Florida - Yeah!!

We've finally arrived!! We got to Lithia (outside of Tampa) yesterday. Boy, what a trip! It took us 3 days to get here with the camper. I must say the first couple of nights (traveling nights) were NOT good. And yesterday after we set up, the air conditioner kept tripping the breaker! No air! Hey, it is south Florida...in June...and hot and humid are not the words to describe how hot it is here. Thank goodness, we spent the afternoon with our family. I enjoyed it soooo much. It is good to have family and we have the best! I love all the children around, playing, laughing, and living...actually, I just love kids. Maybe that's why I loved Day Camp so much. Anyway ....... we prepared for a warm night with a fan on us. Kyle begged us to stay with them in the a/c, but we thought we'd try it knowing we could pack up and be there in 10 minutes if need be. As it turned out, the air worked fine with no breaker tripping. Go figure! I'm still afraid that there is an issue to deal with. I mean electricity isn't a female where it is fine one day and not the next. So, we're on guard.

I miss running soooo much! After a minor procedure, I was told not to run for 5-7 days. Boy, do I miss it and time is almost up and I'll be able to run again. There are gorgeous places to run here. Paved sidewalks are everywhere: on the road as well as in the subdivisions. Kyle lives in a fantastic neighborhood. Kids are everywhere and it is a "happy" place to be. Everyone seems to get along well AND most everyone are in their 30's and 40's!! People are kind. It is wonderful! It's alive! And there's hope for a great future!

We went to church this morning and loved worshipping with our family. It was such a breath of fresh air! Everyone WANTED to have kids around and they were such a delight as they behaved so well, actually everywhere we went - not just church. All I could think about is how much Jeff and Rebecca would have loved being a part here. The children's department was outstanding! It's call "The Wave". Our daughter-in-law, Myssey, does a fabulous job working with the children and staff. Everything was done in an underwater theme with deep blues and vibrant colors. There were fantastic murals (done by someone who had worked on Disney and Pixar films), flatscreens in every room (including the nursery) where lessons were taught on DVD's, and tables and chairs for hands-on projects. There's lots of interaction. Nursery children were "checked-in" and "checked-out" via computer labels with parents having an accompanying label.

Services were different from ours in order and format. They had greeters like us but that's where the similiarity ended. Their "bulletin" was totally non-traditional with the name of the church on the front, pastor's name, and church's mission statement. Everyone dressed casual and relaxed. Services started out with an alive music segment. With the use of a screen and videos, the music was active, happy, and full of praise. After a couple of videos and songs, the pastor announced it was time for "Cafe". So all was dismissed to go to the foyer where tables were set up with different types of coffee, lemonade or water and some cookies. You were encouraged to bring your food and drink back to your seat when you returned. Members took this time to welcome visitors, meet-and-greet, and fellowship. Members wore name tags. Music began playing to signal it was time to return to your seat for the sermon. The message was very inspirational and even Spencer recalled different points a couple of times later today. Bro. Galen and his wife are very nice. We look forward to the next service.

After church, Myssey prepared a wonderful meal for us. We had a fantastic roast with mashed potatoes and gravy...soooo good!! Thank you, Lord, for a great and wonderful day!