Shaun's New Job...

We are moving to....MISSISSIPPI
 
  Crazy, right? I would have to say the entire job search, interviewing, and waiting this last year has been very very hard. It started last October and has been an on-going process. This year in general...more specifically the last 8 months, has been very challenging for our family. Shaun has worked his tail off around the clock to finish his experiments, his dissertation, and all the extra lab work that needed done. And still applying, preparing for and going to job interviews.  I'm so proud of him! I'm so grateful for the interviews he had because it really prepared him and helped him network in his field. It was challenging on my end because he wasn't around much, we had a really long winter, Kate was a pretty fussy baby, and Claire was adjusting to not being the center of attention. But gratefully we survived and were blessed throughout the entire process of all the ups and downs. I think emotionally it was hard because we would get so excited about a job and then play the waiting game, getting our hopes up in the process, and then waiting some more. I am so grateful for the mentors Shaun had that helped him write a strong cover letter and really bulk up his resume.

SO back to the story behind Mississippi
    Shaun ended up having three job offers at the same time. (AMAZING)! He was offered a teaching job in Pennsylvania, a teaching and research job (in a completely different department) at the Ag tech school where we currently live, and the Mississippi job which is 75% research and 25% extension working for Mississippi State university.

   This was a tough decision for us. He was offered the PA and OH jobs first. He was under the impression that he they were pleased with him in MS so we were really considering it without even hearing if he was the top pick. We weighed all the jobs equally, prayed a lot, and Shaun was able to attend the temple. We had about a week and it was interesting because initially what ever job we were thinking about at that moment seemed like the perfect job. But on Sunday we both came to the same decision...Mississippi was exactly where we needed to be. I remember when Shaun mentioned that he was applying for the MS job. I said, "why bother...we are not moving to Mississippi." Haha. Really, who have you heard of that moves to Mississippi? Well, when Shaun went down to interview it was a perfect fit. He will be working on breeding ornamental plants. This is a high-risk/ high-reward job. He will be his own boss, running the lab. But that requires producing awesome things, finding funding (after his start-up funding runs out) and publishing papers...2 a year.

  This is going to be quite the adventure for us. Do you want to hear about some amazing tender mercies? So although shaun will be working for Mississippi state university he will be at one of their small extension stations that is a few hours away. The station is in a small town of about 5,000ish. We know that we want to live closer to Jackson where there are more members of the church, better schools, etc. Well, the university has two houses on the station that are available for a small rental fee. We will be renting the 3 bdrm house. Although it is only about 900 sq feet we are excited to move Kate into her own room. Also, this means we don't have to scramble to find a house, figure out what town we want to live in, buy a second car (since shaun will just walk across the street) for a little while. Shaun said the last lady lived there only 8 short years. Haha...We will definitely not be staying there 8 years, but hopefully a year ish maybe 2 so we can save up for a down payment on a house and be settled somewhere before Claire goes to Kindergarten. What a huge relief! What a blessing! I have not been to Mississippi yet, but Shaun said it is beautiful.  

Since I'm assuming lots or most of you have not lived in Mississippi I look forward to telling you the ins and outs of things once we are down there. :) Our church boundaries place us in a branch so I'm sure we will have lots of opportunities to serve and help "hasten the work." 

Here is a picture of what the station looks like when their trial gardens are in full bloom!