Virginia Adventures (Part 3)

I forgot to mention yesterday in Part 2, that my kids and I had “bet” on how many attendees I would have at my session. Considering I was speaking at the same time as numerous others, and at 3 pm in the afternoon, when everyone is feeling worn out from the whole day, I said maybe 10 people would show up! My children said I would have more. Well, my husband left in the beginning and when we came back he saw this sign:

How good is God? He brought so many people to hear my message. Like I said before though, if even one person was touched and that is who God wanted there, that would have been fine. Yet, He provided more. So much more!

The conference was truly amazing. We left on Saturday feeling inspired, encouraged, and I knew more than ever that speaking is a passion of mine. I have big plans for 2015 to grown this ministry and to see where God takes it. I will obey His call wherever I go.

on our way out of the conference

After leaving Richmond, we made a stop in Bass Pro Shops. We had so much fun. My husband and kids love the outdoors and this was a little slice of heaven for us!

Onward to Williamsburg. We would be staying in the Homewood Suites which is fabulous for a large family. They have one and two bedroom (affordable) suites and every morning is a full breakfast. During the week, they also have dinner! Definitely a plus and a budget saver for a big family!

After checking into the hotel, we went into Colonial Williamsburg to walk around for the evening. The weather was perfect. It was a perfect ending to a perfect few days. My phone (camera) ran out of charge when I was there, so I don’t have any pictures…just those beautiful memories ingrained in my mind..

Next morning, we headed over to Jamestown and Yorktown. We had been there four years ago when we were studying Jamestown in school. Again, we had amazing weather. We love history and visiting these sites is always so much fun for us. Seeing history come alive is truly a way to learn.

The kids adored the Indian village and had a blast trying out all of the hands on activities. Then we went into the fort and boarded the ships. All of it, was just perfect.

In the afternoon, we headed out to Yorktown. Fast forward a bit in history to the end of the Revolutionary War. This was what I was really looking forward to. Four years ago when we visited Yorktown I had been so moved when I stepped into the Revolutionary War period farmhouse. I came home from the trip and wrote about simplifying after seeing how simply those people lived. That summer Simply Living for Him was born. I have often referred to that trip in my book and my speaking.

Now here I was…returning to that spot. So much has happened since my little blog was born. Books were written and I am privileged to speak about simplifying at events! Here I was coming full circle…

As we walked down to the farmhouse I was so filled with excitement to remember where it all began. As I took each step closer, my eyes were scanning the area…it looked different. One of the guides at the site said things were under construction and the house was moved.

In the background of the house was not the simple garden I remembered, but a construction site as a backdrop. The outside was certainly different.

Now to go inside. Surely I would walk in and be brought back to four years ago….but was I?
This is the memory I have from four years ago….

Come back tomorrow for the final post in this series!