Weekend before last left us.......Plum tuckered out!! lol

 

Marc is only a few months away from graduating but his work schedule has been crazy. In an effort to keep him company on those nights or mornings when hes traveling after a really busy week (or all night cram session) I have been traveling with him. So week before last I attended a mandatory 2 day session with him. The one thing I have loved about VUU is that the students and professors have been very kind to me and I've never felt uncomfortable sitting in class or other sessions with him. The Saturday session actually fell on the same day that he would be MC'ing the 45th Church Anniversary banquet for his home church. And since we both would be attending it didn't make much sense for him to travel to Richmond that morning only to have to rush back to pick me up for the banquet.

 

Me attempting to take a selfie in the women's bathroom. smh

 

It was a good thing I tagged along with him because we made it back from Richmond minutes before the banquet started. 

 

The banquet was very nice, but our favorite part was definitely seeing our Pastor Emeritus and our good friend Pastor Todd at the banquet. 

 

Sunday was Senior appreciation day at WABC. So after the morning service we attended lunch with the seniors and other church members at the local Golden Corral.

 

After the lunch with the seniors Marc and I headed over to GMZ for the closing of the 45th Anniversary Celebration and to hear our friend Pastor Todd Davidson preach. 

The photo below I added for the fun of it. My daughter snapped this picture of us the next evening. Apparently this is what ministry life does to you when you get old! LOL

Mini Vacation in Richmond

 

Gifts during the Alumni meet and greet.

 

The first night of the convocation!

 

My view from the clubhouse at the John Marshall.

 

My favorite spot to take a nap each afternoon (a sure sign of my age...lol).

 

The sanctuary at Rising Mt. Zion BC in Richmond VA.

My view from the suite Masterbedroom.

 

One morning I went down to the lobby and people watched! Basically I watched all of them hustle and bustle off to work or school while I sat and listened to some jazz. 

 

My sister and I even went to an Art Gallery one afternoon (of course it was business for her).

 

We had a beautiful lunch one afternoon right there at the complex. A girl could get use to this life! lol

 

One surprise was a handwritten letter from the management welcoming us to the suite!

 

Me and my baby sis!

 

I actually lived in Richmond as a child and hated it. This trip allowed me to view it with different eyes. 

This past week Marc attended a week long conference at his school. Since my sister lives in the city and has access to a great suite in her apartment complex (and it just happened to be open for the days we were there) I tagged along. Most of the time I chilled in the suite but at night I attended the conference with him.

Conference Attire

The conference was as close as I was going to get to a vacation this year so the moment I found out I would be going I started planning what I would wear. Knowing Marc would not be of much help because lets face it men don't usually notice what type of attire women wear (well Marc doesn't unless they are wearing something crazy...lol) I checked with my mom to see if I needed to dress up or not. Based on what she told me it just depended on what you wanted to do and since I was more concerned with being comfortable rather then trying to impress people this is what I went with!

Ironically the outfit I wore on Sunday to go register was taken from my mom's closet when she started to decide what to take to the conference. This dress was soo comfortable and the added benefits was that it had pockets (which I love on dresses because I never know where to put my hands).

The blue stripe dress is from Sam's Club! And I loved it so much I went back and got it in green a few weeks after I picked up this one for my birthday. The Purse is from JustFab and the shoes are from Payless and are at least ten or 15 years old! The jewelry was from my birthday haul and the watch is from last years anniversary trip to Florida.

Each year I make a wish list for the following year and last year I knew I wanted a black and white Maxi skirt. I just didn't want to pay the prices that I was seeing for them. Then one day I walked in Roses (which is a discount store here) and saw one for $12.00. I picked it up as soon as I got birthday money. The sandals and jewelry have all been in my collection for more years then I can count. The jacket (which I knew immediately I wanted to wear with this skirt) is from Dress Barn and the black t-shirt is from Sam's. They have a basic line of t-shirts that I just love (so much so that I have the same shirt in white, gray and navy stripe). The purse which is kind of hard to see in this picture is from ...you guessed it. JustFab. I swear they need to sponsor me. LOL

This dress is cute but just a tad to short for my taste once I put it on anyway. I may need a kerchief to put around my legs in order to wear this one again. My sandals are Kenneth Kole and the bag (no its not from JustFab) is from an outlet in Florida. I picked up the necklace a while back at KandG for like $6.00! 

I love the colors in this dress. Picked it up as well as the jean dress from Roses for $15.00 each! You can't beat that with a stick! Unfortunately by the end of the week my feet and ankles were swollen from all of the walking and I had to break down and go to Payless and get a more comfortable pair of sandals with more support. I also abandoned my regular purse for my small Dooney and Bourke satchel a friend gave me for my birthday. 

With the exception of a pair of new sunglasses and the new dresses that was the only things I have added to my wardrobe this summer. My wardrobe choices probably wouldn't make it into a magazine but they work for me and at 50 yrs old that's all that really matters to me anyway. LOL

The 100th Hampton University Ministers Conference!

Last week Marc and I attended the 100th Hampton University Minister's Conference.

We went on last Sunday to pick up our registration info and packets and to help my mom settle into the dorms which she stayed in during the week (they also offer workshops that week for Choir Directors. You might recall us helping her last year as well). Last year Marc attended for the first time and enjoyed it so much that he thought I would want to attend this year.

The contents of the Conference bag this year was pretty good!

Although the conference would not officially start until Monday evening they held a concert Sunday evening to kick off the event. After we helped my mom unpack we went to dinner and then came back in time for the festivities. 

I even got to see two of my friends who sing with the Mount Unity Choir.

The first night of the event the President of the HUMC spoke. The next morning we got to hear from Pastor E. Dewey Smith. That man preached his socks off ! 

Tuesday during lunch time I got to attend a special session for Women Leaders. The speaker was Pastor Susie Owens. This was not the first time I had heard her and as usual she did not disappoint. 

If you left that session the same then maybe its time to do something different! 

The women (and a few men) were packed in there! 

I had the pleasure of sitting between two awesome women of God who made me feel loved and accepted despite the fact that I didn't hold a degree or carry the title of Minister. 

Tuesday night we got to hear Bishop Jakes speak. The place was so packed it was crazy. People were entering the conference center two and three hours in advance to get a seat!

Wednesday before the afternoon sessions I caught a shuttle and met my mom over at the Hampton University's Cafeteria for lunch. The company was great, the food was filling and the view was breathtaking! 

Wednesday after the TD Jakes had spoken and Marc and I were on our way out we ran into our good friend Slater who was one of the worship leaders for the conference. 

Marc and I learned our lesson the first night and made it into the center in plenty of time before having to end up in the nose bleed section. LOL

A few of the days we were there we got to hang out with long time friend Rev. Ricky Lee.

I had a great time but my feet suffered the consequences of days of walking and I had to break down on Thursday and go get a pair of more comfortable sandals to wear because my feet and ankles were swollen.

There were several vendors at the conference (next year I will have to get a pic of the big tent where everything a First Lady or Pastor would ever want (or not) could be found. Including a Rolls Royce! 

I think the best part for Marc was seeing all of his fellow classmates and Pastor friends. I even saw a few people I knew including some family.

On Thursday night we attended the concert that spotlights all of the Music majors, worship leaders and directors. Somewhere in that sea of people was my mom. LOL

I really enjoyed the week and I can see going back again if Marc decides to go next year. Other then the morning speaker Dr. Smith I really enjoyed the class sessions. My favorites were Relevant Social and Civic Engagement with Dr. Antipas Harris from Regent University, Using a Familiar Story to Reach and Unfamiliar Culture with PastorTim Tooten, Sr who is a news reporter as well as a pastor. I also enjoyed the Dynamics of Organizational Change with Bishop Felton Hawkins. 

My advice to anyone attending would be to register early, make use of the shuttles for getting around the campus (which is huge). Spend a little time away from the conference just connecting with others that are there and if at all possible make use of the campus cafeteria (you can't beat an all you can eat lunch for $11.00.....lol).