Two Dozen Days!

I cannot believe how quickly the retreat is coming upon us...and yet at the same time it feels like it will never get here! Thanks everyone who has written to volunteer their time or to just be excited. I'm sorry I haven't written you all back individually, but just know that I love being a part of this retreat and I love seeing how excited you all are.

I got a new demo in today that was written at last year's retreat! How fun to see those songs just beginning to find their way.

SEEKING TECHIE VOLUNTEERS:
Okay, all you people who are much more computer-literate than I am: I'm looking for someone who can find some type of website where we can post all of our retreat songs in a password-protected environment. It has to be a space where we can all access it and post our songs (remember we're talking about a lot of songs), but can't be open to the public. Who wants to jump on this?! I can gladly pay for it out of the retreat budget, but just don't have the head for this kind of stuff.

ALSO: Some of you have indicated to me that you're coming, but haven't actually registered yet. I have to turn in everyone's name to the retreat center by May 8 for insurance purposes. So if you haven't registered, please do so as soon as possible.

Joel

YIPPEE...

Hey guys, we are counting down to "retreat time"....Can't wait to meet and fellowship with my friends and add some new relationships over the weekend.

Thanks Joel for being a "visionary" and giving all of us a place to fellowship, write and THIS YEAR record what Father whispers to us..

the Next Level...Heaven's Favor!

t

Thirty

Ya'll remember the song Allie LaPointe and Marcia Henry wrote last year called "The Potter Knows The Clay?" Well, it's the new single by The Perrys!!! How cool is that?

Yep - it's already been shipped to radio!! Woo hoo! Congratulations Marcia and Allie!!

So...if there's a southern gospel radio station in your area, CALL IN AND REQUEST IT!! And have everyone you know call in and request it!!!

31 Flavors

Although many of us are busy here at GMA Week in Nashville, the retreat is ever-present on our minds and in our conversations.

31 days.

:)

33 Days - That's Just Over A Month, Ya'll!

Okay - it's official: I'm obsessed with this retreat! For the past hour, I have been staring at the spreadsheet of who's coming and who's potentially coming and I've just been dreaming of the combinations of writers. Also, when a writer responds to say they can't come, I feel so sorry for them!

Also, what do you think of this? I know when I'm supposed to write with someone I've never met, I like to spend a little time getting to know them. So...I'm thinking about drawing names on Thursday night for the first session on Friday. That way, if you've been selected to write with a certain person, you can introduce yourself, possibly sit with them at a meal...just get to know them instead of walking into a session cold. Thoughts?

34

Several of you have asked about starting and ending times for the retreat...check-in begins at 3:00 on Thursday, but actual events won't begin until 7 p.m. We'll wrap up around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.

THIRTY-FIVE TO GO

One of the things that I have already been moved by with this year's retreat is the amount of help and support that all of you have been sending. I can tend to be a bit of a control freak sometimes, but you're volunteering and I'm letting you help! Thanks to all of you so much. This is not my retreat, it's OUR retreat...and it really feels that way!

I scared several of you with my post about you not being registered until you've paid...so several of you have written to make sure we received your money. If I haven't answered you yet, it's because Sue and I haven't had a chance to update our information with each other. We'll do that tomorrow and I'll let you know. Until then, hang tight!

SPOTLIGHT:
Wendy Wills is another new addition to our retreat this year. Wendy lives in Nashville with her husband Dave and their two kids. Wendy has the heart of a poet and that's definitely reflected in her writing. Her songs have been recorded by such varied artists as the Gaither Vocal Band, Jaci Velasquez, Janet Paschal, Jill Paquette, Oleta Adams, Jeff & Sheri Easter, 33 Miles and Pam Thum.

36 Days

Okay...I know by the time you read this it'll be tomorrow! :) (We've still got two hours here on the west coast.)

Thanks everybody for the e-mails asking if you can help, offering keyboards, etc. This is going to be a GREAT retreat!

More tomorrow....

THIRTY-SEVEN (The Countdown Resumes)

Hey everybody!

Sorry again for the silence of the last few days.

Word to the wise: We're filling up fast so if you haven't registered yet, you need to do so. We're limited to 40 and you're not considered registered until you've paid, so be sure to do that soon.

SPOTLIGHT:
One of the things I'm really excited about this year, is the addition of CHRIS HAVENS and his studio. Chris is setting up a portable demo studio where, immediately upon finishing a song, we can go and record a piano/vocal or guitar/vocal! How's that for service? Immediate demos! Get to know Chris because he will be a great contact to have in Nashville for getting demos done!

FORTY DAYS AND NIGHTS

...until our retreat!!

Thanks for those of you who are going the extra mile, keyboard-wise! I really appreciate it. And to those of you who haven't responded, we're not there yet!

Sorry for the silence over the past few days, I'm in Oklahoma attending my Grandfather's funeral.

SPOTLIGHT:

Indie artist Brent Vernon is joining us this year! I've known Brent over 10 years and recently had the pleasure of sitting down with him to catch up on all that he's been doing and felt like he would make a great addition to our group! He is currently in the studio with star-producer Don Koch working on his new project and is always busy touring. Be sure to check him out at www.brentvernon.com

44

Thanks for coming through with the keyboards!! This puts us back on track a bit.

I am really amazed at the responses I'm getting from people about the retreat this year...we're going to end up turning people away. I limited it to 40, not really thinking we'd have that many (last year I 'limited' it to 30 and we had 27) but we're already getting really close to 40 people who have said they're coming. Of course I learned last year that saying you're coming and actually coming are two different things! But still...I'm thrilled at the responses.

SPOTLIGHT
Also joining us this year is singer/songwriter DONNA BEAUVAIS (pronounced BOW-VAY!) Donna first entered the music scene as singer/founder of the group Hope's Call. Although the group is no longer touring, she is quickly making a name for herself as a producer and a writer. As if writing and producing were not enough, she also handles radio promotion for Daywind records. She will be a wonderul addition to our group!

45 Days

Keyboard Crisis! Okay, maybe crisis is too harsh of a word, but so far we're running 4 to 1 in the keyboard/registrant ratio, so if you can bring a keyboard please plan on doing so. Some people sent their information in but didn't say yes or no as to whether or not you could bring a keyboard, so please let me know. It looks like we'll probably have around 40 writers, which means we need at least 18 to 20 keyboards. I know some of you are guitar players, but we still need to make sure that, if you're writing with a keyboard player, there is a keyboard for you.

(If you're flying in, don't worry about the keyboard, we'll figure it out.) If you're driving in, and you happen to have TWO keyboards and don't mind bringing them both, it would be much appreciated.


SPOTLIGHT
We're excited to welcome GEORGE SEARCY into our retreat family this year. George has written for Integrity Music and is the writer of such phenomenal praise and worship songs as Christ Above Me, Come and Behold Him and Our Heart! He is currently the worship leader at East Shore Presbyterian Church in Fairhope, Alabama.

XLVI (Forty-Six, I Think!)

Forty-six days doesn't sound very long to me. Or maybe that's just because I'm forty-six years old and that's not old. It's not. Stop laughing. I mean it!! :)

You know what I love the most about planning this retreat? The e-mails from people asking about flights, rooms, etc., just feeling the excitement building from the details! I love it!

SPOTLIGHT:
Lisa Qualsett is coming this year! Many of you know her from Write About Jesus and you know how great she is. I'm excited for what she will add to our retreat this year. She co-wrote many of the songs from the Dove-nominated musical, PRAISE ROCKS, and she is a writer for Upright Grand Music. I love her heart. I didn't ask her permission to post this poem (because it's 5:00 in the morning -- although I think she's as much of an insomniac as I am so she's probably awake) but I love it. This is who Lisa is in my head:


I Wouldn't Love Magenta
LisaQ

Dimly tinted are the days
In shades of stone and sepia
But if it weren't for times like this
I wouldn't love Magenta

If it weren't for tears that fall
And wash the colors colorless
Bleeding fear and joy to one
I wouldn't love Magenta

Bursting through the morning sky
Then gone until the end of day
If it burned with every hour
It wouldn't take my breath away

So give me fog and gray sometimes
To keep me grateful for the Sun
'Cause if I had a perfect life
I wouldn't love Magenta


Joel

Me too!

My bags are packed...I am SO looking forward to being there.
I'm already praying things that sound like the songwriters prayer.
Phil

47 DAYS

I feel sorry for the people I write with between now and the retreat...'cause I'm stockpiling my ideas!! I even have a new folder on my desktop just for retreat ideas!


SPOTLIGHT
Last year CHRIS BINION was planning to attend our retreat, but he was involved in a terrible car accident that put him in the hospital for weeks. His injuries required reconstructive surgery and several months of recovery but Chris is back and we're excited that he will be joining us. He is an exclusive writer for Crossroads Publishing and writes songs in many genres. He has had dozens of cuts by many artists, but my personal favorite is "The Answer Is Christ" by The Talley Trio. He and his family live in Friendsville, Texas.


JOEL

Can't Wait!... from Sue

I LOVE Joel's co-writing retreat and I can't wait for this year. It's the one time of year I get to see so many of my WAJ writing friends without doing any work to make it happen. Thank you, Joel! Thank you for making this your baby and providing this incredible opportunity for all of us.

I can't wait to meet the new friends who are coming. Can't wait to see all the old ones.

I can't wait.

Guess I've made that clear, huh.

48 Days

So far we have over 20 people committed to coming to the retreat this year!! We're limiting the total number to 40 so we're over halfway there!! We're planning the menu, working on t-shirts, taking registrations and praying that this retreat will be an absolute God-thing! Already, like last year, God has been working out things for people who need to be there.

For the second year in a row, Donna Norton was the FIRST person to respond to the e-mail about the retreat! I love enthusiasm! I love teasing Donna about the fact that last year, she was up at the crack of dawn, thinking that everybody else would be up too! She was dressed and ready to go and came bounding down into the lobby...and it was empty!! Again, I love enthusiasm!!

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS....

If I counted correctly, there are 50, oops - I mean 49, days until the retreat!! Woo hoo!!!!

We have several people who have written to say that they can't come because of conflicts in their schedules. All of them have been extremely disappointed. Kim Walling even begged a friend of hers to change the date of her wedding!!

I'm very excited about some new friends we have coming and thought I would give you a little insight to them, one by one.

SPOTLIGHT:
First off, we have DON PARDOE. Don is a long-time member of the legendary CCM group Glad and has written many of the songs for the group, as well as for other artists as well. Don and his wife, Michelle, along with their three kids Eric, Emily and Anna, live in Texas, where Don is a worship pastor. In addition to working with his church, flying out for the occasional Glad concert, and writing songs, Don also enjoys producing projects for other artists.

Don is an amazing vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist and I am so excited to have him join our co-writing family!

Check back in often to get a glimpse of who else is coming!!

Joel

It's ON!!!

Okay as Kristie would say... It's now T-minus 2months until the retreat! Any mathematicians out there that know exactly how many days in our countdown until we all get to hang out and write some really cool songs together! I'm way too tired to think right now! :) Where is everyone? Who is going?

G'Night
Ericka