Big news that doesn't involve peeing on a stick

There is no baby in the works here but there is a new job on the very near horizon!

Jamison's last day in his current job is Friday and he starts his new job with MillerCoors at the beginning of August. After a very week of very dramatic back-and-forth and much hand-wringing and agonizing about the options (you would think that having the luxury of choosing between two jobs would be somehow satisfying, but in this case it was anything but), the decision to make a clean break and a new start was made. And while we're grateful that his soon-to-be old job has always allowed me to stay at home with the kids, I have to say that I can't wait for a more normal work schedule to take effect. It will certainly be a nice change to not wake up at 2 a.m. in a panic when you realize that your husband is not in bed with you only to remember that he's working, either at the office or in our little office at home.

So, that's that. In celebration of this momentous occasion, we'll soon be heading off for a week of relaxing on Lake Michigan and our first true (i.e. no computer or Blackberry, as they will have been turned in!) vacation in a long, long time. I'm not sure either of us really believes that any of this is happening!

In any case, we're all very excited and proud of Daddy. I don't say it enough, I know, but I am always aware that we are, in fact, very fortunate in more ways than can be written about. Generally speaking, I am loathe to talk about how much Jamison works, as lots of people work a lot. Lots of these people also lack a living wage and health insurance, much less 401ks or pensions. So it makes me feel like I'm being whiny and/or thankless when I complain about the hours. (Not to mention, it seems to have become some sort of weirdly American competition, to try to one-up everyone else with how much you're working, how busy you are. Not that people aren't busy, but it almost seems as though the people who actually have the time to complain about it aren't actually as busy as they may think. Digression!)

And despite my being whiny and thankless and frustrated and frequently tired (solo kid wrangling for extended periods of time is surprisingly taxing, it turns out), he remains our constant, regardless of how busy he is. Patient and unflappable, he balances out other family members who may have taken after me, it appears, with their tendency to overreact, to get angry, to talk before thinking. We are a fortunate lot, indeed.

I'll try to get some pictures up of our upcoming trip while we're gone. But, as I often say to Will, I'm not making any promises...