If you read last Friday’s newsletter, you KNOW.
You know that I came home to a bazillion boxes. No, we didn’t move. If you recall (and it’s okay if you blocked it out — I tried to. Oh, I tried. If you remember, I ran away to Florida) — our house flooded while we were gallivanting around Greece last summer. It took 7 months and loooooots of money to fix it. (Yay for insurance. Boo for increased rates!)
Anyhooo…they packed up my entire house…and then I came home to all those packed boxes.
5 days to Party Liftoff.
All…by…my…self.
(There’s a song there…can you hear it?)
A shout-out to my son David (we’ll get to him in a sec) who came over with his wife for a couple of hours and helped me unpack the pantry. The rest? Well…all me. (Okay, okay — Andrew did lift the heavy things.)
 |
 |
 |
Why did I do all this, you ask?
Oh, I am so glad you asked.
Because this guy —
 |
— just earned his Master of Divinity from Bethlehem College and Seminary. My oldest. David.
I cannot tell you what it does to a mother’s heart to watch your firstborn — the boy you rocked to sleep, the kid you prayed over, the young man you watched fall in love with the Word — walk out of a seminary chapel with an M.Div. in his hand. Years of study. Years of papers. Years of real, serious, deep work in the Word.
He earned every page of that diploma. And watching him cross that stage was one of the proudest moments of my life.
So that’s why I unpacked a bazillion boxes in five days. Because you do not throw your son a half-finished graduation party. You throw him the party.
And by Saturday afternoon…by the grace of God and the strength of Andrew’s back…the miracle occurred.
 |
We set up the porch, and then the family arrived, and the weather was absolutely glorious — one of those Minnesota afternoons that almost makes up for January. (Almost.) We laughed, we ate, we celebrated, we soaked up every second of it.
And given the boxes and the timeline, people admittedly said…how did you get this all done? (Prayer. Ibuprophen. A hot back. A book on tape…)
AND, I refused to sit down.
(Mostly because I knew if I sat down, I would never get back up. I’d just be…there. On the floor. Forever. Surrounded by boxes.)
So I just kept moving. One box. Then the next box. Then the next box. And by the end of it, I had a house. And a party. And my son’s diploma on the mantel (he forgot to take it home with him. Yes, I’m keeping it. Okay! Not really!)
But sometimes that’s the answer. You just keep moving. And then when it’s over, you eat cake.
Oh, and speaking of not sitting down…the next book is already on its way. But first, let’s chat about Over the Edge.
 |
If you haven’t met Nimue Hart yet — oh, friends, you are in for it. Over the Edge is Book 1 in my brand-new Summer Rangers series, and it’s everything I love writing: a smart, stubborn heroine with a complicated past, a Grand Canyon setting that will steal your breath, and a romance with stakes that matter. If you missed the release, this is your nudge.
And then — because the writing life just keeps moving too — Scent of Hope (Call of the Wild, Book 2) drops June 2nd.
 |
It’s the next DOG SAR story, set in Alaska, about a second chance at love, and oh, I love this one. Jericho Bowie is a hero, and I loved writing he and Harley’s romance. And, the plot thickens, of course. It was an edge of my seat write, and I think you’ll love it.
So that’s the report: the boxes are (mostly) gone, my son has a hood, the family was celebrated, the weather cooperated, and the next book is on its way.
You just keep moving (and take hot baths.)
Thank you for moving right along with me.
With love,
 |
P.S. — If you’ve read Over the Edge and loved it, a quick review is the kindest gift you can give an author. Even one sentence helps. Thank you, friends.