MOPS Int'l Convention 2011

Things have been a bit sparse on Blog, She Wrote this week because I've been in Nashville at the MOPS Convention since Wednesday. It was a busy week with training for MOPS Field Leaders and then the general convention time for MOPS Steering Team members. I do not mention often that I am an Area Developer for MOPS Int'l. Area Developers recruit and train Field Leaders to support MOPS Leaders and groups. My area is Area 22 which is New York and the six New England States. If you are a reader who happens to be a MOPS mom....hello! Were you at convention?

Each Area has a table where we meet with local Leaders who have come to convention. Each team makes a centerpiece. I'm really not in to taking lots of materials across country, so I went with flat things. Our theme this year at MOPS is MOMSense with a game theme. So, I made a game! There are all sorts of questions about MOPS stuff and you could match the answers if you wanted to play the game. It was cool. It's too bad it was accidentally thrown out. Boo.

I captured these pictures of Sara Groves the first night. I had great seats that night!

Sara was at MOPS Convention just weeks after giving birth to her youngest- that was 2007. Time sure does fly. I remember that concert so well. Nichole Nordeman was there that year too!

Here's my Sara photo bomb- I was walking by her signing table that night and two other Field Leaders grabbed me and asked if I had a Sharpie. Sara didn't have one for signing CDs! Well of course I had Sharpies in my backpack- did you see that game up there? I finished the cards on the flight to Nashville. So, I whip them out- and array of colors and I was all like- Can I give them to her? Anyway, I fanned them out and sorta photo bombed this picture. I'm thinking- I'm going to lend my Sharpies to Sara! I was hoping she'd sign them for me...I never did see those beautiful Sharpies again. Their cause was noble.

Max Lucado was a first timer at MOPS Convention and he did a really great job- being a pastor his talk was more sermon than anything else, but it was pretty compelling.

I had all kinds of duties like being a room host for a speaker, helping people find things, and helping people find their seats up at the front during general sessions, and I escorted Tim Kimmel of Grace Based Parenting to his room and then did a lot of work for him for the next two and a half hours! Great speaker... good stuff.

Re-entry is always hard, but it is good to be home! Next on the docket is preparing for the start of our new school year- though we do have another camping trip in a couple weeks.

See you all online today at the HOTM conference!