Life in the Normal Lane

...which in Tampa, is the far-right lane. A morning in traffic here gets the blood flowing, as there's a mix of caffiene-crazed, wild-eyed commuters, white-haired snowbirds going 30 miles under the speed limit, and those of us who just want to make it to work alive.

So what's new with us? Well, we found a church that we like quite a bit - Morningstar. It is 7 years old and meets in a local high school. It is quite a change from Christ Community, with its 3,000+ members - Morningstar has only 150 members. What stood out to us about Morningstar (after visiting at least six different churches) was the passion of the people and the solid teaching of the pastor. We're already seeking ways to get involved through a Bible study and serving opportunities. It's great to finally have a church home.

And while we're on the topic of churchy things, I was asked to be a group discussion leader in the Fall for the Bible Study Fellowship. BSF is an extremely intensive 7-year Bible study, with one book of the Bible covered per year. When we first moved here, I thought I'd take a break from leadership - goes to show how well my own plans stand up to God's. :)

We also resigned our rental agreement on the house - yay, no packing and no moving hassle! Although there are several other homes in our neighborhood for rent, I was stressing about where our roof would be come the end of August. Of course, with the hurricane season, our roof may literally end up down the block anyway.

Speaking of hurricane season (which begins June 1), we're all in the midst of preparing. Every time we go to the grocery store, we stock up on bottled water and things that require a can opener. If we are forced to evacuate, we also need to consider what to do with the zoo - Mr. Fish, Bandit and Ziggy. Thankfully, one of the local high schools will allow a limited number of crated animals. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Hope all is well with you.

Love,
M.