People are my Passion
Well, this is a post that I thought I would right about seven weeks ago right after the Haven Conference. I always come home from Haven completely inspired and completely exhausted.
You see, this was our fifth year of Haven, and I have been on the planning team since the very first year. It has been an amazing experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
If you don’t know what Haven is, it is a conference for mostly bloggers, and some non-bloggers who love everything HOME and DIY. The Home Depot has been our main sponsor all five years, and they have been so great to work with!
Our original planning team consisted of 8 team members…
Kate {Censational Girl}, Sarah {Thrifty Décor Chick}, Beth {Home Stories A to Z}, Rhoda {Southern Hospitality}, Me, Chris {Just a Girl}, and Marian {Miss Mustard Seed.}
Then for three years, our team consisted of the 6 of us…
And this year, it was just the four of us…we were small, but mighty. In my opinion, it was our best Haven yet!
And that is thanks to our amazing sponsors and attendees!
We couldn’t do it without our sponsors…
And our attendees…oh, how I love our attendees!!! I wish I could sit down and spend time with each one individually, but with over 300 Haven Mavens in attendance, it just isn’t possible. :( But I get as many hugs as I can, and as many quick (but meaningful) conversations in the hallways as I run around like a crazy person all weekend!
I know that Haven is a conference to teach you how to blog, how to grow your blog, how to make money from your blog, and get the chance to work with amazing sponsors in the process. But the one take away for me every year is how much I love people. People are my passion! My cup is filled to overflowing when I get the chance to be around people.
That is one reason why I became a teacher. Not because I loved teaching, but because I loved people. I adored the kids in my classroom each year. I loved the friendships I had with other teachers and our conversations during our lunch breaks and at the copy machine. I loved building relationships with parents and hearing their stories and becoming a part of their lives. To this day, I love when I see my former students and their parents. They make my heart so happy. Relationships is what I miss most about teaching.
And as much as I love blogging…there is one thing missing….face to face contact with people. I love connecting with people online, but it is never as fulfilling to me as when I get to meet them face to face. I need hugs. I need smiles. I need personal, meaningful conversations with other people.
When my boys were little and still home with me, blogging gave me a chance to “work” from home, but I still had that person to person contact with my boys that filled up my cup. The past three years that my boys have all been in school have been difficult for me. I don’t like working from home…alone. Tweeting, instagramming, pinning, and posting are just not meaningful to me. People are my passion.
Sania Louise has definitely been a gift from God to me in more ways than one. I love having her home with me and homeschooling her. She is giving me that face to face connection that I desperately desire. She is such a joy!
It’s moments like these that make my days so much brighter…
I had put Sania Louise in time out in her room because she had been having some really rough and disobedient moments. As I was cleaning the kitchen, I could hear her laughing her head off. I thought, “What is so funny?!” Then I opened her bedroom door and found her stuck in between the mattress and bedrails! She said, “It’s okay, mom. I got dis.” Oh, that child!! :) I’m so thankful for her!
Sooooo, anyway….when I look at the future of my blog, I know that I cannot just work on my computer forever…it’s not fulfilling to me. So I am praying that God would provide opportunities through my blog for me to have more face to face opportunities to connect with real people and share in their lives. That’s what life is all about for me.
And that is why I love Haven so much! Because I know that once a year, I get to connect face to face with some of the most amazing people I have ever known! I get to hug their necks, and laugh and cry with them. These girls…they do my heart good.
We are already planning for Haven 2017, so I hope I get to see some more of you there next year! I can’t wait to hug your neck! xoxo, Traci
Boy can I relate to today’s post, I love to be around people. When my kids were in school I volunteered at their school so much I was there almost as much as them, all the way through high school (they were in band and the band boosters had a million things to do). I loved it! When they went to college I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I started taking woodworking classes. My favorite part was visiting and learning from my fellow students, but I took all the classes offered and that ended. I started taking a Photoshop class and was really enjoying it, unfortunately there is a group of clicky mean women that have made me dread going (ever seen the movie Mean Girls, I think these are their Mom’s). I have one week left and I won’t be signing up again, I’m now looking for my next adventure. I’m having a hard time trying to understand why some women can be so mean.
All beautiful photos! Hope you have a great week ♥
summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com
Traci, Dear Friend,
I think God is already working this out in your new role of mom to Sania Louise. We all want to feel needed, that we make a difference in someone’s life. i am sure I don’t have to tell you that that precious child is God’s living, breathing testament of how far you’ve come in your walk with the Lord. He had enough faith in you and how you’ve matured as His child to intrust you with her, to raise her and to be the Godly mom that that child deserves. As you work with her, challenging though it may be, as you get more immersed with other home schoolers and in her Latvian community, more doors will be opening for you to practice your people skills.
It’s almost like you’re living in a parallel universe, isn’t it? You conquered motherhood X4, now you get to do it again. Praise God for His faithfulness.
Our God is an awesome God.
Doni
(are you still with Young Living EO,?)
Oh, I forgot to add, that I see Sania Louise’s bed is sturdy and well-made. Thank God. I love that she can be crazy goofy, funny with you. So sweet. Where did you get that bed again? I know you mentioned it but I just may have to check it out :-)
Doni