We're Moving Back to California!

I know it's been like an eon in blogosphere time since I have posted anything.  So, here is a quick update on some major life changes for the Mobleys! 

Back in November, David started applying for faculty positions elsewhere.  We had been planning on the next job search coinciding with applying for tenure (which would have been next year, one year ahead of schedule).  All this happened pretty suddenly.  One day, we were going to be here at least another year.  The next day, we were considering where we would like to live!  David only applied to places that he was sure were looking for someone doing computational work in drug discovery. 

He went on three interviews and landed three job offers.  The position at UC Irvine was the clear front runner.  The interesting part of all this, though, is that this is the second time he has interviewed for this exact position.  He interviewed in 2008 for the same slot but was their second-choice.  The person who was offered the position, though, accepted a position at UCSD and actually recommended David for the opening!  He will inherit the computer clusters that she has already set up and will be the only computational person amongst a department of experimentalists, a great research environment for him!  Three of his graduate students have chosen to follow him there, too, and he already has a post-doc lined up for the fall.  He will actually be in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, but it sounds like he will be able to obtain a joint appointment with the chemistry department so that he can employ chemistry students.  And, he will only be teaching two classes a year, which hopefully will provide him with oodles of time to search for bugs:)  As if that isn't enough, he will continue to supervise a postdoc and postgraduate researcher who are staying behind at UNO and will make quarterly visits to oversee their progress.

I am so happy for David that he will be able to work in such a great environment.  He will have excellent students.  He will teach fewer courses.  He will have lots of opportunities for interesting collaborations.  I believe that this job has come as a blessing from God for David's hard work.  Since we moved here, he has been working harder than he needed to in order to get tenure at UNO.  That has not been his goal.  Rather, his goal has been to please God in his work.

David's official start date at UC Irvine is July 1, although we don't have to be in Irvine until the fall quarter begins.  We are hoping to move sometime in mid-July.  Fortunately for me, UC Irvine is paying for movers!!!  I am ecstatic about that because trying to sell the house is enough work!  I've had to make a lot of changes to make the house look more like a home where someone would like to live and less like a playground!  While I am finished with that work (and hopefully I'll post some updated pics soon) it's not all that easy trying to keep the house neat and orderly when my four children have different organizational ideas than me!  So, how's that for a brief update???  Aren't you glad I chose to spare you the long version???