One more check on the list

I headed into NY city today to pick up my visa from the Ghanan consulate. That is one more thing off my to do list. I am now at less than one month for leaving on my trip. I cannot wait. I arrived a little too early to pick up my visa so I walked aroundthe area. I got into the American Girl Doll Place- what an amazing store. I wish it was built earlier so that Shelby could have really enjoyed it. I am planning on taking K&A there next year for their 5th birthday. Anyway, as I was walking around I found a little bird sitting between the curb and a garbage can. He was such a pretty bird but I have no idea what kind he is... tonight I will be checking out my birding books to get his name, wish me luck.
 

This morning at the Celery Farm

You know, I believe if you show up for something you usually get rewarded for it, this morning was definitely one such case. Shelby is not feeling well and stayed home from school. The temptation was to climb back into bed and go back to sleep. What I did instead was head out to the Celery Farm. Great choice. This morning in one of those beautiful fall mornings where it is cool but not cold. The air is so clear and fall colors are starting to come into the trees. I was so happy being out there on the path enjoying the day. Then at the first point I met up with some of those guys that know what they are doing out there, making the calls and identifying the birds they see. Me I just put my binoculars up to my eyes and pretend I have the slightest clue about what they are talking about. I have actually learned a bit but am still pretty much brain dead compared to the rest of them. Anyway, the trees were filled with warblers of many kinds. I can now say I know what a yellow rumped warbler looks like. The others will be a crap shoot if I can identify them ever again. But I can call out some names to try and impress you on a trail one day. An Osprey came a caught a fish close to where we were standing and then later a blue heron caught and ate 3 fish that I saw...there may have been more. Now for those of you who have no idea...this is not normal. At least that is what the experts told me LOL (once again I pretended that I had a clue and said, "yes, yes.") I am just so grateful for this amazing place that is so close to my home.

 

Women of Faith Weekend

Every year, around this time, a group of women meet up at the church and head off for a weekend of fun and Christian fellowship as well as learning. This year 8 of us set off for Philadelphia (meeting up with another 2 later on,) for the Contageous Joy women of Faith conference. The program starts on Friday but we leave on Thursday, picking an interesting stop along the road. This year the choice was the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. What a beautiful place. Even the rain could not keep us from wandering around and enjoying the art- both in the sculptures as well as in the grounds themselves. The cafe there offered us excellent food and we just really enjoyed eachother's company, there was a whole lot of laughing going on.I am just sad that it is a whole year away for the next conference

We took the opportunity this piece offered to get a group shot
King Lear


Inside one of the buildings, by the cafe, there were a group of mobile pieces. These color discs would move along with the breeze

The Secret Garden door 

There are peacocks wandering all around the sculpture grounds

They had some of the most beautiful waterlillies

You have to love art that lets you join in
 

We found some spiders' webs that were really cool


They pipe in this mist over a pond to create an interesting atmosphere. I loved the waterlily floating in the fog

I loved these ducks standing on the edge of the pond 

The Women of Faith Conference

Our seats at the conference were up in the angel section. Tickets for the show program sold out so early that we could not get anything closer. The large screens make it easier to see what is going on but it does take a moment or two to get acclimated to the steepness of thsoe high seats.
By the Saturday program I had noticed two rows of seats, first and second row on the floor, that were empty. I decided to head down there and get some photographs and then just sat ina seat, figuring that I would get up when the ticket holder came. No one ever came and so I had one of the best seats in the house and was able to get some wonderful photographs. By midday, Barbara, Betty and Maryanne joined me on the floor.

The view for the better set of our ticketed seats, my seat was 12 rows higher up! I was at the third to the last row in the arena.

During the breaks the cameramen film the people around the arena. They add some graphics to get a laugh.

when you get tickets you can order box lunches for wach day. Here is the escalator, heading up empty handed and then coming back down with the boxes.

There are so many people at the conference....It could make me crazy. I hate crowds. But the crowd here is full of women and the spirit of kindness is prevalent. Lines for the ladies rooms are fun, everyone talks and pregnant women absolutely get to go to the front of the line. This is one crowd I do not mind being a part of 

The Music

A wonderful part of the WOF conferences is the music. They have some off the most amazing contemporary Christian music artists around. The Integrity Music Team start everything off leading the arena in praise music. This year they also had Sandy Patty, Avalon, Nicole C Mullen there and Sheila Walsh and Luci Swindoll also sang. There is something about being with 16,000 women singing and praising the Lord, I love it

Integrity Worship Team

Patsy Clairmont helped out Sandy Patty and Lisa Pierre

Sandy Patty lets you get a little feel for what it will be like in heaven with the angels singing-
When she sang How Great Thou Art I just cried, it was so beautiful

Nicole C Mullen has the most amazing energy. I wanted to be 15 again so that I could jump on the stage and dance with her. Her music was wonderful, the song, Black White and Tan holds a beautiful message for us all. And her pants! Do you think an overweight, 45 year old woman could still wear those jeans with the zip off and interchangable bottoms? You just look at them and you feel like it is a party. 

The Ladies

Sheila Walsh is so beautiful. she had a lot of wonderful things to say but what I remember most was her trying to say the word bush, not an easy thing for someone from Wales. She spoek about learing about God's love for her through her love of Thomas O'Malley, an outdoor cat that she adopted. This was from the night that I was still sitting up in the angel section, this is with the camera lens completely zoomed in


Thelma Wells is the grandmother I want to have, I wonder if she would adopt me? She spoke of almost losing her daughter and grandchild last year and learning to leave things in God's hands.

Patsy clairmont is a firecracker. She is a little bundle of energy and attitude. You just want to pick her up and bring her home with you. Patsy led the daytime pre-conference program about all of us being cracked pots (not crackpots) and how God can make great things from those cracked pieces. During the regular conference she spoke about being agorophobic and how God helped her to overcome that.

Marilyn Mehberg is brilliant. She just oozes smart. And she is funny, actually all the ladies are funny. Marilyn had to have back surgery this year and in her recovery she really learned about God's love through the hand's of her friends and family. She calls them Jesus in skin. It made me think about how I can be that for the people I love.
 

Luci Swindoll

As much as I love all the WOF ladies, Luci is the one I would most love to have over for dinner. She has such an enthusiasm for adventure, travels everywhere and takes incredible photographs. Now does that sound like a friend for me! Most of all though she has such a strong faith and an ability to share what she knows in a clear and powerful way. She is brilliant but she doesn't talk over anyone's head, she just breaks the Message down to the simplest form and you walk away after hearing her speak with a strengthened faith. Thank you Luci!



 

Robin McGraw

Robin McGraw was one of the featured guest speakers this weekend. She had a great message about points to live by. First was having a relationship with Jesus, really getting to know Him. Second was creating a positive person truth, making sure that when you are being transparent with yourself , the things you say to yourself need to be positive, Third, we need to really take care of ourselves, yep, the old diet and exercise bit, but really more than that. And lastly was having an accepting spirit, especially within your marriage...meaning God gave you this man to be your partner, you need to accept him and all his imperfections, just as he needs to accept yu and yours. It was an interesting talk and she is absolutelybeautiful. She certainly takes care of herself...she is in incredible shape, Wow! And then as she was ready to leave the stage who came out but Dr Phil himself. He said Robin walks him off the stage every day on his show, it was only fair to take his turn escorting her. He also mentioned that he just taped a show with the women of WOF and it will air on October 3rd.

 

The women who make Women of Faith

They call themselves the Porch Friends, these woman who lead us all in the WOF conferences. This refers to the area at the base of the stage where the women sit while each of them take a turn sharing their witness during the conference. I think every woman at the conference wishes there was an empty chair there for her, I know I wish I could sit with them.

Luci, Marilyn, Thelma, Patsy, Sheila and Nicole

Finishing up the conference with the song Women of faith are Mary Grahm, A woman from Avalon, Thelma, A man from Avalon (the woman's husband,) Sheila, Nicole and Patsy.

These are the ladies that really make the Women of Faith conference weekends for me, my friends, new and old.... Maryanne, Betty (2 new friends- great people,) Nancy, Margaret (Wendy's sister and niece,) Barbara, Carol, Leah, Marilyn, Wendy and me!