Over The Top Part III

The following review is from my friend Carrie that went to the conference with me.  Since she loves to write and loves to be heard, we decided it would be fun to include her thoughts since she used the extra ticket that was given to me for the review.  I know you'll enjoy her review.....so read on!

Have you ever been in a place in life where you needed something but didn’t know what? One of my favorite movies is “Fools Rush In”. It is completely immoral, but I still love the story, and you know there are several we all have that could fall into that category! (Even “The Little Mermaid”!) ANYWAY…….In the film, Matthew Perry tells Salma Heyak, “You are everything I never knew I always wanted.” It has always stuck with me, isn’t that how so many of us feel about God?
I have found myself at this huge crossroad in life and I have been desperate for a little guidance from God. One of my oldest and closest friends from High School, that I have not really spent time with in far too long was looking for someone to go to the Women of Faith conference with at the Key Arena in Seattle. I thought for sure she would have found someone, so I didn’t even bother to say anything. I know, totally Eyore of me right? Finally, I spoke up and told her I would love to go. I can say, with total confidence, that God had planned just that all along.
Danielle and I picked up right where we left off, as if ____ years had never gone by. I leave the number blank because it scares me to even put it on paper. I honestly had the best time before we even found our seats.
Then the conference began. They kicked it off with a bit of worship and it was beautiful. It was a perfect blend of melody and harmony, accompanied by the Presence of The King of Kings. Then, this little firecracker named, Patsy Clairmont, gets up and begins to share. Being the people watcher that I am, I will say she should stick to blonde and ditch the red hair, but hey, at least she is enjoying it! She tells it exactly like it is and packs a punch! She has such a great God Story, you know the story of what God saved you from? She conquered crippling fear in her life that is very inspiring. To go from being Agoraphobic to speaking on stages across the country is a serious testimony in and of itself.
Then ADHD stepped on stage. He goes by the name Andy Andrews and in Q & A he informed us that his mother did not name him Andrew Andrews. He is an author and once you get past the craziness, he is incredible. He made me nervous, I hate when people even pace, so his speaking style was hard for me. But he had so much to say that spoke to me.
The way that they did lunch was total chaos and the food was not at all worth the wait and frustration. But all in all, the day session was exactly what I never knew I wanted or needed even. Patsy said something that day that is still ringing in my ears. “God gave us a will that is stronger than our emotions. Our emotions don’t have brain cells because they weren’t meant to think.” Remember the crossroad that I referred to? I am still chewing on that one and trying to figure it all out, but now I have peace about it all.
The evening started off with a bang after an overly long break of…. FOREVER! Mandisa rocked the house and Mr. Andy Andrews closed it out with a great, and surprisingly focused message. I really want to read all of his books and have my eye on The Traveler’s Gift to start with. His perspective on everything is so simple, yet profound and everyone could benefit from reading one of his books.
Danielle and I had an old fashioned sleep over at her dad’s house and honestly there was very little sleeping. As exhausted as I was the next day, it was totally worth it and so long overdue! I think that so many women lose sight of how vital friendship is. We were not meant to do life alone and even in the privacy of our own home and family life we can feel alone. There is nothing greater than having a great friend. In today’s society we have slipped into this “facebook friends” interaction between friends. We used to get together for a cup of coffee or talk on the phone to catch up, now we post something on the other’s wall, and we lose touch with the people we care about. As sad as it is, I have totally fallen into that routine. This weekend and conference got me away from just that and it was so refreshing in every way possible.
The next day was awesome! It was a beautiful clear day in Seattle, which everyone knows is something to be cherished. I laughed and cried at the conference on Saturday so much as cliché as that even sounds. Everything said seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear. You know that feeling in church where you swear the Pastor has been reading your mail? Yeah, all weekend. It was poignant and meaningful and thought provoking.

I left the morning session feeling revived and then let’s just say Danielle and I decided to skip the provided lunch. She opted for the over salted and over priced pretzel at the Key Arena and I went to the Food Court for my cold over priced slice of pizza. I am not normally a complainer, especially about food. I worked in the food industry for many years and I am very sympathetic to problems and whatnot in that field. However, if I am going to give an honest review, than I guess I better be honest! We spent the rest of our break walking around and taking some random, abstract photos of Seattle and it’s inhabitants. The Science Center grounds were filled with 20 plus food trucks and I desperately wished I had brought more money. Well, if I am wishing, I am actually wishing I HAD more money to bring! Back to the point though, we had a great time with our conversation and our cameras, taking a look at a beautiful city through a different lens.
The latter part of the day was back to the Arena for more worship, Godly wisdom and a lot more tears and laughter. Selah performed for the second time, I am only mentioning it now, because they didn’t feel noteworthy the first go-round for me. I now am addicted to their song “Unredeemed”. It is precisely where I find myself. It talks about, in my humble opinion, the darkest moments of our lives. Those times when we feel so alone, and afraid. The, “in the midst of the storm” kind of moments. Those are, “the places where grace is soon to be so amazing”……….I cannot get enough of that lyric. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for a grace from God that I am so unworthy of. Andy said something to go along with just that about us not wanting to get what we really deserve. God is just so good, isn’t He? His love is overwhelming and His grace………. That is a sentence that I may never complete.
God showed up for me in a very personal way this weekend. Really, He was always there, I just became very aware of his presence. It was, “everything I never knew I always wanted.” I needed to be filled up with fresh wisdom and worship and insight…..and laughter with a great friend.


Isn't that the truth?  Carrie hit on something there really deep when she brought up our relationships with our friends.  We both needed that time together.  God knew more than we did how much we needed that time.  I love U2 Carrie!

Over The Top Part II

After we returned to the Women of Faith Conference 2011 from lunch we were privileged to hear Patsy Clairmont and Andy Andrews speak more.  The session before we took a break for dinner was the Q&A with them. 

All of this time, there is a little area next to the stage, it's been sectioned off with chairs inside.  So far, no one has used that area except Andy Andrews who kneeled over a chair. 

After the Q&A it was time for dinner.  Dinner started at 3:30 and the evening session didn't start until 7:00, so we had a few hours to ourselves.  We walked to a restaurant that wasn't far from our car.  Our mistake was staying there and eating.  We should have turned right back around and gone somewhere else.  The food was gross, the decor was horrid (Carrie liked the ceiling tho) and the waitresses belonged in a totally different dimension than the one we were in.  Especially the new girl.

We were freezing and it was pouring.  It was also getting dark and we didn't want to be walking the streets of Seattle at night.  So since we had so much time, we sat in the car with the heater on for a while to warm up.  

When the evening session started we were warm and cozy in our assigned seats and waiting for the drama to begin.  The drama was very real to us!  It was about all the different hats that moms wear.  Oy, it exhausted me just watching it!  The drama was performed by Katharine Everett and she was new to the Women of Faith team.  She did a really good job I thought. 

We, as moms and wives, do wear soooo many hats!  Sometimes we have to wear more than one at a time.  And as uncomfortable as that can be, we get it done.  Albeit, there are the occasions when we make it through with less hair than we had before, or another layer of enamel ground off our teeth (I'm a teeth clencher when I'm mad).  But we make it through!  And we're ready for another day of non-stop hurdles.

Now the section that had the chairs in it next to the stage was filled.  It was called The Porch.  It is where the Women of Faith ladies sit during the conference.  

Before our evening concert, we had another session with Andy Andrews.  I really enjoyed his speaking and I sincerely hope to see him again. 

And then, the concert.  We've all been waiting for Mandisa to come out.  I liked her since her song My Deliverer came out.  And what a doll!  She made me giggle and giggle because she was just so cute!  Our seats were behind the ladies that sat on the porch, so when there was music going from the praise and worship gals, Mandisa was down there just a dancing!  I got pics of that, even though it was from behind, she still was a cutie!!

I enjoyed the concert that Mandisa put on.  She is a fabulous performer. 

Ok I have to add something here that I didn't like about the music.  I didn't like the use of the worldly songs.  I just don't think they fit into a Christian conference.  The worst was when Mandisa was singing a medley and they were all contemporary music.  One song in the medley I was even shocked to hear.  It was Beyonce's song All The Single Ladies.  I just don't think that fit!  I'm sorry, it may be my Baptist views, but it didn't belong.

When the concert was over, we sleepily shuffled out and back to our car.  Now the fun part, finding our way out of Seattle and to my dad's house.  It took us a bit, but we finally did it.

At my dad's house we got all of our stuff ready for the night and chose where we'd sleep.  Then we laid down and talked.  We talked and talked.  I think it was about 1:30am and I said, "I'm tired."  I got up, turned the lights off and laid back down.  We kept talking and talking.  Before we knew it, it was almost 4:30am and we were still awake!  The morning session started at 9am and we were planning on leaving my dad's house at about 7:30-8am. 

We didn't move at any great speeds when we did wake up.  We took our time and got ready.  We made it to the event about 10 min. before the morning session started, so we did pretty good.  And for as little sleep as we got, we weren't feeling too bad.  Of course, Starbucks coffee and a BAWLS energy drink are good for helping you stay awake too.

Stay tuned for Part III of Over The Top.......

Over The Top Part I

Where do I begin?  As my good friend Shannon would say, or sing actually, "Let's start at the very beginning. That's a very good place to start."

She sings that to me all of the time.  It's a good thing that she sings well! ;-)

A good friend from high school went with me to the Women of Faith Conference 2011.  We haven't seen each other but for a brief half hour when they visited here, since we graduated from high school.  Ok, so I'm not going to tell you exactly how long that's been, let's just say it's been a while.  But being with Carrie just brings me back to high school.  When we used to drive around in my mustang and sing our hearts out!  We were either going to church, youth group, a youth activity or just having fun.  My lil sis often joined us on those fun trips. 

It's amazing to me to be apart from someone that long and just go right back to where you left off.  And that's what we did. 

We laughed together so much, which is the most important part of having fun with a friend.  Like the time we had just arrived and parked the car in Seattle.  We walked halfway to the Key Arena, and Carrie asks me, "Were you supposed to put something in the windshield for parking?"

"NO!  I was supposed to PAY!"  So we walked back so I could pay.  The slot would not accept my money.  I tried and tried and tried.  We laughed.  Then realized that I was putting it in the wrong slot.  When we found the right slot, it went in easily.  Back to Key Arena.

Walking into the Arena was another challenge for us.  The morning started with general seating.  Assigned seating didn't start until the evening session.  So our toughest decision now was, where should we sit?  We chose a spot that was near the front, but not so near that we're craning our necks.  It wasn't very far away from our assigned seats, but we couldn't find those yet. 

I noticed the cost of food as we walked by.  I was a little hungry.  But gee willikers it was $6 for a hot dog!  I can buy a whole pack of hot dogs for less than that at the store people!  It was just ridiculous.  A bottle of water was $4.  Unbelievable.  So I didn't eat.  ha ha ha

When we sat down and got to look at the stage, it was beautiful.  I really like it.  The morning session was only open to the 3 sides.  The evening session the curtain in back was down and they used the whole stage.  The beautiful light in the middle changed colors.  I loved it. 

Just a sec, I have a kitten desperately trying to get my attention........

The picture here is of the singing girls.  They led us in praise and worship.  And did quite a fabulous job.  I enjoyed three of them very much.  There was one, and I'm not saying who, that I just didn't care to watch sing.  But that is my own stupid preference and oddity so I don't need to share.

Patsy Clairmont opened the show.  If you've never seen or heard her, you have to!  This was my first and I am hooked!  What a little spitfire!  A sassy little cutie pie!  I just want to squeeze her!!  I can identify with her on many aspects.  I appreciate women who get up in front of millions and can be honest about their own shortcomings.  She can do that honestly and hilariously (is that a word?) at the same time!  I laughed and cried listening to Patsy. 

And then she introduced Andy Andrews.

..........

Let me start by saying this. I really enjoyed him.  He had great points and was, shall we say, interesting to watch.

Any of you ever seen Andy Andrews speak?  He's an author.  Check out his books, they look AWESOME!  I really want to read The Traveler's Gift. 

Now I'm going to say this.  When Andy started speaking, I just about had a panic attack!  Seriously.  He made me very nervous.  The man just would not sit or stand still!  At one point, I thought he was going to fall over the hand railing and off the stage! 

He made me laugh though!  He walked out in the crowd and talked to people.  Two of the stage guards were included in his conversation often.  It was funny.  And he had some really great lines that I took away with me.

Ignorance from principles doesn't keep you safe from those principles.

and this one:

Fear is the misuse of the creative intelligence God gave you.

He also said something that opened my eyes with the relationship between my husband and I.  Something that I need to fix.  Andy stayed with us all day on Friday.  I was blessed by his sessions as much as panicked!  :-D

Ok, now it's time for the negative.....lunch.  First, the sandwich was just disgusting.  And the unorganization of getting our lunch.  I felt like a penguin, standing all huddled up in the snow storm.  Only we were just slowly pushing through to get our lunch that was a gross sandwich.  We only ate our sandwiches because we were so hungry!

Stay tuned for Part II of Over The Top 2011

Women of Faith Conference 2011

I am so excited!  I have been chosen to blog about the Women of Faith Conference 2011!  In return, they are giving me 2 free tickets to go to the conference!  How exciting is that?!





I know that Mandisa is there and I have heard some of her songs and I like her.

I can hardly wait!  If you are interested in going, you can check the website and see if they are coming to a town near you!  Go check out Women of Faith!