Gaze on Christ, Glace on Life. -Carlos Whittaker

That pretty much sums up everything. A couple months ago my good friend Ashley was over for dinner talking about going to the Pursuit Conference. For a couple yaers now I have wanted to attend. Our budget for workshops & vacations sometimes mesh so I haven’t ever been able to attend. I was telling Ashley how much I needed something like that and a light bulb went off and within a couple days I was buying my ticket, booking my hotel and I blocked out 4 days in OCTOBER |photographers you’re cringing right now because we never do that| and I was going to Pursuit. God has an amazing way of getting us where we need to be and clearly I needed to be there. I was going as an HHBoogie vendor but I was allowed to attend pretty much everything as an attendee, just had to stay in a hotel not on Winshape. A week before Pursuit, Coty and I were in Texas. I had 3 days to regroup, shoot a wedding, edit some photos, spend some time with my family and do some laundry before jetting off again. This is not my normal life y’all. I play WAY in advance when I go somewhere, with three kids and a very busy job you can’t be that spur of the moment person you envy. Getting out the door at 4 in the morning when all three of my kids were crying was needless to say painful. The enemy has a way with us moms, he knows how to make us crumble and make us break. Seeing your tired husband take on 3 crying babies as you hop on a plane is a sure way for me to freak the heck out! My good friend Kari and I were travel buddies to georgia. It was beyond early and both of us sported our glasses that morning. But we were bright eyed when they handed us keys to a YELLOW WRANGLER. We died. It was hilarious, confusing and worth laughing at. So here we were, midwest girls driving through the heart of Atlanta in our bumble bee wrangler looking for a target on our way to Pursuit. It was even more hilarious pulling onto campus and making our long drive back to winshape, I think our eye popping yellow scared all the deer away. As we walked onto campus I cannot begin to tell you the peace that overcame me. I was overwhelmed with the holy spirit and so blessed to be there. They met that evening and warned us that you might have a high school moment where you have no idea who you’re sitting by at dinner and I so had that moment. It was overwhelming to see familiar faces, the faces of people I follow and admire on social media, photographers I love and respect but also some people I just want to hug because I had been praying for them. By midnight I was about to fall over but that was just the preview of the days to come. From sun up to sundown I would be going going going. Getting filled with encouragement, life stories, challenges, new friends and some self evaluation.

I went into the conference without any expectations but I was just beyond blessed. My little notebook is filled with my notes from each speaker. I found myself finally figuring out where my heart has been the last several months. Going from a mom of one to three in an instance is life changing. I had started to just feel a bit fuzzy, that my lifes purpose had changed and I was in limbo. When you are away from the beautiful mess I call my life, you are finally able to just see a little clearly. In no way do I have it figured out but I at least have more insight as to why my heart is heavy sometimes.  Lysa Terkeurst said it perfectly.

“A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.”

 Lysa Terkeurst

I know this blog is a little more personal then I usually make it but the past week I got personal. I have loved going back over my instagram photos and just soak in the time there. I’m already planning to go next fall. If you are interested in finding a group in your own town, go to this site to find one!  There will be TWO conferences, one in the spring & one in the fall!