Weekend to Remember Experience...

IT WAS DEFINITELY A MOMENT TO REMEMBER!!!

for those who have not heard of Weekend to Remember, lemme give you a synopsis of what this getaway is for...

"Weekend to Remember is a weekend marriage conference that teaches God's design for marriage and family. The environment is fun, non-threatening, and sometimes hilarious. And it's a wonderful time for couples to refresh good marriages or heal troubled ones. There are over 150 conferences in cities all across the U.S. each year. Registration is open to individuals, couples, or groups. Whether you're engaged, newlywed, or remarried, enrich your marriage and begin a godly legacy for your family by attending a conference in a city near you. Or plan a memorable getaway to a destination of your choosing.

How will your marriage be remembered?
Marriage is defined by memories. They can be memories of joy and fulfillment or pain and heartbreak. It all depends on how well you apply the principles that make marriage thrive. For thirty years, the Weekend to Remember conference has been helping couples create the kind of memories that build a healthy marriage. Remember your marriage. Remember this weekend."

ok, so we were scheduled to go last year, but due to conflicting schedules and other circumstances, i had to reschedule for the next one which was a year after. i've gotta be honest with you, my husband did not have a clue as to what this seminar/retreat/conference/getaway (whatever you what to call it) is really all about. all he knew was a getaway for the two of us, until that day we were having breakfast did he ask for our itinerary, so i gave him a print out of what our 3days will be. i did not receive a feedback (good/bad) so i just continue to receive the day as a blessing =)

we dropped off the kids to my sister's condo. it was their first time having the kids all by themselves, and it was the first time my little one will be sleeping without mom & dad... so we were pretty worried too. however, i've prayed for this day so i was confident that all will go well by the grace of God =)

the conference was held at the marriott in oak brook, il. right after we checked-inn, it was already time for the first session which started at 7p, last friday. funny how they mentioned: most of you, husbands, probably have no idea what this is all about or were pretty much just dragged into coming, some may have even fought on the way, but i promise you that you will all enjoy the ride... hehehe *thank you Lord!*

believe me, to our surprise, the place was full. some were married for a long long time, some are less than 5yrs and some are premarried; some have problems, some are looking to reconcile and some are just like us... looking forward to strengthen our marriage. i tell yah, before noel realized that we all have different reasons why we're there, he looked at me and asked, "are we having marriage problems that i don't know about?" i laughed and said, "no, we don't have to have problems just to be here."

i know we all have our expectations when we got married and most, if not all probably got disappointed to find out that you and your spouse still have a lot of differences. but you know what's amazing? the Lord has reasons why 2 different people are united as one.

through out this 3day experience, noel and i saw a whole picture of God's design of marriage painted right before our eyes! it was surreal! mind you, although this was a conference, the idea is not to focus on bashing husbands or wives or interacting with other people to find the same common ground, but it was mainly focused on you two. it felt like it was just the two of us there. no need for fake demeanor... everyone joined the journey with their spouse and enjoyed every moment. there were moments of laughter, but there were also moments where you see yourself coming to your senses and of course, there were moments of tears.

every opportunity was exhausted and it was all worth it. the line of communication between spouses were opened and for my husband, although he's been doing very well lately, this exercise gave him a better understanding of the importance of communicating. and yes, this exercise taught me a lot as well.

one of the many exciting moments was the time when we had to spread out all over the hotel and find a place to be alone and write a letter to your spouse. there were a few ideas they suggested for you to include in the letter, once done, get together with your spouse and read your letter for them. see, my husband knows very well that simple romantic things makes me over the top, happy. so when we saw each other, he led me outside the courtyard and volunteered that he reads his letter for me first. i was so touched as he read his letter to me with tears and as usual i was in tears reading mine.

there were a lot of things we learned and did together during this 3day getaway that will certainly make a huge impact to our marriage and our kids. the Lord has done it again! Our main goal to take away from this conference were 2 things... to strengthen our marriage and to be in oneness with Christ.

to end our wonderful experience, we renewed our vows on the 3rd day. you know what's amazing? everyone in the room were in tears... TEARS OF JOY... that's what God was aiming for.

and to close today's blog... i pray for all the couples who attended the Weekend to Remember seminar that as they live their normal lives once again, that they will grow in oneness with Christ and they will continue to lovingly accept their differences and be each other's support system as they model a Christlike marriage to their children, other families and friends.

i encourage you to join one of Weekend to Remember's marriage conference... no need to wait for problems to go to this... if you are in it for the long run, this is for you. marriage is a lifelong commitment... it shouldn't die when it doesn't meet your expectations. remember, expectations lead to disappointments.

thank you Lord for this amazing opportunity! YOU DEFINITELY ROCK!