Back on the Wagon

Well, with the strong encouragement of a wife, and the excitement of a new job finally settling down, I am back into my "dissertation chair" (fortunately its a comfy one, since I've spent a lot of time here) and am charging full speed ahead to the conclusion of a dissertation! I think my new goal is to always start the next section before I take a break (even if its just one sentence). I think of it as the writer's equivalent to the"cliffhanger." You know, that moment in a book (usually a good suspense one) where the last sentence of the chapter says something like "But he never would've expected what greeted him as he opened the door into the dark, abandoned missile silo." Or the moment right before the commercial on House when all of the monitors start beeping at the same time (it happens before EVERY commercial, that must be the most exciting hospital in the country!). It just keeps you going until all of the sudden its three in the morning and you haven't even made dinner!

On a different note, I keep thinking about the "cliffhanger" that has been surrounding my life for the past several months - or years - and how grateful I am that I finally got to turn the page into the next chapter. Recognizing that I chose a field of study that is very specific, I have constantly been worried that I would really be able to do something with my education, and that all of the years of stress and worry would be worth it. I have created an innumerable number of "fall-back" plans, and every rejection letter came as another nail in the coffin that was my dream of becoming a conductor. I remember one night several weeks ago being particularly worried about if I would actually have a full-time job next semester, and the Spirit so quietly telling me that "it'll be okay, something great is going to happen in the next few weeks and you'll be amazed at how well you've been blessed."

The more I look into this job, I don't think we could've been more blessed. First off, I HAVE A JOB! I AM A CONDUCTOR! I AM PROFESSOR (soon to be Dr.) MORTENSEN! I never have to worry about whether or not all that education was worth it, because it is! Second, the community is a perfect place to start a family. Since GM closed its factory (sorry to all the workers) the housing market is really depressed (more so, I suppose than the rest of the country???) which makes it a great opportunity for a young couple to get their start! Lastly, without going into details the whole package of the job is incredible, I feel so blessed!

Most importantly, I feel like the faculty that I get to work with are some of the most amazing people that I have met. They are very dedicated to their job, and are determined to making each student successful. As the Dean of the campus (read President) gave me a tour of the campus, she would stop and chat with students, calling them by name, and asking how a specific class or application to one of the UW Universities was coming along. How many students did the President of your college know by name? This is the kind of place I want to work!

I just needed to share that...I have no idea how to apply this to you, maybe just the idea of having faith, knowing what the future will hold, etc, is the best way to go about life, because the future always holds what you need it to hold.... (I tried)

Now on to the laundry....