New and improved...everything

Sometimes karma tosses you a bone. And while part of me is extremely grateful, the other part (the part you all know and love) is indignantly saying "It is about time." There is only one week standing between me and the bar exam and things are finally, finally, finally falling into place. Finally. I got a job offer today, and while I always saw myself going into non-profit or government work (really anything except private practice), I am actually excited about this opportunity to get out there, learn the ropes, and be a lawyer. Even better is the fact that I'll be able to start as soon as I get back from Europe, so there's an enormous weight off my mind, knowing I'll have a steady paycheck coming in before my loans go into repayment. Shudder. Loans. My soon-to-be new boss was even kind enough to reassure me that in the unlikely event that I don't pass the bar on the first try, I'll still be able to clerk for the firm until the next time the exam is administered. Why, thank you for that kind offer, but if I don't pass it on the first try, I think I'll try my hand at parachuteless skydiving instead. Scott has also been scoping out new employment in the Portland area, and the prognosis is good. Let's just say he's gotten way more hits on his resume than I ever got on mine. For some reason, inexperienced recent grad lawyers aren't exactly a hot ticket item in a recession. Go figure. Because our new jobs are or will be based in a new locale, Scott and I have taken particular delight in the fact that this means we finally get to move out of the glorious little ghetto we've called home for the last two and a half years. Resolving not to make the same mistake twice, we actually took our time and painstakingly researched our options before signing a new lease, because let's be honest, who wants to live next door to a fire station and a meth lab if they don't have to? We'll be moving into our new place at the end of August, right after we get back from Europe. I know, busy month. But we're thrilled. The location is great, the apartment is a major step up, and perhaps the best part of all? If we no longer live in Salem, there's no way we can continue to teach primary in our Salem ward. Terrible, right? Cram it, I don't care. A year and a half of indentured servitude in the ward daycare is an awfully long time for someone who isn't exactly the kid craving type. Also on the list of the new and improved is the possibility of a new vehicle. On Tuesday, after a full day of apartment hunting and job interviewing, the alternator on our car died on the way home, leaving us stranded in a ghetto even scarier than the one in which we live. How is that even possible? In true last straw fashion, we decided we've had it with dumping our funds into the black hole that is our mechanic's garage. Though it is somewhat comical in a "having come full circle" kind of way (broken starter on our honeymoon, anyone?), I think it's time to move on. We've already got our eye on a few possibilities, so hopefully we'll have a new ride to go with our new life. New, improved, exciting, and maybe just a little bit scary, but in a good way. That's the news in a nutshell and quite likely the final chapter of The Sanity Conundrum: Surviving Law School. Stay tuned for the thrilling sequel: The Sanity Conundrum: Rantings of a First Year Associate.