Over 90 friends of Missouri Midwives enjoyed a weekend together at Pin Oak Camp in the Lake of the Ozarks State Park Sept. 12-14. It was a terrific time!
Friday night, we had a bountiful potluck dinner and lots of time to visit with old and new friends. And there were S'mores! The campground had a great firepit encircled by benches and logs for sitting and visiting. The fire was a highlight of the weekend, especially for the kids, and we managed to get by with very few burns.
Saturday was full of insightful sessions, a productive business meeting, lovely crafting. We even managed to stay on track with our schedule so that we had quite a bit of free time!
Our sessions on Saturday included Fathers and Home Birth (where the guys actually talked about birth... don't tell!); Mothers (with kids) and Midwives (crafting!); Planning for Postpartum; Preparing for a Hospital Birth; and Celebrating Birth with Exercise, Yoga, and Dance.
The weather on Saturday, though a bit muggy, was a wonderful change from the expected rain. It did not begin to rain until Saturday night, and on Sunday morning most of us were thankful for our sweatshirts!
In our business meetings, we passed 7 (Seven!) proposals and killed one (following a helpful discussion). We also held elections. Our new president is Samanda R., vice-president is Jen K., Secretary is Allison D., and Treasurer is Jessica K. There has been tremendous growth in Friends of Missouri Midwives over the past year, and we are eagerly looking forward to the future.
Many thanks are deserved for bringing this weekend together - Samanda and David, who did an amazing job of pulling everything together; Brian, who cooked us terrific meals; Kolbi, who waited for the parks folks on Sunday afternoon; the presenters of various sessions; and all of the attendees, who pitched in and made everything work!
If you attended the retreat, please add your thoughts in the Comments section.
Looking forward to next year already!
