Moving!

Ari got a job! He'll be working as a postdoctoral researcher at Stony Brook University, looking at data from the Spitzer Space Telescope to study brown dwarfs (the mysterious objects that are too big to be planets, but too small to be stars). The start date is Dec. 1, so we will be spending the next few weeks immersed in the educational experience of putting everything into a moving truck and driving it across the country. Next week, my inlaws will watch the kids while Ari and I fly out to look for housing. We're hoping for a 3-bedroom place that doesn't cost much more than a third of Ari's income and won't require hours of commuting for him. On Long Island, that's easier said than done, but I know God has a good place for us. We look forward to seeing how it works out.

Last weekend, Ari and I attended a conference (Creation: Biblical Options) organized by my father-in-law. My mother-in-law watched the kids, so I was able to hear almost every talk. I also helped Ari sell a few books at his booth during free time, since Ari was filling the role of conference photographer. I don't often get to go to conferences like this (or like anything), and it was such a blessing to be challenged to think in completely different ways than I usually do. Being close to the conference organizer, I got to interact with several of the speakers more than most of the conference attendees - Ari and I were invited to the speakers' dinner, and we stayed in the same hotel as the speakers. I'm planning on composing a few posts on what different individuals had to say. But, given that we're in the middle of moving across the country, future posts may take a while to appear. For now, I'll just say that although I don't agree with all the speakers' perspectives, I was encouraged and challenged by every one of them, and impressed at the graciousness with which they related to one another despite their disagreements.