Three Cs

A lot has happened in my life since the last time I wrote a blog post. I feel like I’ve been on a roller coaster with all the twists and turns. Through it all, God has been faithful. Even though I don’t usually share a lot about my personal life in my blog posts, I’ve decided to make an exception.

The ride began just before I wrote my previous blog post in April. My husband and I had been feeling like God was leading us to leave North Carolina and move to Alabama. In order for me to work as a sign language interpreter in Alabama, I needed to pass a test, so we drove to Auburn during my spring break. Shortly after I passed the test, I had my first (virtual) job interview.

The interview went fairly well, but as I prayed about it afterward, I just didn’t feel at peace about it. When they offered me the position, I took a leap of faith and turned it down. That was a first for me. I had never turned down a job offer before, but I knew I had to follow the Lord’s guidance. I am very thankful I did.

About a week after my first interview, I was in a car accident. On my way home from work, another vehicle swerved into my lane. I swerved onto the shoulder to avoid a head-on collision, but the other vehicle still hit the side of my car and flipped it. My car landed upside down in the grass beside the road. Since my car had manual windows, I rolled the window down (up?) and crawled out.

Other than some whiplash and a tiny scratch, I was unharmed. A fireman on the scene told me I should go buy a lottery ticket because it was my lucky day. I know it wasn’t luck, though. It was God’s hand of protection. I am very grateful to be alive and well.

Not long after my accident, I had my second (virtual) interview. It went really well. As soon as it was over, I knew it was the job God had for me. They offered me the position, and I accepted later that same day. After that, we knew we were going to be moving, so we started looking at houses and applying for home loans. As you probably know, the housing market is CRAZY right now, so we prayed for God to help us find a home.

While we were searching, I celebrated my 31st birthday. My husband took me to the NC Zoo, and we had a magical day looking at seals, sand cats, and many more animals. We even got to feed the giraffes! If you have never been to the NC Zoo in Asheboro, I encourage you to go if you have the opportunity. Also, the fee to feed the giraffes is completely worth it!

While we were at the zoo, our loan officer called to tell us we had been approved for a home loan. We were ecstatic! The news made my birthday even better. It was definitely one of the high points of the last few months.

The next day, my mom texted me to say that my Grandma wasn’t doing well and that hospice had called in the family. It wasn’t a surprise. She had been suffering from dementia for a long time. My Grandma passed away the following morning.

I’d like to pause my story for a moment to say that my Grandma was an incredible, Godly woman. She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I am both honored and humbled to have inherited her love for writing and her first name. I will always miss her, but I rejoice that she is now in heaven with Jesus. She is no longer suffering, and she remembers all of her loved ones again. To read her obituary, please click here.

My husband and I drove to Louisiana for the funeral. On the way there, we stopped in Alabama so that I could get fingerprinted for my new job. While we were stopped, our realtor emailed us a picture of a house nearby. We both liked the look of it, so we decided to drive by and get a look at the area. The moment we saw the house, we felt drawn to it. After driving by it a couple of times, we pulled over on the side of the road to pray. Then, we got back on the road and contacted our realtor to let her know we were interested in the house.

We arrived in Louisiana later that evening and attended the funeral the following morning. It was a beautiful service for a beautiful lady. My Grandma basically planned it herself. She picked the songs and requested that the plan of salvation be presented. I know everyone who attended was touched.

On the way back to North Carolina, my husband and I stopped at a hotel in Birmingham. That night, we electronically signed a lot of documents and made an offer on the house. Within two days, the owner accepted our offer. The house wasn’t even officially on the market yet, and it is nothing short of amazing that he accepted our first offer. God worked it out. That is the only explanation.

Over the course of the next month, I finished the school year and resigned from my job, we completed the paperwork for our mortgage, and we packed all our belongings. At the end of June, we drove down to Alabama for the closing. After signing a mountain of documents, we officially became homeowners.

A week later, we rented a U-Haul and drove ourselves, our stuff, and our five cats to our new home. The journey itself was a bit stressful, but we arrived safe and sound. Now we are settled in Alabama. Since moving here, we’ve transferred our licenses and license plates, I got my Alabama interpreting permit, and the cats have gotten used to the new house.

We have also started attending Church of the Highlands, an awesome church that is a big part of the reason God led us to move here. To learn more about Highlands, you can click here.

God also helped us find a used truck to replace my car that was totaled. The vehicle market is also rather nuts right now, so finding one for a fair price was amazing. I am truly humbled by how faithful God has been throughout this whole process.

With everything else going on, I’ve only managed to squeeze in a little bit of writing. I wrote a fantasy short story and submitted it to an anthology. I am excited to share that it was accepted. My story, “Of Myths and Mercy,” will appear in Crunchy with Chocolate this fall. I will share more details at a later date.

Also, the fantasy short story I mentioned in my April post was accepted for publication. “A Measure of Magic” will be included in an anthology this fall as well. In addition, two poems I wrote in college were published in Torrid Literature Journal. It is only available in paperback. If you’re interested, here is a link to their website.

As for my YA fantasy novel, I have started querying multiple literary agents. I hope and pray that one of them will choose to represent it. I have also outlined the second book in the series and will soon start writing the first draft.

A lot has happened in my life the last few months. As I start this new chapter of my life, I am grateful for all God has done, and I look forward to what He will do next.