A New Chapter

The change from April to May happened so quickly! Here's a recap of the events since my last post.

The two weeks of orientation were amazing. Such a gifted and prepared staff; such incredible content; such cool fellow newbies. I had good opportunities to begin to get a feel for a few parts of Orlando during the weekends and could actually drive around a little without the GPS by the end of my time there. And, random observation - sandhill cranes are noisy but fun!!

I traveled home safely and uneventfully, passing through Nashville on Wednesday before their flooding this past weekend. I did encounter some small hail (and significant traffic!) in Atlanta, but nothing serious. Great visit with a friend in Marietta, GA. Only problem was that our time was too short.

Last Thursday and Friday, I completed my employment in the church office. The staff took me out for lunch at Squealer's (one of those great places with lots of big dinner napkins, since you may be up to your elbows in BBQ sauce before it is all over). It was a good time. I have had the privilege of working with great people at Faith - folks who were not only my co-workers, but also my friends.

There was a tremendous response Sunday from folks at Faith Church at an after-church luncheon. It was an encouragement to see so many out in support of the path on which God has been leading me. I love this church and will miss being here. But, as I have been reminding folks - Faith will always be my home church, so you can expect me back from time to time. :-)

This week, the transition to new things seems much more real. I am excited... and also am enjoying the different pace of life for these weeks, especially the time to connect with people. Today, I sent my first newsletter. I will be meeting with a Faith small group this evening and then have a couple of family events this weekend. More about those later!

(For those who might have wondered, I won't be walking the mini tomorrow... had a slight injury in March that has been slow to heal, so I just didn't get the long training walks done this year. I will miss doing it, but I understand there is a half-marathon in Orlando in the fall?)