Now I can unclench my jaw...

I'm surrounded by bins and boxes, which can only really mean one thing- we're moving!! I have to say that this has been one of the most stressful (and sickly) years of my life. I feel like I haven't really been at peace since last summer. Summer was spent trying to get people to take Steve's study so he could concentrate on the dissertation in the fall. (As a side note, thank you to all of you who did it. We would be in a terrible position right now without your help.) In the fall, he applied to jobs and more jobs and tried to get the remaining Korean subjects for the dissertation. Most of winter was spent stressing, writing the dissertation, and interviewing at the few places that contacted him. And now finally at the end of March, we have our answer. We are moving for a 2-3 year post-doc at the University of South Carolina.



What a roller coaster! We entered the market at a horrible time and feel so grateful to have an option before us that we can be excited about. Considering most schools didn't even look at ABDs (all but dissertation) because of the flood of qualified PhDs already on the job market, we feel lucky that he even got the interviews he did. Steven applied to over 150 jobs and ended up interviewing at 3. Two of those brought him out for a campus interview and only one offered him a job, which we ultimately turned down. We were this close to accepting a position at a school up in Chicago, but in the end they decided the department needed a different specialty. A branch campus of Penn State offered him a tenure track position, but there was a lot of things that prompted us to turn it down and I feel very sure that we have made the right decision. It was a bit of a gamble to turn it down since we weren't 100% sure that the post-doc would come through, but thankfully the Lord helped us navigate through the uncertainty and we know that He will continue to do so in the future.

Steve is really excited about the research possibilities where we will be going. Apparently they are really well funded with top of the line research equipment- eye trackers and brain imaging fMRIs. The professor he will be working under is not only highly regarded in his field, but easy to get along with and has a similar approach to how he wants things done. And people within the department are already contacting him on projects they want to collaborate on. Beyond that, we both feel like this opportunity will make him a much stronger candidate in the future. On my end, I'm excited to live close to the beach and in a place with palm trees (no snow?!?). Not to mention the fact that there's a temple there. It'll be a new experience for sure and I'm glad we have the opportunity to live in a completely different part of the country.



There's still stress aplenty. I'm trying to go through our stuff and figure out what will stay and what will go. I've already sold a ton of things on craigslist and have a pile I need to get over to Goodwill. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate over 7+ years, 2 kids, and billions of garage sales later. We plan to move in June, which is fast approaching! Also there's the whole issue of trying to find a place to live, but we hope to make a trip down in May to get that settled.

Thank you to all of you who kept us in your prayers! We are so grateful for our wonderful family and friends who have supported us through all the uncertainty!!

Also I'm taking suggestions for new blog names... :)