On Monday I fly off to Denver again, to a minister’s conference. Yes, even ministers have their version of rock-stars, and I will be hearing some of my favorites speak about……..preaching! The event planners are considerate of minister schedules, so the conference begins Monday PM and ends Friday at noon. This ensures that we can get away without taking off  a Sunday.

Double Vision

Of course, they can’t solve the logistics of creating a sermon and Sunday service for the next week while traveling. That must be done the week before leaving–this week. So it is, I am nearly finished with two of everything: two sermons, two Powerpoints, two bulletins, two two two.

Oh yes. Denver. How nice that the stars aligned and the event is in Denver this year, where my son and his fiancée Meghan live. Now I am just asking, is it a coincidence that the organizers are setting up in the middle of the booming marijuana tourism? Yes, just a coincidence. After all, Denver in May is simply a beautiful place to discuss the finer points of preaching.

Back to Kerry and Meghan. They are on the far west side of town, so I am staying with Meghan’s  mom. Such a deal. She lives closer to the downtown venues and along public transportation lines. No car rental, no parking woes and time with my new family!

My self-imposed challenge is to pack as little as possible. I am limiting myself to one day pack. Why not? Everything I need is small: debit card, GPS for getting to the three venues, computer/charger, Kindle, cell phone and charger that works for both. Small crochet project.  I only need one pair of shoes for  comfy travel and walking around downtown Denver. I have outdoor/yoga pants that are light weight, fold up small and are super comfy for conference-going. Just need to add a few t-shirts, jacket,undies, and nightie. Small bottles of soap/lotion. Done. This is quite an accomplishment for someone who took ten pairs of shoes while camping last year!

Another challenge? Do not, under any circumstances, bring home any of the conference give-aways. You know the stuff: plastic cups, water bottles, note pads, pens. I read a recycling article that suggested we should add “refusing” to the process of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, as in Refusing to take plastic junk home in the first place. Love that idea, although I am a sucker for coffee mugs.

The only items I plan to buy–time permitting–are some fishing lures for my friend Don. When we go fishing, he patiently puts the lures or worm bait on my hook. If I get a snag, he carefully untangles my line. Then, I promptly lose his nice lures and leaders when they wedge between rocks. He is a saint–sometimes I think that I see a halo over his head, and I thought some lures from Denver might be a nice gift for taking care of my dog, Tango, while I am traveling.

I don’t leave until Monday morning. I am looking forward to jetting off to the big city where my Denver special people live. I must leave my two guys behind (Don and Tango), but they will have all kinds of North Dakota fun without me.