Friday, August 29, 2008

Long Trip

Well, we arrived in Spokane Valley last Friday after a long but wonderful trip across country. As we'd planned, we stopped at Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone National park. We also took a side trip to a place called 1880s Town. The kids had a blast seeing so much of our wonderful country. So did Rodney and I...until the last day. Those final three hundred miles seemed to take an eternity!

Home is a nice split foyer in a beautiful setting. There are mountain views from the back deck, a cow in the pasture next door, friendly neighbors. We got a dog that we named Rushmore. He and the kids love to roam the pasture behind our house. Rushmore is a goldendoodle and is the only dog my eldest son has absolutely no allergies to. As if he senses that Jude has had to stay far away from dogs, Rushmore has taken quite a shine to my thirteen-year-old. If all four kids are out playing, Jude is the one Rushmore wants to hang out with.

It took almost a week to get Comcast in to hook up our internet. Happily, that happened yesterday. So....I'm back! Yay!

After we arrived in Spokane, I realized just how tired I've been. Between the adoption, writing deadlines, homeschooling the kids, the car accident and the move, I was drained. Our trip across country has renewed me. For a week, I did no writing at all. I'm happy to say that I missed it. There's something cathartic about writing. It frees the mind and eases the burdens of the soul. I think that is God's gift to those of us who write...that in using what He's given us, we gain a sense of peace.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Where in the World is Shirlee McCoy?

It's been a while. So long, in fact, that I forgot my password for this blog and had to create a new one. Yikes!

I do have an excuse. Actually, I have several. The biggest is that I'm moving. I'm not talking a little move. I'm talking a 2400 mile across country move. It's happening in two days, and I still can't believe it's real. One minute, my husband was saying, "my company has a position in Spokane, Washington...." and the next we were selling our house and getting ready to move.

Speaking of selling houses, with the housing market what it is in our area, we were sure it would take three months or more to sell. Instead, the first person that walked into our house bought it. I'd like to think that is because of my impeccable decorating sense, but seeing as how I don't decorate at all, I have to admit God was moving in a big way.

That was miracle number one in the McCoy moving odyssey. The second miracle was that our China dossier for the adoption was logged into China right around the time the words Spokane and Washington started being tossed around in our house. So, while we will have several adoption things to do once we arrive in our new home, we are officially paper pregnant! Yes, friends, I'm two months along!

The third miracle....my writing projects are caught up and done. The timing worked out perfectly so that I could make the long drive (yes, we're driving) without having the pressure of books or proposals on my mind. I turned in the last book in the Sinclair series, completed line edits on my continuity and am currently working on a proposal for a new project. No stress. No fuss. I can leave Maryland and start fresh in Spokane. Yay!

God's timing is always perfect. My husband and I have wanted to move from our very hectic and crowded home to a place a little less hectic and a little less crowded for the entire fourteen years of our marriage. We've looked in different areas, made attempts to buy land or purchase houses. In the end, doors were closed, and we refused to force them back open. With this move, the door flew open before we even knocked and it has remained open, beckoning us to whatever God has planned for us.

This past Sunday was our last time with our wonderful church family. Our pastor pulled me aside and said, "Shirlee, I want to tell you that I think this move is going to be the best thing for your family. I've seen you and Rodney trying to move many times over the years, but it was never right. This time, God has opened the doors. Your house sale, finding a new home so quickly, God is working everything out for you this time. And I really believe this is God's will for your lives."

My point? Waiting on God is never easy. We want to hear 'yes', not 'no' or 'not now'. But in waiting, we allow God to work in His way and in His time. When we do that, we find that His plans for us are much bigger and better than the plans we had for ourselves.