Monday, July 25, 2011

Job Change

Today is Jared's second day at his new job! The man of this house has worked so so so many hours and so many days and nights since he graduated from law school four years ago. Last week he left the firm he started with and moved (all of 1 mile closer to home) to a different law firm. This is such an exciting move and will be awesome for his career. The new firm is more formal that where he's been so we've spent the past few weeks buying new clothes and altering suits. I went to the outlets and Jos A Bank was having an incredible sale on shirts and ties so I bought a bunch, brought them home and laid them out with the ones he already had...shopping is so fun even when it isn't for me! Here's Jared humoring my need to play dress up!
Jared started law school at Mercer University in Macon and finished his first year at the top of his class with honors. He won't tell it to you like this but I will because it is true. We met not long before he went to law school. We were both living in Atlanta and he moved to Macon after 7 months of dating. We soon became engaged and got married the week his first year of school was over. We planned on me moving to Macon but I ended up taking a new job back in Atlanta a  few weeks before we married. Then we spent the first months married with J driving back and forth to Atlanta from Macon for work...not so good for the beginning of a marriage. 

The week that school was to start back Jared called and said "I just quit school and I am coming moving back to Atlanta. I choose my marriage over school." Shock does not adequately convey my thoughts day! Jared packed his stuff, moved into our apartment and enrolled in GA State Law School with less than a week until classes started. That was the first of many many many times Jared has chosen his family over his career. Switching schools meant that Jared lost many of the honors that he'd worked so very hard to earn at Mercer. And on an attorney's resume those honors are very important. We've been married  6 years now and Jared has chosen his family over his job every day since then...and many times I've felt guilty because it was my selfishness that moved us back to Atlanta.

Again, Jared won't tell it to you like this but I will. In the world of lawyers he would have had lots better job opportunities over the past 6 years had he stayed at Mercer. Had that happen I don't know what our marriage/family would look like but it probably wouldn't be pretty and there's not much reason to spend time wondering. However, this job change for Jared is such an exciting move to a really great law firm. And, it is the result of 7+ years of hard work and sacrifice from him. I am so thrilled for him, so proud of how hard he works and so excited that after such sacrifice he has this opportunity. And I will tell you that he looks mighty cute wearing those new suits and ties! 

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