Okay. You can breath now. I know many of you have been holding your breath since my last blog post.  It’s been three weeks. You are now allowed to suck in some fresh air.

It’s been three weeks, people!

THREE WEEKS!

I’m a little ashamed - Three weeks since I last posted. That’s that longest stretch without a post since Wendy and I started the blog over five years ago.

Allow me explain my digital absence.

Life has been a little crazy for the Elkins’ clan. Here are a few of the fantastic highlights from the month of March:

Jackson and Logan both finished their indoor soccer seasons. Wendy coached Jackson’s team. I’m proud of both boys. They did great and had fun. The amount they improved over the season was impressive.

Logan playing goalie.

Wendy coaching Jackson’s team.

Wendy and I both came down with the stomach flu at the beginning of the month. We went out of commission for a week. Then there was a week of recovery. The kids came through mostly unscathed. Julianna had a little bout, but nothing like the total destruction Wendy and I faced.

When the flu lifted, Julianna had a fantastic birthday party.

Julianna and a friend at her birthday party.

I had the privilege of working on and helping present Araminta’s first youth focused conferene on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. There was a Friday night parent presentation and then an all day Saturday conference. It was a wonderful experience.

Valley (the church I work for) hired a new Head Pastor. He started in late February. He’s amazing to work with. I love being on a team with him. We’ve connected well. At the same time, my tenure at Valley is coming to an end (most of my regular readers know, I took the job with a term limit because I was hired to help the church through a season of transition). I’m currently passing off or bringing to a close my responsibilities.

Then there is The Jude.

The Jude

Yep. Jude.

Wendy and I have been doing a lot of house hunting. It’s been exhausting and discouraging. I don’t understand the market and feel like everything is wildly overpriced. Thankfully at the end of this month we fell in with an amazing team named The Dailey Group. They are helping us find a great place to live.

Jackson had some art work posted at the Hamilton Art Gallery. That was cool.

Jackson standing next to his art work. His is the one on the top.

Jackson and I also took a day trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was part of a Hopkins program. We got to hang out with an expert in Medieval armor who taught us all kinds of amazing stuff. Then we spent the rest of the day walking around Philly together. It was a wonderful day.

Jackson in front of swords at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Finally, concerning my writing…

I had hoped to be completely finished with my first novel in February so I could publish in March. As you can see above, there has been a lot going on. My progress has slowed and timelines have been pushed back. I’m almost done with my final edit (I’m shooting for the end of this week). Then the book goes to an editor. After that we will see. I’ll keep you posted.

Okay, a few more thoughts.

I don’t want you to think my slow down is a lack of enthusiasm for the project. I’m excited about it. When I first began writing it, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I had a bunch of stories in my head I wanted to tell, but I wasn’t sure how they all connected. Since January I’ve been refining. I now know what the book is. It’s a coming of age story about a young pastor and his wife awakening to what it means to serve people in the inner city during the Post-Christendom transition.

Soon I’ll begin posting dates and portions of it. I’ll be looking for readers to post reviews in exchange for free copies. I’ll be running possible titles by you. All that good stuff.

Look for it in a month or two.

I’ll keep you informed.

So for the blog? Will it be another three weeks before my next post?

I think now that I’m through March I’ll be able to start blogging more. I’m going to pick back up the two series I abandoned at the first of the month: Tough Questions and Grimm B-More Stories. I’m hoping to get back into my two posts a week rhythm.

We shall see.

I make no promises and reserve the right to change my mind at any moment.

Consider yourself Elkins Updated.