TOFW 2022

(November 11-12th, 2022)

Once upon a time, a whole group of friends went to Time Out for Women. It was amazing and they decided to do it again. And then...COVID. 

So fast forward THREE years and we were finally able to go again. It was magical of course. There is something so renewing about being together with faithful, funny women, eating good food, and being inspired by knowledgeable speakers. 

Because of work, I went down a little later than usual. Everyone was already down there and I had to drive by myself. Boo. Actually, I really don't mind a good solo drive. It's a great time to catch up on audio books, but I was a little tired and resorted to trying a lot of things to stay awake. I installed Be Real on my phone while driving. Nothing like trying to figure out an app to keep you awake.

I arrived Friday morning and we still had plenty of time to play before the event started in the evening. First up, we went to lunch at Angelica's. I highly recommend. I've been there a couple times. It isn't too expensive and the food is delish.

Then we went hiking around Pioneer Park. I have come pretty close to that place, but we only made it as far as the Red Hills Desert Garden which is nearby. This was my first exploration and it was so cool. There are so many places to hike around with plenty of interesting sights. 

We ended up over by 'The Crack' which is a very narrow split in the rock that runs for about 40 yards. It is not for everyone. Even as I watched Brooke climb up, I was having reservations, but I followed dutifully. It is right off the lower parking lot. There is a nice little path up and then it whittles down to a very tiny space. Are you sure Brooke??

The tightest spot is towards the beginning, so if you make it past that, you can make it all the way. Check your claustrophobia at the door, since that won't help you while you shimmy up the path.

There's a little grotto part way up that was fun to stop at and take a picture.

Then we reached the top and popped out. Wow, I was so impressed with us. That was an experience.

Back at home, we had a little more time before the evening event, so we played some Pickleball. I didn't bring active wear since I wasn't thinking, but the ladies loaned me attire and we had a great time playing. It was a pretty even match, unless you count the sun in Deanne and Brooke's eyes the whole time. Or my racket which gave up somewhere along the way, but I kept playing with it anyway. (It worked better than my hand.) Such a fun time.

Then we had the evening classes. I feel like the first night is more entertainment than speaking. Calee Reed was there again and I love her music and her insights. She is very real about her life and some of the stories I've heard before, but it was great to hear them again.

After we went back to the condo, Sunny arrived and we played some fun games. Brooke introduced us to a new game, which didn't have a name. We ended up calling it Weasel. I looked it up later and it's called the Vegas Dice Game, but that does not describe it well enough. These ladies are so fun to hang out with.

Lots more classes the next day. There were some amazing speakers and I was able to think long and deeply about my relationship with the Savior. The theme was Christ shall give thee light and many of the speakers used light analogies to tell their stories. It was really great. Everything from blinds that we put up ourselves to disco balls that light the way!

There was a break midday for lunch. Brooke is so good about using Doordash to get our stuff delivered.

We almost forgot to get our group picture. The line was so long when we went over that we grabbed the signs by the info desk and took one there, instead of by the backdrop. I love it. (Top row: Stephanie, Kellie, Maleen, Deanne, Deborah, Brooke, and Sunny. Bottom row: Becca. :)

It was basically the best weekend with the best girlfriends! I adore these ladies. I took a group home Saturday night since Becca had to speak in church on Sunday morning. But we stopped for dinner before we left, at Morty's. Wow, that was delicious and the scone fries were amazing! Let's do it all again next year, barring any other unforeseen pandemics...