I always look forward to our retreats in Branson, possibly because I enjoy attending retreats, sponsored by others, when I can. This year, I've been really fortunate to be able to attend a spring retreat in Arkansas and a summer retreat in St. Louis.
To me, much of the fun is the anticipation. No matter our ages or our occupations, we all lead such busy lives that the idea of getting away from the responsibilities of daily routines seems heavenly. I also love the process of deciding which photos I'm going to work on, matching up the papers and embellishments, and packing everything up.
Probably the other aspect that I most enjoy is actually scrapbooking with a clear conscience. At home, I usually feel a little guilty about sitting down with my "toys" when the sink is full of petrified plates, the bathroom floor is sticky with hairspray residue, and my closet has more clothes on the floor than on the hangers. At a retreat, having all that dedicated time to just have fun with my favorite hobby is, as they say, priceless.
Add to this mix the fact that my hometown scrapbooking buddy has some of the same craziness in her life that I have, and the opportunity to vent to each other during the road trip makes a scrapbooking retreat the ideal getaway for me!
Because we know how much this time to yourself means to you, the SG gang works hard to make sure that each of you attending one of our retreats has a fun and relaxing time, and gains a minimum of three pounds!
You've just read my reasons. We would also love to hear about why weekend scrapbooking retreats are important to you, or what you enjoy about them. You don't have to talk about SG retreats in particular, because many of our blog readers don't live in our area. It would still be fun to see what you have to say!
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4 comments:
Three friends and myself are traveling from Ohio (our furthest retreat yet!). We always say we never have a goal of how much we are going to get done....our goal is to never stop laughing. And wow gee, my hope is to ONLY gain three pounds!!!!!
I too enjoy having a large block of time to do what I enjoy with no interruptions--having to cook, playing on the comuter or watching tv. Also, the large amount of space you all provide is so great--I have dedicated space for scrapbooking at home, but my table is not the size you all have. I look forward to my retreat weekend coming up--all the great people and wonderful food and comraderie.
I haven't been to very many long retreats but haven't missed a scrapapalooza yet! I love that they are close and a quick get away, but I really do enjoy the 3-4 day long retreats as well..if i am fortunate to get to go to one, I love that I don't have any other obligations (I too, tend to have a sink full of dishes, mountains of laundry...etc)that I would LOVE to forget about and just enjoy myself without feeling distracted. My retreat times away are another way my mom and I can really have that 1 on 1 time we used to have that now tends to revolve more around my kiddos and and the busyness of life and not us. I do miss that time that I can nurture me, and not always someone else..(not that I would be able to live w/o them more than a few days! Much more and I am terribly home sick for those giggles and sweet snuggles.)All in all it is a great way to reconnect with friends and recharge yourself!
I love the delight in UNHURRIED TIME that a retreat offers. You can work at whatever pace you enjoy, but you have the gift of such a wide expanse of time that anything feels possible at the beginning and everything feels wonderful at the end.
They are so fun to plan for and pack for and the community of happiness IN the retreat room is so enjoyable. Everyone is happy and laughing and creating and crafting - such a feel good aura that permeates the days. Now, off to pack!
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