Women's Retreat Weekend at Outer Banks!!

You know how sometimes you just know that you're where you are supposed to be???  Well, that's what this past retreat weekend experience was like for me.  From seeing numerous Pennsylvania references (through license plates, store names, even to having people from near my hometown/Knoebel's sitting behind us in mass the other night) to the signal graces that popped up here and there over the course of the 4 days, I felt like everything had fallen into place and I was doing what I was supposed to be doing this past weekend.  

It all started with the shirts I had designed as a surprise for the girls.  Originally, I had hoped to get a shirt made with a beach ball, seashell, or a pair of flip flops embroidered in the top left hand corner of the shirts.  I spent many hours trying to find just the right pattern online and asked my best friend, little brother, and Mom for their opinions.  However, upon going into the store with a printout of what I hoped to have for the logo in custom making the shirts, I was told that the designs I had in mind were not available so I opted to go with the starfish pattern the store offered. 

Here we are with our matching tshirts!  The girls seemed to like them!

Then, on Friday night, when at dinner, we all bought matching starfish necklaces to commemorate the trip.  One of the girls mentioned that our starfish necklaces looked like stars rather than starfishes to which I jokingly said, "Well, then they can remind us of Jesus Christ Superstar!" (thinking about the musical).  It wasn't until the next night that I remembered that I had put Bryan Adams' song, "Star", on the mix CD I made for each retreatant of a medley of songs to enjoy on the ride home. 

I thought that was the end of the star references but alas, I was wrong, for at the end of the weekend my Mom sent me a text that said, "You are a STAR.   You really make a difference!" when I told her about the retreat.  I wonder why she chose that word...?!

Another cool signal grace deals with my dear friend, Lisa Gorman Goddard.  I had recorded her talk on "99 Ways to Authentically Attract Your Future Spouse by Growing in Virtue" back in March at her Theology on Tap talk in Harrisburg with the intention of showing the video during the retreat.  Debate and discussion over the content of the talk and the handouts that went with it occurred over the next few days about singlehood versus married life and other topics dealing with dating.  On Saturday afternoon, I impulsively picked up my "The Saints Day By Day" book to share information on that day's saint since we were waiting out a brief rain shower that prevented us from going to the beach when planned.  I was shocked to read these words about and from July 14th's Saint, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, in light of what we had been discussing off and on throughout the weekend...

Finally, once home, upon going through the many pictures that had been taken over the weekend, I stumbled across this one. 

Do you see who's name appears at the bottom right hand corner??!  Goddard is my friends, Lisa and Michael's last name!!  (Lisa gave the talk on growing in virtue before meeting Michael that I showed the retreatants on Thursday night..)  Carmen had taken this photo of my GPS as I was driving because we liked how you could see the ocean in the top right hand corner of the GPS.  I find it interesting that of all the streets we were on, this was when we chose to snap the photo and in it appears a reference to something we had done while on retreat....!

Below is a write-up of our experiences that I wrote for my church newsletter followed by some photos of our incredible and inspiring weekend for you to view.  Enjoy!

Women’s Retreat Weekend at Outer Banks, NC

            In mid July 2012, four women from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Young Adults (IHMYA) group went on a weekend retreat at Outer Banks, NC.  The theme of the retreat was on, “Faith”, and how we could grow in that area through completion of service, spiritual, and social projects during our stay at the beach.  On the first day, we volunteered at a local nursing home for three hours by playing Bingo with the residents, providing Bingo prizes, visiting with the residents in their rooms, helping with word find puzzles, listening to their stories, singing and dancing with them, and just being with them.  Smiles and laughter were present everywhere we went while working at Colony Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Thursday afternoon.

            That night, we watched a video of a popular speaker from Theology on Tap sessions (in Harrisburg, West Chester, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania) talk on the topic of, “99 Ways to Authentically Attract Your Future Spouse by Growing in Virtue”.  Please see this link for more details on the speaker and the talk:  http://lisageek.blogspot.com/2012/03/theology-on-tap-99-ways-to.html .  A lively discussion over the handouts and the content of the talk ensued over the next few days. 

            We began our second day, Friday, by attending daily mass at the beautiful Catholic church, Holy Redeemer by the Sea, in Kitty Hawk.  Afterward, we received Confession and an impromptu tour of the church.  One of the many interesting details of this church included lovingly handcrafted Stations of the Cross that were made by one of the parishioners, a local artist.  Next, we went to the Outer Banks Beach Food Pantry, a non-profit organization, to donate 16 pounds of non perishable food.  Our new friends gave us a quick tour of the pantry and expressed thanks for donating much needed supplies. 

After getting in some relaxation and fun on the sandy shores of the Atlantic, we headed to dinner at the Tale of the Whale restaurant in Nags Head.  The food was delicious, the service was superb, and the atmosphere was pleasing!  Upon finishing our scrumptious meals, we headed out onto the dock behind the restaurant to enjoy the talents of Kim Kalman, a Catholic singer/songwriter one of the women had met at the Ignited by Truth Catholic Conference in Raleigh a couple years ago.  As the sun set over the bay, we enjoyed hearing both contemporary and Christian music as well as the stories behind the songs.  Kim even took requests and performed several favorites a second time.

Our third day of the retreat began with a beautiful sunrise over the beach, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, creating book marks and the sharing of inspirational quotes, a relaxing day at the beach, mass at which Kim performed the music, donating baby supplies to the Pregnancy Center, and ended with an hour of reflection at Jockey’s Ridge State Park where we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over both the ocean and the bay from the large sand dunes.  Finally, we grabbed a bite at the Outer Banks Brewing Station, the first windpowered brewery in America where we all agreed that the retreat had been a worthwhile & inspiring experience.  Many expressed an interest in returning next year and we would love to have you join us!  Please email Meg at uncgmeg@gmail.com for more details or any questions you may have.  God bless!

 

I saw this picture last night and it seemed a fitting conclusion when wrapping up my reflections to the Women's Retreat Weekend at Outer Banks!!  Can't wait to do it again in 2013!  ;)

Busy Bee vs. Being Still

Many of you know that I keep late hours to try to keep up with the never ending flow of schoolwork and in the last few nights have not been able to sleep anyway due to receiving sad news back home.

 
Well, tonight, I instead chose to work on items for the upcoming retreat at the beach that I've been planning. 



Even Dusty Shamrock is excited about the retreat!

A small voice in the back of my mind kept telling me I should be working on my literature review or on my syllabus for the course I'm teaching in the fall or this or that or that over there.  I chose to block out that voice and focus on my work for the retreat.  When I finished w/ the retreat preparation for the evening, I picked up a meditation book I'll be taking to read on the beach and on a whim turned to July 9th (not realizing it was after midnight). 

Here is what it said:
    Stop worrying long enough to hear My voice. I speak softly to you, in the depths of your being. Your mind shuttles back and forth, hither and yon, weaving webs of anxious confusion. As My thoughts rise up within you, they become entangled in those sticky webs of worry. Thus, My voice is muffled, and you hear only “white noise.”
    Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts. This ability is an awesome benefit of being My child, patterned after My own image. Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or that of your own thinking. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Sit quietly in My Presence, letting My thoughts reprogram your thinking.

I wonder if Shaun heard Jesus calling him 5 days ago.  I hope he is able to sit quietly in God's presence now and have the peace he deserves. 

On Retreat....at the Beach!

One week from today I will be on  my way to what I hope will be the first annual Women's Retreat at Outer Banks!  

I had been wanting to do something like this for a long time but didn't think it'd actually come to fruition until this past January.  That was when I started officially planning this retreat weekend with two other friends.  Ironically, those two friends can no longer join me for the retreat but as only through the providential guidance of God, three other, maybe four, women will be joining me!  I'm so so so excited for this relaxing yet growing experience for all of us.

I don't want to divulge too much information as I have a few surprises in store for the retreatants but I have a feeling this will be an experience that the girls won't soon forget.  We plan on volunteering, socializing, and growing in our spiritual lives as we explore our Faith on the sandy shores of the Atlantic in Outer Banks!  

Please keep us in your prayers and maybe think about joining us next year! 

Crazy for....??!!

I am so super duper excited for this Thursday night!  I'm going to see the opening night production of Crazy For You!  The last time I saw this play was (gulp) 14 years ago when we put this play on at North Schuylkill.  I was a junior in high school and actually had a line....it was......wait for it....."Good night, Bobby!".  Yes, yes, I know you're probably blown away by the amazingness of it all but it's true.  ;)

My show-stopping portrayal as one of Bobby's Folly Girls...I'm the 2nd one on the left, from the front.

 So, when I found out in March that this play was being put on a mere 90 minutes from here, I just HAD to go see it!  In addition to that, 15 other friends are joining me!  How cool is that??!  Friends from church, UNCG, and even home are coming to this play.  We all must be crazy for fun and good times!!

Speaking of which, what are you crazy for in your life?  Here are just a few of the things I'm crazy for in my life!

Love tickling my middle oldest nephew, Clark, and hearing his giggles!

My newest nephew, Thomas Mark, whom I will meet next week!!

Fall, both the season and the foliage, makes me happy.

....Summer concoction to celebrate almost the end of summer classes...!

I'm crazy for fun times with wonderful friends!  Yay for MUSEP!

Education...I will most likely always be involved in the field in some way shape or form...

Babies and Puppies....doesn't get much better than this!

Butterflies....I'm crazy for the butterflies you get in your stomach when falling in love!  <3

My sweet sweet niece!

I'm also crazy for random fun incidents with my little brother...like this one.  We just had to go buy some nail polish at Walmart....and wait in line for what felt like 20 minutes to buy a 99 cent nail polish.  ;)

...For the chance to get it right another day if I screw up today...

Finally, I'm crazy for the opportunities to try to see the silver lining in circumstances, no matter how bad things may seem, they are not always how they appear to us, even if we can't see the end result now, it'll be worth it in the long run!!  

 This last point rings especially true for me this week.  On Thursday, it will be one year since one of the darkest days of my life.  June 21st was when my car was totaled in a car accident while on a road trip.  You can see pictures of my trusty old Saturn Ion on my Facebook page by clicking here.  A year ago today, I couldn't see beyond the physical pain and the fact that I didn't have a car any more.  I would have found it hard to believe, last year, if you had told me that I'd be excited about going to a musical with friends on the last day of summer session 1 classes 1 year to the day of the accident.  I'm grateful to have such a fun evening planned on this "anniversary" of the accident.

That car represented so much more than just a car to me.  I bought it during my second year of being a teacher in the "real world".  I was brand new to Harrisburg and York and just starting out in my career.  I worked six long years to pay off that car and it was the first one I owned.  I remember nights of sitting with a friend, listening to trance music, and staring at the stars outside the sun roof as we talked late into the night.  I recall road trips with my best friends to the beach, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and pretty much anywhere else you could name.  Two weeks after buying the car, I was rear ended on Paxton Street in Harrisburg while on my way to Schuylkill County to go to a funeral of a family friend.  However, that didn't stop my friends and me from driving to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio that weekend.  My Dad and I "broke the car in" by taking it for a spin from Frackville to Erie, then on to Niagara Falls, Canada, to make sure the car worked properly..hehe.  It was the car I took to bring Dusty Shamrock home in one spring night 5 years ago.  One time, I accidentally drove onto an off ramp exit in Massachusetts when an ex boyfriend and I attended a family friend's wedding.  That was fun.  ;)  Many phone calls were made to my students' parents between schools during the work day and that little Saturn was what took Meredith and me to our best friend's funeral.  That was, by far, one of the hardest drives I had to make.  The Saturn also carried me back and forth on weekly trips from PA to NC for 3 consecutive summers of babysitting my niece and nephews.  So, as you see, that car was much more than just a car.  It represented an era in my life that I'll call my "Southcentral PA days".  It sure did cover a lot of ground from Harrisburg to York to Lancaster to Baltimore to Frackville to High Point and many many many miles beyond those areas for 7 years.