Where do I even begin?
(I'll start with apologizing with the quality of the photos, I put it on "low light mode" for all of these, and they looked great on the little screen.... a tad grainy in real life)
A week and a half ago two friends and I got on a plane bound for Harrisburg, PA...
and The Relevant Conference.
Just think... in all of creation... for all of time... how many people have gotten to see the tops of the clouds? It never gets old for me.
Chocolate World was okay. I'd probably like it better if the song from the tour wouldn't pop in my head every time I think of the word "Hershey". ♪♫♪ It's the milk chocolate, woooo-hoooo ♪♫♪
After we got back from the chocolate factory, on the first day, I had a little break down.
Why am I here?
I don't fit in!
I'm just a frumpy housewife from Wisconsin, what am I doing?
It seemed like everyone else knew each other, or were part of an extra-tight blog ring that I knew nothing about? People were recognizing each other left and right, and I had no clue who anyone was!
That evening Sarah Mae, Jessica, & Dana greeted 250 women in a conference room of the Harrisburg Sheraton. Hannah, Christina and I grabbed a table near the front. It ended up being "our table" for the rest of the conference. We mostly shared it with Julie, Juanita, Maxine, and Amy. I am so grateful for each and every one of them. They became very dear to us over the next few days.
Tsh gave the first keynote, and it was amazing. She was quoted in every break-out session I attended for the rest of the conference.
Afterwards we had the (in)courage Beach Party in the DaySpring Lounge. We also got our goody bags. Fun, fun, FUN!
By the next day I felt like I knew everyone.
My first break-out session was a photography class with Darcy. She is one of my very favorite memories of Relevant. Über-cool, über-fun, and crazy-smart - she taught us how to shoot in manual mode in 15 minutes. No joke. For the first time in my life I really understood it. Check out her 31 Days to a Better Photo series. It's everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-and-more-all-in-one-place!
My second break-out session was Upside-Down Blogging with Courtney, Amy, and Ann. I was familiar with Courtney from her blog, but had only visited Amy's site for tech help a few years ago. Amy is an amazing speaker! I loved her transparency and humbleness. Not to mention she is a gifted speaker! I had her pinned as a techie, and she blew that sterotype out of the water! (grin)
And Ann. I have been reading Ann's blog since almost the beginning. She is very dear to me for many reasons. It was pure blessing to be able to meet this side of heaven.
The music from the weekend was par for the course.
As amazing as the speakers.
We heard from Aaron Shust.
The incomparable pianist - David Nevue. I felt I was sitting in the presence of genius. He made the sounds of the piano sound like a foreign language... and I thought... if I just tried hard enough... I might be able to understand the words.
I adore his wife, Julie, she is a kindred spirit.
Christa Wells.
Did you know that for almost a year, the only music I listened to was Andrew Peterson.
And that the only CD that seemed worthy to listen to after that was Christa Wells?
She was accompanied by Nicole Witt, who is a brilliant artist herself.
After listening to just Andrew Peterson and Christa Wells for a year and a half - I added Shaun Groves. And not just because of his cool hair. (grin)
His album Third World Symphony pierces my heart.
But he's not just a great singer. He has a huge heart for children.
Children living in poverty.
Everything out of his mouth blew me away. Wisdom... Grace... Christ... Compassion... Grace. All wrapped up with Humor. If you ever have a chance to listen to this man - do it!
You will come away a better person.
There were so many wonderful speakers! Kristin, Kristi, Emily, and Holly.
Sally. I've always though Sally Clarkson looked pretty in photos on her blog and books. But meeting her in person? She is breath-taking.
I felt the passage 1 Peter 3:3-4 was presented in living example before me:
"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious."
I purchased all of her books at the book signing. I am almost finished with The Mission of Motherhood.
My only regret is not buying the book when it first came out. It has been on my list forever.
I implore you, do not procrastinate as I did.
I will be reading and re-reading her books. Honey from the comb!
I wish Ann's keynote was available online.
I would love to hear it again.
She speaks Truth and Grace.
And she always points up.
I am still speechless.
And then there was Shelly Noonan.
I was late to her keynote, so I had to slip into the back of the room. I was too far away to get a good pic. And the other times I spent with her I was too engaged in the conversation to think about my camera.
Shelly is an absolute gem. She was so willing to mentor us, corporately and privately. I learned many things from her, she was the biggest surprise God had for me that weekend. I will be reviewing her books very soon, I can't wait!
The rest of the weekend was filled with the best of fellowship.
Hannah and I practiced what we learned in Darcy's class.
I can't believe I don't have a pic of me with Christina. We came together and shared a room. No photos.
Some of our fabulous table friends: Heather, Heather's friend, Maxine, Hannah, Juanita, Amy, and Me.
LaDonna was the first person to befriend us. She is such a dear!
And the goodies. We were spoiled. rotten.
I couldn't believe it. Do you see all those books? I also brought two from home to be signed by their authors, and purchased another three. Oh, and my Bible, devotional, prayer book, and journal. They were heavy! On the way to the conference my bag weighed 38 lbs. On the way home? 67 lbs. There was a little scrambling with the carry-on to make that all work.
Overall the weekend was amazing. And I met so many wonderful bloggers.
And I learned to tweet!
Will wonders never cease? (grin)
I think this is one of my longest posts... ever. But I didn't even scratch the surface. I have a few more posts swimming in my head that I'm going to try to type out this week.
As I sit here, overwhelmed by the blessing of it all, I can't think of any other way to sum it up. I am just so honored that I got to be a part of Relevant '11... a blogging conference where Our Heavenly Father is the featured Keynote speaker.
