Time Out For Women...Friday

I have always wanted to attend Time Out for Women.  Never been able to because of scheduling conflicts. In 2013 I received the notice with the dates and locations for the 2014 schedule of Time Out For Women. There would be one in Cincinnati Friday, April 25th, and Saturday, April 26th. I checked my calendar and had those dates free.  I headed upstairs and told my dear hubby, who had been trying diligently to find a gift for me, that a ticket to Time Out For Women would make a wonderful Christmas gift.  For Christmas,  he ordered my ticket and gave me the printed ticket with a promise for a hotel room if I so chose to stay overnight.

At one point I thought Neffie's trip to Kentucky might coincide and we might be able to go together.  That turned out not to be the case with the timing of her trip.

There were many ladies from our ward going.  Amber Marcum set up a website to share the plans and updates.  They would get hotel rooms and stay together.

I personally needed to have some time to myself during this event. I wanted some time with the other ladies but needed some space to just reflect and get myself grounded again. So I opted out of staying overnight with the other ladies.

Friday, April 25th, I spent the morning shopping and cleaning and visiting with Papa. Then I headed back to Sadieville and made sure all my ducks were in a row before driving to Cincinnati. It was a good drive with the worst traffic being the last few miles. I anticipated that and it was not an issue. I had plenty of time to be stuck in traffic.

I located a nice open parking lot across the street from the Northern Kentucky Convention Center where the event would be held. I had over an hour before the doors opened.  I locked my car and asked the parking lot attendant if I walked the block to the Ohio River would I find a park or some benches from which to enjoy the river.  He had no idea what was a block away.  So I ventured forth to see what I could see.

I walked the block between the Marriott and the Embassy Suites and found the Ohio River.  I also found a wall of murals depicting the history of Covington, KY along the base of the Embassy Suites.  The Ohio River has several bridges across it that can be seen from this location.  However, the Roebling Suspension Bridge is the one right at the end of the Embassy Suites. It was gorgeous.

I set to stroll along this wall of murals to take pictures while turning every so often to take pictures of different views of the Cincinnati skyline and the Roebling Suspension Bridge.  

While taking pictures a little elderly man walked up to me and said, "Do you know about these murals?"  I told him I was reading the signs and taking pictures of them so I could label my pictures correctly.  He then made himself my official guide.  I felt like I brought Papa along.  He was extremely knowledgeable.  He has lived his life in Mainstrasse and knows and has lived all this history. His unofficial title is "Keeper of the Murals" as he says the locals call him.  He daily comes to check them out, has run off vandals, feeds the local ducks, geese, chipmunks, etc. He told me details I would have never learned about many of the murals just by looking at them and reading the plaques. He was a delightful guide.

Here are a few pictures of the Cincinnati skyline and Roebling Suspension Bridge.  The last picture is the pedestrian walkway.  There is one on each side of this bridge.

 

 

 

 

These are pictures of a few of the murals.

If you look between the left two white column-like objects you will find a black clock on a lamp post stand.  My guide told me the artist originally left that clock out of the picture. When my guide saw that detail was missing, he went to the artist and assured him he left out a most important historical piece from the painting. The artist went back and painted the clock into the mural.

This baseball team lost the race with the Cincinnati Reds to be the local team to win national acclaim.  They were the Covington Blue Socks.  My guide knew many of the players and shared their life stories as he pointed them out in the painting.

I just love this mural of a lot of the churches located in Covington, Kentucky. According to my guide, some of them you can tour.

This is a neat bridge made out of pontoons over the Ohio River. I'm not sure where it fits historically, just think it is a cool thing. The year was 1862 though.

Kentucky used to have herds of buffalo. This is a beautiful mural of the buffalo crossing the river. 

In 1937 there was a huge flood. The only crossing of the Ohio River within a hundred mile range was the Roebling bridge at Covington to Cincinnati.

This mural pays tribute 1922 and Daniel C. Beard who founded the Boy Scouts of America.

It was getting closer to time for me to get in the line to enter the convention center.  I told my guide goodbye and started up the stairs to get to the front of the Embassy Suites.  

My cute little old guide called out to me.  I turned around and looked down the steps at him. He said, "They also call me the candy guy because I buy these candies, flatten them out and give them to the chipmunks." The candy was the caramel with a powdered sugar center.  I love these candies.  Then this sweet little old man gave me a candy. I thanked him profusely for his wisdom and tour and time spent with me. Then I headed to the convention center to get in line.

I found the ladies from our ward (congregation) and went to sit with them. I put my hand in my sweater pocket and found the piece of candy from my little old guide.  I looked at it an chuckled.  My mother told me never to take candy from strangers.  While he seemed perfectly harmless and I had really enjoyed his company and learned so much, I still was not sure about eating that piece of candy. It was a cute moment for me. I eventually tossed the candy, just in case.

The theme for this Time Out for Women was "Inevitable Light".  

The quote from which this theme was taken was by Elder Lawrence C. Corbridge and can be found in the September 2011 Ensign for the article "Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus Christ".  Here is the quote:

     "For those of us who feel wanting when it comes to talents and gifts, it is encouraging to know that his invitation is not to dazzle others with who we are or what we know. Rather, our light is the Light of the World reflected in us as we simply strive to do as He did. That's it. The Lord tells us to follow Him and not be ashamed or unwilling to stand out. Do not be ashamed to hold up His light. Do not be afraid to shine. Do not worry about the outcome. Your light, which is His light, will shine, and whether or not you choose it or want it, you will be a city set on a hill. Your light will shine as an inevitable consequence of faithfully choosing to follow the Lord whatever the cost."

The music Friday evening was performed by Jenny Oaks Baker, a violinist.  She was absolutely amazing. She is a Grammy nominated classical violist.  She would perform 9 numbers throughout the evening. Everyone was simply amazing. I kept thinking of our Katelyn and her goal to play the violin. She would have loved the opportunity to listen to this beautiful music.  Jenny told us how she wanted to make a difference in the world. One day she had one of those ah-ha moments and realized, "If I couldn't do my visiting teaching, why would the world trust me with the world."

There were two speakers Friday evening. The first was Heidi Swinton.  Heidi is the author of the biography of Pres. Thomas S. Monson.  I purchased her book for a birthday present for Papa's 86th birthday.  She began her talk with the Parable of the 10 Virgins and used that parable throughout her talk.  A couple of thoughts from her talk were:

• When we act on truth we are changed.
• The work of the Lord is done one heart to another, one life to another.
• From Alma in the Book of Mormon - "Can you feel so now?"
• From Mary in the New Testament - "Be it unto me according to thy word."  (My thoughts went also to the Savior in Gethsemane who petitioned his Father, "If thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."  I love that doctrine of submission to the Father's will and the rich blessings, even through trials, that will come from that submission.)

The second speaker was Elaine Dalton who served as General Young Women's president from 2008 until 2013. She shared the experience of being set apart for this important calling by Pres. Thomas S. Monson.  In that blessing he promised her that she would see the Young Women the way the Lord sees them. After being released she has been blessed that this particular part of her blessing has remained.  Here are a few thoughts from Elaine Dalton's remarks:

• We are each different.  He didn't want us to be the same.
• In the 'war in heaven' our weapons were our words, our testimonies. We voted for The Plan. Today on earth we face the greatest opportunities and the greatest opposition. Our tools are the same, our words, our testimonies.  We do the same thing. We vote for The Plan.
• Elaine notes that we are very concerned as a society about the purity of air, water and food. Yet we are not so concerned about the moral pollution in our society.
• Elaine Dalton quote:  "One virtuous woman, let by the Spirit, can change the world."

I left this Friday session feeling uplifted and enthusiastic for what Saturday would bring.  I drove back to Sadieville with the Merry Ploughboys playing in my CD player.  I was back in Ireland and could see the beauty of that country and feeling its loving friendship again.  

Friday was a great day!!  My personal cup was being filled again.