What a weekend - AWBU

{I say post 1 because I have a feeling I’ll be digesting for a while to come and bring back some things I learned this past weekend. (and, I should have apologized to my twitter followers before my weekend bc I’m pretty sure I annoyed you…my bad…that was one of the games of the weekend :)}

That being said…I had THE BEST weekend this past weekend at the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged conference at Ferncliff Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center – you know like camp for grow up nerdy ladies who need to get away because they are their own little culture of really super amazing world influencers through the written word (sound about right, ladies?). – I know I left out a bunch of punctuation there…but its my blog and I’m protecting my word count!

So, what happen this past weekend @ARWomenBloggers Conf?

1. I got away and my work email on my phone went away so I was fully, completely, totally able to truly get away
2. I spent an awesome weekend with my friend Rhonda and even though we both had to learn some new thing about taking care of a minivan, we totally made some memories we will not soon forget – yes dad I put transmission fluid in her car…Jack the old fart at Wal-Mart didn’t know how – apparently I make a great husband
3. I met tons of new friends…hoping I can find ways to link up – or better yet, just go check out their version of our weekend (amazing how we all sat a the same sessions, meals and activities and can see it all so differently!)
4. I was reminded that I need to be writing more
5. I was restored – my spirit was restored – and that’s what I’ll devote the rest of my super-long and doubly-wordy post to!

(We had some really amazing companies sponsor our weekend and I would really just like to come back to them in a later post because I’m a brand ambassador when I find good things…and I found some good things!)

A couple themes of the weekend that I walked away with

A#1 – WHO I AM IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT I DO (don’t get your “w” words mixed up on this, it creates a totally different meaning)
A#2 – write your story and STOP COMPARING
Be authentic
Share YOUR truth – no one else’s – but wildly share your truth
Boundaries ARE NOT the opposite of authenticity
Be Honest. Be Authentic. Be Compassionate. Be Thoughtful
#bethecomment
Knowledge brings value
Be authentically who you are – don’t doubt or wonder
You are a Masterpiece – thank you BooMama (again – another post all together!)
We need each other for community, not competition- I was amazed by this group of women, first time in a long time that I’ve been part of a group of supportive women who were out to make each other better, share their secrets and just dream together
You are who you are for a reason – just settle in to that!!!
Only you can do what God has called you to and the reason He put you are here to be
Put value on your voice and the gifts you bring – don’t discount your knowledge, influence or value
Its hard to be human – extend some kindness to yourself – fill yourself with things that lift you up
BE RELENTLESSLY AUTHENTIC

I talked a little more about this on Monday and find it super ~~ironic coincidental~~ a gift that I was needing to prepare a message to share with the DaySpring team on Monday and God totally walked me through a weekend of learning the lesson I needed to share. I MUST STOP COMPARING myself to everyone around me. It’s exhausting to keep up with the bloggy word savants. Its exhausting to wonder if I would make some money with this thing if I had the time to write more. Its exhausting to wonder if I could create the life that I read about other people having. Its exhausting to want to be a wife and mom and read about all the funny things other people’s kids are saying at the dinner table. It’s exhausting to want to create beautiful meals everyday that I can post pictures of and then write the amazing behind the scenes story of. Its exhausting to decide if I need to write posts on Sunday for the whole week or create them as they come to my mind. Its exhausting to watch the stats on my blog and try and figure out what effects the readership more – the time of day I post or if I link it up some way. Do you get my point?

I’m sure its exhausting to watch my Facebook feed and see all the crazy things I have going on. I’m sure its exhausting to watch me learn these really hard lessons that my heart needs to experience. I’m sure its annoying to read the excessive amounts of details that I put into my overly worded posts. I’m sure its annoying….

But I don’t write for all those things. I write for me. I write because I need to get these words out of my head. I write because I want to look back at the emotional evolution that life brings. I write because I can. I write because I know that my college roommates actually read this thing. (thanks to the rest of you who have ever been here before and actually came back today!)

I’m obsessive. And, I’m afraid I may miss out on something in life. Any day of the week I have over 1000 emails in my work email box and probably 2000 unread messages in my blog feed. Its exhausting to think that those things always “linger” over my head as open ended. But, you know what, I’ve got to quit letting them be a tape measure to “life success”.

What makes me feel enough? My measuring stick…not the sacred art: COMPARISON.

{and just to leave you on a note that you will not believe…we did a 5K on the last morning. Surely we win for “most beautiful finish line moment”. Wonder if we can get some New Balance “stinky shoe neutralizer” for that!}