Frann Attends Women's Retreat at Camp Joy Holling!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!

Every year for about five years now I have been attending the annual Flatland Church Women's Retreat at Camp Joy Holling. It's a wonderful respite from the world and chance to re-connect with my church sisters and, of course, to have some 'quality' time with God. 

This year I decided to bring Frann Doll along with me... Because why not? I knew the camp was beautiful and since Nebraska basically decided to let us skip winter this year (not even kidding? Now watch us get a blizzard because I said that just now...) I would have a chance to take some beautiful photos!

There might have been a time once where I'd have been too 'shy' to take a doll along and take photos... Luckily my church sisters all know me pretty well and while I think a few of them might find me a bit quirky, I know they love me. So with no shame (or very little) I marched around the grounds in the early morning sunlight before breakfast on Saturday and took some photos with Franny Doll! 

Here is Frann by the little 'lake'...

As we were walking down to breakfast from our building I looked off in distance and was like "What is that...! It looks like a little mock old western town?!" I don't know if I am the least observant person in the world and it's been there every year since I started attending...? I suppose I could've missed it when I wasn't looking around for 'good photo taking spots'? It's a bit beyond the buildings the retreat is held in so who knows, maybe? Eitherwise, I sure noticed it this time. 

Frann Doll was like "Let's go check it out!!" 

Isn't it neat looking!!

We took photos in front of nearly every building!

Such a fun place. 

It reminded me of a movie set!

Now I realize that the buildings kind of look like 'Giant Town' with Miss Franny Doll on the porch but... I still had lots of fun taking them anyway!

See the building off in the distance behind this 'Tourist Office'? That's where we ate our meals... So I suppose I might just have missed this cute little town before in my haste to go and get my grub!

A doctors office! "Painless surgery"! Haha. Yes, I bet!

From what I understand the 'town' is actually where the kids stay when they come to camp here. There are twin sized beds in the buildings for them. Can you imagine? I want to become a kid for a few days just to get to go! Or maybe not, but what a hoot.

See how many buildings there are? So cool!

This sign made me giggle and so Frann had to have a photo by it. 

Then we went back to the Swanson Center where our room was and took a few more photos. 

It was such a beautiful sunny day! God is good!

Here is Frann looking at the view from the balcony on our floor. 

Here is our pretty room! We had three roommates! Just like a slumber party! You could get a room to yourself but what's the fun in that?

Here is Frann by a quilt that I just can't wrap my mind around how they made it?? The work that went into it blows my mind. 

"Lets go upstairs to the chapel!!"

The cross in front of the chapel is ginormous!!

And it's so peaceful inside... Great place to have a prayer and moment with God. 

We both loved this mosaic!

This is Frann on balcony overlooking first floor. Isn't it a gorgeous place?

Another neat mosaic of sorts...

All too soon it was time to go home... I had such a great retreat and was so glad I brought Frann Doll along! I heard just what I needed to hear from God... It's so wonderful how, as He promises, if you seek Him, you will find Him. This weekend was no different. 

Better run!
Till next time!!
XXOO
Heather

PS I just noticed after writing this that the website refers to the Western Town as 'new' so maybe I am not as unobservant as I worried I might be... What a neat idea on their part! 

Frann Doll Attends Weekend Retreat!!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!!

Once a year my church has a Women's Retreat. It only runs from Friday evening until Saturday afternoon but for it only being 22hours, it really recharges my 'batteries'. Something about getting together with all my church sisters and chatting, praying, worshipping, eating, playing games, doing crafts and giggling until the wee small hours of the morning creates some manner of healing that you don't really know you need until you get it. If that makes sense. I've gone every year for over half a decade now and wouldn't miss it. Last year I decided to bring Frann Doll along so I could get some photos of her at the amazing facility we have it in every year, Carol Joy Holling Camp. It is a lovely venue with beautiful scenery and a 'silence' you just can't find in the city. So, as is what I imagine will be my yearly habit as well, I brought Frann along with me this year too! I wish I could bring the real Frann (someday!?) but in the meantime, it's fun to have her doppelganger doll with me. Kind of like a virtual visit with her. Teehee. I think I've gotten quite a lot better at taking doll photos in the year since I took her last year...

Here she is in the lobby...

I think playing with perspectives is so much fun... I am not perfect at it yet but I think I nailed it in the above photo. Frann Doll, I think, looks like she really is 'human size'. Don't you think so? 

I should've taken photos of how you go about getting perspectives like this... Wasn't thinking of 'how to' when I was taking photos, only of trying to get right angles. I took all these photos at about 5am Saturday morning after my walk... I am strange, it doesn't matter what time I go to bed, my internal alarm wakes me up at about 4:00am everyday. So, per my Fitbit,  got 3 hours and 16mins of sleep Friday night. Haha. It's so odd though because when I wake up, I am awake! So, why fight it, I get up and make the most of my quiet time where the entire world is my own.

I don't think I did as well on perspectives on this photo (above)... Unless you don't know what size the fireplace really is and it could just be a huge one... 

I didn't move her, I just changed angle..... Hmmm... Was trying to get the letters in the photo.

I think I did pretty good on the perspectives on these photos... See all the tables with items all over them? Well a neat idea they came up with last year was to have a handful of the ladies from our church bring in 'all my favorite things' to put on a table. Kind of like Show&Tell or something. It's a fun way for the rest of us to get to know fun things about those particular women in church. I mean, we all know each other pretty well but how often does it really come up what your favorite books or foods (etc) are? So it's fun to look at all their tables and find out fun facts about them. We have a lot of ladies in our church and so I've not been asked to make a table yet (which is fine because I think it's probably a lot of work to put together!!) but should I ever be asked I bet you can guess what there would more than one of on my table? Hahaha. Yes, dolls. I got no shame. Hahaha. My church sisters mostly all know about my hobby... I mean we generally always have new people (because any healthy church should be having new people, right?) and I sometimes wonder what they might think of my doll bringing habits but.... Life's too short to worry about such things, right? Just kidding! I don't want to alienate anyone by them thinking I'm bonkers but, if they stick around long enough, they'll find out I am in any case. So might as well know it up front, right? *giggles*

The rooms they have at Camp Joy Holling are so pretty! I love the chairs in this room!

They have the most amazing snack room at Camp Joy Holling!! See all those yummy snacks and goodies? They are all part of the price of the weekend!! Did I mention a lot of eating goes on at retreat? LOL

Frann went out and walked to the other building. We have such a large group that we take up two buildings! Haha. They are both lovely though.

Isn't the Swanson building pretty all lit up at night? As you can see, there was a lot of snow on the ground... I didn't take Frann to the little village this year because it was really pretty treacherous outside. Pretty though!

I discovered something I didn't even know was there this year... This nifty little work out room is available! Isn't it neat? I actually did my yoga on Saturday morning but just tucked into an empty meeting room near my room to do it because to get to this little workout room you have to go outside. Haha.

Here is Frann in the ginormous room next to the cafeteria where they serve us our meals. The food is really pretty good and plentiful. I can't say enough nice things about Camp Joy Holling. I think they are the bees knees.

Here is where we eat. So many fun conversations have taken place at these tables!

And the room where we have our large group talk and worship. They also cleared the chairs in this room Saturday morning and a group of dedicated ladies did Jazzersize at 7am. I helped move the chairs but I don't think I am coordinated enough to do that sort of thing. Haha.

Well, I better run if I am going to get to church on time...
I hope this finds you having a peaceful Sunday (or whatever day it is when you're reading this!)

XXOO
Heather