WIWW ~ More of "After Allume!"

Yesterday, I got dressed for the first time since returning home from Allume. Zac had a fever all day Sunday, so I knew that neither one of us would be leaving the house on Monday. PJ pants and a sweat shirt suited me just fine until around 7 pm when I exchanged my PJs for yoga pants on my way out the door to the Children's Urgent Care. No make up, a ball cap, and a pair of socks that didn't match. I looked like the sick one...so hopefully, no one really held it against me.  

{If it matters...   Scarf~ Old Navy (new)   Shirt~ Old Navy (old)    Jeans~ Target (really old)}

So back to yesterday. 
I showered. I got dressed and put on make up. I met my sweet friend for lunch and got to tell her about my time at Allume. I gave her a present, a piece of the conference that I knew was meant for her.  You see...When I arrived at the registration desk, I was given a choice of books. One was a prayer devotional by Beth Moore called Whispers of Hope.  My sweet friend has a huge heart for prayer and I knew that book would belong to her. 

 {Actually, this was not the prayer room This was the lounge, but it had a 

similar feel and at this time of the day...a lot less people!}

I also couldn't wait to tell her about the prayer room at Allume. A place much like the lounge... cozy, inviting, warm, and set up to encourage small groups of women to connect on a deeper level. Along the wall in alphabetical order, there were hundreds of journals. One prayer journal for each person at Allume. Throughout the weekend, encouraging notes and prayers were written in the journals by others who had met and been encouraged by them. It was addicting. I wish I had gotten to the prayer before Saturday afternoon.

My friend was encouraged and so excited for me. She had tears in her eyes when she heard me say, "And while I was at Allume, I learned to call myself a writer!"  She had always known that to be true about me...but I didn't. Her acknowledge of that, the smile, the look on her face, and the tears...oh...such sweet goodness to my soul. And she would not have cared for a moment if I had shown up for lunch in my sweats and ball cap.

But because we all know it feels good to get dressed after 2 days in PJs, I ironed a shirt, pulled on some jeans...and wrapped a scarf around my neck...one of the two ways I know how. I'm learning  to change it up a bit and this video from FashionABLE is helping.

FashionABLE is an incredible organization empowering women in Africa...

and my next scarf will come from one of them. Go check them out here!

It's "What I Wore" Wednesday!
If you found me by way of  Lindsay's blog, I must say, I haven't shown my face over there in quite a while!
I'd love it if you'd take a moment to say "Hi"...and I'll come see your face and say "Hi" right back.