We departed Denver headed east through Kansas, heading for Suzanne’s next event in Kansas City, Missouri. The two-day trip was uneventful, except for having to drive through some pretty heavy thunderstorms – it’s that time of year. We arrived at our campground in Lee’s Summit, MO, and had to find another site because it wasn’t anywhere near level enough for our big coach. Fortunately, we were able to get a better site nearby, courtesy of the Jackson County Parks folks. (Thank you, Connie!) After setting up camp, we drove to Unity Village for Suzanne to meet with the Awaken Whole Life Center staff to check out conference room audiovisual equipment and plan the final day’s outdoor ceremony. 
Following our meeting, we bumped into Mary Ann Zutes and Mike and Beth Pasakarnis. (Regular readers may recall that Mary Ann was given a copy of Messages of Hope by the sushi chef at Piranha Sushi in Rochester, and that Mike and Beth are the parents of Wolf from Wolf’s Message.) They are great friends, and we are hoping that we can lure all of them down to The Villages one day to live, not just to visit.
Walking through the beautiful Unity Village campus, we both felt the serenity and peace that make it such a unique place. 
Just before the first event, we met with Brenda Baker and Lynette Setzkorn, and the contingent of attendees that they had organized. It was a crowded bed, and happy people, that’s for sure!
Bev Garlipp, Suzanne’s tireless assistant (on right), flew out with Nancy O’Neal from The Villages for the retreat. Bev and Nancy manned the book table and helped Suzanne in a myriad of ways this weekend.
Suzanne’s three-day event was filled to capacity, and many attendees from last year returned for this year’s program. The excitement just before opening the doors for the Friday evening Getting Out of the Box session was palpable… 
Suzanne was in her usual fine form. Here she is during her Getting Out of the Box presentation. (It’s not a husband’s bias when I say that she is the most amazing speaker I’ve ever heard…)
It’s been just over 10 years since we lost our beloved Susan, a sergeant in the US Marine Corps, and her unborn son, Liam Tyler, but we know that she was here this weekend helping Suzanne, as she always does.
Suzanne’s books, DVDs, courses and pendants were in high demand. (Good thing I took this picture before the rush!) 
Day Two, Saturday, was Suzanne’s Your Emerging Soul presentation, designed to help you achieve a balanced state between your human and spirit sides.
This group definitely “got it”… contingents from Minneapolis, Chicago, Phoenix and other locales asked Suzanne to come to their home towns next summer for retreats and workshops. We are already working on the 2017 schedule, so if you have a group that would like to have Suzanne come to your area, let us know.
One of the funny aspects of the weekend was the location of the “dining room”. Due to a heavy wedding schedule, our group was given a basement, which several attendees christened “The Dungeon” and “The Storm Shelter”. The staff had made a big effort decorating and making it less industrial, and Suzanne suggested that the ship-like piping and ventilation was to make me, a retired Navy shipdriver, feel more at home. The food was very good, though, which made up for the piping and ductwork. As nicely as they decorated this unusual space, the 2017 contract states that our group is guaranteed to be in the main dining room.
On Saturday evening, Suzanne gave a “Sanaya Speaks” session.
On Sunday, Suzanne’s Making the Connection presentation “put it all together”…
The closing ceremony was spiritually meaningful and poignant…
Many people made new friends here. It was definitely a Love-filled Weekend…
It was a wonder-filled experience in many ways. Many are already planning to attend Suzanne’s next Unity Village retreat, June 23-24-25, 2017. More information is available on her website and the Unity Village Awaken Whole Life Center’s website. See you there!
We are now back underway, headed west for cooler temps in the Rocky Mountains, and I am recovering pretty well from my mountain bike injuries. I think my ego was bruised as much as my arm; sigh… We stopped in Omaha for a few days to rest up and celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. It’s hard for us both to realize that 20 years has flown by in the blink of an eye. We enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner, appropriate since we had met in Japan; the owner even gave us Haagen Daz ice cream bars when we left.
It was our first visit to downtown Omaha, and we watched part of the Olympic trials, women’s 200m free style, on a big screen by the riverfront while admiring heroic-sized statues of swimmers in the water.
My Lovely Bride flew back to The Villages the next day, and I drove on with the pups to Custer State Park in South Dakota for a week of hiking. Suzanne will be visiting Her Lovely Mom Ruthie and teaching a Serving Spirit class, and then will rejoin us in Rapid City. Until then, it’s just Rudy, Gretchen and Hula Babe to keep me company…
3 Comments
Lynette
What a wonderful weekend that was! It was so good to see you two. Can't believe there won't be another encounter with the Giesemann roadshow until December. Have fun hiking! Love to the four of you.
Ty and Suzanne Giesemann
Lynette, Yes, it was spectacular! Wish we could do it more often, and that you, Brenda and your team could jin us for every event. You guys ROCK! Love, Ty
S/V Magnolia
Watch out for that Hawaiian lady, she really moves!