with A.
After that, we had free time and I finished my bag. Others worked on theirs as well. I enjoyed some wonderful conversation and then went to settle into my room. I had great roommates! We were perfectly suited for each other. All night owls to some extent, me being the most extreme (what else is new)! And also, all liking a cooler room to sleep in!!!!! Yay! The result was, I actually slept that first night! I never sleep when I'm away from home! We read and giggled a lot before we went to sleep! What could be better! I love my girlfriends! One of those roommates was also Genevieve! Love her! Neighbors, and now roommates! She lives very close! I carried my luggage to her house to load up in her car. I can see her front porch from mine!
I enjoyed sleeping in the next morning! It was fantastic! Breakfast wasn't until Nine! This whole weekend was really, truly, made for me!!!!! They had my favorite breakfast! Biscuits and gravy and eggs! They even had Salsa for me to top my eggs with! Be still my heart! I think I'll wait and share the rest of my weekend later!
Um, I'm guessing this is me trying to figure out exactly how you open a present??? Really?? Had it been that long since I'd gotten a gift?!?!
Awww, her first boyfriend! Isn't that cute?! Next we'll be training her to look for her dates outside the family!! No looking for dates at the family reunion honey!
Well, from the smile on her face, she definitely approves of the packaging, now let's see if what's inside is just as good! Maybe even better!!!
I think my dad is yawning. That is the least disturbing of the options I'm considering here. I'm not even going to mention the other possibilities! On the left as you're looking at this is my brother-in-law, John, and on the right is my brother, Adam.
Go ahead, choose whichever one you like best and stare at it for hours. I know they're beautiful!!!
Ummm, Santa lost a lot of weight and got a sex change?!!!
Again, the handsome man on the couch!....Oh, yeah, and then there's the tree. Totally fake by the way. All my family members cheat these days!
