I’m not going to lie.  I will not sugarcoat, obfuscate, or otherwise shield you from the harsh truth I’m about to hurl onto your computer screen.  Brace yourself.

Job hunting sucks.

It sucks hardcore.  It is the single most frustrating, harrowing, life-shortening thing ever.  Sure, I should probably add a disclaimer about how lucky we are that looking for a job is our biggest worry right now as opposed to life and death health issues or a tyrannous government, but dude.  I’m not a saint.

Wes has been looking for a job for four weeks now.  He’s had some great interviews, taken countless phone calls from recruiters and hiring managers, and had at least three people tell him enthusiastically and with much sincerity that he’s perfect for the job and can expect an offer soon.

And now he has an offer.  A very, very good offer.  An offer that he just accepted for a job he starts work at tomorrow.

CAN I GET A FREAKING HALLELUJAH?!?!?!

Let me tell you a little something, dear readers: The relief over here at Casa de Mitchell is freaking palpable.  Wes gets to wake up tomorrow, get dressed, and head off to work like the other sleepless masses and he couldn’t be happier about it.

After all the late nights spent at school, and all the interviews and applications, Wes is done.  He has a job.  And he’s going to rock it.

Join me in congratulating my tireless, attractive, geek superstar husband, won’t you?

Wow, I feel like today grabbed my by the ears, spun me around so fast my feet left the ground, and then let me loose so I could fly unhindered into a tree.  I’m fine, meaning I’m not horribly injured physically or anything, but I feel like I’m pulling little twigs and baby birds out of my hair while wondering what in the heck just happened to me.

Today was my second day back to work after an epic two weeks off, and so far both days have thoroughly kicked my behind.  My poor brain, which has been used to a daily nap right around mid-afternoon, keeps politely tugging on my sleeve and inquiring when we’ll get to rest while I struggle to make sense on the phone and keep my hair from catching fire.

Not helping matters is my sudden fondness for insomnia between the dastardly hours of 2 AM and 4 AM.  I was awake during those hours this very morning because my freaking feet were too hot.  I mean, is that not the lamest freaking excuse ever for not being able to sleep?

I kid you not, the alarm clock felt like nothing so much as a sledgehammer right to my face this morning.

This made work an interesting proposition today.  I have been officially relieved of my additional duties as my colleague is now back from her maternity leave, and I was a little worried that this meant I wouldn’t have enough to do.

This is where the universe laughs at my expense.

It turns out that all my responsibilities that I hadn’t quite had time to get to because I was doing another person’s job didn’t disappear.  They were quietly biding their time in the corner and they all jumped me en masse today.  I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wes has also been really busy.  He’s gotten numerous calls from recruiters, all of whom have jobs they assure him he’s perfect for.  He’s had three phone interviews and one actual interview, and he is one hot little tamale as he balances out phone calls, sending out his resume for new jobs, interviews, and skills assessments.

It’s so encouraging to know that his skills and talents make him hireable.  We have no idea which, if any, of these job opportunities will pan out but it puts him back in action and I think he’s enjoying the heck out of it.

If I were way lame I’d totally stick a sports analogy in right there.  Something about benches and getting back in the game.  Because I’m lame in an entirely different way, I’ll just say that it’s good to see him so flustered and busy.  He’s worked really hard to get to this point.

Hey there, would you look at that?  The year is almost over!  Like, tomorrow is the last day of 2009!  A whole decade, which for me was characterized by growing up from teen to young adult, is a hairsbreadth from being kaput.

As I stare down January, in all its fresh start, resolution-ridden, cold weather profuse glory, I can’t help but feel a bit apprehensive.  January means a little something more for us this year.  It means we have two months (maybe less) to get a lot of stuff figured out before everything we know changes.

I…well, it’s very safe to say I dislike change.  I don’t like switching jobs, I keep an extremely clean house because I don’t like it when things move, and if a plan changes I get upset if I don’t have time to process it first.  It’s borderline autistic, but it’s how I get things done.

As January begins with February hot on its heels, I’m feeling ever so slightly out of my league.  I know my life right now.  I’m a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and an employee.  I’d like to think I’m pretty darn good at these roles.  I have no idea how I’m going to be as a mother.

I’m fairly certain that becoming a mother won’t change much how I behave as a daughter, a sister, or a friend, but it’s sure as heck going to change my role as a wife and employee.  These two roles are the most pervasive in my day to day life, and the upcoming shift has me feeling a little unprepared.

I make no secret of the fact that I love my job.  I love what I do, I adore the people I work with, it’s all around just very good sauce.  They’ve been patient with me in establishing my plan for when the baby is here, which is good since I’ve tried very hard to not think about what I’m going to do once Squishy is here.

I mean, it’s just so difficult to imagine what life is going to be like once this little baby is out and about.  I can easily imagine working.  I know all about that.  I have no idea about motherhood.

I’m sure there are some people who slip into motherhood like it’s a warm bath they’ve been looking forward to all day.  I hope I’m one of them.  I just feel like I’ve never seen a bath before and have no idea how deep it is because of all the bubbles.  And rubber duckies.  And I don’t know how to swim.  And did I mention the bubbles?

Obviously this baby is going to come whether I’m ready or not, and I’ll jump in with both feet because that’s how I roll.  But for now, in this deep breath before the plunge (a.k.a. the last eight weeks of pregnancy) I feel like it’s the first day of kindergarten and I’m not quite sure how to behave on the playground just yet.

So there you go.  How do I feel about my impending motherhood?  Bubble baths and playgrounds.  That just about sums it up.