TINY UPRISINGS RETREAT INFO AND DETAILS 2018

Friends, the time has come!!!! The Tiny Uprisings Retreat is back for another round.  Well, actually two! The response was overwhelming last year, and it is so apparent that there is a clear need here for women to have a weekend like this.  So, I've decided to open both a spring and fall retreat this year, 16 spots in each.  They will essentially be the same retreat - same program, same place - just basically an opportunity for more women to get to come.   32 women instead of just 16?  Heck yeah!  Women are constantly taking care of everyone in their lives and putting themselves in last place. That's just not good enough. You know how on an airplane, the flight attendant says to secure your oxygen mask first before helping someone else with theirs? Here's your oxygen mask, sister. I'm carving out space for you that is so desperately needed, and taking all the legwork out of this for you.  All you have to do is show up. This retreat is created simply to be a restful place for the weary mom just needing a break and a full night's sleep, the busy woman who hasn't had any time to reflect and process, the girl who desperately needs some love, a glass of wine, and Jesus all meshed into one weekend. It is created to be a place where you are served and lifted up, where you don't have to lift a finger, where beauty surrounds you, where you are celebrated and encouraged, and where you are given some time to learn and reflect and figure out how to apply those insights to your life. I asked the women last year (in an anonymous survey) to describe the retreat in one word.  These were their responses:  VALUABLE : AMAZING : CENTERING : REFRESHING : LIFE-GIVING And here are some comments (also from the anonymous survey) from two of last years participants: This was exactly what I wanted...a retreat with Christian women that was more intimate, more vulnerable, easier to make solid new relationships and build on the old ones, more fun and less scheduled, but still left me with my bucket and my toolbox filled.  I loved the workshop + time to reflect. It really really really helped me understand myself in a way that gave me strength and courage I so desperately needed right now. And I feel like the quiet time and strength has lasted... In case you are wondering what this actually looks like in real life, you can see pictures and read my post about last year's retreat HERE and a few more words from last year's participants HERE.  If you need some of that in your life, sign up!!   Registration for both sets of dates opens Wednesday, March 14th, 2018 at 9 pm Pacific.   Just choose the dates that work best for you and click on that through the registration button at the bottom of this post starting at 9 pm on the 14th.  Things went down fast and furious last year (the event was totally booked in a matter of hours), so don't wait.  Get those kids in bed and get after it!    I hope to see you there! xoxo, Amy   TINY UPRISINGS RETREAT May 4-6, 2018 or September 28-30, 2018 Orondo, WA $220.00 DATES and TIMES The retreat will officially kick off on Friday at 7pm and come to a close on Sunday at 11am.  LOCATION Y'all.  THIS is where we will be staying. We will be retreating to Orondo, WA, roughly 3 hours from Seattle but so worth the drive! Sunken Acres is absolutely beautiful. The house has 4 bedrooms (one of which has an additional loft with a queen bed), as well as a bunk room with 6 twin bunkbeds, and 3 and a half bathrooms. It boasts a warm swimming pool and is lakefront with amenities such as stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking. There simply isn't a better place to be! You can check out more photos of the house HERE. COST The total cost for the retreat is $220.  That includes a two night stay at this gorgeous house, as well as food for the weekend - appetizer/snacks, drinks, 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 1 big glorious dinner party, all prepared for us by the amazing Kelsie Crozier.  You won't lift a finger here, I promise.  It also includes two morning sessions, a workshop, retreat take-home materials, and all the amazing stuff we are going to do! Cancellations (with a full refund) must be made at least 30 days prior to the retreat.  And if cost feels prohibitive to you, but you would really like to come, please email me at tinyuprisings@gmail.com BEFORE registration opens. I may be able to provide you with a discount code for a subsidized cost or scholarship. SAMPLE SCHEDULE FRIDAY EVENING You will be welcomed with open arms, handed a yummy beverage, served heavy appetizers and dessert, and basically given the space to just exhale after arriving and leaving behind the craziness that probably ensued as you left your house. Once everyone arrives, we will have a group introduction session and opening encouragements for the weekend. SATURDAY We serve breakfast on a rolling basis, so whether you are an early bird or a late riser, breakfast is waiting for you. We start the day with a morning devotion/speaker, linking into a workshop. We value both social and solitary time at the retreat and provide space for quiet reflection time after the workshop, as well as encourage you to take it as needed. Lunch is served, and then after lunch, everyone has free time to do whatever they want - relax by the pool, continue reflection time, play on the lake, sleep in the sun, go for a run, read a book, etc. At 7 pm, we will come back together to a big, glorious dinner party with amazing food, drink, laughs, and conversation. SUNDAY Sunday morning again starts with a yummy breakfast and a short lesson followed by group discussion time based on yesterdays workshop and reflection time. We will finish up around 11 am and send you on your way hopefully feeling rested and empowered to dive back into life. Here is last year's schedule for reference.  We may have a few tweaks this year, but the general flow of things will remain the same, and as always, I encourage each woman to make this retreat exactly what they need.  JOIN ME So, who's with me????   I have spots for 16 people for spring and 16 for fall.  It's first come, first served, so set an alarm or reminder for yourself and sign up as soon as registration goes live!  The link will not work prior to that time.  Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 9 pm Pacific   The direct link to register is https://tinyuprisings.eventbrite.com.  I'll also post the link on Instagram (@amysteingard) and the Tiny Uprisings Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/tinyuprisings/).  Hope you can come!!  CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

HONORED TO HAVE MY WORDS SHARED...

Hello?   Is this thing still on??  

I popped on hear today to share some news with you and then realized my last post was way back in September!  Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere...life has just been full of other projects, sick kids, and prepping (way too intensely) for some speaking gigs.  Hi, my name is Amy and I'm an over-preparer! 🙋  

I'm so honored to tell you that I have a post published today over on www.ambersalhus.com about authenticity, fear, and what keeps us from following our dreams. 

This post was a labor of love for me, wrestling through the truth and preaching to myself as I wrote it.  Here's a little snippet...

Those things that we claim hold us back, that’s just life, and, frankly, life has wisdom of it’s own. Life and, most specifically, our imperfections are what makes us endlessly fascinating.  Kathryn Craft explains this better than I ever can, “[Life] dumps s— on you and stirs you up until your soil is fertile.  Accept the challenge and plant some seeds. This is how artists grow.” 

While I let my circumstances erroneously justify my lack of action, the common denominator here is me.

What really what holds me back is my own fear.  It’s that question of who am I to…? It’s feeling like a fraud and afraid of being exposed.  It’s feeling like I don’t know enough, have enough, or am enough.

Click HERE to read more...

WEEKEND|REFRESH WORDS

It's now been a month and a half since our glorious Weekend Refresh Retreat.  I've wanted to write about it so many times, but I haven't quite known what to say.  I think I needed some time and the perspective that comes with that, but still am just having a hard to even put into words the experience of the weekend.

We laughed, we cried, we ate, we drank, we learned, we reflected, we stand-up paddle boarded, we shared beds and bathrooms and space and life.  It felt kind of sacred.

I think as I started planning the retreat, I realized how much of a need there is for women in this season of life to have some space carved out for them.  We are weary and usually taking care of everyone except ourselves.  A traditional conference, though away from kids and life, doesn't really allow the space for decompression and reflection and rest.  I wanted to create that space for these women, and allow them to simply show up and receive.  I wanted them to be surrounded by beauty, support, and encouragement.  

I could literally feel people exhale over the weekend.  Looking back over the photos, eyes got brighter, smiles got bigger, people sat closer together.  A sense of aliveness and clarity just swept through everyone.

While I still struggle with putting my own words to the retreat, I thought maybe the women's words would be a truer description.  These are from an anonymous survey I sent out post-retreat, and quite frankly blew me away.

I loved connecting with so many different women.  I loved the smaller size of it, how we were able to meld together so wonderfully and deepen relationships.  I loved how honest and open all the women were - what an amazing group of strong women that gathered! 

I loved the workshop + time to reflect.  It really really really helped me understand myself in a way that gave me strength and courage I so desperately needed right now.  And I feel like the quiet time and strength has lasted...I'm still able to come to a place of knowing that I can and will succeed through my daily challenges. 

This was exactly what I wanted...a retreat with Christian women that was more intimate, more vulnerable, easier to make solid new relationships and build on the old ones, more fun and less scheduled, but still left me with my bucket and my toolbox filled.   

Just an overwhelming feeling of gratitude!  You wouldn't believe me if I told you how many people I have raved about this to or how many conversations have continued about core values, taking time to rest, etc.  It was truly life-giving and felt like a true gift.

When I asked the women to describe the retreat in one word, here's what they said:

Valuable 

Amazing 

Centering 

Refreshing 

Life-Giving

If, at the beginning of all the planning, I had written out my hopes for the retreat, these would have been my words.  Verbatim.  What started as a tiny little thought, grew into this amazing thing that impacted these women for the better.  I am so humbled and thankful every time I think about it.  It was so worth it.  

WEEKEND|REFRESH RETREAT IN PHOTOS

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  I don't think I could ever adequately describe to you the beauty in this weekend.  The location, the house, the women inside and out.  

So, let's do a photo walk through of the retreat.   These photos have all been culled from women on the retreat.  Thanks so much for sharing these, ladies!  

FRIDAY

The women started arriving around 7pm on Friday night.  Upon arrival they were handed a blackberry fizz cocktail and sent to the patio to decompress from whatever they left behind...a million logistics of childcare and work and husbands and crazy lives.  

I had the most fun creating some special touches for the women's rooms.  It was such a joy to put together.  

My dear friend, Kelsie, planned, prepped, and cooked ALL the food for the retreat, and it was nothing short of AMAZING.  I could not have done it without her! 

We had 16 women (included myself) on the retreat.  Some women only knew one other person, some knew a bunch, but all of them rolled in gracefully ready to embrace each other and the weekend. 

Taking this photo was probably the most surreal thing for me.  This vision was actually reality.

SATURDAY

We started Saturday morning off with a devotional about identity through transition.  (A post on that is coming soon.)  Prior to the retreat, I had asked the women what they were struggling with, and this idea of "Who am I now...?" came up from so many people.  

My sister-in-law, Jaclyn, led an incredible workshop about our Core Values.  Again, something I plan to post on soon with some materials from the retreat.  And afterwards, everyone had an hour of silence/self-reflection time that afterwards.

Sometimes in our whirlwind of daily life, we get out of the habit of taking time to really reflect inwards with ourselves.  We are so busy and moving from place to place and thing to thing all the time and that becomes the norm.  Having an hour to sit and journal and think is a rarity, and I heard from many people that this was their favorite part of the retreat.

We might have had carnitas tacos with margaritas for lunch.   I told you we ate well!  And then everyone had free time until dinner that night.  

I loved how everyone felt comfortable to do their own thing.  Some women kayaked and stand-up paddle boarded, some hung out by the pool, some took a nap in the sun, some went for a run, some put their headphones in and read a book, some spent more time journaling in quiet.  It was a pretty sweet sight.  

 

Saturday night, we had a big dinner party which was so much fun!!  Kelsie treated us with prosciutto wrapped asparagus, roasted grape and olive crostini, a delicious salad, and sweet potato gnocchi in a brown butter sage sauce.   Yum-O!   We also got to celebrate a birthday that day with a scrumptious chocolate cake.  Here's Kelsie working her magic in the kitchen.  

There were apparently some shenanigans on the porch over appetizers the involved red lipstick.  I love how happy and relaxed everyone looks, and I love that red lipstick makes women feel bold and a bit daring. 

Yep.  We fit 16 women around one table!  Can I say again how amazing this house is??

SUNDAY

Sunday morning arrived, and a few brave souls got up early and hiked Saddleback Trail.  

We wrapped up our time together that morning with women sharing some things that came out of our core values workshop and reflection time the day before.  It was so cool to hear their ideas and their aha moments and their hearts in it all.  Each one of these women is a beautiful soul through and through.  

Sadly, our time did have to come to a close.  I'm just honestly so very thankful for this time.  It was such a privilege to share time and space with each one of these women.  They were willing, brave, vulnerable, thoughtful, honest, fun, loving, and utterly breathtaking.

Hopefully, Weekend Refresh 2018 will be on the books soon!!  

WEEKEND|REFRESH RETREAT - MAY 19-21, 2017

You know that retreat we talked about a forever ago??  Well, it's exactly one month away! I had such an overwhelming response of women expressing interest in the retreat, that I decided to give dibs on registration to those people.  And well, the whole she-bang booked up in a matter of hours.  It was fast and furious, and a sign to me that there is a desperate need for this type of thing. I so wish I could include every single person who wants to go, but the house is only so big.  If you would like to add yourself to the waitlist in case anyone drops last minute, please fill out the form below.  And if you're not necessarily interest in this one, but this is something you'd like to do in the future if (when?) I do another one of these, go ahead and sign up on the waitlist and write that in the notes section.  That'll help me gauge interest in planning for another one.   My hope is that this is a weekend that balances the need to be filled up, but also poured out.  A restful place for the weary mom just needing a break, the busy woman who hasn't had any time to reflect and process, the girl who desperately needs some love, a glass of wine, and Jesus all meshed into one weekend.  I can't wait to report back how it all went! The waitlist registration form and more details for the retreat can be found below if you are interested.   xoxo, Amy May 19-21, 2017 Entiat, WA $160.00 DATES and TIMES The retreat will officially kick off on Friday, May 19th at 7pm and come to a close on Sunday, May 21 at 11am. LOCATION Y'all.  THIS is where we will be staying...

I'm not kidding.  And this is the reason why we HAD to move the retreat from March to May! Average temperatures in Entiat in May are mid-seventies, so we can definitely take advantage of the pool and lakefront amenities! The house has 4 bedrooms (one of which with an additional loft with a queen bed), as well as a bunk room with 6 twin bunkbeds, and 3 and a half bathrooms.  Depending on numbers, we will figure out sleeping arrangements. It's absolutely beautiful!  You can check out more photos of the house HERE. The owner has been extremely generous with us so that we can keep costs as low as possible. COST The total cost for the retreat is $160.  That includes a two night stay at this gorgeous house, as well as food for the weekend - 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 1 big, glorious dinner party - and all the amazing stuff we are going to do! Cancellations (with a full refund) must be made at least 2 weeks prior to the retreat (by May 5 at the latest).  And if cost feels prohibitive to you, but you really want to come, please email me at tinyuprisings@gmail.com.  We may be able to provide a subsidized cost or scholarship for you. JOIN ME The retreat is now full!  Please fill out the form above to be added to the waitlist.  Waitlisted people will be added in the order that they were received if spots become available.

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anyone want to retreat with me?

I heard this quote recently,

"God's truth comes to us a second after we've asked for it and a second before we second-guess His voice."  

Um, do you second-guess like I do?  All I ever do is second guess!  He practically has to kick me in the shins to get me to listen.   I've been feeling some things lately.  Who am I kidding, I feel ALL THE THINGS.  Feeling Him tug on my heartstrings a little bit, asking me to give and serve out of the ways I'm created uniquely me.  Ways I'm created that I don't give enough credit or importance because sometimes I don't realize that not everyone else thinks or breathes or loves the same way I do.  I just assume we are all the same, but we are not.  I need you and you need me and we definitely need that quiet gal over in the corner with a rich inner life and much to share.

One thing that trips me up is that I'm good at a lot of things.  I'm a really hard worker, and I can succeed at almost anything I put my mind to.  It's a blessing and a curse, because essentially I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none.  I always wanted to have that one thing that people identified with me.  One thing that I excelled at and that was undeniably a part of my heart.  One thing I felt called to do.

A few years ago, during a meeting, we had an ice breaker questions asking essentially, "If you could do anything as a career, what would you do?"  I've always struggled with this question because I don't seem to fit neatly in a box.  In college, I poured over the catalog for majors, never finding one that I felt really represented me or anything I wanted to do.  I didn't really know what I was looking for, but I knew I didn't want to be a business person or a lawyer or an engineer.  I actually had no idea who I was and what makes me tick in college, and here I was trying to figure out my future.

So, when this question was asked at that meeting 15 years later, I was surprised at what came out of my mouth.  Here's what literally fell out of me, "I want to be a place and create a space that women come to for refreshing, for healing, for encouragement, and for edification." What that means, I have no idea, but I'm trying to live out of the truest bits of me and here's what I know for sure...here are my missions in life as an individual (outside of being a wife and a mom).

First, I am created to be a champion of women.  I am created to encourage, to lift up and refresh the women in my life and my sphere.  I am created to love on them and show them how they are beautiful and neither too much or not enough.

Second, coming out of the first one, I also feel a deep responsibility to normalize our experiences as women through vulnerability.  I want to share the things that you're afraid to, so that you see that you're not the only one or weird or alone.  I want you to say, "Me too," or "I didn't know anyone else felt that way," and because of that walk a little taller, feel a little more supported, and tell a little bit more of your own story so the next woman will do the same.

This is a long and windy road to tell you that I have something cooking in my brain and heart.  I feel inadequate and ill-equipped, and scared of failing, but I'm saying yes anyways.

God's truth for me right now before I second-guess it, is that I create a space for refreshing women...figuratively through this blog and literally, through a weekend retreat.  

My pits are all sweaty and my heart is beating so fast as I type this.  I'm starting small and working from the inside out.  Before I have any details figured out, before I have a master plan or anything solid, I'm throwing it out there.  I don't pretend to know what I'm doing, but that's the best place to be, isn't it, friends?

So, drumroll please.....

I'm hosting a low-key weekend retreat that hopefully balances the need to be filled up, but also poured out.  A restful place for the weary mom just needing a break, the busy woman who hasn't had any time to reflect and process, the girl who desperately needs some love, a glass of wine, and Jesus all meshed into one weekend.  And I can't wait.  

So, who's with me??  I'd love to gauge interest as I begin to piece this all together.  Nothing is set in stone, but I'm thinking March 2017 over a Friday and Saturday night.  Probably 10-12 women to keep things intimate.

If this sounds like something you would want to do, would you be so kind as to comment here on the blog, Instagram or Facebook?  Or you can email me directly at tinyuprisings@gmail.com.

I hope you can come!  Emoji with smiley face blowing a kiss.

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