So the uncertainty begins. . .

C has been applying for jobs since just after S was born. He has submitted over 40 job packets, and late last week, he received his first call for an interview. This was something to celebrate in our home! C had S while he was listening to the answering machine message, and he immediately passed S off to me so that he could run around the house screaming like a mad man! It was both amusing and endearing. It has been a tough year for C for a lot of reasons. First his advisor basically dumped him (said advisor took a position at another school over a year ago and assured C he would stay on as his advisor, but this summer, he suddenly dumped all his students from his previous university), he was forced to take on advisor who works in his time period but not his specialty, he has been working like mad to finish his dissertation, and he has been trying to balance fatherhood with a full-time teaching load and working on his dissertation. On top of that, his father died less than 24 hours after S was born. So last week's phone call gave him a much needed boost of confidence and a reminder that he is good at what he does.

While I was so happy to see my husband excited and happy, I am feeling a fair amount of uncertainty about the next few months. I truly hope that C gets several more interviews and that many of those result in on-campus interviews. But I am not mentally prepared to move in August, especially not across the country. Despite the disadvantages of smallish-town life, I have to admit I'm happy here.