Monday, October 20, 2014

These Are the Moments We Remember

by Terri


I know many of us have written here about meeting up with our FOL sisters and spending some precious time getting to know each other better. But this time, this was the first time that almost all of us were able to be there. If not for Cathy’s “new hip” we would have had a 100% turnout and, believe me, she was greatly missed. But last week, on the beach in Galveston, TX, the other ten of us came together for four precious days of togetherness.

I have known since this trip was scheduled that my post would be the first one after our return and you will most likely hear much more about it all from the others once it is their turn to post. We will probably have different viewpoints and different stories to share, but I can bet that each one of us will say it was a chance of a lifetime to be able to be together.  Ten women, from different parts of the country, different ages, different life experiences, but all with the common goal to make this blog feel like home to all of you who read it. 

We had rented one huge house on the beach to spend the next four days and the excitement had been building ever since we made the plan to be together. Dotti, Deanna and I arrived on Tuesday so we could get things set up for everyone else’s arrival – a little grocery shopping to stock the house, hanging nametags on doors and placing gift bags in rooms. But we were all waiting for the next day when the rest of the girls would arrive. One by one as they walked in the door, we wrapped each other in huge hugs and even shed some tears of joy. THIS is what we had been waiting for! We hoped to spend a wonderful few days together and we were not disappointed.

There were mornings on the marsh . . .


. . . and evenings watching the sun set over the fields . . . 


. . . and the water.


There was food . . .



. . . and there was chocolate.


There was a little shopping . . .


. . . lots of shooting . . .


. . . some Instagramming . . .


. . . and lots and lots of fun!


One of my favorite memories during our time together was rising early (not my favorite time of day) and going down to the beach to see the sunrise. We arrived before dawn and set up our tripods and cameras. We chit-chatted for a while but when the “show” began to start, silence fell over our little group and we stood there in awe. 



We shot hundreds of photos, both with our big cameras and our phones. But more importantly than all of that, we were together, sharing our love for our hobby and for our friendship.


Yes, we had a great time together, but what we hope was the end result was a closeness, a bonding, that will keep us together, keep us writing here at FOL and sharing with all of you, our readers. We spent time talking about our future plans for this little place in blogland and how we want to move forward and improve.

I hope this post makes you feel like you almost came along on this trip with us. Believe me, you were all in our thoughts.




15 comments:

Peggy said...

What a wonderful trip that must have been. Before Internet days girls from all over the country who share a common interest would never have met. And now you share a blog and a bond. I can't wait to read more and see more fantastic pictures. Thanks for sharing your adventures.

Dotti said...

What wonderful photos and words to greet me this Monday morning after arriving home from our time together. We Galveston Gals had such a magical time together. Ten women, sharing a house, some sharing bathrooms and yet the whole time was a symphony of love, life and laughter. While wending my way home yesterday, my heart was so full, I thought it would burst. To all our dear readers, I wish we could package up a bit of the love from our Galveston Gathering and send it to each of you. It was pure magic,

kelly said...

i was starting to feel a little sad this morning...missing all of my friends. what a delight to see this post and relive all the wonderful memories. so grateful for this experience and this beautiful community. xo

Cathy H. said...

I've been looking forward to the sharing of your time together! You're truly an amazing group of talented and loving women! I'm so glad I know you!

Unknown said...

The pics were amazing but the bonding time is what life is all about. So glad you got to spend that precious and fun time together! :)

Unknown said...

I see Deanna got the coffee stain out of her shirt! ;) and it was also great to see her posting on Instagram!!
What a wonderful memory for all of you!

AFishGirl said...

Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful time with all of us. It feels like we were right there. I'll be looking at this again and again. Yay!!!!!!

Focusing on Life said...

Words can hardly express the feelings that I experienced on this trip....the bonding, the love, the sharing, the laughter, the tears, the life-long joy and love I feel for these women is heart fulfilling. Thank you for inviting me into this circle of love!! And yes, I succumbed to the wonders of camera photography after upgrading to an I-Phone 6, it became addicting.

Deanna said...

oops that was me on that last comment. I obviously had not signed out since my post on Friday, sorry!!

Sherri B. said...

How fantastic to spend time with your friends...what wonderful memories you all must now have!

Unknown said...

I loved watching you post and I can only imagine the moments you all shared as a sisterhood.

Linda said...

I am savor ing every word and thinking about the wonderful time we had together. It was truly a magical time that flew by. So happy to see this today. And so happy to have been part of it.

Diana said...

What a wonderful trip.

Carol said...

Oh my gosh-I had to wait til after work to read this , but it took me right back to Galveston with my nine roomies. It really was a special time and what made it special was these wonderful souls that are now sharing my life. I am so grateful for all of you and all you have brought into my life! We are truly blessed-each one of us❤️👭👭👭👭👭

susan said...

beautiful terri! you captured the spirit of this whole adventure so well. xoxoxo's!!!

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