This is Ryan, Brendan, and Aidan. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Meaghan too, since she had already run inside to her gymnastics practice. I didn't get my camera out in time. :( Sorry Meaghan.Brendan got ahold of my camera and took this picture of Rachel and I. Pretty good picture I think.
So that was really fun to see all of them. The kids were wicked surprised--they didn't know they were going to get to see me, and I got big hugs from all of them, except for Ryan of course...who is too cool to hug his big cousin. :)
So--back to the conference. I was also very excited, because Mary Kay's grandson (who is about 30, handsome, single, successful, and seems to have a great family) was supposed to be at our conference. We won the priveledge of having him with us, since we were the first conference to fill up! So--Lisa, my director, is bound and determined that I meet this man somehow--which I have no qualms with. I figured, at the very least, I'd try to get a picture with him (or at least OF him)--along with every other woman in that place--but sadly he couldn't make it in due to the storm. He was stranded in PA. :( So he never made it. Bummer! Oh well.
So after our opening session was over, Amanda, my recruit was just blown away by the whole thing. She told me that for the first time in her life, she didn't feel self-conscious, and that she felt like she really belonged. (She has a myriad of health issues and physical limitations--and is probably one of the strongest women I have ever met--she amazes me)
We headed back to our room--and had such a time up there. That is one of the absolute best things about these company events. Girlfriend time! It was so much fun. I cannot disclose what took place in our room---hence..."what happens in Providence, stays in Providence". But it was so much fun...if you want to know what happens--join Mary Kay and come with me to the next conference. You won't be sorry that you did-trust me.
Next morning-we had a few more classes. I knew Amanda was tired--but she seemed okay, and wanted to keep trucking along. Oh--and we also got to see our Adopted Director, Julie, up on stage multiple times--which is so much fun to see.
Mid way through the morning, Amanda told me she needed to leave the room. So we left the conference...and to make a very long story short, an hour later ended up in the emergency room. Now, if you know my personality at all--you know that on the outside, I am calm, cool, collected, confident, on top of things....but on the inside---during something like this---I'm freaking out. Its a good thing I can hide things like that. It helps keep me focused on what needs to happen...and of course helped to try to keep Amanda calm. So anyway, being in the emergency room was a little scary---for a few reasons. First, I know very little about emergency rooms. I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to an emergency room for any reason (me or with anyone else). I also know very little about what her medical issues are...and what they actually mean. And I felt completely helpless. On top of it all...no one knew we had gone to the hospital--so I was worried about missing the bus at 4pm that day. And I was hating being there alone. Finally, after a few hours, medicine, and a little rest, she was ready to head back to the convention center--I had gotten a hold of one of my Mary Kay girlfriends, Mary. And she met us at the door with the convention center nurse, and a wheelchair. I was so thankful for her! I finished the conference, while Amanda rested in the nurses station. And at 4pm we were back on the bus headed home...thank goodness!
On the bus ride home, I was just exhausted--and still feeling a little overwhelmed from the whole experience, and another Mary Kay girlfriend, Ann--sat in the back with me and let me just debrief with her. Which is exactly what I needed.
So all in all--the entire weekend really turned out to be pretty amazing--with the exception of going to the emergency room--but even that turned out to be a blessing since Amanda and I had some good quality time together and we were able to talk through a lot of things which were important for us to discuss. It was a very bonding time for us, and I truly wouldn't have had it any other way. I did, however, tell her that we were never going to the emergency room again...this was her one free card. :) She agreed.
So--I came out of this weekend feeling incredibly blessed to have met all of these amazing women, who I never would have met otherwise if it weren't for Mary Kay. I mean, I always knew that I was blessed...but this was just so telling to me how there are so many selfless people in this world, and the majority of them seem to be in Mary Kay! (That of course is not to say that others aren't...but basically everyone who is in Mary Kay carries this trait)
When we returned to Lewiston that night, our cars were plowed into their spaces from the storm--and after I helped Amanda find her parents and get into their car, I went back to my car to find that all the ladies were shoveling me out--and then they pushed me out of my space! wow! Women are amazing creatures. Do men really have any idea how good they have it with us? I sure hope so. And if they don't, I don't think they deserve us...
So--on continuing the theme that I think God is trying to teach me about servanthood--on Sunday morning, Kim was supposed to come pick me up for church. I was so exhausted, and didn't want to drive all the way to Scarborough--but she called 5 minutes before she was to pick me up, and she was stuck in her driveway on the ice. So I tried to go and get my dad's truck again...except it was buried in the back of the shop behind the crane and the mitsubishi--which are both very large vehicles, which I do not feel comfortable moving. So we missed church--and when my dad got home 2 hours later from Matt's swim meet, he and I went over together and pulled her out. So she and I went out to lunch instead. Which was very nice.
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