On Friday I headed out for my churches women's retreat at Lake Retreat. To be honest when I heard about it my first reaction was there is NO WAY I'm going. I have attended women's retreats in the past and I just haven't found them for me. Either they were discussing things that I just didn't connect with or I just thought it was basically a waste of money and time. Then I found out that all the ladies from my MOPS group at church were going. If there's one thing I know about women's retreats it's the fact that relationships are built on all the fellowship time that you have without responsibilities and I DID NOT want to miss out on that!
First off I had to figure out what I was going to do since I'm still nursing Zeke. I knew I didn't want to bring him since he would have been too much of a distraction, but it would also be my first time being away from him for more than a few hours. When I mentioned the retreat to Michael he was all for it. Then I chatted with the coordinator of the retreat and found out there would be a frig to store my milk in. So I felt comfortable going and I started pumping and saving milk for Zeke.
Like I said the thing I was looking forward to the most was deepening my relationships with the ladies in my group, but I also had some really awesome time with God! The retreat was so well thought out and organized. There was the perfect amount of time listening to our speaker (the rockin' Jenn Meyer), working together at our tables, doing activities, making crafts, worshiping, personal reflection time, eating and free time! It was all so stimulating and wonderful!
Lake Retreat Christian Conference Center had so much to offer. The grounds were beautiful! There was also almost everything imaginable to do there....basketball, mini golf, HUGE tire swing, shuffle board, fire pits, boating, nature trails and the zip line! When I heard there was a zip line there was NO WAY I was going to pass that by!
Jumping off!!!
It was so much fun...of course I screamed my head off though! When I was going down I was having so much fun that I let go with both hands to feel like I was flying. Later I found out you're not supposed to do that because you can flip upside down....oops!
A bunch of us girls - left going clockwise - Bobby Jo, Erin, Me, Lynn, Angie and Laura.
The accommodations were also quite nice for a retreat. The rooms were clean...except the carpets were kind of stained, but that's to be expected. The beds were comfy and we always had hot water...a must for me! The best part about my cabin was by far the ladies! Our cabin had two rooms with 3 ladies each.
Left going clockwise - Renee, Erin, Jessica, Me, Angie and Carrie! Us girls had fun!!!
Being totally silly! It was such fun to laugh until we cried! I feel so close to these girls now and love the relationships we built during this time.
I think we played Apples to Apples 4 times and we had fun! We would all lobby for our card to be chosen and I LOVE this aspect of the game. I'm pretty competitive...I know I won at least 2 out of the 4 times. There was no denying I was a good player! And just in case you think I'm being a bit too arrogant that line is just an inside joke between me and the girls!
Jessica, Angie and I were on one side of the cabin. I was giving Jessica such a hard time and being silly for pictures, but I'm so glad she was persistent and we got these great shots! I love these ladies to pieces!
On a more serious note....I had an amazing time with my Savior! It was a great time to rejuvenate my relationship with Him. I had some wonderful personal time alone with him even if I didn't do the questions that were provided....I guess I'm not that good at following directions! I spent some time writing down things I feel that God is wanting me to do and things I'd like to change about myself. After writing down the things I want to change about myself it because clear to me that my main issue is....time! Specifically how I'm spending it. I need to spend my time more wisely. So since coming home I have been a ton more intentional about how I'm spending my time. I want my kids to know that they are important and I want my husband to know that I'm not just sitting here at home letting the house work go and not getting dinner on the table. This is my job and I need to do it. I need to stop and listen to my kids and look them in the eyes so they know I'm listening. I need to go outside and look at their creations when they ask me to instead of saying..."After I finish this or that"! I know that I also need to take time for myself and I am doing that, but I just want to make sure that the time I'm spending on myself isn't wasted time. I know it's only been a few days, but I am already feeling better about the changes I've made.
So long story short....if you ever have the chance to go on a Women's Retreat...do anything and everything to make sure you GO!!! The thing is God will show up, but you have to as well! :)
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