I hit the Outer Banks of North Carolina recently. October 9-12 to be exact.
Why? On account of the Click Retreat!
#clickclickBOOM
It is a story of blessing how I was able to go, and let’s just say I am overwhelmed with sweetness and my thankfulness is abundant.
If you follow me in Instagram or Facebook, then you will already know I went there. If you are wondering what this “Click Retreat” was… it was a photography retreat for bloggers (and not-bloggers) that housed a bunch of great women in two large homes on the dunes of Kill Devil’s Hill… and it was truly a retreat.
I was in the yellow house. My roomie, Anna, and I had never met before but now I know we will be forever friends. I can just tell.
I CANNOT neglect to give a HUG and most HURRAH-FILLED thank you to Southwest Airlines, Snapfish, HP, Sony, The Outer Banks, Avery, and the many other sponsors, for sponsoring a truly magical and inspirational event. I took flight because of these guys. LITERALLY.
WHEE!!!
(Video coming in a couple weeks!!!)
It’s tough to put to words how very life-giving this event was for me. It’s just a bit of a tough season right now. Not just for me and my own family, but it seems for a lot of dear friends. It weighs on me and it makes it hard to stay focused on the positive and stay hopeful. But a friend shared a verse on Facebook the other day… “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55.8. ESV
Of course, I would be remiss if I did not give huge props to the Today’s Mama team for coordinating and hosting such a truly heart-filling event.
Yes, the retreat was about the learning. It was about the pictures. But it would not have had the impact without the people.
I sure do love my people.
That’s Me Rah Koh and Laurie Turk (Tip Junkie) acting silly with me. It was a reprise of a photo we took a couple of years ago at the Evo Conference. I need to find that picture… Silly friends.
What was different about this conference is it was actually a retreat. We were all in two houses, and chefs came and made us food. Great sessions kept us learning, fun outings kept us busy, and dear friends kept us company.
It didn’t matter that lightening struck so close to the blue house that I nearly fell out of bed. It wasn’t a big deal to lose power for half the day. Cloudy and mostly-stormy?
It just added to the charm. Heck, the weather made me feel like I practically felt like I never left home! Except for the chef and the hang gliding and the sharing a bed with a woman I had never met before and… the hot-tubbing for over an hour two nights in a row.
No pictures of that. I know I share a lot, but SOME things are sacred.
No hot tub pics.
YOU’RE WELCOME.
While at the CLick Retreat I learned technical, bloggy, and photography things. I also left inspired with ideas on how to continue to become a better person.
I also left with a big line through HANG GLIDING on the life list. THANK YOU TO THE FELLERS AT KITTY HAWK KITES, YO! They were awesome. If you are ever on the OBX, you will now need to go to Kitty Hawk Kites and FLY!
Now I need to add MOARRE HANG GLIDING to my life list. I guess I am about half-way to a Hang 1. There are 5″hangs” to earn. Hang 5 means you hang glide off cliffs and stuff. I kinda think I want to go to there. I also kinda think I don’t. However, I have learned to never say never (except when it comes to eating bugs and jumping out of airplanes), so I will keep my mind open.
Again. Thank you Today’s Mama, Southwest Airlines, Snapfish, HP, Sony, The Outer Banks, and the many other sponsors who made the Click Retreat the awesome and most amazing event that it was.
Oh and thank you to Marie at Make and Takes for my awesome ‘stache! She made on for everyone at Click because she is that kind-of gal…
If there weren’t enough pictures for you in this post… feel free head on over to my Flickr account. PLENTY MOARRE THERE!
It WAS a photography retreat, afterall!
