Oh the places I go....

So here I am at a hotel lobby in Columbus Ohio...alone. Yes, alone. No floppy haired boys trailing behind me trying to get my attention, no dishes in the sink to be washed, no dinner to prep, and no husband to welcome home in a couple of hours...oh how weird and sad it is :(
I am up here for a women's conference for Vineyard Churches USA. The conference is called "Ordinary Women, Extraordinary God".
Yesterday I spent the day in a fog wondering what the heck I was doing so far from home without my guys with me. It felt so odd to eat dinner at a restaurant alone and have so much QUIET time to myself.
Yet as weird as it has been, it is more needful and important than I had realized. Today I am finding my groove a bit more and have gotten over the initial oddity of it all. I have had the past couple of days to reflect alot and just spend time with my thoughts. I have had alot of time to pray and talk with God, time to read (I had forgotten the lost art of reading beyond a Dr. Seuss book!), and time to even shop a bit (ok, maybe more than a bit).
Intermingled with the great sessions at the conference I have had some down time to hit some of my favorite shopping spots (I grew up in Columbus so I have my certain "spots"). I picked up a great Anthropologie skirt at the goodwill and a couple of incredible leather belts (I'll definitely have to post a picture when I get home).
I am reading the book "Love and Respect". I had heard a ton about this book and finally have had a chance this weekend to read it. It is an INCREDIBLE read. Really--I think it has revolutionized my thought process and the actions I will take as a wife in the future. If you want a book to challenge you as a wife and help you take your relationship to the next level with your husband, read this book. As much as I do respect my husband I never realized to what degree it is essential for husbands to have respect from their wives. It is in their DNA to protect and fight for us and they need our respect in order to feel fulfilled in life.
Along with all of this, I have had time to actually stand at the bathroom mirror and curl my hair with a curling iron! Can you believe it? It took about 20 minutes which is 20 minutes more than I normally take to do my hair!
I miss the guys in my life desperately and can't wait to get home tomorrow. With that said, I think that one of these little 3 days excursions may be in order once a year or so. Time to clear my mind, listen to as much hip hop on the radio as I want,shop for jewelry at Forever 21 for nearly and hour, and take time to step back and evaluate how I am doing.
I'll be back on Monday....till then, have a great weekend.