NOT Moving to Utah

It's official! Mark was offered that 10-month judicial clerkship in Springfield, MA, and we've decided that we're going to take it. Being a "judicial fellow" for these 10 months will be a really good move for his career, and in fact, it would be really risky to not take this opportunity. This is the first offer he's gotten for a real paid position since he started searching 2 years ago. Sure, he's had internships and a grant and stuff... but this will be the first time that Mark will be the one supporting our family, and I think we're all pretty stoked about that!

In regards to my schooling, we will put it off for now. Getting into a financially stable situation is what we're shooting for, and more debt for school at this time doesn't seem to be the way to go. There are so many factors to consider for when I return to school... having another child (?), daycare (?), where will we be living (?), money, time, who makes the dinner (?)...I think we'll just make that decision once we get there. As for now, I'm relieved to not be going back to school this year. I was getting a little anxious... excited, but nervous about it too! Thank goodness the U of U has allowed me to defer a year without any penalties... and I didn't even have to tell them that I was concerned about my husband's job prospects! :)

I just want to say that the Lord loves us and is watching over us. He's done so much for Mark and me as a couple, and I hope that we can always remember to put our trust in Him. Life often feels so complicated, and there are so many things going on, that it's difficult to know which path to take. I know that Heavenly Father is there for us, and He wants for us to be blessed with good things in our lives. We would feel ungrateful if we did not take this job opportunity when we've been praying for help for so long. We went to the Temple about it this afternoon, and we feel that the Lord is helping us along.

Who knows, maybe He's been setting the stage for this all along. We came to Boston University because Mark was interested in their study-abroad program in China. Mark did alright his first year, but he got just average grades, so he ended up not getting a summer internship when the market crashed. Therefore, he didn't apply for the study-abroad program because he didn't want to be gone during the interview process for the next year. (Which turned out alright because he discovered that he doesn't really enjoy corporate law as much, and that's what he'd be doing with that international law that he was originally working towards.) Even though he received nearly all A's the 2nd and 3rd years of school and graduated cum laude, he still did not have any job offers when he finished. Then, this position opened up to only 2010 BU Law grads who didn't have jobs yet.

It almost seems like Heavenly Father is trying to close all other doors so that we will look down the hall through the door He's opened. Of course, we can choose whether to walk through or not, but when He's holding your hand, why should we fear?