Working Time

For the third Sunday in July, I visited with new pastor Rev. Ben Richards at FIrst UMC Bonita Springs. I brought Rev. Christy Holden with me and we ran into a recently retired DS from Oklahoma - Rev. Carol Cook Moore. 

I had a couple of Zoom meetings this week prepping for my trip to England in September with the Office of Clergy Excellence as we take recent ordinands and their spouses on a Wesley historical tour. 

We celebrated that several of our district churches (including First UMC Sarasota and Grace UMC Venice) are participating in day4hope to help provide backpacks and school supplies for children in neighborhood schools. 

I got to go to lunch with Robert Bledsoe, pastor at Trinity UMC Bradenton. He was Daryl's and my intern years ago when he was in college. Now he's all grown up and a very capable pastor serving on district leadership too. 

We had a belated birthday celebration among the district staff and Lynn made me some homemade treats I could actually eat in addition to some Skinny Pop. 

I worked for my new job in Lakeland on Wednesday. This is my office there for now, until the great conference office reshuffle later this fall. Hence, why I haven't moved anything there. I'll mostly be remote and only in Lakeland a couple of days a month. 

 

Life Around the District

For the second Sunday of July, I visited new pastor Rev. Dottie Johns at Trinity UMC in North Port. She's doing a great job already. 

When we did camp dropoff, it was good to catch up with Kali - she had been a member at Community when we were there and works in the camp office. 

My mobile office for one day last week - the cafe at Grace UMC Venice. 

Summer LIfe

After getting home from camp dropoff, we made a trip to the beach to see the sunset. 

We walked out one evening to find this family of deer in the backyard. 

With just mom and dad around while the boys were at camp, these two snuggled a lot. 

I found some labyrinth time after yoga. 

There was a bird obsessed with our front door one night. Fergus was guarding the door for hours just in case the bird got inside...... 

  

Boys at Camp

Daryl and I did a camp dropoff run on Monday. Wesley drove himself and we drove Davis along with another boy from Grace UMC Venice and our friend Mary from Fort Myers. 

They seemed to have a lot of fun over the week. Both Wesley and Davis were in high school camp and that's what Parker was assigned so he was in the same cabin as his brothers. 

 Then on Saturday, Mary's mom Christy brought home Davis and Wesley stayed to hang out with his girlfriend for a bit before coming home. 

Random Slices of Life

This is the picture on my desk calendar for July at the office. My camp child. 

The boys used my time away to eat out at a few places they can't eat at when I'm home. 

And Fergus the cat - he makes himself at home wherever he wants. 

 

Our Official Anniversary

I was away on July 10th in NC but we called and talked and marked the day together. 

Grateful we had all that time last month to celebrate in Hawaii. 

 

Scenes from Sapphire Valley

After the meetings were over on Friday, I snuck over to Sapphire Valley (about an hour away) to visit some of my favorite places and do a little hiking. I started off at Narrows Falls. 

Then I stopped off by the Foxhunt Townhouses where we sometimes stay and visited the Horsepasture River and Meadow Lake. 

I finished up at Fairfield Lake. I couldn't walk the whole trail because the girls camp is in session at the north end of the lake. But I walked as much as I could. 

Then I hiked back just past the boat basin and spread out a blanket to sit and stare at the water and 

Old Bald for a while. I read and journaled and it was so peaceful. I even waded in the shallow edge of the lake for a bit.

It was SO good to get over there even for a few hours.