You really ought to give Iowa a try!

Life is crazy sometimes. Crazy! We're going to be moving to Iowa! It's still a bit surreal. But let me start at the beginning...

As soon as Michael graduated he started applying for full time teaching jobs at universities all over the country. While he still had the two adjunct jobs here at UVU and BYU, he really wanted to put his Masters to work and get started on his PhD. Time went by and he didn't hear much back from any of them.

Then in the middle of June he was called as the second counselor in our bishopric. As he accepted the calling he told the stake president of his search for a job. The stake president was very clear that it didn't matter if he was in the calling for 2 months or 2 years, the Lord had things He wanted him to learn. We felt it meant we were supposed to say in Provo a bit longer and felt at peace with that decision.

At the end of June he received several emails from Iowa State University asking him to apply for a job. In the end, he was offered a full time teaching job there! He will be teaching ASL and helping to build their department. Right now ASL will become a minor this spring and the goal is to create a major within 2 years and eventually a Master's program. Michael will be working on all of that, helping develop the curriculum, etc. It's an amazing opportunity and will give him great experience. Best of all, they will reimburse costs of his PhD! This was a huge answer to our prayers. He will be able to support our family and still continue his education.

So the last two weeks have been crazy as we've begun to prepare. We are so excited but it's also hard to leave. I will be leaving my job and the kids I love working with. We'll be leaving our amazing ward. We'll also be moving away from so many family members.

But on the other hand we feel so good about this move. The people we've been in contact with in Iowa all seem so friendly. The schools there are amazing. We even found out that in one of the wards there is a Deaf couple and they already have interpreters called.

In less than a month we will be off. The next few weeks will be a whirl of packing, wrapping up the ends of our work here, trying to see all our friends and family, etc. We're nervous, excited, stressed, sad, thrilled, and scared all at once. As Hazel has been singing, "We're gonna give Iowa a try!" Wish us luck!