A Day in the Life...

Nine years ago, almost to the day, I became a bride. I married my best friend, and life was grand! I said goodbye to my career, my home, my friends and family, and set off on a new adventure across country with my husband. The world was full of possibilities!

Until I got pregnant.

Now, both my husband and I married later in life, so we knew we wanted to have children right away. Just perhaps not right away as God intended.

So I ended up in the rather foreign land of Virginia (no offense to my Virginian friends! It's just that our Colorado speed bumps have a higher elevation than your mountains...) as a pastor's wife and mother-to-be. I've had a good range of job experience, but I couldn't find a position that suited me. Thus began my adventure in stay-at-home momming. It's during this time that I also became a novelist, as I needed a creative outlet.

Two states (Texas and Colorado followed) and three kids (love my Dingoes!) later, I went back to work. It wasn't exactly as I had planned. My husband and I felt like it was time for him to move on from the church, and God opened up the position I held with an awesome ministry prior to my wedding. The worst part of this was having to commute 150+ miles every week. Early Monday morning, I would kiss my sleeping children goodbye and head out. I'd spend the week in the city, living with my mom and brother. My family time was limited to Skype and phone calls. Thank goodness for technology! This was a rough time on all of us, but we wanted the kids to finish out the school year with their friends.

Now that we're a year out, we know this was the right move. Our kids are thriving in their new schools. They have opportunities they wouldn't have had in the small town in which we lived. My husband is ministering, even though he's not in a ministry position. We've found a wonderful church home that has embraced us and is helping us to heal. And I adore my job!

So I thought I'd share a bit about my average day. Life sure has changed! In my previous days, all I had to do was worry about the usual home, kid, and husband stuff. Now, there's infinitely more!

My kids and my husband have to leave the house early...an hour and a half before school starts! Their school is on the far side of town. My youngest is in preschool. I deliver her each morning, then head off for work. I get a few hours in at the office before I need to pick her up again.

We enjoy lunch together. Then I work at home through the afternoon. (I am blessed to have an employer who "gets" family and makes that a priority.) That leaves my little one to play by herself most of the time...and she does a great job!

Occasionally, things come up to prevent me from getting a lot done. She'll need extra attention, or I'll have to run errands. When that's the case, I make up my hours in the evenings and on weekends. This isn't a complaint, but my job is never far away. I don't leave it at the office. It's constantly on my mind.

There are times I have to go to the office in the afternoons. My mom and my brother often step in to watch my youngest. I'm thankful we live close to family! Or she'll go with me. I work with amazing people who also don't mind keeping an eye on her for a short time while I'm wrapped up.

My kids and husband get home right around dinnertime. We eat and finish up homework before bed...and then it's time to start all over again. But once cheeks have been kissed, hugs shared, and covered tucked around the chin, that's my time.

Because on top of all of this, I manage to write. I have one published book, and three more are on their way. I used to crochet a lot, creating all kinds of crazy hats and such, but my writing took priority. I boxed up my yarn and put it away for a later date. When I'm not haunted by characters and stories longing to be told. I'm editing the first book in my series that will be released in May, and revising a solid draft of a fairy-tale mash-up. I squeeze in time where I can--before school, lunch hour, evening, any downtime. And I always carry a notebook with me.

Nowadays, the whole author thing doesn't just end with handing off the completed manuscript to the publisher. We get to market and self-promote! So there's keeping up with social media and coming up with clever ways to get my book out there.

I'm expecting my brain will explode someday. Spontaneously combust.

But you know, I'm grateful for all I've been given. And although most days, I feel spread very thin, I'm hoping to do the best I can with what God has entrusted to me . Because in the end, it's all about Him. It's not my legacy I leave on this earth. It's what points back to Him.

As I say in my books, "Soli Deo Gloria."