Life. Changing.
There are few weeks throughout the course of one’s life that can be defined in such a way.
Recently, Kelly and I had the opportunity to attend CONNECT {a marriage retreat for photographers} at the beautiful Winshape Retreat Center. And our lives, both personally and professionally, have been forever changed.
(Special thanks to Jacobus Photography for the beautiful sunrise photo of Winshape!)
When we signed up for CONNECT, we were so excited at the thought of hanging out with several other couples (42 couples to be exact) who could completely relate to working along side each other in the photography/videography industry, all while learning how to most effectively manage our business as a couple. We were even more excited that the retreat would be based on Biblical principles. And yes – as most of our friends and family mentioned when we told them where we were going – that really is an incredibly specific group.
The facility is gorgeous, the food delish, and the accommodations lovely – complete with that gracious southern hospitality! And have I mentioned the endless supply of Chick-fil-A mints? (That’s right! Winshape is owned by Chick-fil-A so we acquired a new love for their mints. ;) ) Plus, we got to hang out with talented industry leaders including Zach & Jody Gray, Jeff & Julia Woods, Katelyn James & Michael Alsop, and Mike & Rachel Larson.
On the surface, our “vacation” sounds pretty cool, huh? But what’s even more amazing is that all of that pales in comparison to the depth of what we came away with. We learned a lot. About ourselves. About our business. About Christ and our relationship with Him… I wish I could put into words exactly how CONNECT has already impacted our lives. The most basic description I can give would be that we feel empowered to live in the way that we have always wanted to. Priorities in their rightful place, tools to better understand ourselves and even more effectively communicate with one another, and great new friends that quickly became family.
(Special thanks to Allen Adams Photography for this group shot!)
We’re so grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this retreat. It is our hope and prayer that a little ripple effect will begin and the lives of every couple we have the pleasure of knowing and working with might also be blessed as a result.
-m
