The Journey of 552 Miles...

After months of waiting, it’s finally here! Tomorrow my friend, Deb, and I journey to Charlotte, North Carolina for our first writers’ conference. Hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries, She Speaks is geared toward Christian women who want to pursue God’s call in their lives to speak, write and lead.

This is the first big stepping stone in my journey as a writer. I’m excited to see what God has planned, but as each day passes I get more nervous. Did I make the right decision to go? Are my writing samples good enough? Will anyone even like what I’ve written? Did I chose the right workshops? Do I know how to network? Will I miss publishing opportunities?

All big questions, to be sure. But do you know what I’m most anxious about? The clothes. The dress for the conference is “business casual.” I work at home, so to me business casual is a matching pair of PJs. So I’ve got some catching up to do—fast!

Luckily the lovely women at Proverbs 31 are looking out for those of us who don’t get out much. One of them wrote a blog that detailed the dress code complete with outfit suggestions and links to catalogs. As I perused the site I quickly realized there is a ginormous difference between my idea of business casual and a Southern woman’s idea of business casual. This wash ‘n wear gal was out of her league with these stylish ladies! They recommended clothes I didn’t know existed—like trouser jeans. Have I been living under a rock?!

Not only was I sweating the writing and networking side of the conference, now I was worried about being Sporty Spice in a sea of Poshes. An emergency shopping trip was definitely in order. (Thanks, Mom for being my fashion EMT.) Now I can proudly say I’ve got my fashion training wheels with my very own pair of trouser jeans (who knew!) and a cute skirt. I won’t win any fashion awards, but at least I’ll blend in.

Whew! Crisis averted. Until I realized what I forgot.

The shoes.

Evidently fashionable women take their shoes VERY seriously. The blogosphere was filled with chat about what shoes to wear at the conference. I got the feeling my home office flip flops weren’t exactly what they had in mind! So, last night I was off on another emergency shopping trip—this time with my 13-year-old daughter. Some help she turned out to be (note: sarcasm). Here are some of the shoes she adored:

You gotta’ love her sense of style…and humor. (I sometimes wonder if she was switched at birth because she’s VERY stylish and shoes are VERY important to her!) Eventually we agreed on a (moderately) stylish and much more comfortable choice. Now, except for some last minute primping and preparing I’m ready to go!

This time tomorrow I’ll begin not only a journey of 552 miles to Charlotte, but my first step toward professional writing. Please pray we travel safely. And pray that God blesses this experience and uses it to take me to the next step. And the next. And the next...no matter what shoes I’m wearing.

And when I leave the conference on Sunday, I pray they don’t remember my hairstyle or outfit, but instead the heart of an ordinary girl whose writing reveals just a glimpse of our awesome God.

"I guide you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths." Proverbs 4:11