Chicago-bound!

Oh goodness.... I'm so excited I can hardly sleep. So I'll blog. it's been several days since I have, and I've missed it. From Wednesday to Friday I was so blessed to head north of Quebec City to a gorgeous ski chalet with 14 other women (one of whom was 4 weeks old!) and RETREAT. The very word is so perfect to describe our time. It wasn't intended to be training or very work-related, though it was a work-sponsored event. Female Campus for Christ staff from Sherbrooke, Montreal, and Quebec City got together to rest, relax (sans husbands and kids), and regroup. For some of us, it was because we'd just finished a hectic semester on campus. For others it was because we were about to head into a hectic missions trip abroad. For others it was because every day life on maternity leave is hectic, and we needed to be together with other women we could relate to and be built up. I hope for everyone it was as beneficial as it was for me. Consider me relaxed, regrouped, and retreated. SO. That's where I have been. Preparing to go away, being away, and now preparing for our next adventure in a busy season of blessing-filled things...

CHICAGO!

Brad and I are heading to Chicago and attending a conference hosted by the Gospel Coalition. To say we've been looking forward to this would be the understatement of our year. We booked our hotel in July. We are pumped! We're flying from Buffalo (flights within the US are SCORES cheaper than from Canada) so my parents who live just 20 minutes from the USA border will be watching Lily. It may be hard for me, especially since I was just away from her (for the first time!) for two days... but I'm still so excited. 

Brad did an incredible job caring for her full-time and I was beyond-pleased to come home to him singing my praises and repeating "I don't know how you do it!!" over and over again. The truth is, I love being a mom at home with my baby, but it's wonderful to hear that and be reminded that what I'm doing is significant and not always easy. Especially by the person whose compliments mean the most. 

So off we go again. This time together which will be so nice, but also without our baby (Lily's first time away from either parent for more than a couple hours). We were lucky enough to spend some time in France when I was pregnant with Lily, which we called our Baby Moon, and have vowed to attempt to do it before every baby's arrival (and without subsequent children), and it looks like Chicago will be that for us. 

I can't wait to explore this new city. We're arriving a day and a half early so we can. I can't wait to learn. I've registered for three mind-blowing seminars that I'm so excited about. I can't wait to get away with Brad. And knowing Lily's in good hands makes that easy.

I'm a blessed woman.