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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Women's retreat

This weekend I went to the Women's Retreat with the women from my church.

Contrary to popular belief, it was NOT a weekend spent clutching our pearls and judging others (I got some craaaazy looks when I said I was going on a women's retreat from some folks). It was a weekend spent doodling, drinking wine, eating cookies, telling fart jokes, and having some awesome inter-generational bonding time.



The retreat also takes place at Camp Chrysalis- one of my favorite places in the whole world.  I used to go to camp there when I was younger (as did most people who grew up Lutheran in central or gulf coast texas). I went three summers in a row, for confirmation camp, and even had my 11th or 12th birthday there. Still when I go there, I think of my dear friends from growing up, and it makes me super happy.

It looks almost the same as it did a million years ago when I was a camper:
I stayed in this A-frame for two years:


But they have dredged the creek recently, and it looks wonderful (and is much more conducive to canoeing)
AND I saw this darling little fox on Saturday afternoon, just kind of sniffing around:
A few years ago, I had emailed the camp director (whom I LOVE- I think he is an outstanding person, and I'm honestly a little jealous of his life) about working there for a summer (since I have summer's off and usually don't teach summer school).  It didn't work out- I ended up meeting my husband and we went on vacation together instead (which I'm not going to complain about).

I reminded him of that when I saw him this weekend, and then the next morning at breakfast he said "so- you want to come work for me this summer?" I said no, because I don't think I want to leave my sweet husband for that long, but part of me really really really wants to do that sometime. Like I said- I think I am envious of his life: he lives at the camp, which is lovely. I'm sure there are drawbacks... but it's such a beautiful, spiritual place that I think it would be a wonderful experience. Have I mentioned how much I love this place?

I went running on Saturday morning- it was pretty awful. SO. HILLY. And I had to run on the road, and there were scary cars going really fast, and road kill, and steep hills, and I had to wait until 7:20 am because it was so stinking dark (being the middle of nowhere and all).  I also saw a pair of leopard print underpants on the side of the road.

One of the amazing ladies on the retreat, who I will just call Glam, because she personifies that word, was sporting some awesome leopard print silk pajamas (she dresses like this all the time- I would look like a loony in silk leopard print jammies, but you really just can't imagine her wearing any other kind- except for some bright red ones that she wore in the past). Also- just to be clear, this isn't a person my age. I'm not sure how old Glam is, but I'm going to guess she's in her 80s? I say all this because I told her that I saw the underpants on the side of the road and thought "Haha- Glam lost her underpants on the side of the road!!" And then she proceeded to show me the waistband of her underpants... which were indeed leopard print.

So- THATS the kind of weekend that this was!! So awesome.


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