2008 Mid-Winter Couples retreat... a little late.

2008 Mid-Winter Couples Retreat
FUN was had by ALL! (And I mean it!)

Feb 8th, 6 couples went from our church. We stayed at the Stoney Creek Inn. SOME of the couples got their room upgraded to a HOT TUB room. Lucky!! (Of course said in Napoleon Dynamite fashion)

The Creston church hosts the retreat. Man alive... it sure is a neat deal. They have drawings each day -- every couple wins a prize. Ours was M&M's. Woo Hoo!! I was pleased. Oh -- and 2 cups. Our kids were pleased. They were empty when we got home...shhh.... Don't tell them.

I didn't take a photo of Dan and I. Why? Forgot. Someone else did, I'm sure. So there is proof...one someone's camera...somewhere.

Can you believe it? This man is camera shy. pswaaaa... I don't buy it. Ahh ha ha ha!
He and his wife got the right idea. Starbucks coffee, we were right behind them in the drive through and didn't even know it. (Our cups were bigger... just so ya know).

This couple - probably would have won the Apple to Apples game... if they would have played. Instead they were smart and ran upstairs and went to bed. Yaaawn... Me? No WAY! I'm too competitive. I want to WIN? Did I? No... but that's beside the point.

Why is this couple so happy? I don't know -- I think they are laughing at my camera usage skills. I put my camera on "auto whatever"... then couldn't figure out how to get it off. I was taking pictures of everything... including my feet. I know... I'm a dope. Apparently a funny dope. But you know me... these are my kind of people. I LOVE to laugh!!

OK -- now THIS couple... I like how he thinks. I won 1 card off of him... or he won one off of me... I don't really remember now. Too tired... or too long ago. His sense of humor makes me LAUGH! I hope it makes his wife laugh. It was fun to get to know her better.

I soooo wanted to post the photo of this man sticking his tongue out... but... I'm afeerd of paybacks. (I'm too CHICKEN!) This is the one friend I knew before we went to this church. It has really been fun getting to know her better. I still like her. Ü

We were all there to retreat from our marriages. Well -- OK -- the brochure doesn't exactly word it that way. I'd better go get it -- double check my memory.

Oh -- here it is... right under my nose actually. Of course I got up and walked around and looked for it. I found it... on my computer desk, in my brown notebook -- that I was resting my arm on. Yeah, yeah, yeah... those braincells... I'm lacking a few.

OK -- it was called, "Getting the Most Out of Marriage." Neat deal, if you ask me.

The speaker was Jeffery (Duke) Crawford. With a perfectly good name like Jeffery -- I wonder he wants to be called Duke? I didn't ask... no time. He's a NANC certified biblical counselor. That means -- he has a funny stories to tell!! Some he told on himself. Some on his wife... some about the couselees.... I wonder if he had their permission. Well -- he wasn't dropping names... so it didn't matter, I guess.

My favorite story -- this one of course -- you'll see why.

Mrs. Crawford wanted the back door painted. It led from the garage into the house. An attached garage mind you... no one could see it but the person using it. The only people using it were Mr. and Mrs. Crawford. So -- he let it slide. (For years) Am I getting this right Beth? Correct me if I'm wrong. Don't ask me why -- but one day he started painting this door. I don't think she nagged him into it -- because that would have spoilt the story. (Spoiled/spoilt... same diff.) Keep up with me here.

She walked by and said, "Huba huba... you are painting my door." I swear -- that's what I remember him saying.

So -- so that lit his fire... and he really started "PAINTING THAT DOOR!" °Ü°

The moral of the story?

Men -- even if it's not important -- DO IT! Just do it for the little wifey. She'll love ya for it.

And at our house -- we now say that Dan is "Painting My Door" when he's doing something nice -- that he wasn't badgered into -- that's not necessary -- but I really really like it. Hubba Hubba!

Like Starbucks Coffee
or New clothes from Christopher & Banks
or LADIES NIGHT OUT! (Where were you Robin?)
or sitting on the couch with me and watching a movie.

Those kind of things.

I'm glad we went. I've saved my notes... in case I need a refresher. He spoke to the women too. One thing he said -- that is very true. "Our marriages are the illustration to the world of the relationship of Christ to the church." Yikes... We'd better be getting it right.

So -- next Mid-Winter... make your calendars... January 30-31, 2009.
David and Robin Peters are scheduled to be the speakers. They folks are planners, aren't they? I'm going right now to plan.
Ü

Hey Dan -- THANKS for painting my door!!