Last weekend my husband and I went to a couples retreat held by Anspire Ministries. It was 2 days of laughing and learning and we absolutely had a wonderful time. We were invited by Chaplain Portia Lockett, who co-hosted the event with Dr. Velva Burley Flowers. First, let me say that if it is possible for you and your partner to go on a retreat, run (don't walk) and make it happen because retreats are in existence for a reason. Couples need to get away from the day to day grind every now and then and remember the reason they are together in the first place. My husband and I definitely need a refreshers course so this came right on time.
This was our first time ever going to something like this, so I was just a tad apprehensive. Why? I didn't want to tell all my business (says the girl who has a blog) and all I could think about was that episode of Martin where he and Gina went to a retreat and they kept getting put in time out.
But, despite my preconceived notions, I kept an open mind and thank God it was nothing like this (though there was the occasional eye roll). So I am definitely a believer.
The weekend was held at Roberts Riverwalk Hotel & Residence, which is right on the Detroit Riverwalk, of course, and that alone made the scenery beautiful and serene. We checked in, received favor bags that included a ton of stuff including a bottle of sparkling juice and some bedroom goodies that were so unique they made some of the couples blush. But, the title of the retreat was "Revive ...The Passion", so I was not mad at that.
Over the course of the week-end we heard from some wonderful speakers who gave us some great info about finances, The 5 Love Languages and a workshop on rewriting the 4th step of marriage (which was pretty much steps on how to communicate better) given by relationship specialists Jesse Johnson and Melva Thomas Johnson, who have been married and working together for over 30 years. Find out more about them and their work on their website.
Of course it wasn't all business, there was a lot of fun, too. There was an early morning yoga class on Saturday morning and that night after the workshop we had a Date Night. This included a hype and hilarious game of musical chairs followed by ballroom dancing. Now, you may be thinking that playing musical chairs is a little juvenile, but if you get a group of fun loving (and might I add competitive) people together it doesn't matter what you play, you are guaranteed to have a good time. And for my FB friends that saw my post about my husband learning how to ballroom, you all understand my excitement. My husband has always been the one who DOES NOT DANCE, so for him to finally do it, it was a big deal to me. (There's hope for him after all.)
Overall, the week-end was awesome and I can't wait till the next one.
Have you ever been to a couples retreat? What was your experience?
Forever loving my B.A.D.D. kids (and my husband),
Rhonda
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