Wow.  I am so full I don’t even know where to start!  I have so many ideas now for things I want to post this. week. (I won’t really post them all this week, though; I promise!)

The sponsors of the conference really spoiled us; we got all kinds of really amazing stuff – some just to bless us and some to try out and tell you about. So I have some new books and other products that I am eager to read/try and share with you.

I met lots of amazing new bloggers (and a few, like Heather and Jen, that I “knew” before and had not yet gotten to meet in person). Some of these blogs may pop up in posts in the coming weeks, as I have opportunity to visit them around the web.

I learned some new tips that should, hopefully, enable me to save some time on repetitive tasks, allowing me to keep up better around here without having to devote my entire life to blogging. 😉

But, most of all, I was very, very encouraged, on two counts in particular.

1. The focus of Relevant was right.

Yes, we learned about blogging. Yes, we learned about some of the technology involved. Yes, we learned about tools that can save us time. But we also heard a lot about keeping the blog in balance with the rest of life. And in the process, we were very encouraged as wives and mamas. (I really needed that, as you all probably could have guessed if you’ve been reading for more than a week!)

2. I was encouraged by getting to really see that these bloggers are real.

One of my most recent posts was a pretty “down” post. I wrestled a lot over whether to post it. I wrestled a lot, once it was up, over whether to leave it there. While I certainly wouldn’t want the majority of my posts to look like that (!), it’s staying. Why? It’s far too easy to feel like we’re the only ones who struggle.

Even when reading blogs – perhaps especially when reading blogs – it’s easy to feel as though everyone else has it all together. The women whose blogs you read (and the women you come into contact with in your day-to-day life) may not be “covering up” the reality of who they are, but it is only natural for us to post when we feel like we have something to say – which is typically when we actually “got it right” – and to simply keep silent while we’re still trying to figure it out. As a result, we don’t see the struggle – only the successes.

Hearing Crystal say that she has felt inadequate or that they occasionally have a “jammy day” at their house, Ann say that there are days when just getting out of bed is a struggle because it’s so impossible to do everything that life is overwhelming, or Sally say that she had a child who was such a handful she sometimes didn’t know what to do with him (and that he lived through it, grew up, and is a productive adult!) is tremendously encouraging. It reminds me that the other women behind the screen struggle, too. I am normal. (Well, in that, anyway. lol)

So, while I hope not to drag you down with depressing posts on my discouraging days, I also hope that you will also see that I have these discouraging days – sometimes lots of them. Not so that you will feel sorry for me (although your prayers are always appreciated), but so that you will know, when you have discouraging days, that you are not alone.

Thank you so much, SarahMae, Jessica, and Dana, for all of your heart work putting this together. (I just typed “heart work” by mistake, instead of “hard work,” but I think it’s accurate, too, so I’m leaving it! Thank you for your hard work and your heart work!) I was blessed beyond measure this weekend.

Thank you to the staff at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey for doing a fabulous job taking care of us.

And thank you to my sponsors, Everyday Homemaking and my sweet hubby who knew I needed the break.

(If you weren’t able to attend the Relevant conference, but want to hear more, search Twitter for the #Relevant10 hashtag to see what highlights attendees tweeted.)