Blessed be the name of God! The Family-Centered Learning conference was awesome!
(my horrible cold notwithstanding)
Admittedly, it wasn’t very Minnesota Nice of me to bring all those homegrown germs to Pennsylvania. Man! What are the odds? I’d been healthy as a horse all summer!
Perhaps it was a portent of health issues to come when I looked out the window during my plane’s descent into Harrisburg and saw these tell-tale towers:
Hmm, I thought. This can’t be good.
Seriously, I know that God knows what He was doing in letting me get so sick before such an important weekend. Of course He does, and one day—I hope—He’ll let me know what the joke was.
Still I feel incredibly blessed to have met, in person, so many of these wonderful families that I have known for years online. I am coming up on my two-year “blogiversary and I have known most of this women since I began. To meet up with them at Friday’s picnic and Saturday’s conference was truly a reunion of the heart.
Anyway. Onward with the recap.
Here is a photo of the gorgeously pregnant Mary Ellen Barrett, who from the looks of it has just been dropped off by her SUV limo.
Mary Ellen’s speech was so good, by the way! She had us in the palm of her hands, laughing and crying and loving the gift that is her son. What is the expression? God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called. If you are struggling with a special needs child, I highly recommend getting a copy of Mary Ellen’s talk. (You can do so here.)
And as if one beautiful conference speaker wasn’t enough, here is Mary Ellen and Meredith Henning.
Meredith is such a sweetie. I can totally see why the Internet named a blog after her. She is so sweet, in fact, that she invited me to room with her during the conference. (I’m sure she’ll find other uses for that hazmat suit she had to purchase.)
Do you recognize this cutie?
Of course you do. I’ll tell you, I followed Kimberlee’s family around like a lovesick puppy. I couldn’t get enough of that beautiful bunch, though by the end of the conference they were batting me away like a fly on their hotdish.
It is so hard for an extrovert like myself to be reconciled with the fact that there are, indeed, shy people in this world and that they don’t, necessarily, want to gathered up into the arms of a (croupy) stranger.
Anyway. Here are two more shots of Kimberlee, whose Eowyn hair was the talk of the conference and the goal of many a curious, outstretched hand.
Not mine, of course. I would never be so forward as to touch a new friend’s beautiful hair.
The conference itself was very edifying, very informative, and very much filled with friends-of-the-heart. I was blessed to make the real life acquaintance of two super smart and faith-filled women, Michelle Waters and Michelle Reitemeyer. (Michelle Squared, as it were.)
I didn’t get a photo of Michelle Waters, unfortunately. She wisely kept her distance after our initial hug.
(And of course that’s a bald-faced lie, covering up for my poor photojournalism.)
Here’s a photo of someone you 4Realers may well recognize, lovely Erica Sanchez of sunny CA. She was so sweet and relaxed a mom, and as you can see, her temperament is shared by her chubby bunny, Max (who fairly stole the show with his big brown eyes and happy demeanor).
I got to meet Heather of Doodle Acres, and she was a delight. I didn’t get a picture so I am stealing borrowing this one from her blog. Will you forgive me, Heather? Here she is with our beloved hostess.
Speaking of our conference hostess. Are you ready for me to dish out the dirt?
Michele Quigley is as fun and calm a mom-of-many as ever I’ve met. She was a warm, gracious and welcoming hostess, and heck if that gal isn’t talented beyond all compare. (You know you are, honey! Is there anything that you can’t do?)
Seriously. I would like to hire her to be my life coach.
Onward to other conference highlights. Remember this photo?
Hotel security arrived shortly thereafter. They nearly arrested us on charges of excessive fruit consumption, but then Diane offered them a banana and they stayed to party.
It was a fruitful gathering.
Actually, I was rooming with Erica the Awesome, Diana Banana, (my ever-infamous friend and partner in all things outrageous), and Meredith the Sweet. We were joined for a nightcap (Nyquil, in my case) by two other blogging mommies who were staying with their families in the same hotel: Alice the Great and the shockingly clever Karen Edmiston (whom I love, just love).
Alice’s talks, by the way, were…in short….amazing. You would do well to order them. (And again, here’s the link to do so.) Alice is one of the most beautifully integrated women I have ever met–gracious, kind, loving and so very funny. Truly, she lives the theological virtues as effortlessly as some of us slurp coffee. (Ahem.)
Her new book, Haystack Full of Needles, is every bit as good as you’ve been hearing. (You can order it here.) I read it all the way home and will have a review posted in a week or so. For now and as a teaser, I will just say that it is one of the best books I have read on homeschooling. Period. I have been thinking about her words nonstop.
Enfin.
This post is long and I hope you’ve hung in there. My point in talking at such length about the conference is not to make you feel bad for missing out. Not at all! It is rather to show you that online friendships are real and they are worth it.
Trust me. To be loved despite one’s germs is no small thing.
Have a beautiful day, my friend. God loves you and so do I.
Ad Jesum per Mariam,
Oh what fun! What great pictures!! Erica Sanchez was there?? Rats, I should have just gone. Ah well, next time, right?
And if that’s what you look like when you’re sick, I’m going to start drinking more coffee!! 🙂
What fun!! I’m so glad you had such fun despite your awful cold!
Could you explain what Family Centered Learning is to us less experienced people?
Margaret – what a recap! Considering I didn’t get a single picture, yours were so fun to see. I hope you’re feeling better. Again, it was great to meet the ND/MN mom in person! Have a great week…
I’m so, so bummed I missed it, but glad it was such a success and that everyone got to hang out. 🙂
You look great even when you are sick. How do you do that? 😉
Thanks for sharing so quickly. I’m glad that read that the talks are available already. Amazing!
Margaret, you are even more fun in person than on your blog–and that is saying A LOT!!!!
I am ecstatic to see the picture of the two of us together at the bottom of this post. I was in such a complete daze that I do not remember posing for it, and I was feeling terrible that I missed the opportunity of getting a picture with you for posterity! How great to see it!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words. You are the best. I am proud to finally be able to call you my IRL friend.
Oh, and reading through your comments, I cannot help saying–yes, Kristen!!! I wish you had gone with Erica!
Oh, Margaret! What a pleasure to meet you IRL and to share a room with you. I’ve so enjoyed your blog (and your movie recs!) for awhile now – you are just so REAL and so funny and so amazing.
My goodness, what a weekend! Surreal for me, really, to be among so many wonderful and talented women.
Kristen, I’m going to grab Lissa and we’ll all meet up at my sister’s house which I believe is in your neighborhood. 🙂
God has blessed us all with you, Margaret. You’ll be in my thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Erica
That was a wonderful post. I just loved it. Great pictures and the most adorable babies!
Oh Margaret – it was such a treat to finally meet you only I’m sorry you were feeling so poorly! Still, it was a wonderful weekend and you have beautiful pictures and memories to treasure. And I did NOT beat you off like a fly on whateverthatdishstuffis and I have a picture on my blog to prove it. 🙂 You are too kind and too sweet and too funny. And talented! Feel better soon! xo
Margaret…I’m having a hard time believing you were sick and coughing…all the pics of you look gorgeous…there’s not one of you hacking. 🙂 Please explain why Diane was dressed in such a wonderful outfit?? And the more I look at Mary Ellen…the more I wonder if she’s related to Katie Couric…that beautiful smile! 🙂
I reallllly wish I would have gone to this conference…sigh…:)
How in the world did you photoshop me into that outrageous outfit? Man, you’re good. Or bad might be more accurate.
What a perfect recap of our very beautiful weekend. Sick or not, you can be my roomie any day you like (though our guys might feel differently ;). It was so wonderful to share those days with you…thank you so much for coming, especially feeling as bad as you did.
But Nina is right…you looked gorgeous in spite of the germs and I’ve seen the photos to prove it. How did you do that?
Love you, Darlin’.
All is forgiven for stealing/borrowing my photo!!! LOL
I really enjoyed your sense of humor at the conference and would love to get together when you are not under the influence of cold medication and “hottees”!!!
Hope you are all recovered…
Love,
Heather – Doodle Acres
I really wanted to go to the conference!!! My husband was willing to watch the kids… my in-laws even came to help him out if need be… but I just couldn’t justify the long drive, the gas cost, and being away from my baby for 3 days.
It looks like you had a fantastic time, germs and all.
I would have loved getting the chance to meet you!
Hey, you can actually see that nuclear power plant from where I live.
Hope your cold gets better.
Well, if it’s any consolation, they made me throw the hazmat suit in the trash before I boarded my plane, sheesh, and what do they know 😉 I love you and hope you are feeling better sweetie, and it was truly YOU that graced us all with your sweetness. I’d room with you any day of the week!! Here’s to more fruit soon :))))
Hey, you were in that fruit picture, too! Right next to Alice, in a kiwi get-up, wasn’t it?
And I’m paying for my heartless “I wouldn’t have caught the cold” comment to you. I have felt miserable since last night. Betsy and I are hacking and sneezing up a storm. But, don’t worry — we didn’t get it from you, I’m positive. It’s just a little divine retribution for my insensitivity.
I miss you already. I should go Google the mileage from my front door to yours. After the trip we just took, it’ll feel like a jaunt across the street.