Working....

I wanted to give a little update on what's going on with me and the job situation. Given my tendency to provide every tiny little detail I will really make an effort to keep this short. I had an interview with a small firm a few weeks ago. They seemed to like me, I seemed to like them, and even though the potential money was ridiculously low, (I don't want to talk about what small firms in Phoenix are paying...let's just say it's about a 1/3 of large firms...sick...) I felt good about it. As part of the "interview process" they wanted me to come in for three days to do some projects and see if I was a good fit. Well, three days stretched into three days, a week, and two more days. The other three attorneys I was working with quit in this time too. I spent a week and a half on a memo that my boss never had time to read. For like four days I was given assignments from the paralegal with minimal direction, big time constraints, and no opportunity to ask questions about things I didn't know how to do given my limited litigation experience (well, I guess I could ask but he just had no idea). None of this really would have been a total deal breaker if the attorney could just say something remotely nice to me once in awhile, but...not so much.... I decided by the end of week two that it wasn't for me but that I would finish the last two days as promised. At the end of the last day no one had the time to talk to me and tell me if they wanted to hire me or not. I left at 5:30 (earliest ever, which wasn't a problem for me five years ago but definitely is now) and sent a cordial email to my boss and the CFO (his wife) letting them know that I wasn't interested in the position. She wrote back and asked if I was quitting? QUITTING? I'M SORRY WAS I IN THE BATHROOM WHEN YOU OFFERED ME A JOB AND I ACCEPTED????

Anyway. Lessons learned. First--I will not just take any job to get experience despite our dire financial circumstances. Also, bonus--Harrison will be fine if I work full time. First week I was working he was with good wonderful kind friends in my ward and after that with my bff Lisa. And he did totally great. Plus I did not spend the whole day worrying about him. Working is not the ideal, but I went to law school and now I'm done and have a license and it needs to be used. At least for awhile. There are good and bad things about working. I loved getting out of the house and feeling like I was contributing, using my brain, etc. I loved the feeling of being busy and having to manage the logistics of family, baby, house, AND job. On the downside, leaving Harrison every morning was hard. Only seeing him for like half an hour a day, also hard. And fitting daily gym activity into that schedule would take some managing. All this adds up to--if I can find a job that's actually 9-5 ish (I know, pretty difficult for a lawyer but at least I know what I want) then it can be done.

So, moving on. I got an email when I was working from another firm I had interviewed with back in January. They told me then I was "overqualified" but apparently their workload went up and they were interested. So, I'm going to be working there on Tuesdays and Fridays for 3-5 ish hours and then they will give me additional projects to do from home. That kind of a schedule sounds awesome to me. However, given that it's more like an internship than a real associate position I'm not sure it will provide the kind of money we need to get by, let alone ever buy a house or take a vacation.... So...we'll see.

Oh yeah, and then I got a phone call from another firm that does estate planning (what I want) to interview for an associate position. The catch is...it's in SUN CITY. Absolute opposite side of the valley. If I got it we'd have to move somewhere in the middle and then both Cory and I would both have a fairly sizeable commute (if we didn't move my commute would just be RIDICULOUS). So I'm interviewing there on Wednesday.

And that's that. I'm anxious to have this situation settled, but I suppose I just need to learn to be patient and that nothing is going to be a perfect fit and that it is what it is. A work in progress.

Sorry this turned out so long. For the few of you out there interested in the comings and goings of Amber, I'm glad you've been filled in :) And here's my favorite boy being his cute self. Who knew that bouncy chair would get use at this age?