FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., April 2, 2009 - For the second year in a row, the Fort Campbell Women's Conference filled the Family Resource Center with ladies ready to take some time for themselves.

The conference was held March 26 and brought together women of the community, military or not, for a day of self indulgence.

"When we did the evaluations last year, they wanted us to do it again," said Maria McConville, the main organizer for the event. "This is a day to focus on ourselves and get away from the everyday same old, same old."

Last year's conference had a focus of home development and health. This year professional development was added to the mix with resume writing, starting your own business, financial, and organization workshops.

"We tried to make the conference more balanced this year," said Rowena Mateo-Sjovall, Army Family Action Plan program manager. "We had a better turn out than we did last year."

Diane Welker, guest speaker and presenter, addressed a room of more than 100 women to open the conference. "It's important to set aside time for yourself every day. What an opportunity you have today," she said.

Each woman was able to pick four out of 32-hour long available workshops to attend.

Pam Duttweiler, a Soldier's mother-in-law, new to Fort Campbell, enjoyed her first workshops. "The different [massage] techniques they use at the spa are really interesting. I also decorated cookies, which I'll be bringing home to the grandkids," she said.

Among the workshops was protect and defend, instructed by Officer Jim Knoll of the Clarksville Police Department. "I'm here to give you smart prevention [techniques]. Ninety percent of protection is prevention," he said.

A hair workshop gave women tips on how to correctly color and style their hair to keep it healthy, and a make-up class covered how to apply and use the correct type of makeup for your skin type.

A Zumba and a belly dancing class gave women the chance to incorporate a fun workout in their day.

There were also many cooking classes ranging from fresh salsa, to making chocolate, sushi, barbecue, baking cookies and learning how to cook healthy foods.

"It was delicious," said Rebecca Austin, referencing the chocolate workshop she took with presenter Sonia Scott. "The financial planning [class] was really good. Regions bank did it and they had a lot of useful information."

Relaxation comes in many forms and this conference had it covered. A massage workshop covered the benefits of different massage types. Some women were also able to receive a massage in the class.

A gardening workshop brought green thumbs together to explore the different types of plants and vegetables that could be grown in your own backyard.

For the artsy women, or those wondering about the big hype, a scrapbooking class was offered by Janice Burk, a 14-year Army spouse. Last year Burk was a participant, but this year volunteered to be a presenter. "I enjoyed it last year. My friend recommended me to present this year," she said.

Most of the presenters volunteered their time to share their expertise with the women of Fort Campbell. Paige Thomas King, a military spouse and the proprietor of Hodgepodge, a home dAfAcor store, presented a class on starting your own business and another class on decorating your home.

King shared her insights and ideas when starting a business. "Look for graphic design college students that need opportunities to add to their portfolios to design your logo," she said. "Also, remember what your logo will look like in color and black and white."

"Falling in love is easy, staying in love is not," said Cindi Brown, animated presenter of a marriage workshop. Brown focused her class on the little things to do to keep a marriage fresh and happy.

Along with the workshops, a lunch was catered by Four Seasons. There were also many free giveaways donated from the Armed Services YMCA and the commissary.

"The thing that amazes me the most is the FRC staff and the active duty Soldiers coming together to make this happen," McConville said.