Last week I abandoned my children and husband to fly off south to Texas.  There I met up with seven other Lutheran ladies who had also t...

The Lutheran Ladies of Texas

Thursday, October 04, 2012 , , , ,

Boots!
Last week I abandoned my children and husband to fly off south to Texas. 
There I met up with seven other Lutheran ladies who had also temporarily left their daily routines as mothers, wives, homeschoolers, and church workers all so that we could gather together and celebrate being sisters in Christ. And Lutheran. In Texas. 

I have over 160 photos to share and a few stories to tell about my travels, but instead of my regular routine--which is to post a million photos all at once and hope that one or two readers actually makes it to the end and leaves a comment--I'm going to break my Texas posts up a bit. 

First, I want to introduce you all to the wonderful women I met down there. 
Under the stag 
From left to right, Adriane, Kellee, Lauren {those first three are sisters}, DeAnn, Gretchen, Jan, myself, and Edie
Texas Bound! 
You all know Jan & Kellee, who live in Colorado with me, and so we flew together. Jan, awesome homeschooling mother of six, also a Lutheran pastor's wife. Kellee, who is like my creative soul-mate, we could talk baking & Pinterest & vintage decorating all day, and mother of three darling girls. 

I love them both, and I was so glad to already know at least two of the seven women I'd be in Texas with! But then, I "internet knew" a few others already, too...
The girls at Cotton Gin Village 
In all honesty, I think I felt {and looked, as Jan pointed out} a little star-struck during the whole trip. That's what happens when you meet so many people whom you've only met on blogs and heard of through the grape-vine. I had admired them all from afar already, so it was a bit overwhelming to finally be meeting them all in person, all at once!

First, let me tell you about Adriane, who was the primary organizer of this entire trip. Adriane is my birthday buddy, she was born the day after me and so we're the same age. Still, I feel younger than her only because that girl knows SO MUCH about doctrine, the synod, the seminaries  and--oh yeah, did I tell you she's the editor of the Lutheran Witness? She's the high-powered career woman of our Lutheran world. But I've "internet known" her for a while now, and let me tell you, this girl is witty. She's sharp, clever, and has the funniest whip-smart posts on her blog and Facebook. Now I can say I've met her person, and it turns out she is still just as witty and clever in person, but also very sweet voiced and very approachable. 

Lauren, Adriane & Kellee's middle sister, is a Lutheran pastor's wife, mother of three adorable kids, and a breath of fresh air to be around. I enjoyed Lauren's company very much, and have come to believe that this is probably because she seems to possess all the character qualities I'd love but don't have myself. Also, I learned a lot from her. She's also a homeschooling mother, and I could sit and interrogate her all day for parenting advice. One of her sons has the same eye condition as my Eisley, too, and I learned so much from Lauren just talking to her about it. 

Next, let me tell you about DeAnn. DeAnn is just another example of how the Lutheran world is so small. I'm always saying it, we're all connected by just a few degrees no matter how far away you live. DeAnn is from Montana and just happens to be the aunt of two girlfriends I went to high school with and who were in my social circle. Funny, huh! I connected with DeAnn by the way we were both homesick for our children. DeAnn was a calm presence on the trip, and she has such a youthful glow about her!

Gretchen is also a Lutheran pastor's wife, a mother, and has had a fascinating career writing articles and recipes for magazines! We could not have asked for a more perfect friend to take to the restaurants and wine tasting with us. I learned so much from this lady about wine and food, and also the publishing industry. Man, would I love to be invited to her house for supper. She came to Texas all the way from Tennessee, as did Edie...

Edie & Heather
Edie is probably, no IS, the most famous blogger out of the group of us, she has a huge blog following and tons of people know of her. I'll be honest, I was a little nervous to meet her. Her blog is incredible and rivals that pioneer woman. In real life she has such a warm, cheerful personality that matches her bubbly Tennessee accent perfectly. She's a Tennessee native, raised Baptist, she converted to Lutheranism in adulthood. {Woot!} She is also a super-smart chick, a former family physician turned homeschooling mom. Tragedy struck her family a couple years ago when their beautiful house burned to the ground, but they have risen from the ashes and have built my their dream house on a lake in a town that is actually called Bean Station. {Reading her blog, Jan & I just always thought it was a cute nickname for her town, but no. It's actually called BEAN STATION. Cute, huh?}

Anyhoo, Gretchen was the only one who had previously met Edie, being that they're both Lutherans from Tennessee. They also recently team-worked to get Edie's house featured in the January 2013 issue of Better Homes and Gardens!
So, check that out.

So, obviously you can see this trip to Texas was made just that much more wonderful because I was in fine company, indeed.

Now that you've met the Lutheran ladies, I'll post next about the Big House at Cotton Gin Village...

Yes, that's where we stayed. Charming, isn't it?
The Big House at Cotton Gin Village

Stay tuned!
More to come on my Texas adventure... like shopping Fredericksburg, the sweet elderly dancers of Luckenbach, and the wine nazi. {Can I say that?}

Cheers,
Heather

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8 comments

  1. I will stay tuned because I can't wait for more pictures and stories. (Even though I was there.) It was a treat to be able to meet you in person, too, and enjoy the company of so many lovely ladies.

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  2. I love the big old tin roof on that house. Can't wait for part 2.

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  3. I love reading what everyone is writing! I obviously need to get to work and write something myself!

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