#WOFOTT
I had a crazy thought earlier in October....I should go to the Women of Faith Conference.
Who cares if it was:
1. Expensive
2. Same weekend as my Halloween Party
3. Another hotel stay in our already busy month
4. An inconvenience to change my daycare schedule, and my husbands' schedule
5. In Seattle with horrid traffic
6. Two days away from my kids, who hadn't yet carved pumpkins
7. Taking time away from planning the party, decorating, cleaning, finding what to wear
I didn't care till about the Monday before, when my sister asked if she should buy our tickets. I was hoping she would forget, or just say "let's not." I do this, find something I am OVER THE TOP about, and then panic forces my anxiety to answer the door and cancel ALL plans that were previously set in motion. Fortunately, my sister isn't like that. Friday morning, 9am I found myself planted in my seat, waiting for the Women of Faith to move me. We had, or I did anyways, I great time. Raising my hands, clapping and outward shows of emotions are not my thing. I had already warned Shannon of my reservations, and she had warned me of hers. We, or I rather, sat there waiting to see if I would get anything from this at all. First up, Patsy Clairmont! Okay, I am not really a comedian type of gal, so I thought "oh here we go, boring." OMGoodness. Patsy Clairmont had her hardest critic laughing and crying all at the same time. Loved her, and so did 5,000 other women (Shannon included). Next up, Andy Andrews. Let me just say that I now know that God has a plan for my son with ADHD because of this speaker. Andy acknowledged publicly his ADD in the first five minutes, but I figured it out in about 5 seconds. I wanted to grab his arm, hold him still, and make him look me in the eyes when he spoke. I couldn't, the rest of us couldn't, and so he jumped allllllllllll over stage for the better part of our day. Luckily he was interesting or I would've just walked out. Funny thing is, he mentors Government leaders, sports teams, CEO's, Companies, and writes New York Times best sellers! He is amazing, but completely OVER THE TOP hyper! We ended Friday evening at the arena with Mandisa. Awesome. Truly. Of course having a piece of cheesecake with fresh strawberries from the Cheesecake Factory made it even sweeter. My sister and I stayed at the Westin of Seattle that night. The next morning we heard from Sandi Patty, Lisa Whelchel, Brenda Warner, Patsy Clairmont, and Marilyn Meberg, and Selah. There wasn't preaching, teaching, or threats to live a Godly life. They simply shared their stories, gave guidance on how they interpreted and worked through their situations, and encouraged us to lean on God. I focus on myself sometimes (big reveal right?)...sometimes more than I should. What I learned was that I had not gone through tribulations! I came out thankful for how I was raised, grateful for my family, my kids, and my God who has protected me. I know that I will not be able to keep that track record, but I know that I need to stay focused on him, regardless of my current situations.
I have not gone through:
Sexual abuse as a kid
My parents haven't died in a tornado
My husband hasn't dropped our child and caused brain damage
Severe anxiety that makes me a prisoner in my own home
Been homeless at the age of 19, sleeping under bridges and bathing in a hotel pool
Haven't been cheated on when I was 8 months pregnant
My son hasn't been diagnosed with H1N1 and remains riddled with health issues
-The ladies of WOF collectively have experienced these things. Those are tribulations.
The weekend came to an end all to quickly. I missed my family, but enjoyed spending time laughing with my BFF (aka sister) and Suri (Shannon's new iphone friend). I hope she plans to go next year because I do too (as of now, that is).
Who cares if it was:
1. Expensive
2. Same weekend as my Halloween Party
3. Another hotel stay in our already busy month
4. An inconvenience to change my daycare schedule, and my husbands' schedule
5. In Seattle with horrid traffic
6. Two days away from my kids, who hadn't yet carved pumpkins
7. Taking time away from planning the party, decorating, cleaning, finding what to wear
I didn't care till about the Monday before, when my sister asked if she should buy our tickets. I was hoping she would forget, or just say "let's not." I do this, find something I am OVER THE TOP about, and then panic forces my anxiety to answer the door and cancel ALL plans that were previously set in motion. Fortunately, my sister isn't like that. Friday morning, 9am I found myself planted in my seat, waiting for the Women of Faith to move me. We had, or I did anyways, I great time. Raising my hands, clapping and outward shows of emotions are not my thing. I had already warned Shannon of my reservations, and she had warned me of hers. We, or I rather, sat there waiting to see if I would get anything from this at all. First up, Patsy Clairmont! Okay, I am not really a comedian type of gal, so I thought "oh here we go, boring." OMGoodness. Patsy Clairmont had her hardest critic laughing and crying all at the same time. Loved her, and so did 5,000 other women (Shannon included). Next up, Andy Andrews. Let me just say that I now know that God has a plan for my son with ADHD because of this speaker. Andy acknowledged publicly his ADD in the first five minutes, but I figured it out in about 5 seconds. I wanted to grab his arm, hold him still, and make him look me in the eyes when he spoke. I couldn't, the rest of us couldn't, and so he jumped allllllllllll over stage for the better part of our day. Luckily he was interesting or I would've just walked out. Funny thing is, he mentors Government leaders, sports teams, CEO's, Companies, and writes New York Times best sellers! He is amazing, but completely OVER THE TOP hyper! We ended Friday evening at the arena with Mandisa. Awesome. Truly. Of course having a piece of cheesecake with fresh strawberries from the Cheesecake Factory made it even sweeter. My sister and I stayed at the Westin of Seattle that night. The next morning we heard from Sandi Patty, Lisa Whelchel, Brenda Warner, Patsy Clairmont, and Marilyn Meberg, and Selah. There wasn't preaching, teaching, or threats to live a Godly life. They simply shared their stories, gave guidance on how they interpreted and worked through their situations, and encouraged us to lean on God. I focus on myself sometimes (big reveal right?)...sometimes more than I should. What I learned was that I had not gone through tribulations! I came out thankful for how I was raised, grateful for my family, my kids, and my God who has protected me. I know that I will not be able to keep that track record, but I know that I need to stay focused on him, regardless of my current situations.
I have not gone through:
Sexual abuse as a kid
My parents haven't died in a tornado
My husband hasn't dropped our child and caused brain damage
Severe anxiety that makes me a prisoner in my own home
Been homeless at the age of 19, sleeping under bridges and bathing in a hotel pool
Haven't been cheated on when I was 8 months pregnant
My son hasn't been diagnosed with H1N1 and remains riddled with health issues
-The ladies of WOF collectively have experienced these things. Those are tribulations.
Our hotel room "view"
Hello Mr Hoot!
First drink I have enjoyed since last year's Christmas party...I'm cured!
Sandi Patty singing, "We Shall Behold Him."
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