What a Blessing!

I woke up this morning lying next to my dear wife and felt the baby kicking/punching quite strongly and was amazed to think how this time last year I was hoping SO HARD that this would be an eventuality.

My wife and I were talking just yesterday how we can't wait to meet him, wondering what he will be like, etc. When I think about him, honestly every other care melts away and I am so thankful that the Lord has continued to be faithful.

In other news, I did meet with my boss again yesterday and he came back with a number that is not quite what I hoped, but it was certainly a MUCH better raise than I got last year.

Big Meeting

Today I invited my boss out to dinner since this Thursday marks two years with my law firm (amazing how time flies, isn't it?). We ate at Outback, which was great food, and it was a lot more relaxed than if we met at the office to discuss my standing with the firm.

I think it went pretty well, and I'm sure I may have showed my hand a little, but I prayed fervently before the meeting that God would grant favor with my boss and that God would be honored in it all.

For those that have prayed, thanks! Do continue to pray as everything hasn't been stated or ironed out yet, so we'll see where it ends up.

I'm just glad it's over!

Whirlwind of Change...

So, two months ago, I was simply a low-level associate traveling the roads of Virginia and looking for a way out of my job...

And now, somehow, in two months, we lost a paralegal (the other one's last day is tomorrow), my supervising attorney left for a job in Ohio, we've hired two new paralegals and I'm managing them and looking for a newer attorney who apparently I will manage as well.

It's just really bizarre to think that things can change that quickly in just a short period of time--I actually conducted a semi-interview with an attorney that interviewed with our office today. I didn't think I'd EVER do that, at least not this soon.

But certain circumstances really convinced me, even before this happened, that my time here in this job and this area is not quite done yet (my wife being pregnant, my neighbor's situation, other situations). I say "yet" because my wife and I may be nomads in some sense for the rest of our lives, only God knows (we've moved nine times in less than seven years of marriage)--but I know that His hand is in this, and He has been faithful throughout.

God's timing is always perfect, though we're not always able to trust Him leading up to the fulfillment of His faithfulness.

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I would also ask for continued prayers for my neighbor, whose wife left several weeks ago and is going down a path that grieves the Lord. Pray for repentance, reconciliation and restoration (for both of them). Pray that truth would break through and awaken her heart. My heart breaks for them both, because I know that but for the grace of God and the restraining power of the Holy Spirit such evil lurks and could manifest itself in my own heart.

Stress Factor--Increased!

Or as my wife would say, "bummed." It turns out that I got two very disheartening pieces of news today. The sole paralegal that I spoke of in my last post gave her two weeks notice today, so in two weeks, we'll be back to status quo (not having two paralegals, but just one since we'll have trained a new one and the old one will be gone). In addition, the attorney that interviewed this week did not take the job when we offered it, and we have no more prospects lined up.

I'm really trying not to be overwhelmed with it all, but it's hard. We'll see what the weeks ahead will bring.

Stay tuned.

By the way, did I mention that my wife and I are having a baby too?

WHAM!

That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor when the big boss (guy with name on the door) told me that my supervising attorney (only other attorney than me at the firm other than the big boss) was leaving our firm at the end of THIS MONTH! I was just stunned.

I'm still reeling a little bit and I had a short meeting today with the departing attorney, and while they are interviewing some attorneys to replace her (they will try to hire two attorneys to do her position because the job really requires it), if they don't find some, my job after this month will go from difficult to downright impossible. And just having let go a paralegal last week and finding a new one is also on the plate at the moment--I will have to watch and make sure that our only existing paralegal doesn't get too overwhelmed.

So we'll see. I (and my pregnant wife especially) would appreciate your prayers.

33,285

It's not the population of my hometown (I just looked and it only had about 7500 people), but the number of MILES that I drove JUST FOR THE JOB in 2007. When I added it up at work today, I couldn't believe it myself.

Whoa.

Mixed Bag at Court Yesterday

Yesterday was an interesting day--I had a court appearance in the morning and one in the afternoon, and neither went how I thought it was going to go.

I had one case yesterday morning about an hour and a half away (which meant I had to get up early to drive and be there), and when I got there, proper service on the case had not been made, so I had to continue the case and drive back with no result.

In the afternoon, I fully expected to dismiss all my cases due to a judge that (in my opinion) was requiring more than the law required as far as documentation, but when I arrived, it was a different judge completely and I got judgment on all of my cases. A blessing, indeed!

I feel mostly recovered from the Super Bowl party the other night, but in some ways I am glad football season is over so that I essentially have six or seven months off from post-season type games that I might have to stay up for (baseball playoffs come around in September and October, when a certain little one will be joining us.... :) ).

Great Memories, Part One

It would be very easy for me to continue to complain about my job situation or other personal problems, but instead, I'm going to take an opportunity on this blog to recount some great memories and times I've had. I don't really know what form or structure these will take, or even if they will be ranked in a certain way, though I think I'll try to go chronologically.

When I sat down and thought about it, I tried to think of the first thing I could remember. It's interesting, but when I think of my childhood pictures, much of it I don't actually remember but the pictures do bring back a glimpse of the memory. I grew up in Versailles, KY, a small town in one of the richest counties in the state (due to horse farms and the tobacco crop) outside of Lexington, KY.

We had lived at three different addresses by the time I was five, and at that third address, my first memory that I can remember was my first real bike. It was red and yellow, with a guard over the chain, big pedals, and of course, training wheels while I was learning to ride it. I rode that bike during the summer as much as I was allowed, and I remember when I asked my dad to take the training wheels off and he helped me learn how to balance. Yeah, I fell--a BUNCH (I'm convinced this is when my accident prone nature began to rear its ugly head)! Once I learned how to ride, I rode everywhere! Wind in your face, going down the hill (of course, way too fast but it was fun!), and riding until your legs are too tired to move!

It wasn't the best bike or even the most expensive, but it was my bike. And I thought it was the best thing in the world.

Day Downer

I had my yearly review today, one that I had not really been looking forward to. I just got back from a quite fruitless court date (the only case that I could have gotten something from, the person showed up and stated they did not owe the amount sued)--drove about 2 1/2 hours there and 2 1/2 hours back to essentially continue all my cases to a new date.

Right before lunch, I was called into my supervising attorney's office, we had a five minute discussion about things we had already talked about (things where I could improve) and then I was told that I would get a raise that from what I calculated was essentially a cost of living increase. I am grateful for a raise, though it is small and as an attorney, hard to face. I didn't really reply or have any thing to say since it wouldn't have done anything to change it--it's not like the initial negotiation process when hiring. THEY evaluate YOU and tell you how it's going to be. My "grade" was not very encouraging, but what can you do about it but move on and do better tomorrow--it punched me in the stomach today but you gotta get back up!

I'll grant that I've made mistakes (some of which were big) and that I probably didn't pick things up as fast as they wanted, but for all the traveling I do (even being reimbursed), I can't really say that I can stay here at the level of pay I've got (not to mention for financial reasons--student loans just don't disappear!). And I'm certainly not one of those self-esteem needy guys who needs to be puffed up, but I can't honestly remember one time this past year where I was called into one of the other attorney's offices for a positive reason, it was always when I was doing something wrong. So it seems if I'm not having office talks with them, it's a good thing. It's been an interesting experience so far, and I'm trying hard to keep an open mind to learning in spite of the struggle and my frustrations.

I'm glad to be working rather than not working (I did that for 10 months) and I have to find purpose in where my wife and I have been put. But it doesn't make it any easier to wonder why it seems that I've had to struggle harder than the majority of my classmates in making my way in the legal profession. God's got a plan, I know, but the weird schedule and traveling makes me weary at times (traveling 1100 miles this week alone makes me long for the weekend!).