She Vacations:)

I cannot believe that it's been a full week since the first day of the She Speaks Conference. We plan all year for this and then it comes and goes so quickly. And with it, goes tearful good-byes and fond farewells.

First, my She Speaks Conference team. The Proverbs 31 Gals. My great and fabulous roommate Melanie Chitwood. The speakers I only see once a year. We are all so close and the week of the conference is like a reunion. I miss my family, but I wouldn't trade this time for anything. It's exhausting for sure, and this year I was exhausted like no other. But after each day of work, I had the pleasure of going upstairs and having funny, meaningful, crazy, and serious girl talk with Mel.

Second, the She Speaks Conference attendees. All I can say is "Wow"!!!! They were amazing. There were a few women I was really looking forward to meeting. I'm a very relational person, I love to hug, and once you've become my friend...well you mean something to me! I had the pleasure of meeting Amy Brooke on Thursday. And I about cried! Amy and I connected through blogging. She has always been so encouraging to me and I was absolutely thrilled to meet her in person. And then there is Joy. I personally met Joy on Friday. Joy is my sweet and loving friend from Canada. When I set my eyes on her, well, I about cried! I also met Joy through blogging. She has this amazing timing. She seems to know when I need prayer or a word of encouragement. It was no different this weekend. And then on Saturday. I was taking orders for CD's and looked at the name on the form and it said Sharon Sloan. Well, guess what? I about cried! Again! Sharon has been so kind to me and everyone in our office. She and her Gather and Grow Group often send gifts to our office and they sent me a gift when I had my foot surgery last February. There was a counter separating us and I jumped up on the counter just so I could hug this sweet woman. I've been touched so many times by her cards and gifts and I was so grateful to be able to touch her and hug her myself. I think everyone thought I was crazy getting up on the counter like that, but I didn't care. Finally, my evaluation group. What a great group of women. All loving the Lord. All wanting to be used by Him to change the world. I enjoyed them immensely!

You can see why the end of the conference was bittersweet. Bitter because of the good-byes and sweet because of the Incredible Way that God Showed Up:) He was all over the place and it was evident. Another sweetness to the end of the conference was going back to work in the office on Monday. It was nice and quiet and we were able to share stories from the weekend. We also received numerous calls, emails, and cards from conference attendees sharing what the Lord had done in their lives. Lovin' it! It's been that way all week!

So, you've read this far and are probably beginning to wonder why in the world this is titled, "She Vacations". Well, it's because I'm going on vacation. Yeah! Tomorrow I leave for the beach. I'm not taking my computer and I won't be doing any work...well, not much. I am going to do some writing, but that's not really work for me. And I am really planning a vacation. I want to walk a lot on the beach with my sweet husband. I want to play in the sand building Cinderella's Castle with my sweet daughter. And I want to ride the waves with my sweet boys. I want to look for sea shells. I want to listen to family stories from my husband's grandmothers, go shopping with my mother in law. I want to sit on the sand, staring over the sea...thinking...reflecting...praying...praising...and being very thankful for my blessings. This will be a true vacation.

Yes, She Vacations...beginning now:)
Blessings and Much Love,

Melissa