In case you have no idea what in the world the title to this post is all about, THIS might be a good place for you to start. If you choose to press on without reading it, here’s the “nutshell” for ya: My family and I recently relocated to Sedona, AZ to begin the work of starting a new church called SummitLIFE. NOW if you find yourself scratching your head and saying, “Huh?!? WHY would they do that???” you should READ THIS! 😉 Now that we’re all on the same page, here’s where we find ourselves…
THE MOVE
Thankfully, the move is now behind us…the packing, the drive, our youngest throwing up throughout day 1 (in the alley, in a grocery bag, in the car, on himself, in the hotel, at the rest stop, wherever it may have been convenient…or inconvenient), the trailer jolting a part of my Father’s Day swing and an XBOX 360 controller out on the interstate, tarping, the flee-infested “pet-friendly” room, 1800+ miles, 30+ hours, pumping ridiculous amounts of gasoline & diesel, re-tarping, paying CRaZy amounts in tolls, shutting off utilities, turning on utilities, tarping some more, forwarding mail, wondering where our forwarded mail may have ended up, duct-tape tarping, unpacking, arranging, rearranging, ushering cute little lizards out of our house…IT’S ALL BEHIND US!!! (Except for “wondering where our forwarded mail may have ended up,” which is still a mystery, AND the cute little lizards…they apparently like it here.)
A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you that poured hours into getting vehicles ready as well as into the final packing phase in the 100 degree heat! Y’all are troopers and true friends!
WEEK #1
It’s hard to believe that we’ve been in Sedona, AZ for a week already! As I reflect on it, much has taken place over these past 7 days:
- We met our neighbors, Ed & Lulu. They run a vegan, gluten free, organic, fair trade, raw chocolate business called Lulu’s Chocolate right out of their home! They’re a super nice couple and they actually have a one-of-a-kind “banjo-lin” (think banjo+mandolin). Can’t wait to try my hand at playing it! In the meantime, check out Lulu’s story AND their chocolate HERE! If ya happen to order any chocolate, tell ’em their neighbors, David and Michelle, sent ya 😉
- At the conclusion of unpacking on day 2, we took a much needed break and checked out a Jam Night at Olde Sedona Bar and Grill with Scott & Darcy Holverson along with Scotty’s mom and husband. We met the bartender, Brett, along with the guys from the band that Scotty was jammin’ with. Michelle and I called it an early night.
- One of our neighbors, Johnnie (she’s a she), brought over fresh bread, rolls, and bagels baked locally. She said she gets them from the Catholic Church bread giveaway weekly and that she’d be back with more! Yum!!!
- The boys and I climbed Sugar Loaf, one of the mountains that I enjoy every morning as I drink my coffee and read my Bible. No question, this is God’s country. I LOVE reading the “mountain” Scriptures these days…kinda gives ya a different perspective when your reading the words with the mountains looming over you!
- We’ve also met a handful of “interesting” folks thus far. The people of Sedona are from all walks of life, various faiths, and I’ve heard them best described as, “High on life.” I’ve got to agree. I’ve yet to meet a Sedonian that I didn’t like…or one that seemed down on life.
- So much more has taken place over the past 7 days, but I’ve gone on long enough already!
The Highlight of My Week…
I’ll wrap things up with this…I got booked! That’s right, my first official “booking” since moving to Arizona. If you’re up for the drive, you can catch me on Tuesday, July 24th from 6-8PM (Happy Hour!) at Strombolli’s in Cottonwood, AZ! Michelle and I went out with the Holverson’s for one of Scotty’s jams (which was also an open mic) and I had the chance to jump up and perform a few country tunes with my acoustic. Sweet deal…resulted in a booking!!! Yeeee-haaaw!
Love y’all and I’ll do what I can to keep you informed as to what’s going on in the Story of the Parker’s and SummitLIFE! What’s YOUR Story?!?
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