Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes....

Whether we like it, change is all around us. The season is about to change, the colors of the leaves are about to change...and my life is about to change too.

Before Anna came along, I had a full-time, demanding litigation job. I continued that work until she was about a year and a half old, and then, when I realized we would be raising her for good, I knew I needed a change. I took a job that was "mommy-friendly" - Fridays off, flexible scheduling, etc. That way, whenever Anna was sick, I could be there. If her day care was closed, I could be there. It was the perfect thing for that time in our lives.

Anna loves her beach time....

Ultimately, I decided to become an independent contractor. I thought that being my own boss would give me the freedom I needed to be a good parent and make money. For a time, it did. But in this economy, it's hard to make a living from a few assignments here and a few assignments there. As wonderful as the freedom to come and go at will can be, it's correspondingly difficult to have your income come and go too - to not know how much you will bring home from week to week.

Slowly, I began to realize that I had to return to full-time work. This thought filled me with trepidation. I hadn't had a full-time job in a long time. I cherished my Friday "me and you days" with Anna. I valued the ability to run errands for our family and handle appointments without it interfering with my work.

But life is full of changes, and I decided to look for jobs. Finally, I was fortunate enough to find one at a local firm that's close to my home, where there are other female attorneys with children who understand the challenges that brings. I will be much better able to contribute to the support of our family with full-time income and benefits. I also will be able to get back into the courtroom, which I have missed.

Best of all, I will still be able to bring Anna to day care each day and (most of the time) pick her up in the evening too. Saturdays will become our "me and you days." So, it appears at this point that I will be able to make this change with minimal disruption to Anna's routine, which is very important to her and to me.

...and lake time.....

In just a little over a week, I will begin this new chapter in my life. I don't know what the future holds - do we ever? - but I am eager to start this new adventure and excited that I will be able to help our family in this way.

Of course, full-time employment will leave less time for blogging. But one thing is for sure: I am NOT going to stop blogging. My Life With Pie has become a very important part of my life, and I can't imagine that changing.  I am going to use the time preceding the beginning of the new job to crank out some thought-provoking posts and make some other small changes to the site that I have been putting off.

Speaking of changes, we've recently edited the About Me page and the Cast of Characters, and there's some new artwork on the Anna's Art page if you'd like to check it out. Also, please take a look at our new Favorites of the Moment page. Soon, with Uncle Keith's help, I hope to upload the more recent, sometimes hilarious videos of Anna I've been saving.

I hope that, even as my life changes, your support of this blog will not. I hope you will keep reading whenever I do post something new, and please feel free to share any ideas or changes you would suggest for the blog by contacting us at mylifewithpie@gmail.com. Thanks so much for sticking with me and MLWP - and I hope you will continue to do so!

In many ways, our journey is just beginning!