06 Jun Florida Trip Recap

It has been more than three weeks since we returned from our trip, and I finally have time to breathe. My long-time employee told us that she quit on her way out of her door after her last day of work before the trip. Needless to say that threw us a huge curveball right before leaving for Florida. We are finally in the process of hiring someone. Praise the Lord!

I also came home with a week to finish a paper for a class. This semester was fascinating as it brought me back to how I originally got into disability ministry. My first class in ministry was a missions course because I felt that disability is a mission field. This seminary class confirmed my reasoning, strengthened my ministry, and gave me some ideas to explore further.

Now for our trip. We did go on a trip, didn’t we?

First I want to thank those who donated and prayed for us. Our financial needs and goals were fully met. I was challenged because I used a manual chair and relied on Kelly to move me around. Traveling is not easy when you have a disability especially when you’re old. 😬

Is anyone surprised that as soon as we got out of the airport Kelly’s internal GPS took us to Disney World? (The answer is no!) It was fun for me to see the grounds and to be with Kelly in her favorite place. We ended up hanging out at Disney Springs that evening and exploring the area around Disney on Monday.

I wanted to go to Epcot on Tuesday to see Mickey’s golf ball up close. We had a fun day, and I enjoyed the World Showcase and the fireworks. The Lefsa (a Norwegian treat) was surprisingly ethenically accurate. We went back to Disney Springs on Saturday to celebrate our anniversary and caught a Cirque du Soleil show (the first one I actually understood the story!) and had dinner.

The Disability and the Church Conference was Wednesday through Friday. We enjoyed being around colleagues and talking shop. Both of us knew people, and it was cool to finally hug some necks rather than talk on a Zoom call. I participated in a panel discussion on Serving in Ministry Leadership with a Disability.

My favorite part of our trip was actually the hardest —- visiting Kelly’s parents. Steve has Lewy Body dementia, and it was emotional for me to see him on the decline. He asked if we still had a dog about ten times, and that was just on the first night. I missed being able to talk with him about ministry and theology. I realized that Steve has been like a father to me for the last few years, and it hurts to see him likethat.

I absolutely loved our tour of Miami, where Kelly grew up. She showed me where she lived, the schools she attended, and where she hung out. We spent time on the University of Miami campus where I imagined Steve doing his ministry and hanging out around the football practice fields. (I also imagined the Rock and Michael Irvin doing their thing on campus. Just sayn’!)

We didn’t make it to the beach, but we drove through Miami Beach and saw the harbor. Met Kelly’s parents down there the next evening for dinner and a sunset cruise on the bay where I finally discovered how the city is laid out. I’ve seen pictures of the city and could never understand how it looked without seeing it in person.

Overall, it was a nice trip, and we’re glad that we went. I can no longer say that I’m the only one in the family who hasn’t been to Florida, and I’m married to someone from Florida!

Now summer is here. We have a few short trips around Colorado and lots of time at the zoo planned. I have some churches to work with and writing to do before the fall semester. Kelly will continue to do respite a couple of days a week

Thank you for taking the time to read this update and for being part of our ministry team.

Blessings,