In January 2020, I learned that I would not be getting the job I'd been hoping for: a principalship of a school in Washington D.C. What's more, I knew that my school was restructuring from a PK-8 to a PK-5, and that meant that we were going to be down one administrator. Given that I'd always helped with the middle school grades, I knew that there wouldn't be space for me any more. I applied to every job I could think of. I felt confident: I had a good record, a strong set of test scores and data, and good relationships with my community and staff. Despite this, I couldn't find anything. 

Then I got a call from Karla LaOrange. She asked if I'd ever thought of working at BYU-Idaho, and I admitted that I had--I'd applied for an interest posting a couple of times on a whim. What followed was a set of interviews (I can still remember Jeff Pulsipher and Jackie Nygaard being in the room!) and a whirlwind of trying to get to Rexburg. Next was an interview with Elder Klebingat (who asked me to call him "Uncle Jorg"). Finally, I was to travel from DC to Rexburg to interview for the day. My flight was canceled less than a week before I was set to travel because of a new virus going around called SARS-CoV-2, or "coronavirus." I was asked if I would be willing to interview online. I accepted happily, as I had been working in technology for most of my career. I prepared a remote lesson and survived the entire day of zoom interviews--and zoom teaching!

I was, inexplicably, hired. It was not the usual process. I'd applied for a visiting position--and was moved to a permanent track without knowing. When we first applied, I explained to my wife that it would be a huge pay cut, and would only be a one (or maybe two) year position. Also, we'd have to move across the country. 

But it felt right. 

When I came to Rexburg, I found that everyone had a story--and it mostly consisted of "I'm here because the Lord brought me here." My life is testimony to the fact that that's exactly why I am here. As President Henry J. Eyring is known to say, you don't come to Rexburg for the weather. 

It's not a joke about snow.

When Lehi left everything he knew and loved--and the great city of Jerusalem--I'm guessing it wasn't easy. For us, it was a little different. We'd missed family, and MD always felt wonderful and beautiful--but never quite like home. This place is where the Lord wanted us--and I will forever be grateful for it and what I have learned here.

A few months later, Dave Peck, dean of the college of education and human development called me up and explained that they'd felt to move my application from "visiting" to "CFS track faculty." I wept with my wife. 

It was my dream job. And I'd just gotten the offer. 

I happened to be looking through old documents recently when I found this--the video I used to apply to teach at BYU-Idaho.