1KHO 696: Honey and the Unexpected Yes | Drew and Ava Miller, Petal Honey Co

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Kids get instant explanations when they miss something, and parents can see exactly where growth is happening, and where a little reinforcement might help. It takes the guesswork out of finishing strong, making impact on your child's learning, get IXL now, and 1,000 hours outside listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership. We may sign up today at IXL.com slash 1,000 hours. Visit IXL.com slash 1,000 hours to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. Welcome to the 1,000 hours outside talk. My name is Ginny Ehrsch. I'm the founder of 1,000 Hours Outside. And I have a really special pair of guests today. We met in person at the Florida Parent Educator Association Conference, and we got to talk about FPEA down in Florida. And Ava came up and gave me honey from their farm, which was so generous and so kind. And then we got to talking about how you have this B farm, and I thought we've actually never talked about that on this show at all. And anything that can entice you outside, anything that can kind of kick you outside, because you got to go take care of what you have on your property, is a really good thing in this day and age. So Ava is here with her dad Drew, Ava and Drew Miller. Welcome to the both of you. Hi, thank you so much for having us. So good to see you again. Yeah, it's great to be here. Thanks for having us. Yeah, you have a great story and kind of a random story. And so you wrote about how this whole journey, you responded to a honey for sale sign at the end of some driveway down in Florida. And you're like, passing this house and passing this sign. And it's an interesting story to me because sometimes random things can really change the trajectory of your life. So can you give a little bit of a background? So the company that you have is called pedal honey. So the website is pedal honey dot CO. And I'll make sure I'll put that in the show notes. You're at a spot where you are selling this honey, you're getting into local different restaurants and things. I mean, it's grown to be such an incredible thing. But it kind of started with this random situation. So can you tell us the story? Yeah, absolutely. You want me to do this part? Okay. I don't want to yap the whole time and not let Ava talk. So I'll catch us up to speed. And then you can jump in at any point. But yeah, so I don't want to go down rabbit trails either because I tend to do that. But I've been in worship ministry most of my life. And I have been blessed that they got us allowed me to do that. But during the COVID season that we all love so much, I hope we felt the Lord kind of leading us out of where we were at. And it didn't make sense. But we there were no mixed signals. And so God was very clear. My wife and I knew we all knew that it was it was time to transition into something else. And so I stepped down for my job at the church, which we loved being there. It was just kind of a surprise to us. And then we're just like, okay, Lord, you said to do this. So what now? And a couple of friends reached out and asked if I could help with leading their church. And so was happy to do that and just helped a couple of different churches. But a few weeks is very confusing season really. But within a, but the Lord speaks us through just like peace. You know, he gives us peace. And when you're walking with the Lord, he just kind of ebbs and flows. He kind of channels you into where you need to go. And it's kind of like if you're not going the right way, it's like swimming up river. And so we've just learned and are still learning, you know, to recognize those things and his promptings and leading and stuff. But I didn't feel like I was supposed to take a position at another church. It felt so much excitement and permission to help some other churches. But the last about five years has been very different and very confusing. Fun, but I'd say the most challenging season of our life, for sure. And then yeah, a couple of weeks after resigning for my job, I was giving an estimate on a decking job. I learned to do construction at an early age. And so just was trying to fill in the gaps of how to keep the lights on. And I thought, you know, I have a tiny bit of time. There's this little property and the little town I grew up in. I knew they sold honey, but there's no like brand of honey or anything like that. And I just had never stopped. So I had a had a small window, which is, which is rare when you have four kids. But I had this little window of time to just stop and check it out. And when I walked up to the guys front porch, I saw that it was the brand of honey. I had eaten since I was a little kid. And I, I mean, growing up in Florida, honey, honey was just, it was always in the pantry. It didn't get like special attention, but it was also heralded as, as special, you know, I had never had any exposure to to be keeping or. Yeah, it's just, it was just wild because. You know, my parents, my grandparents, they all just had this like, I don't know loyalty to this brand of honey and again, didn't think much of it. But I was like, how is a little star struck? I was like, how is this right here? Which it should be, you know, honey being local. It should be the one closest, you know, to our house. But I don't know. I just, it all came together very quickly. Now is a little star struck. And I'm like, how did I not know this? I would have stopped all these years prior. Oh, not to mention. It's the honey that I would buy, you know, at our grocery store, like our little like market, you know, we say little, little market in Orlando that doesn't make sense. But there are still some out there. And it's the honey that I bought as I got older and stuff like that. And so I got to know the older gentleman and his wife just by, you know, talking, you know, within 30 minutes, just like asking about them and their story and stuff like that. And so I was leaving. And I just said, hey, you know, thank you. The guy's name is Ed. I said, there's great me and you add. And I was about to leave and he goes, who's your family? And in that little town. And I told him and he said, he froze. He said, you gave me chills. He said, ask your grandma to marry me when we were 17 years old. And I'm like, you know, just as surprised. And so I called my, I know. What? I know. So I call my grandma right after her and I got in the truck. And I was like, grandma, do you know, Ed? And she's like, of course, of course I know Edward. And she filled me in a little bit. Obviously they didn't get married, but I wouldn't be here. But it was just, it was wild. So he had asked before I left what I did for work. And I told him, you know, we're just in transition. I wasn't sure. And he had asked if I'd be interested in helping him run. Run his honey business. So very, you know, God style surprise. Like what? Like this is interesting. Never, never thought of this. You know, and so. So I told my wife and I ended up helping him for a couple of days. And, you know, I tend to be just very adaptable. That's just my personality. And. And so work them for a couple of days. Enjoy the change of pace. There's a lot more hands on. I was learning something new. Him. And I hit it off just very, very quickly. But he was just old school naturally. And he's like, I can pay 10 bucks an hour to help me run the business. And I was like, I just resigned from like $40 an hour. I was like, there's no way I can pull that off. So he tried hiring other people. And he just kept calling me back to help him. And. Yeah, we, it's a longer story to get through some of the beautiful moments and God stories in there. But we're going to be able to do that. I was just trying to get through some of the beautiful moments and God stories in there. But we just ultimately felt like we're supposed to be there. Not because there was any potential for anything at all. It was just his wife wasn't doing well. He needed to be freed up to spend time with her. And so I ended up. He running his business for over a year. As his wife ended up passing in that time. And so I got to, you know, again, there's some really cool stories in there just about getting to tell them about the Lord. And so she ended up passing. He actually asked me to do the funeral, which I've never done. You know, funeral. I've, I've led worship at a funeral, but I've never, you know, spoke or. You know, I don't know what the right word of you know, pastored a funeral before. But it was an honor to celebrate his, his wife and that he would ask me to do that. And so really just an unexpected, you know, beautiful season. And so that's, that's how we got started into honey. And that's, that's pre-pedal. Yeah. So the pedal story is, is, is its own story. And I mean, I can let Ava tell or about that. But yeah, that's how we got, that's how we got into the world of honey. Goodness. What a remarkable story. It's interesting. And I, I think a lot about that verse that says we plan our course, but the Lord determines our step. And that's what happened. You determined your steps. That was not your plan. There's, you know, and I, you know, I don't know the story. So I just meet you, you know, several years in and you've got this gorgeous honey, the gorgeous logo, and a gorgeous website. Now you're adding on chickens. So what an incredible reminder that God has good plans and that sometimes life shifts into different ways that we don't agree with. And there's a lot of different ways that we don't expect and that's exciting. And I think sometimes it would be nice to be able to see down the road, like five years, ten years, but also it's kind of fun when there's some surprises. Ava, do you remember when that shift happened? So I think part of the interesting story too is this, this man is in his 80s. And this is actually something that's happening. I don't know how often, but people are retiring out of their farming or they're wanting to pass it on to these different opportunities arise. Do you remember the transition to the bees? Yeah, yeah, I wasn't, I wasn't a part of, I didn't really know Ed as well as my dad did, but really how, don't we talk about how pedal started? Well, I'll, yeah, let me back up. So, so with, with honey and these are all things I learned and didn't know until, you know, I got, I got into helping him, helping Ed. But you, you have like your farmers and then you have your packers and those are kind of the main category. And then you can, you can create hybrids. You know, when you get into distribution and different stuff like that. And so again, we're just, we're just a little family in Orlando doing the best we can to, to make it all work. And ultimately, like you said, has got to take you into different areas like we're, we're just stewards, you know, like we're stewards of the time we have the bodies we have, you know, things he calls us to. And so, you know, we're just like, it's almost like give a mouse a cookie. It's like, you know, if, if you've told us to do this, then, you know, then this, to the best of our knowledge, we'll, we'll do this or go this direction. And so it's just kind of been that, that back and forth, like, okay, God, how do we steward this well? And so when I was helping Ed, I learned like the packing business side of honey. Like distributing, bottling, working with farms, you know, different families all all around the state of Florida, you know, and I learned the business side of honey. And so what I was excited to learn about was the beekeeping side. So I started taking classes on my own. And just would do the different levels of beekeeping and we started to get our own bees and it was along the way that the name pedal came about. And so we didn't end up taking over Ed's business after his wife passed. He's been trying to pass that on to his family. And so he's been, you know, trying for years to inspire somebody to take it over. And I hope for him that one of them forms a passion for it because it is, it is beautiful, but is very, very, very difficult. And if you don't love it, like other things, it's, it's probably not going to last. So I am hopeful for him. And I want that for him. I still see him every other week. I'm over there, you know, checking on him or he's a great guy and great friend. But yeah, Ava can tell you how pedal the name pedal came about and what stage that happened. And but ultimately we transition into feeling the Lord leading us into starting pedal. And we became beekeepers in that process. So I'll let you talk about it. Yeah. So I was, so we were going to a homeschool co-op and they were hosting an entrepreneur affair. And so I think I was in maybe eighth, ninth grade at the time. And I wanted to set up a little booth at that little fair they were having. So I was like, what can I do? What can I make or sell? And I thought, oh, why don't I sell honey at the entrepreneur affair? So my dad was working with Mr. Ed at that time. So I asked him if I could get some honey from him. And so my dad said, he most likely could. And so we started brainstorming a name for the little booth that I was going to have. And that's when the name pedal came about. Yeah. So she's yeah. So we're just trying to think that night. Like what's a cute name for a 14 year old, you know, and honey. And so we just thought, well, it starts with a bee and a flower. I wonder if there's something that, you know, brings out the beauty of honey. And that's really been like the like our. Our main, I don't say it's not our mission statement, but it's in our mission statement, but it's something we that has inspired really every aspect of the business is the beauty of honey and. And you know, going going from working a, you know, a job over seeing 120 like plus volunteers and a big ministry and stuff like that to just being on a tractor and bottling honey by myself. And you know, it's like. Life got to somewhat for that season slowed down and God started to teach me a lot about just who he is, his character, his word took different shape and came alive as I got to just view. I was on the farm just, you know, in nature every day. And so we just really knew that like for for honey, we wanted to reference the beauty of it and the beauty of the process. And so that has fundamentally shaped pedal. And so. And so we just try to think, yeah, what what brings you know, I, and anyway, I don't know, rabbit, but yeah, so we're trying to think what, what, how do we capture kind of the beauty of honey and that's how, you know, the flower pedal idea came. We never expected it to be a business at that point. It was just an entrepreneur fair. I, I tend to be a dreamer and I own way too many domains. So when I think of a name, I buy it because I'm like, there's only one of them out there might as well for 12 bucks might as well hang on to it and see what happens, you know. And we didn't know that a year later, I would transition out of helping Ed and we would feel the Lord lead us into starting our own honey business, which is, you know, crazy. Because after I, after I, after Ed didn't need my help anymore. We're just kind of like, okay, how do we work with what we have? And because I do believe that God gives you all the things you need in every season, it may not feel that way and and I, but I do know that to be fundamentally true. So we're like, what do we have to work with? And so the options were, you know, go go back into construction because I had my flooring business or go back into ministry full time, not that I stopped leading worship and actually it was during that season. It the church, one of the churches we were helping a complete stranger walked up to us the first or second week we were there helping and he goes, you know, I'm new to church and, you know, I don't know what it, what it means to have got speak to you, but I feel like I'm supposed to help you. And he handed me his business card and he was like a CEO of an engineering firm and he gave me his number and it's like, he's like, I don't know what this means. He's like, but I just to the best of my feelings, I feel like I'm supposed to help you. And so I took that and took it right to God too and said, God, I don't know what this is, but, you know, you do. And so I knew that we, we had a desire to record the songs we had written in that season. Because that's how we write is it represents like what God is doing and, but they're all songs of worship at the same time like we, we always turn it back to this, you know, vertical theme, you know, so every song, you know, I could tell you every line of every song where it came from and what God was doing. But so we knew that we wanted to capture that for no other reason, just to have this digital scrapbook, you know, which was a testimony of who, who got is and what he did in that season. But we didn't have anybody to record with the guys who we had worked with up until that point had moved out of state, but I knew that we wanted to work with somebody who was a bully. And so I just said, God, I don't know what, you know, this guy, John's, I don't know what you're doing through this, but we would love to record if it's possible, but I can't take that step until you lead us to the right, you know, person producer to help us with the process. And so we just started praying into that and then God brought us to a producer and it was, we had instant peace. It was amazing. And so I took that back to the guy, John and I said, John, I don't know what you meant by this or in what capacity you were looking to help or felt comfortable. But this is kind of something we would love help with. And so he ended up, you know, being completely on board and I mean, he, him and his wife, sweetest people, they've paid actually that they've been, they've been a part of our story far beyond just the music side of things. But yeah, they covered the cost for that whole project and it was really, yeah, I mean, incredible, but encouraging to us that the Lord was saying, you know, I took you, you know, out of this season of being at this church for almost a decade and, but, you know, just honored us in a way where we were able to tell those stories and record that. And so, yeah, so that's a little rabbit trail for sure, but you know, it has been an interesting five years, but you know, God has been in every detail and. Okay, I have been waiting to say this, womb bikes is the official 2026 bike partner of 1000 hours outside and it just makes sense because here's what I know when kids fall in love with riding bikes, something shifts. They go from hesitant to flying down the sidewalk with total confidence and that confidence spills into everything else. These bikes are lightweight, softly designed and built so kids can actually succeed. 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We've just learned to wait and this is the longest season of waiting. We have direction for sure but it still feels like very much a dependent season. But yeah, so that's when the name pedal came we never thought we never thought at that point we would start pedal but didn't feel like God was leading us into a position like taking a position at a church again. I didn't feel like I was supposed to ramp up the flooring business again so we just there are a couple conversations I had and I was like if these go a certain way like God I'm taking this as confirmation that we're supposed to keep going. And that's really just how another way the main way really we navigate God moving us is like are there open doors are there closed doors and we don't push back against the closed doors we we just look at that as clarity like okay we stop and sometimes it's not like a stop forever sometimes it's a stop for now and revisit in a couple of months you know something like that and but we had a couple open doors pretty quickly so we're like I'm going to go back to the next level. So we're like this is the craziest of ideas. I guess we'll this way and so we we just we took pedal and the name pedal and we're like okay what are the next steps we were going to we're going to buy our house at that time which we've rented for my in laws for well now it'll be almost 18 years but back then however many years ago that was so we took our down payment put it in honey equipment and bees and you know bottling stuff and we're like I guess we're doing this and and yeah we just feel like we're going to be able to do that. And yeah we just feel feel very you know honored by the Lord but also it has been the hardest financial struggle of our life and we're just like how much longer can we hang on how can you know but but we're trying and and you know the there's so much beauty to it but you know the industry is changing I don't want to get down that that rapid trip but there's a lot of ways that are aging out and it's not that we're we are going to be able to do that. We are able to transition into helping take over anybody's business but I think in the next decade there's going to be a real gap and you know people are going to still want honey and there's just not going to be as much out there I mean land developments the greatest threat to bees and then with a lot of these generational families aging out of it it's going to be a real need for people to do it and so I say if you have any desire whatsoever to be a beekeeper do it. The states all have different laws and legislation lord has a very they have a lot of freedom in beekeeping and we're very grateful for that so the you know the point of entry the bar for entry is very low which is amazing you know it's not like to certified to try it you know I would say if you have a desire do it get involved with like your local. Almost every county has a beekeeping association if if yours doesn't I would look in like a neighboring county to see if they have one here in Orlando almost every county that I've heard of has their own beekeeping association that's a really good place to start and and I would also encourage you to kind of find your your beekeeping supply houses because at least again I can only speak for you know Florida but our supply houses are our tight knit community and so they have. Pointed us in the direction of meeting other. Ape areas and ape owners and stuff like that so I would encourage you to do that I will say it is harder than then you might think that that for us has been. Surprising but not I mean it's you're working with with. God's creation with wild creatures that you know we're meant to sustain themselves and so you know if we get involved you get. Kind of let them do what they need to do but also support them so that's been a big part of you know pedal is learning to grow as beekeepers and how to be keep. With bees naturally and not just kind of bring them into an industrialized you know head space where it's like we bring them into our schedule and our way of doing things and I think. Some of the struggles in the beekeeping world have come from us trying to put these. And into our boxes that's that's poet that's poetic but. But yeah I would encourage anybody to really give it a shot but I will say it is it is harder than you might think and it takes more time and attention than you might think. Well that is sort of what I thought I would say that of all the. Things that you can get into if you're interested in doing a business or homestead or anything like that. It always seemed that bees was one of the most tricky and it's just kind of fickle and sometimes they leave you know the few people that I know you know they're trying to catch swarms and they've got all this you know suits that they wear and so and they're they got the smoke so it definitely is not sort of a second nature thing so before we go on though I just want to make sure I don't forget it. Ava can you tell us about I found the music on ample music what and you recorded your dad yeah you've been singing since you together since you are about six. Yes so it all started on Chris receive when I was six years old the pastor and his wife at the church we were attending that my dad was the worship leader at they had asked me to sing silent night on Christmas Eve at that service. I think it was a family service but I started so that's what I started singing with my dad and what's crazy is that when I was on stage I got up off the stool and I also started dancing which now I'm also dance and so that's like it's like a crazy story you know how the Lord works but. Anyway that's when I started singing with my dad and we've been leading with the leading together ever since so just such a blessing I'm very grateful so be able to lead with him so tell people where they can find your music and I saw four songs is that correct. We have an EP yes and then is that for some we have I think it's foreign for so the album is called Arbor and but then the name that we recorded under is Miller and co like Miller and company so it's like we have pedal pedal honey company Miller and company and again didn't plan that but yeah if you look up Miller and then the ampersand and just see oh Miller and co there I think it's eight songs because. We recorded the top four and the bottom four I think it's four or four I should know this but it's been it's been a couple you know our year how long it's been but. Each section of the album opens up with like an instrumental that has a number I think it's what is it what are the numbers I think the first was 14 32. Okay well the names of those instrumental represent our ages at the time of recording and so we wanted to you know just be as intentional as possible in the recording process like everything you know just just very intentional every word the album we had painted by a friend you know which tells the story of you really captures that whole season of that that batch of songs being written and where it came from and what guy was doing so yeah everything about the album. We tried to have a story to it wasn't just let's record you know hopefully pretty pretty songs and and do it to the best of our ability but go beyond that and be extra intentional so yeah so yeah if you see it should be about eight songs I think a bit of looking so there are eight songs and the instrumentals are 15 37 and 14 36 as little off on that second age but anyway. What an interesting idea what an interesting idea to use your ages as the title. Hello just captured a moment in time that was really special so we wanted to. So you have this you have this story of a lot of skill sets it's a it's a really interesting piece and you keep adding on different skill sets so Eva can you talk about we you know we wanted to do it. We've done we've been involved in church worship not on staff but my husband plays the drums and I play the keyboard and so wonderful yeah it's fun we currently are not doing it because there's been some drama but we do that for a very long time and our our daughters do music together we've got three but the older to do music together and that is that it's really special and that is a really specific time type of life and to transition out of that. Now to be doing this outside work is got to feel somewhat different pretty different and you're building on it so you start with the bees but now your dad said Eva that you guys have added on chickens as well. Yes so ever since I was little we've had chickens really ever ever since I could remember we've had them and so they've always been a very special part of life. We just love now we've been incubating the eggs and hatching baby chicks and we started selling selling our eggs from our hands as well and so within the last year we kind of started a little local chicken business and so anyway we've we love our little babies it's been a lot of fun. Yeah and it's something else also things can do together so it's a special shared experience for sure. It's amazing entrepreneurship entrepreneurship is really tricky especially if you're going from a spot where you're doing worship and that's kind of known you know what's going to come you know we're going to switch your songs out a little bit you're going to have the big Easter services and the Christmas services yes so that's kind of known but the entrepreneurship is very unknown. Do you have any advice for someone who is interested in trying to become an entrepreneur? Uh huh trying to think say just just go for it say that that'd be my advice just go for it and don't be afraid to try something new or start something just go for it and yeah there's people that that love you that you know we're willing to come alongside of you and help them so grateful for my family and how they've always encouraged entrepreneurship and in me growing and in that way and so I would say just go for it and don't be afraid to ask for help and that would be my biggest advice. And the interesting even with the chickens that there's several avenues that you can take with it like you talk about incubating and you're selling the eggs and yes that's my favorite part in incubating I love it so much just to see the babies grow from well from putting the eggs in the incubator to to hands it's it's just an amazing experience. Yes so fast. Yes fast. Oh it's true. A couple of weeks it's really yeah it's like it's like watching a miracle it is really it is a miracle. Yeah. Yes. Talk to us about with the beekeeping one of the things that you talk about is is protecting the bees and preserving God's creation really this goal of preservation and that's a role that a lot of us could take in different ways you know on our own properties or on our own balconies or whatever the situation is can you talk about why that's important. Yeah I'll take I'll take this one a business like no way I can take this. You work your conversation is you know and the more we work constantly learning I mean I work with. A handful of beekeepers and people that have been in it for. If not most of their life all their life and and I I'm still learning from from them and I feel in some ways like a newbie compared to somebody who's you know pushing 90 and has been a beekeeper their whole life but. But I also have a unique perspective just because I am a dreamer I'm someone who dissect culture and you know looks to the future and. And so I'm I'm also asking the fundamental questions to the Lord like okay again that give a mouse a cookie thing if you have us here you know what is our role in this space and. And so we're very much you know we try to be the best parents we can but you know like we talk about his parents we we don't want to address you know that the symptoms. You know or the actions we want to get to the heart the root cause of things and so. Those are the questions we're asking in the beekeeping world is like okay what are what are some of the root causes of losses or you know I say losses like be losses or root causes of. Adulterated honey. Families you know people leaving the industry or you know honey now driving a high enough price like what what are you know these so we try to find the root cause of it all because then if we can figure that out we can go at go at that but. When it when it comes to preservation I started asking the Lord questions these are just thought pairs as I go about my date like if I'm in this. I'm sort of interaction or conversation I'm like and I don't have an answer or you know I just tend to be an over thinker I I just say okay guy what I what do we do with this or and so remember one day I was. I was at one of the supply houses talking to the manager there and just talk about the culture between beekeepers and I was like you know early on in the in this you know I don't know if we'd start a panel might have been towards the beginning of pedal but I just. He was saying people don't really talk to each other on the commercial side it's kind of cut throw you know people are. You know it's just I was like this is not what I expected I'm like God how do we how do we repair this and as soon as I ask you know got that question he gave me a name like popped in my head just out of nowhere and it was the name is the a period alliance and I was like that's got an interesting ring to it I like the. I like the iteration right that's what is yeah so I like the iteration but I'm like I don't know if it's a sweet and beautiful as pedal but you know what is that and so I start asking about what is it oh well I got in the truck and I was like is the domain taken it wasn't taking so I bought the domain. Another domain so I was like what what what is this and so I've been asking those questions for for years now and then just building what I think it is supposed to be out but essentially what it does is it it it leans into preservation regeneration and coming at it from a unique angle that champions apierre and beekeepers but it also works with. Companies and kind of the corporate world to so we can all work together put our heads together resources are time together to really champion these pollinators and so that's a that is something I want to give a lot of my time to a lot of my time to building that out especially since it was you know it's a divine inspiration but also. It is been confirmed over the years that it is very much needed but we're just pulled in so many directions right now it's just that's why I'm like Lord I want to I want to steward all that you're telling us to do well but I think my heart might explode because I have too many jobs and too many responsibilities and you know at the end of the day like we just want to simplify if I could focus my attention on. 100% beekeeping and the honey business in the apierre alliance that's our desire to do to do ministry and life through agriculture but yeah it's a third of our food supply does come from pollinators not just honey bees but pollinators in general and like I said before the greatest threat to pollinators is land development and so the apierre alliance would. Would basically create land preservation so leverage corporate interest to help with land preservation and also resourcing apierries and so that's a bigger longer conversation podcast and of itself and and but I'll go back to the localize beekeeping conversation you know as hard as beekeeping is in the fact and we've we've had to start over three times with our be yard. Because you just think you're doing it the right way and you kind of book against the system and how you know they tell you you do it this way and you treat the bees at this time and you know we're just trying to break some of those you know what they would consider norms of beekeeping and just try to be keep the natural way kind of the hippie way and so we meet a lot of beekeepers who do it in both ways and we're trying to copy in more of the hippie way of beekeeping but if you do lose a hive and most cases it's the colony going into survival mode and and they're swarming and they're leaving for their own self preservation and so those those hives become feral wild hives and then those hives grow beyond that and so it's like if there's a silver lining to to losing bees it would be that for sure. Yeah you're actually you're contributing and some people have said if it wasn't if it wasn't for the loose law and then you're going to be able to do that. And I was in a big able to have a low bar of entry for beekeepers bees would be a little bit more endangered than they are. Wow I did not know that so basically even though this is a big it feels like a big failure and you know you're starting over you've been talked about sometimes bears are getting in I mean there's there's issues there but if the bees leave which seems like that would be one of the saddest things and frustrating things it's not like they died they're just there now they're out. In the world right yeah in most cases yeah. Wow yeah that's actually a really big deal because like you talk about me the our food supply depends on these pollinators and so now you're supplying different restaurants you have wildflower orange blossom the honeycomb a honey flight so these different types of things that people can buy and then you can sometimes you're eating them in different restaurants. Tell us about the people side of it so it's such an interesting line of work because a lot of times you're alone or you're out there and you're dealing with nature but then there is the whole people side of it so in a you could answer this to with your chickens does it build community. Oh yeah for sure yes it's been I'm kind of going to go to a little rabbit trail here but with our honey business we do some like pop up honey stands at the end of our street sometimes and it's just so so wonderful to get some meat our neighbors and teach them about the beauty of honey and then we try to keep in contact with those the people that we need. We are in our community and so that's been really special and then also with with chickens as well we've been able to sell some of our chicks and chicken eggs and so getting to to reach out to our community and and meet people that's been a really special part. Yeah yeah I mean that's one of our favorite parts about what we're doing and it's also what has helped with creating vision for the future is it's it's very much. People driven and community driven and we felt very loved by the chefs and the restaurant owners and the shop owners like it's or land as a big it's a big big big place but it's also really really small and. And a lot of these shop owners and chefs like they they know each other they've been in it for 20 to 40 years and so just as we've gotten into a couple restaurants it's led to more restaurants and it led to being out at some Disney restaurants and and it's just it's grown because of the community and and so we just felt very supported like last year and we need to take it off our website spin up there. A little longer than I don't know now I guess I prefer but it's still we're rebuilding from when the bear got our bees but you know last last year when the bear. Took out our best hives one of the restaurant groups it's a husband and wife who owned four or five restaurants in Orlando they had found out about it and so for I think is six weeks or maybe close to two months or I don't know they they did some honey themed menu items and then. Gave the proceeds to helping us rebuild our yard and so I mean they they gave us close to a couple thousand dollars and we didn't ask we didn't ask for any of that we just felt so love but I just I don't I think with the way the world is headed not to get you know go down that path but I think we're going to be moving back into a very much localized reality. And so anyway and plus you know just being in believers and being in the church like we we we I wholeheartedly believe in and the church and the you know just the gathering of people around the truth of God's word and doing life together you know it's like we're we're getting to do that through honey you know we get to go into spaces we didn't expect to go into and we get to do life with some amazing people. And so whether it's ava put in a honey pop up at the end of our street or you know us doing a market or us you going to school and doing a teaching or bringing chefs to our a period to show them the process like it's all community centered it's all about people and and that's that's really what we love so much and it and again it's it's what's shaping. The future the vision of what we want to do for the future and in God's starting to open that up as well and that's that's a whole nother story bless us with a property we've been praying for for almost three years he opened that up about six or seven weeks ago and so that's it that's it that's a new that's a new thing that we're. New development yeah wow what a story just so grateful is that you know just hearing talking about our story i'm just like wow and just all the ways that God really works i'm just so grateful for that yeah i mean your your friends with with Joe Salison yeah but but we and i've met him once at one of the FPA events but I will listen to him while I drive and I drive a lot making the libraries and and. I took a job up at a church in the land which is not too far from Orlando but puts me in the car about 45 minutes an hour and when I drive up there so I was listening to him one day and i'm he was being interviewed like a pot I think the podcast he's been being interviewed by somebody and they were just. asking practical vice for home stethers and stuff and we hear him talk about that and i watch him talk about that but um he was saying. i'm not gonna call i can't quote him but my takeaway was like you know if God's called you to something you don't put limitations to to what God can do. and he was talking about also like if if God's called you to homestead or to run a business in agriculture like it's better to be closer to a city center with less land then further with more land and it was in that conversation that you know. I was like you know what i think in a lot of ways I have disqualified myself from our given limitations to what God can do like disqualified myself from. you know a certain area of town or size of property you know just you know and and that's that's anyway that happens you know when you go through life and and things don't go. at your time you know and it's it's easy to get a little cynical but we got a reminder self like you know God is he owns the cattle on a thousand hills and he he's bigger than we know and fundamentally he is always good and and those are the things we have to remind ourselves as we cultivate gratitude every day it's like. he is good and he has a plan and so we can trust him but i was listening to that that podcast and now I started thinking different I was i was making that drive north of Orlando to the land and. i was like you know i've never looked at any other area than this one other this one area i thought would be ideal so i started looking in a new area. and one day i was i got up early after the hurricanes to go surfing i have been surfing my whole life and i love it and i'm. got up super early that day and. it was too soon after the hurricane the ocean was i say the ocean was angry it was still it was just very rough and i was by myself and it was like just when the sun started popping out and i was like it's not worth it. and as i've gotten older i've learned to draw those lines a little more clearly but i'm like how do i not waste you know the fact that i got up. so i went and drove the couple streets that i had looked up and i just started you know pray and i was like word. you know i know you can do anything you know. if you've told us to run this honey business and do you know ministry through agriculture like we we've got to move out of downtown Orlando and on to some some land because we're moving bees all around Orlando and. you know having four jobs and and the family like it's just too much and so. i'm like if you know the giving mouse a cookie thing if you've told us to do this then then this to me makes like sense to for the next step and so we started. i drove out there that day to those couple streets and i met. somebody on the one of the streets and i was like hey this is who i am my family has a honey business you know we're and just kind of. told them who i was gave him some honey and was like please don't don't shoot me. and he ended up being a really nice guy and he told me about that area and as i was leaving i saw this this little house and i was i was just curious about it so i drove up to it. and nobody was home but i left a little jar of honey and i know that said hey i was curious about this little bar next door anyway the guy calls me back and invited me out. we got to know him and found out that he was. his family was one of the three like families that settled that whole area. and again a long story but. they ended up just like owner financing selling us the property it was like beyond anything we thought. could ever be possible and just a total absolute miracle but. you know we just again back to the community aspect like. um we want to have a space where you know we can teach kids how to. incubate chickens and how to harvest chicken eggs and how to put on a b suit and go go learn how to be a beekeeper and so. everything for the future whether it's music able wants to you know her dream is to have a worship arts. you know studio and so. we would have the space to build build that out you know a lot of things in one place but ultimately how do we how do we love people how do we love our community by. like what you're doing encouraging people to get outside to be creative to to work with their hands and to dream and you know that's that's that's our hope to. yeah yeah it's beautiful it's beautiful and when encouraging message that you can change and that you can. plan your course but the Lord determines your steps were really. kind of write it the last minutes here and we always end our show with the same question so i'm going to kick this one to you Ava. we always end our show with what's a favorite memory from your childhood that was outside. yes well i had time to think about this one because i know that you always ask this at the end of of every podcast because i i listen and i'm so grateful for you and all the ways that you've. worded to me and our family and so anyway i say my favorite favorite memory would probably be of going to Prince Edward Island in Canada when i was i think around 10 or 11 when we were taking a trip up the coast to Maine to go to. a kd and national park and i had been reading the Annabelle series and it heard that Lucy Maubat Gummery was from Prince Edward Island and so i just wanted to go and. go and just and see so i asked my parents and they. they made it possible for us to go there as well so it was still track but we ended up going to Prince Edward Island we saw where. lm agummery was born and the places that inspired her writings. oh my goodness it was one of the most beautiful places i've ever been to so i highly recommend going there. so anyway it was just it was beautiful wow what an adventure what an adventure that's incredible. well if people are interested they can go to pedal honey.co to learn more and i am so thankful for you coming on and sharing about this journey and giving people a vision of maybe what they could be trying in their own life it was an honor to meet you both at fba. drew another one. yes likewise thank you for being here. it's pedal honey co.com. oh oh did i say it wrong before too? yeah that's okay. i have it wrong down on my paper pedal i'll put the link in the show notes it's pedal honey co.com. you go go. there we go. so people can check that out and i really appreciate you taking the time to be here. thanks so much for having us it's been a joy. yes thank you so much.