So we're still moving to Macon. We don't know exactly when or where (house/neighborhood wise) we're going. We have an appointment with our realtor next week to look at some more potential houses, which is exciting! I plan on documenting the house hunt on the blog. But more on that as it actually gets underway.
I have an update on my job situation and it's actually really exciting. I will be more or less quitting (for lack of a better word) in about a month. At that time I'll be unemployed and not working, like, at all. So it's like a maternity leave without a newborn. But with a big move. But without legal work. Hooray! So I'll take about 6 weeks to move to Macon, get settled in (you know, find the grocery store, hook up the TV/internet/phone, find and enroll the boys in school, unpack), and get a home office up and running. (All of which I realize can't happen until we actually buy a house. Details, details.) And then sometime after Labor Day I'll start working with my firm again, but on a contract basis. The details are still fuzzy and I'm not sure how much work I will be doing, but it is so exciting for a multitude of reasons.
1. A paycheck! While we can make it on Mr. Cob's new government salary (thanks only to the much lower cost of living in Macon), it would be tight. So my still bringing in some sort of paycheck is very exciting to us. If I didn't bring anything in, our income would be going down by 66%. Yes, SIXTY PERCENT LESS money coming in the door. That's no chump change. That's a whole LIFESTYLE change. Thankfully, Macon is opening the door to that lifestyle change and we're grabbing hold, but it's still nice to have some of my money coming in the door. Especially considering most of our family lives a plane ride away and the last time I checked flights were only getting more and more expensive.
2. I continue getting to use my law degree and feel like those student loans weren't for naught. I was not ready to walk away from my career. Sure, there are days I hate it and moments I wish I'd never gone to law school in the first place, but for the most part I like having a career and making my own money. I actually enjoy drafting legal documents and love marking up other people's documents (perhaps I should've been a school teacher given my love of the red pen?!). So this arrangement allows me to continue being a lawyer without having to go find a new firm, which was a very scary prospect for me. I've been with my firm for 11 years - for a year before law school, as a summer associate, and then the past 6.5 years! I like my firm and my co-workers, so I'm happy to continue working with them.
3. I get more flexibility, which is something I've craved since Julian was born. There's no denying that the past 8 months have been hard for me with the juggling of work and motherhood. The long commute from the suburbs has only made that worse and most days I get home from work and have to put Julian to bed as soon as we walk in the door. I'm getting very little time with him (and Lukas for that matter). Working from my house on a part-time basis will give me back some of this wasted time. No showering in the morning. No commuting. My productivity will increase and I can use that time to actually play with my boys.
4. I get time to move without having to worry about hurrying back to work. I think that's pretty self explanatory.
There are some downsides to the arrangement, sure, but the positives outweigh the negatives. I'm so excited my firm is working with me and allowing me to continue to be a part of the team. Granted, I won't be an associate any longer and am therefore off the partnership track, but for me and for my family, the track isn't the number 1 priority. I think so many lawyers focus on one way of doing it and my impression is that there's a certain stigma associated with being a "contract attorney". But that's fine. Being able to continue practicing law while also honoring what is best for my family is what is important to me. And for the time being, I've found a way to do that!
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