Friday’s Fave Five

What are highlights of your week? I share mine on Fridays. Susanne is our gratitude-leader. Join us here or leave a comment on this post with your fave five.

1. My baby had a birthday on Friday. This is Elizabeth’s last year in her 20’s. In her short life, she has done soooooo much. I am proud of her and look forward to what the coming years bring. We will celebrate with the whole family this coming Saturday. In fact, we are celebrating 4 birthdays!

2. Most shots for India are done. I had polio, Hep A/B, and TDaP shots. The nurse gave me cute cartoon band-aids for the “oozes.” I am taking typhoid fever pills. My arms are fine – no side effects. Of course maybe the ibuprofen has something to do with that. 😉 I am also taking some bromelaine to counteract inflammation.

3. New hair-do. At retreat I got tired of my loose hair so I tried a french braid. To my surprise and delight I was able to do it. This is awesome for two reasons. (1) My left shoulder was strong enough to handle that extended movement. Ever since I broke my shoulder 2 years ago, I haven’t been able to do that. (2) It looked good. If I can continue to do this, maybe I won’t have to cut my hair before going to India. I will post a picture next FFF.

My drive-in peeps: Pam, Lynette, Me, and Bip (left to right)

4. Drive-in movie. “At the height of their popularity in the 1950’s, there were over 4,000 drive-in theaters in the U.S. Today, only 366 remain.” One of them is 10ish minutes away from my home. I posted the above quote on my Facebook page and 3 gals took me up on going even though the movie didn’t start until 8:30pm. It was chilly (but I had my trusty blanket, jacket, and gloves). We stayed for only the first movie. We saw After Earth (with Will and Jaiden Smith) which was moderately scary. I only screamed twice. We had plenty of snacks and great conversation before the movie started. This was Lynette’s first time. I want to GO again!

5. Activa yogurt. I am always on the look out for ways to improve my health that are easy to implement. I don’t know how come I never tried Activa before to better my digestive health. It is tasty especially the vanilla. Although it does make me gassy. My chiropractor said that could be a good thing. He said to wait a week or two before giving up this treat. I guess it remains to be seen if Activa will be recalled as a fave.

BONUS: I hope to write-up a fave five list from the Retreat we had over the weekend. If not, all you need to know is that Retreat was awesome.

Your Turn . . . Leave a comment on a fave (or five) that you experienced this week.

Related Posts . . . 

• ONE. ABOUT ELIZABETH: What a MOTORCYCLE Reminds Me About Parenting . . . Figuring Out the Real Meaning of Humane Society
• TWO. ABOUT GOING TO INDIA: Sewing Machines and Lessons Transform Lives in India: Here’s How You Can Help . . . INDIA Trip is More Than Travel Delight; It Includes a Conference, Shoeboxes, & Sewing Machines
• THREE: ABOUT MY HAIR: New Haircut and Making a Decision
• FOUR: ABOUT SUMMER: 5 Reasons I Love Summer . . . 4 Items On Retreat Bucket List 2013
• FIVE: ABOUT SELF CARE: 7 Reasons to Drink Smoothies for Breakfast . . . Ten Ways to Practice Self-Care
• SIX: ABOUT RETREAT: 5 Blessings from Retreat 2011 . . . 11 Reasons Women Attend Retreats

Quiz Shows What Women Won’t Find At Retreat June 10-12, 2011

Draw a line from the list on the Left to the correct answer on the Right to see what women will NOT find at Retreat. It will  be at Zephyr Point Conference Center.

Long lines for the		Women
Bunk		Kill-Joy Women
Coin operated		Schedule
Cliché		Chores
Critical,		And/or Kids
Jam packed		Answers
Significant others		Showers
Isolation from other		Food
Household		Bathroom
Bland		Beds

Isn’t it great you won’t find these things at retreat? But right now you will find Women’s Retreat Brochure 2011. Fill one out today and turn it in with your deposit ($90.o0). Or you can start making payments to hold your spot. Put Women Retreat Payment in the memo section of your check.

Retreat cost is $180.00. Go here to see why that’s a great bargain.

Let us know if you have any questions. Contact me at the church at 635-5992.

Answers . . . Answers . . . Answers . . . Answers . . . Answers Below

No long lines for the bathroom…No bunk beds…No coin operated showers.

Women will be staying in hotel style comfort with 2 comfy beds per room and a shower ensuite. These rooms typically house 2 women.

No cliché answers…No critical, kill-joy women…No jam packed schedule.

Our speakers are real women who have found real answers. CNC ladies are gentle, accepting and fun. And the schedule is just the right balance between group time and free time, and between scheduled meetings and informal interactions.

No significant others and/or kids….No isolation from other women…

This is a weekend to spend on you. You choose how much alone time or group time to have. Because we will all be housed in the lodge, it will be easy to spend time with CNC women.

No household chores…No bland food.

You are forbidden to go into the staff laundry to take care of the sheets and towels. You are equally forbidden to enter the kitchen to whip up dinner. Instead, you will be pampered by housekeeping and cooks alike. You will enjoy the accommodations and tasty food.

Your Turn . . . Go ahead and sign up today. Deposit deadline is March 6th.

Related Post . . . No Matter How Hard You Try, These 6 Things Will Not be at Women’s Retreat

How Would You Evaluate a Retreat?

I like evaluating  . . . programs, books, my life. The process helps me to think more clearly about the pros and cons. This is how I see what works, what doesn’t and most importantly how it can be done better.

What are some questions you’d use when evaluating a retreat? Why? Or what are some good questions you’ve answered?

Below are ones we’ve used at our retreats. Comments on these? 

1. What did you like most about retreat?
2. Which aspects of the program were most helpful?
3. Which aspects of the retreat were not helpful or should be done differently?
4. When did you experience God during the retreat?
5. When did you experience community during the retreat?

 

No Matter How Hard You Try, These 6 Things Will Not Be At Women’s Retreat June 5-7, 2009

Here you have it, 6 more things you won’t find at women’s retreat at Zephyr Point.

1. Platitudes

2. Plastic mattresses

3. 200 bff’s you’ll never see again

4. Long walk to meeting room & dining facility

5. Lingering smoke in your hair & clothes

6. Perfect Women

Put this date on your calendar. Start saving about $5 a week for the Retreat cost. Registration forms are coming in December.

Have any questions? Contact Susan  or Reggie at the church office.

 

What do you hope to not find at your women’s retreat?

We Just Came Back from Retreat – What Did You Learn? Let’s Share Our Stories

Retreat Learning Experiences

I always try to learn one thing from each retreat, conference, sermon, or class. More than that and I burn out, get to overwhelm and bury the whole learning experience. Why do I dig for the lone lesson? The following quote says it well:

There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience, and that is not learning from experience. ~Laurence J. Peter

Plus, it is in the learning experience that I hear from God. And I like hearing from God. Hearing what He wants me to learn. . . . How to grow. . . . Find that next step.

Learning is not compulsory… neither is survival.–W. Edwards Deming

This retreat was no exception. I learned. Not what I expected to learn though – like something about the spiritual disciplines. Actually it was more of an unlearning. And then a relearning.

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.–Alvin Toffler

I am grateful that this Retreat weekend was a relatively calm experience. No major upheavals other than a lost notebook and being stuck in a handicapped elevator. Plenty of quiet, alone time to reflect, wrestle, and debate my thoughts and God’s thoughts.

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.–Willa Cather

And you, what did you learn? Before I spill my beans, gather yours and share. Then I will too. Let’s see if we can collect our stories, share them, discuss them, and learn/heal/love one another through this online experience.

Here are the guidelines . . . .

1. Write a post on your blog about a “learning experience” that is related to Retreat.
2. It can be in any format you choose: humour, pictorial, anecdotal, prose, serious, bullet form.
3. Post your entry at your blog. Then leave a comment here. If you don’t have a blog, submit your entry to susan2009 (at) gmail (dot) com. I’ll post it here for you.
4. After the deadline (July 5th) I’ll compile all the entries in one post.
5. Be sure to read all the entries and leave a comment.
6. Pass on this info to everyone who attended retreat. Wouldn’t it be FUN to have a bunch of us participating in this bloggy event? Who knows, our speaker may even participate, especially if we promise her socks, smiling faces, nods and the occasional wink.

Submission Deadline is 12 midnight July 5th, 2008.

Edited to add:

If you didn’t attend CNC‘s Women’s 2008 Retreat, you can still participate in this group writing project. Simply write about what you learned at a retreat you attended.

Retreat Thoughts Still Swirling

Spending the weekend with 46 ladies in beautiful Lake Tahoe learning about spiritual disciplines was fun, challenging, growing, tiring, and worth every minute. The time away provided me with the opportunity to …

• Learn from 2 gifted communicators
• Engage in worship under the direction of a unified, talented team
• Hear others’ insights
• Laugh, worry, pray, and discuss
• Enhance my relationships

I came away with the idea that spiritual disciplines are relationship connectors. They help me to connect in a deeper, more meaningful way with God, myself and the community (called the church).

I came away with the idea that even though I am so flawed, God desires to and does work in and through me.

I came away with the idea that my girlfriends help keep me balanced through their reprimands, prayers, acceptance, and godly examples.

My thoughts are still swirling and will land soon. That’s when I’ll be able to assess what my next steps are.

I do know that I am so grateful for the time, energy and talent that so many ladies gave to make this retreat a success. In fact, I believe that includes each woman. Each woman gave something of herself to make this retreat a connecting time. Thank you all.