First I had a great time and I went with totally rockin chicks (so that helped with the fear factor and craziness people factor of which there was an experience but I am not mentioning). And because I like to be positive I will start with the negative and move onto that which is uplifting and so forth. I thought it was a singles conference not women’s conference but the more I thought about it the more I realized that the kind of guy I am interested in probably would not be that interested in a sitting through three hours of workshops on warm fuzzies. So it started off a little estrogen heavy. I won’t even talk about one of the workshops. Where do they get these people? Drag them off the street. Ok enough of the negative onto the good stuff.
Oops before I go to the good stuff they had this HUGE break between the speakers/workshops and the evening activities which we took as an opportunity for entertainment (we listened in the workshops about being positive!) and went to see Iron Man. Yes it is a great movie. I would recommend. Not a kid movie. No kids. But wow the action was great. I was not convinced that Robert Downey, Jr. could pull off playing a superhero but he did it. I enjoyed it immensely. Ok back to that which was good. Oh wait no we got back from the movie and they had a band come to start of the evening. And ok it wasn’t terrible it was a Beach Boys cover band and I don’t know perhaps it was because we were in the hall but it sounded really, intensely out of tune. And so we went upstairs to escape the music and chatted there we met a very nice guy who entertained us until the dance started. As I mentioned before I am not sure I am a dance kind of person but it was so fun. The DJ played the best music. I will repeat myself: It was so fun. The speed dating for the young people (yes that would be me) was scheduled for 11:00 p.m. For those of you know me … AT ALL … know that I am so not a night person and like to sleep so I was not terribly excited about staying up to be perky and cute at 11:00 p.m. but as it happened it did start at 10:30 p.m. which was moderately better. AND it was actually fun. I think every guy I talked to was … should I say it … normal! So overall the evening events were very fun and it was worth it to stay up past my bedtime. Oh and I tried Mediterranean food … look at me, trying new food!
Now onto the spiritual, the two good workshops (remember I am omitted the one just NOT worth mentioning). I must admit I was really not in the mood for fuzzy workshops. Which is why we picked the first one we went to which was a disaster (and I have beaten to death so I will stop!). So one of the girls suggested that we go to the Believe it, Become it! workshop because she knew of the speaker, Paula Noble Fellingham. She had so many great quotes and thoughts. I emailed her to get her whole talk because it was uplifting and positive. She had the brightest happiest smile. Then we went to Be Still (which is also a book by them as well) by Victoria E. Anderson and Lois D. Brown (one of them was not there during our session but I don’t know who was who). It was great. She talked a lot about stress and how to cope, exercises (which she did in fact make us do right then and there … which was moderately humiliating until reflecting that EVERYONE was doing it!). I was really impressed with these two women and I am glad I got talked into going to the warm fuzzy workshops.
Now the key note speakers Rick and Andrea Shroder were AMAZING. I was expecting good but it was honestly spiritual, funny, honest and believable. I think I get worried when I have to sit and listen to a ‘famous’ person for fear it will come across as fake but no imitation feelings here. Andrea spoke first she grew up in the Church had a very normal upbringing with trips to Disneyland with her siblings traveling cross country in an old station wagon. She met Rick when she was 18 and they got married. He was not a member at the time. She gave this great analogy of wanted to be super mom and so she decided that she would make a menu for breakfast for her kids to pick the night before and then she would make wonderful, nutritious breakfasts every morning before school. The first morning was a great success by the second morning all the kids had eggs and toast. One of her daughters asked,” Where is my French toast with strawberries and cream?” She explained, “I don’t know anyone who gets exactly what they order.” She talked about the rest of her talk about not getting exactly what we order but the Lord knows what we need and when. She remembered a time when she really wanted Rick to be a part of the Church but she didn’t think he ever would. She was crying to the Lord and felt strongly that she needed to love him for him. To be grateful for the many things she had and then life changed. Slowly Rick began to have a change of heart. When he decided to be baptized it was the night before his son’s baptism and he crept into their room at her parents’ house and told he thought he would get baptized tomorrow too but not to tell anyone … it was so funny the look on her face. She said I think we have to tell someone! In the end he was baptized that day and was able to baptize his son. Her whole talk was about trusting the Lord. She was so humble and caring.
One of my favorite things Rick Shroder said was “judging ourselves by the yardstick of the world is actually very limiting.” I love this. I personally judge myself a lot by the yard stick of the world and perhaps even sometimes by the cultural yardstick of the Church and I, so often, fall short but if I let go of that and look at myself through the eyes of God I will see that I am doing a pretty good job.
He talked about how when people look at other people they categorize for instance he is an actor but he said there is so much more that he wants to be but he was afraid because of his weaknesses to try and be something more. Much of his talk was about our ability to change and make difference decisions he quoted someone but I can’t remember who but it goes like this, “If you continue to do what you’ve always done then you will continue to get what you have always got.” We all have the ability to change. He also talked about making good choices but I thought this was interesting he said, “We can make the right choices an still not get what we want … that does NOT mean we have failed.” Part of the fear of change is the fear of failure. He spoke of how he wanted to be a writer and a director but felt inadequate in his education but he went for it and he said it was not easy but finally in the end he was able to write a script and get it produced. There are still many things he wants to do… I thought about the things that I want to accomplish and wonder what is holding me back. Often I think I worry that I will fail but I will never know unless I try. The last thing he talked about what “taking the hand that is offered” and searching for good things, he said, “If we can look for things and make them happen … make sure you are looking for good things!”
Overall I think the conference was a raging success.
