Highlights from Staff Conference!

Staff conference (now called Connect) was really great this year! Here are some little tidbits about the trip that you should know about!

We stayed at an amazing hotel that had swimming pools and beautiful woods and nice rooms and good food and a spa! I didn’t get a massage though because I am still not so comfortable with a man giving me a massage and the woman at the front counter of the spa told me, “Man or Nothing!” So nothing it was. Oh well. Maybe next year. I am glad I chose nothing because another woman got the man and he had her undress in front of him and then didn’t cover her with a towel! This would have been devastating for me (even after all the nudity and exposure of having a baby in France).

I had some amazing conversations with new and old friends. We work with some pretty amazing people! Not only did I have great conversations, but so did Maisie! There were two babies there that were two months older than Maisie and she had a blast chatting it up with them. It seriously was like they were having a conversation! I am so bummed we didn’t get it on video! She will miss her little friends Alleke and Gabbie!

I got to use Maisie as an excuse to skip out if I got bored. I know this is really bad, but I have the shortest attention span, so this little tool called Maisie came in quite handy at times. But I do have to say that sometimes it was difficult for me to miss out on so much, especially staying up late talking with everyone! I tried on someone’s sling and this is a picture of little Maisie’s head sticking out. I think she liked how comfortable it was, but not how she couldn’t see, so she had her head straight back the whole time she was awake!

Maisie crawled for the first time! It is fun that her first little crawl was in Hungary! If I am remembering correctly she crawled to a little piece of paper (surprise surprise my little paper eating baby). She is practically a pro at crawling after a week and has now crawled to cell phones, cords, chapsticks, etc. She is amazing.

Justin and I had an amazing talk as we walked around the woods. This was probably my most favorite time of the whole week. I love connecting with him! He is the best husband ever. Seriously, he is. He is always striving to grow. I love that about him! He found this little fort that some kids had made and was so excited because it reminded him of the forts he used to make as a boy! Little nerd.

Maisie was dedicated! Justin and I have wanted to get her dedicated (as this is a very traditional thing to do in the Christian church) and were unsure of where to do it in the states. We decided that it would be really cool to do it at our staff conference where we really feel like the people are our family in Europe. It was really sweet. I don’t know if we will get pictures or not. I am sure SOMEONE took a picture!

One of the most ridiculous times of the whole trip was when I tried to drop Maisie off at the childcare area. Lets just say I had a meltdown. On my way to dropping her off, my heart started to pound harder and harder. When I got to the room I think I was beginning to perspire. I totally freaked out and stumbled on my words, face bright red, trying to explain how I do things with Maisie and finally just said, “sorry I am a freak parent” and left. I walked about thirty steps and then tried to hold back the lump in my throat. I have NO idea why I almost cried (especially since I took Maisie with me when I left), but I was able to hold back the tears. So I still haven’t left Maisie. Don’t pressure me. I will do it when we are both ready. Or at least when I am ready.

The last day we spent the day in Vienna, Austria. We had a long layover at the airport, so we went into the city with friends and ate at a famous cafe that is on the terrace of some famous building. I mostly talked with people while walking around the city, so I didn’t really see so much of it. Oh well. Next year maybe. Here is a picture of us in front of a fountain in Vienna. We both feel like we look extra chubby in this picture, so just deal. But Maisie looks cute and was actually smiling!!!!

We had a great time and are already looking forward to next year!