Apr 4, 2016 3 min read

I spent the weekend in Deep Creek, Maryland, with more than a dozen girlfriends. The entire purpose of our annual trip is to work on our scrapbook projects while laughing, eating and enjoying one another’s company. It is a very nice time.

In years past, I have set goals for myself for how many pages to complete, what time I should stay up until, and others that are equally unrealistic. This year, the only thing I required of myself was to complete the 5-miles-per-day walk that my Fitbit is set to track. Fortunately, there were a couple other ladies who shared that goal, and it was achieved.

Interestingly enough, I completed a very similar amount of layouts to previous years despite not pressuring myself with numbers. Also interesting to note, when I get tired, I just start slapping stuff together, so not staying up until the wee hours of the morning actually left me liking the completed layouts better than years past, as well.

One of the best things about these weekends is that all of the ladies share the workload for meals, dishes and kitchen cleanup. We divide into groups, and each group is responsible for preparing only one meal for the weekend. It is incredible to get to eat so much with so little effort on my part (read: Oh, Dear Lord in Heaven, where did I put so much food? I’ve been home an entire day without eating and I’m still not hungry.)

My family at home didn’t survive as well, I’m told. They were forced to eat – wait for it – LEFTOVERS! You would think I had left them to starve without a second thought, to hear them tell it.

Our trip was not without struggle, however. There were a few sketchy moments when it began to get windy and to snow. The power flickered on and off a few times, and we momentarily worried about the heat. But, between there being firewood on the porch, and having some Girl Scouts, farm wives and other talented people in our midst, we knew we could figure something out, and fortunately, we didn’t have to try. Being snowed in for an extra day wouldn’t have been such a bad thing, anyway.

Speaking of talented people, I mentioned a few weeks ago about the talent project that my church is working on. If you recall, our missions committee gave each willing family a small investment and asked us to use our individual talents to grow the money to support our Haiti mission. I relayed how I was struggling to both find a talent and to use it without hurting myself.

I’m not certain how successful I’ve been at either thing, but you can judge for yourself! This weekend, April 8 and 9, participants in our project will be set up at Washington Crown Center, selling our work. I will be there from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. each day, and aside from my reclaimed pallet items, there will be fishing lures and fruit pies, homemade by other church people. Other items will be available, as well, and I think there are morning hours for additional projects. If you get a few minutes, come and check out our wares. Buying something you like and helping those less fortunate in the process is a winning situation for everyone!