JOSH & NATALIE JULY LETTER

Dear Family,

As Natalie and I reflected on the past month in preparation to write this letter, we decided that all we could remember was a blur of campaign events and church activities with a few fun weekend activities thrown in. Although there has been a whirlwind of activity lately, it has been a fun month and we have enjoyed all of our opportunities. We love Athens and we are making the most of the time we have together this summer.

With Natalie serving as Relief Society President and me as a counselor in the Branch Presidency, we try to make it to as many church activities as possible each week. This means that in addition to a Sunday full of meetings, we go to Family Home Evening on Mondays, institute on Tuesdays, a branch sports activity on Thursdays, and usually at least one activity on the weekends. While active church participation is a rather large time commitment, we love the members of the branch and are thankful for the opportunity to serve them. The branch has a wide variety of members-freshmen, PhD students, married couples, older singles, and many others, and each group has its own challenges, but the mix also creates the opportunity to get to know many different types of people. Although this summer has seemed to be more full of challenges than usual, Natalie and I have learned a lot in our callings and have become close friends with some of the members.

When I am not doing church activities, my time is being spent on the campaign trail where I am on the staff of our U.S. Congressman. The primary election is just 5 days away, so things are hectic. Right now we are coordinating an intense get-out-the-vote effort, a bus tour leading up to Election Day, and a major media push. I think the political bug bit Natalie and she has even gotten involved in some campaign events. She has walked in a few parades with the Congressman and he has started calling her “sugar.” Actually, I think Natalie’s motivation is that she likes being the star of the show, even if the show is the Eatonton, GA Dairy Festival and the Colbert, GA Fourth of July Parade (which, surprisingly, were each attended by approximately 15,000 people).

Natalie and I have also had time for some fun events this month too. A couple of weeks ago our city held Athfest, a weekend-long outdoor music festival to show case Athens’ vibrant music scene. We went on both Friday and Saturday and enjoyed the music and accompanying art show. For those you that don’t know, Athens is home to REM, the B-52’s, Widespread Panic, and many other famous bands from the 80’s and 90’s that keep close ties to the city. Because those artists are still involved with the local arts community, aspiring musicians from all over come here to gain experience and make connections. With so many artists close by, the festival has many participants playing all types of music.

We hope y’all are all doing well and want to thank those of you that have been sending letters. We love hearing about what people are doing and we wish we lived closer so that we could do fun summer things with you.

Love,
Josh and Natalie