Scrapbook Retreat: Year Four

I've been fortunate in the Army, that's right. You heard me correctly I've been fortunate in the Army. Fortunate in that I've made the most amazing friends wherever we've been. I literally have friends spanning the world. I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU ALL!!

Our last duty station, has been no exception. I've been a part of this super fun group year after year that gets together to celebrate the life of Dr. King. O.k., well maybe it is more scrapbooking than anything.

This is the 4th year, I was in Indiana during the first year, and so I've been able to share in the last three. I'm not sure if it was just that I needed this more than ever or that it really was the MOST FUN weekend yet. I laughed, I cried, I slept, I ate, I did scrapbook, and even more I bonded deeply with some awesome women. What is so cool is that we're all different ages, have different interests, it seems the one thing we ALL have in common is the gospel. Other than that our personalities (in some cases night and day) are different, we enjoy different things, some of us have kids some don't, some of our husbands are in the military some aren't. But, yet, throw us together in this spectacular five bedroom OLD home, and we have a total blast, learning about each other, lifting one another, and share tips and techniques about the world of scrapbooking, or maybe just about the world.

Let's talk about the house, I'm not sure but I think we found out that it was mid 1800's, it's been added on since then, but it had the wide plank wood floors, and full of charm. We had FOUR full bathrooms, a kitchen, a dishwasher, which has been a change since last time. Oh and it can NOT go without saying that we were a little bummed we weren't drinkers, because the house was FULL of drinks, everywhere!! It was hilarious that we literally could not walk five feet without having the option of having an alcoholic beverage. We were taking some fun pictures when I realized none of us had a clue about alcohol, I thnk we even thought one bottle was maple syrup!! :)

We also had internet access, which was new this year as well. This added some fun conversation as we reminisced on the Darwin awards, and also discussed politics as some of us figured out "Our Candidate" for 2008. Looks like I'm a McCain fan. We ate great, played harder and had the best conversation about ice cream. We even came up with a diet of ice cream every day for two weeks. A few of us are giving it a try. We'll let you know how it goes! And some of us are going to have an Ice Cream Party in a bit, which will be interesting, to say the least!!

We talked about real issues like politics, religion, families, marriage, parenting, and finances. I learned about a psycho girl, and psycho guy, a sweetheart suffering from some depression, a journey faraway, a soon to be deployed spouse, and even met the "skin whisperer". It was a much needed break, and had such an amazing time. Here's a few pics of my weekend away. Thanks girlies. You know I love ya!! Now go get yourself some ice cream...