quote of last week and Sara leaves again

"I like it when we get to wear winter coats. We all look so fancy." -- George


George is right. Winter clothes are fun to wear for the first week or so. It's cold out... which means hot chocolate is the preferred beverage in the Underground. It was good to be back for a week after Pittsburgh. (The conference at Pittsburgh was phenomenal. I loved nearly every minute of it.)

The kids and I missed each other probably about the same amount. It's great to get away so I can come home. I was greeted with several "Welcome back Sara" signs. A few were even embellished with streamers. I left them up, knowing I'd be leaving again soon.

Tomorrow I fly to Louisiana. I'll be in New Orleans from Tuesday-Saturday morning. This time around the conference is Presbyterian Youth Workers Association. I am a new part of the Core Team and I'll be working with a woman named Kathi on communications. I'm eager to dig into that and find out what my responsibilities are, but also to discuss ways we can work to connect more Presbyterian youth workers into the loop.

Obviously I'm not opposed to other denominations. I'm game to network with youth workers across the board. I just feel like the PC(USA) is a special place I get to call home and I am hopeful that I can somehow be a resource or a sounding board for other youth workers. I think when we work together, we combine our passion, knowledge and energy and are better able to reach out to young people. It's a monster task, but one I care tremendously about doing well. We'll see...

So yes, I will be less fancy, sans the winter coat. NOLA is supposed to be mid 70s which just seems like a dream, doesn't it? When I get back, I hope to add a few events to the calendar. The after schoolers earned themselves an overnight. (If you want to chaperone, let me know... it will save me on the asking.)

I'll be back next week with a recap of the conference and some pictures.