Hi everybody, I feel I should first and foremost apologize for not being around much this summer. To say it's been insanity would be an understatement. In fact, the whole year has been that way. 

I'm currently re-reading "The Stand" and I recently read a part that struck me. It was the part where Abigail Freemantle is remembering an extremely eventful year in her past. In her ruminations, she reflects on how everything seems to happen at once, and wouldn't it be nice if you could take all of that activity and sprinkle it over the long, dull times where the monotony of life is only broken up by the occasional holiday.

 Ma'am, I feel your pain. In this year alone I have gone through:

1. My in-laws moving from 100 miles away to right next door. And that has not been an easy or graceful transition, but with months of effort and the grace of God, it's finally settling (5 months later).

2. A work move that had to go through State Legislation to make it happen. It almost got stopped and we were literally left waiting until the 11th hour of the session. While I'm very happy in my new work environment, I have to be honest and say that getting here was a brutal process.

3. We finally found a female parrot and bought her while on vacation in May. But in the midst of getting her adjusted to our home a third runaway bird came into our lives that nobody knew how to care for - except us. Let me tell you; birds are like potato chips. You can't have just one. Our story is the perfect example - you get one, then you worry about it getting lonely, so you buy a second one so they can keep one another company while you can't be around. Then, usually shortly after #2 comes into your home, somehow a third bird that was "too much to be handled" comes in to the picture because "you already have birds, so what's one more?" At least, that's how it's gone in my life. Twice now.

4. My husband was elected to church council, and his first year has been one of the most active years for council in memory. And since it was a shame for me to sit at home alone the second Sunday of every month, I wound out serving on a committee.

Add to these things the book contract that went bust last summer, salary freezes and rising bills and you can see how I'm wishing I could break all of this up and sprinkle it over a period of 8 YEARS instead of 8 MONTHS.

Why my in-laws decided to move this year, I don't know.

Why my work move couldn't have gone through last year, I don't know.

Why we couldn't find Chloe sooner or Oliver later, I don't know.

Why Rick couldn't get voted on church council a year later, I don't know. Why so many things had to hit in his first year, I don't know either.

Why the economy had been bust for so long - well, that's something we're all wondering about! 

All I know is that the Lord has chosen for all of this to converge on our lives NOW, and we have no choice but to take it and figure out how to find "normal" in our lives again.

It's been a wild ride, but we're making it. On the one hand, you wish it would all settle down. On the other, you think well, since everything is changing, let's do it all now and get it over with.

Of course, I'd welcome a publishing contract for any of my work now. Heck, why not? While I'm finding "normal," isn't it the perfect time to fit that in too? Just asking ...