Weekend To Remember

My post title isn't something cheesy I'm using to describe a good weekend--it's actually the name of a marriage conference we went to in Sugar Land. It really was memorable and enjoyable. There are three unenjoyable things that happened this weekend that I need to get off my chest before we start with the good stuff:

1. I lost one of my favorite earrings. From a pair that I got a local craft fair, so I can't just go out and pick up another set.

2. A group of middle-aged women woke me up around 1 a.m. causing a drunk ruckus in the hall.

3. I got a fever blister. A plight that the Sheffields have passed down for generations. What a legacy.

So. Now to the good parts of this weekend.

I'd been hearing about Weekend to Remember on the radio for a couple of years now and wanted to go and finally my dream came true! Even though it was just in Sugar Land (about 30 minutes from us) we still wanted to go spend the entire weekend at the hotel and get the whole experience. Luckily for us, they waive the registration fees for pastors and wives, so we were able to afford the hotel, and I'm so glad we chose to do that. It was so nice to escape "life" and get away and focus on what we were there for instead of being distracted by the things of home and driving back & forth.

I took Friday off, which was such a great start to our weekend. We got to sleep in and get ready slowly. Then we went to get pedicures, which was so relaxing. My man isn't too good for a little pampering.

Then we partook in the deliciousness of the Cheesecake Factory before checking into the hotel and relaxing a bit before the conference started Friday night. It consisted of large group sessions, then they would give you time to do independent "projects" and discuss what you just heard.

Saturday we got up a little early and went to Panera to have pumpkin muffies and hot chocolate (the way to my heart) and chat. It was a really nice, relaxing time to spend with Justy.

We spent most of Saturday in sessions. We might have played hooky for one session to relax in the room and enjoy fried rice to-go from Benihana (Justin's favorite). It was raining like crazy and we got the bright idea to walk (without an umbrella) to go pick it up and came back sopping wet and cold. But it was fun.

They made Saturday evening "date night." Some of the people in that room hadn't been out on a date for weeks/months/years. But when you don't have kids, it's kind of like every night is date night. Some are more extravagant than others for us--some nights consist of making dinner together and tv. But it's still alone time. So, while fun, it wasn't that big of a deal for us. And I didn't want to compete with the other 400 couples for a spot at a fancy restaurant. We hung out at the hotel, dined at Cafe Express, then hung out at the Town Square where they were having a free concert before heading to bed early (just to be awakened by loud, drunken, glass-breaking women.)

This morning we slept in a little bit before attending a couple more sessions and heading on home to recap what we learned over a relaxing pizza lunch and a loooong, lovely nap.

Look for "what we learned" in a later post! This one is too long already!