Lost in the Woods

As a stay-at-home mom, the thing I crave the most is some quiet and alone time, especially with two boisterous, active little boys. This helps me recharge my battery and take on the world. In my downtime, I enjoy reading, writing, scrapbooking and making jewelry. I love to create, it makes me happy! I was able to have a mini-getaway this weekend, some much needed down time, lost in the pines outside of Bastrop at the Deepwoods Retreat Center. Being lost in the woods was exactly what I needed.

For me, one of the hardest things about being a stay-at-home mom is the deprivation of intelligent, adult conversations, both serious and dirty. Don’t get me wrong, I love having conversations with my cuties, but I am a deep thinker and long to talk about things I am interested in, such as literature, politics, geography and in general, life. My friend Kristine had three spots available and I decided that a retreat was exactly what I needed.

In scrapbooking, not only do I get that down-time (me-time) that I cannot live without, but an added bonus is that I get the camaraderie of my friends. I was so excited to room with my friends Kesa and Judy, who I rarely see, unless there is some scrapbooking, Mary Kay or Thirty-One involved. Another added bonus is that I always meet someone new who inspires me with their creativity, thanks Brenna for being that person. So not only did I get a lot of scrapbooking done, but lots of catching up and creative inspiration. The thing I most enjoy about scrapbooking is that I am preserving memories, which will last a lifetime in my albums. The boys love to look back at their albums and talk about what they did. Long after I am gone, my albums will survive and tell the stories of our sweet life.

Preserving memories, like writing, is very therapeutic. I also love that I get to relive those precious memories of the boys, the first days of school, Luke’s first trip to the beach, the Pumpkin Patch, Halloween and many, many more. This makes scrapbooking even more meaningful to me. As I watch the rain fall outside, I feel blessed to have this experience and opportunity -- to be able to create, to enjoy life and be surrounded by people I love, all the time. Life is good!