What I Learned - Better Late than Never

So it has taken me WAY too long to get around to writing a summary post about my Creative Estates trip. Part of that is because I blogged from the event as I went along, and part of it – well, is just plain being busy.

I thought the best things I could share with you, now are the things I learned.

#1 - Twitter is a conversation.

Previously I used it as a soapbox to yell my latest ideas, savings, and deals from.

#2 – Comment on  other people’s posts.

I read blogs ALL the time, but unless my whole earth is rocked by the post, I don’t usually take the time to say anything. Apparently, that’s not the best way to go about it in the blogging community.

#3 – Title your photos.

I didn’t even know how to do this until Creative Estates, but it is critical for searches run on images.google.com.

#4 – Schedule posts.

I have to admit I knew how to do this and I used it to space out my posts on days when I had a couple hours to post all day. But what I didn’t do was schedule posts that I knew would need to be posted as follow-ups. Hello! Seems pretty simple, and it’s been working well. Duh!

#5 – These handmade blogging ladies are all kinds of cute.

Honestly, I was feeling way plain and frumpy. I’ve never seen so many cute accessories and well-put-together people.

#6 – Be who you are. Achieve the level of success you were made for. There’s always competition, but there’s never competition to be YOU.

Seems like I should have these concepts down. That was pretty much my mantra for the first 23 years of my life. But there’s just something about having 3 kids, becoming a stay at home mom, getting older. You forget. You get lost. Great reminder.

#7 – I need time away from my family – even my kids.

It makes me a better mommy and it reminds me that one day I will need to know who I am when I am not spending my days taking care of three small children. (By the way, my three small children are the reason I look REALLY tired in this picture.)

#8 – I have an incredible hubby.

He was willing to take on three boys ages 5 and under, deal with a sick 1 year old, and take off of work to give me a break.

#9 – I need to make time to just be with my hubby and my kids.

It’s easy to be present in body, but not in mind or heart. I don’t want my family to feel that way about me. I don’t want my husband to always feel like blogging takes me “away” from him. So my next project with my SIL is to plan a trip WITH our husbands just to enjoy being together. (I know you can’t see me, but that makes my eyes light up and the wheels in my head start spinning.)

#10 – God’s ability to heal and redeem is beyond my comprehension.

I couldn’t even begin to explain the travails that have taken place in my relationship with my brother-in-law and my SIL. This trip was really a full circle moment where I was able to see how God not only has healed and caused forgiveness, but also laid the groundwork for a future and provided a new comfort level and a depth of relationship that would have been previously impossible. (Not to mention my SIL has the biggest heart in the entire freaking world!)

My God is so much bigger than I frequently give Him credit for . . . and He’s all about being outside of that box I seem to have for Him. He does restore. He lives to redeem. He heals. He brings forgiveness.

All of that leaves me with the question – where are we going from here? What new adventure is around the corner? What will the next miracle be?

I don’t know any of those answers, but I promise you’ll have a front row seat to watch as it all unfolds.