Crazy times

It has been a crazy two months. This weekend marks the first weekend that the whole family is home together and not preparing for Jake or I to go back to the States. It has been a very good time, career wise, for Jake and I. We have both short listed (Jake at three places, me at one) and each have recieved a job offer. I had to turn mine down, and we are now in negotiations with one of Jake's offers while he completes his interviews and waits to hear from the other institutions. And I just learned that I was awarded an NSF fellowship to fund my research during our time in Utrecht. We have been recieving a lot of good things.

The difficult part is that each interview requires preparation and a nearly 5 day return trip to the states. So it has been very stressful on all of us as we alternate weeks home alone with Elena. Plus, it turns out that getting the job is the easy part, negotiating is the hard part; it feels like a cross between buying a used car and being the tennis ball in a Wimbleton match. One moment we are in one part of the country doing one thing, then it turns out it is better to be somewhere else, then something else happens and we are back where we started. You have to make decision before you have all the information you want and just live with what happens. And just when you think you've settle down, the next tennis match starts and you are back in the game getting pounded back and forth across the court.

As I said, this weekend is our first weekend home together (this explains the sparse blog entries). We had a lovely family trip to the market. Elena has finally mustered the courage to say her 'dank u well' outloud. She is quite accustomed to her bakery cookie, as well as raisins from the snack vendor, and assorted fruits from our green grocer (as well as games of peek-a-boo). We returned home to a lovely lunch of grilled cheese and then took a family nap. It was much needed by all. Jake and I feel asleep for nearly 2 hours. Elena finally woke up by asking to get into our bed, and we all fell back asleep! I woke up and knew I had to start dinner, but let Elena and Jake keep sleeping. Much needed cuddle and rest time for all.

Tomorrow we are going to an outdoor museum in a nearby town, it will mark our first trip out of Utrecht together (and not to the airport for Jake and I) as well as Elena's first time on a train.