Here we are yet again looking at the promise of a new year while still reveling in the waning days of 2010. At the end of 2009 we talked about a Christmas letter, but we never wrote one. We had some much to share, but little energy to make it happen. Still getting back to normal from the house fire that failed to structurally damage the house, but sure made a big mess, we declined to even send out cards. So here we are again with so much to share, but no excuse to hold a letter back.
The last year has blessed us abundantly. Marian is well into a second year as the Title-one Writing teacher/coach in Bald Eagle Area School District. Working in four elementary schools with 56 teachers makes for a busy work life. We never thought Bellefonte was a career move for Marian, but it has proved to be a place for growth and challenge.
On the heels of the fire, Tim defended his dissertation proposal in January, marking one of the final steps towards completion of his PhD. To celebrate and blow off steam, Tim stopped at the local Bellefonte airport on the way home from his defense and scheduled his first flying lesson – something he has dreamt about doing for a number of years. In June he completed his check ride and earned his private pilot’s certificate. We both eagerly await the chance to make use of this new freedom to visit friends and family and set out on all kinds of new adventures.
This summer brought us to Montréal for the annual Academy of Management conference, which has doubled as our summer vacation for the last five years. This year was different, as it also marked Tim’s entrance in to the job market. He met and discussed his dissertation with a selection of great universities who have open faculty positions. It was a blur of suits, ties, and interviews for Tim while Marian took in the local scene through museums and a culinary tour.
Tim’s interviews continued in the fall with a few formal visits and the results of the crazy job search are in. In July 2011, Tim will become a member of the Management faculty at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. We are in the midst of planning our move back to the Lehigh Valley, a place where Tim grew up and which we left over 10 years ago. We never thought we would know this early where our next move would be, but we are happy to settle into the holiday season knowing the final destination of a gift five years in the making. Through the many challenges, bumps, tugs, and fires of the last five years, we have been rewarded.
We could begin to look back at our time in State College with rose colored glasses, but, for Tim, there is still a dissertation that will not write itself, and, for Marian, scads of wonderful teachers who are excited to enliven writing in their classrooms. So, for now, we live with one foot planted in Centre County with joy and commitment to a community that has loved us, nurtured our intellects, and expanded our capacity to give. At the same time we step forward with the other foot as we plan our next new adventure. In doing so, we look forward to connecting with friends new and old.
May you be blessed this holiday season and in your adventures of 2011,
Tim and Marian
