revolve tour weekend

this weekend, i was able to go with 16 other teenage girls, moms and youth group leaders to the revolve tour in greensboro. this is a conference specifically designed for teenage girls and is associated with the "women of faith" conference that is held annually as well. i checked out the information about the conference beforehand, but was only familiar with a couple of the artists. this didn't stop me from having an AMAZING time, though!

so, in pictures--my weekend with the girls...
natalie grant was one of the top acts. she was a great performer and also did a fabulous job speaking on saturday afternoon!

the "girl talk" session on friday night--all of the performers and speakers came out and answered fun questions about growing up as a teen and their relationship with God.
a picture of the full stage that i was able to take at the back of the colesium. the theme was "all access" based on matthew 16:19: you will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven.
two of my favorite new musical finds of the weekend? group 1 crew--a fantastic blend of hip hop, funk and rock that was just jamming. i mean that. they're my new work-out music.
and the reason i will have ringing in my ears tomorrow? hawk nelson. the girls screamed and screamed and screamed when they came out on stage.
they did rock it out. another addition to my work-out mix. more great rock, with almost a bit of...ska? punk? i don't know. but it was fun to jump around.
the colesium going nuts. the energy was palpable. and the temperature went up about 10 degrees. but it was exhilirating! we also had a great time bonding as a group... (alyssa, emelie and christy)
and listening to some wonderful speakers. jenna lucado, max lucado's daughter, was there and she was so relatable in a funny, somewhat awkward--but so down-to-earth--way. and chad eastham was an awesome male role model who knew just how to capture the attention of 7,000 girls. his story was amazing and so powerful as he shared his own issues with self-esteem and history of drug use and recovery.


one last big shot of the whole tour group as the program closed on saturday afternoon.

and our group before we got back on the van to head back home.
i know i work with kids all during the week, and one would not think that i would also want to do that on the weekends. but i enjoy it so much, and i love being a part of a group where i feel like i can make a difference. remembering what it was like to be a teenage girl and how important my relationships were with youth group leaders, how important my experiences were at retreats and conferences--i guess i just want to give back and do the same for the next generation of girls. cheesy, perhaps, but it's a great way to spend your weekend when you leave motivated, refreshed, and ready to change the world.

just saying. and a few more pictures are up on flickr, of course.

alright, i'm off to relax and enjoy a quiet evening at home with my husband. it'll be a busy rest of the weekend and an extremely hectic week as i help start up the new IIH team and assist with new referrals while also keeping our caseload of 7 families going at the same time. there aren't enough hours to make this quite work, but we're going to try.

that's it for now. later, y'all.