Mighty Girl, Maggie Mason, Guerneville, CA, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
I am moving slow these days… feeling mighty in spirit but not so mighty in body. I predict that in about three weeks this puppy is coming out! So if I don’t return your emails friends, know that I am probably doing some much needed lying on the couch.
I did hope that I would make it to the Mighty Summit this year though, and I did. I wished that I had been able to drink lots of wine and stay up late telling stories (maybe next year!) but I had an amazing time just the same. Oh, and I missed the lesson in opening a champagne bottle with a sword. Lucky for me I know about 25 who know how to do this.
Things I did learn at the Mighty Summit:
I need to wear more color! and patterns and dresses, and hair accessories! Case in point, Mena Trott (pictured below) is the perfect example. She actually makes all of her fabulous dresses. And Maggie above. Don’t you just love the color?
Mena Trott, Guerneville, CA, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
How to make smoky eyes with eye shadow. (Thanks Danielle!)
That there are so many amazing, interesting and beautiful women in the world. (Actually, I already knew this) Spend five minutes asking someone what their dreams are and an entire universe of their heart will be revealed to you.
That being wined and dined is totally marvelous. I kept feeling like I was on a game show… Look under your chair! It’s a new brand new car! Some favorite gifts were an Epiphanie bag, Tieks travel shoes, and some awesome jewelry. We also stayed at the most wonderful hotel called Boon.
Epiphanie bags are really beautiful and the most stylish gift for any photographer friend of yours. And Maile Wilson who makes them, is even more amazing.
Danielle Henderson, Guerneville, CA, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
Strolling through the 300 foot redwoods in Armstrong Woods can solve pretty much any problem. It was a drizzly morning and the air felt like pure nourishment. Almost like food. Even though I was walking (I haven’t exercised much this pregnancy since exercise gives me contractions) I felt the best I’ve felt in a long time walking through those woods.)
Get 25 women around a table sharing their dreams and you will see how much women love to help make other womens’ dreams come true.
Dooce and Margaret, Guerneville, CA, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
lunch in the wine cave, Moishin Winery, Guerneville, CA, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
When our picnic in the redwoods got rained out, I was amazed to see that in an hour flat, they had coordinated a beautiful lunch in a wine cave, complete with a candlelit knight’s table. Amazing! As we ate, we were instructed to look over our life lists and choose five dreams that we were ready to tackle this year. Then we went around the table and asked for help with one of the dreams on our list. It was a moving and totally inspiring process. (At the end of the meal we were each given a necklace, with five little gold rings hanging from a chain, representing each of the dreams we are holding for this year. I have been wearing mine faithfully, feeling connected to both my list and the awesome people I met this weekend.)
Most importantly, I learned that women want to help other women achieve their dreams. They really do. No matter what we learned in high school (and later) about being competitive, jealous and believing there wasn’t enough goodness to go around, the truth is that when we can create a culture of community and empowerment around our goals and dreams, women are the first ones to jump in and want to help.
Even when we can barely get out of bed.
Nicole and me, Guerneville, CA, Canon Digital Rebel XSi
