The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep

It's amazing what a few nights of good sleep can do for the soul.  Things are better than I left them last time.  Elsa ended up having an ear infection and after putting her on solids, putting the pack n play in the toy room so we can let her cry it out a bit, and getting her on antibiotics, we are finally getting some rest at night.  She's sleeping from 9pm-8am maybe waking up around 5am for a bottle and going right back to sleep.  It's wonderful! 

In other good news, Steve has 2 interviews scheduled for BYU and Kansas State.  We only applied to 4 places (one in Canada because I made Steven do it) and we're really happy with the response we are getting.  It's such a contrast to his graduating year where we applied at over 100 places and interviewed at I think 4 places:  branch campuses in Ohio and Penn State, Lake Forest College, and our current postdoc.  It was a bit nerve-wracking to decide between the tenure-track offer from the branch campus at Penn State or the postdoc here, but we felt assured in our decision and it's nice to see it paying off.  The Lord truly leads and directs us where we need to go and I'm so grateful for the peace and comfort I receive through that assurance.  Steve's mentor here wants him to stay on another year as he is starting to get really noticed in his field and could get even better offers perhaps if he waited.  But seeing as how we only applied to places we really were interested in, I don't think we'll be turning down any offers that might come our way.  That being said, we are completely happy to stay here another year should that be the case. 

My new calling in the ward is the compassionate service leader- apparently I need to work on being compassionate and giving service.  It's not something that is necessarily coming easily to me, but I know the Lord wants me to keep stretching myself.  I have to get more minutes on my phone it seems because no one ever answers my emails.  I think that's the most frustrating part so far.  It's been nice to have my Saturdays back though as I don't have to prepare a lesson every week now.

We just got through one of the worst elections I think I have ever experienced.  Steve and I both are both heartbroken that Mitt Romney didn't win.  It's sad to live in a country where there is such a feeling of entitlement.  We both are big proponents of staying out of debt and we now live in a country that spends more than it makes and consumes more than it produces.  There's no question that this will end badly.  I would have loved to see a LDS member in office, especially one as uniquely qualified and experienced as Mitt, and I would have loved to have seen this country get fiscally back on track.  Perhaps it's for the best that he didn't win as I don't want to see my religion mocked any more than it already is, but I'm starting to see this country and its people slide in a direction that scares me. 

Another thing we are dealing with here is Nadia's unwillingness to speak to others.  Before Halloween, Nadia's preschool class was discussing who was going to dress up as what.  When it got to be Nadia's turn, she wanted to say it, but couldn't and broke down.  After discussing things over with various professionals, we came to the conclusion that she has selective mutism.  Selective mutism is a condition where a child who can and does speak, stops doing so in certain settings.  It's been good to put a name to the problem and we are getting a lot of information from different people and resources.  I have a lot of reading to do and a lot of people to talk to.  Nadia's pediatrician has recommended she start therapy (she also suggested Prozac, but we nixed that option pretty quickly).  I have a lady in the community with an 8 year old who has the same issue that I'm corresponding with and we will be meeting with the school district to see what other options might be available to us.  Hopefully we can get her started on the right path early so that it won't be such an issue later on.  Nadia still isn't talking at school, but her preschool teacher is very willing to work with her and implement any suggestions I might have.  I can tell that she cares for her and wants her to succeed which means everything to me.

So that's life as it stands now.  I hope to get some pictures up later!