Several months ago Lysa Terkeurst from Proverbs 31 Ministries contacted Sophie, Shannon and me to see if we were interested in teaching a few sessions on blogging at the She Speaks Conference.
I believe my answer was somewhere along the eloquent lines of “I don’t have nothin’ else to do”.
Which is exactly what Loretta Lynn said in “Coalminer’s Daughter” when they asked if she could appear on the Grand Ol’ Opry the following week.
My response wasn’t because of lack of enthusiasm, but because I was pretty sure she had contacted the wrong person and would eventually figure it out.
But as it turns out, she meant to call me and so I spent this past weekend in North Carolina sharing my blogging “expertise”.
It was a short class.
Other than meeting Shannon and Sophie last fall, I had never met any other bloggers in real life before this weekend and I have to say it was so cool to be in a room full of other people who carry their laptops everywhere and take pictures of random things like plates of nachos or people’s feet.
I thought it was just me.
Except I would never take a picture of someone’s foot because I have feet issues. They are vast and complicated. I can’t really get into it right now.
I arrived in North Carolina on Thursday night and Sophie and I immediately went in search of chips and salsa. As we walked out of the hotel doors, we heard a sweet voice say, “Can I get a picture of y’all? You’re famous!”
And I thought MOTHER PEARL!, BRAD AND ANGELINA ARE HERE! while frantically looking around so that I wouldn’t miss them. It turned out she was talking about us. Sophie and me. The least famous of any two people who have ever walked through a lobby at Embassy Suites.
But we posed for a picture that could possibly fetch upwards of a nickel if it ever gets put up on Ebay.
Then we went somewhere and ate a plate of nachos that consisted of enough shredded lettuce to feed the entire rabbit population of North Carolina.
There are so many things I want to say about the weekend, but I don’t know where to start. I loved getting the chance to meet so many people whose words I have read, but have never been able to meet face to face. Every woman I met was just as sweet and funny as they are on their blogs.
The entire Proverbs 31 staff could not have been more helpful, encouraging and supportive. They went out of their way for every woman there. And I can’t even talk about the sheer fabulousness of Lysa Terkeurst’s hair or the tears will begin to flow.
As I flew home yesterday, I thought about the entire weekend. The experiences I had, the people I met, the things I learned and I just felt so blessed that I had the opportunity.
In fact, I only have one regret from the weekend that I will carry with me for the better part of the next three to four days.
Well, other than my regret that I referred to constipation in a room full of women.
This tunic.
It’s pure cuteness, is it not?
Off topic, but does anyone else see Inspector Clouseau in the corner of the picture?
The tunic was at Off 5th in the Concord Mills Outlet and I passed it by. Mainly because its retail cost was in the range of a number that could have caused some marital distress once I came off my giddy weekend high and returned home.
P doesn’t believe in spending a lot of money on anything that cannot be used to defend your life in threatening situations.
So with great regret, and after confirming that the store was not within moments of knocking 75% off the price, I walked away.
But I will remember it fondly forever.
Much like the weekend.
Thanks to Lysa and Proverbs 31. It was awesome.