Happy New Year!

Wow - I've been quite the slacker since before the holidays, huh?  Sorry about that!  But, I am happy to report that so far (knock on everything!), 2011 has been pretty fucking great!  IB and I had a wonderful holiday with friends and family.  Three of our best friends that live out of town were each here for about a week, so we got to spend lots of quality time with them, and I got spoiled with gifts from IB and my fam as usual.  I'll do a holiday post soon and tell you all about it - I promise!

I feel like 2011 has put us on the path to a take-home baby, a new house, and everything else that we hoped for last year that didn't come to pass.  I had my yearly review at work earlier this week, and it went even better than expected.  I don't hit my 2-year anniversary here until March, but I was offered a promotion and a 10% raise, so I was thrilled!  Promotions are few and far between around here, and raises are even less likely to be doled out, so I feel really lucky and appreciated.  I told my boss, I've been thinking lately that 2 years was the end for me at both of my most recent jobs - one was 22 months and the other was 25 months - and I knew after a year at each of them that they weren't the right fit for me.  My current job, however, while it can be stressful and some of my colleagues make me want to stab them sometimes, I haven't felt the urge to leave.  All good signs, I think!

Both IB and my sis have been looking for either a promotion (IB) or a new job (E) for a while.  I told them both that since things always happen in 3s, I'm sure things will work out from them in the job departments soon!  E is in the midst of interviews for a new position, and things are looking great so far!  And IB just found out about an open position last week, applied Monday, and has an interview today.  He was told that the regional manager is "very eager to meet him".  Yay!  This opportunity would take him out of his current region, where the regional manager is kind of an asshat, and into a new region that will be closer to our (eventual) new home in the South Hills.  Plus, this office will close at 4:00, as opposed to 6:00, which will make it a lot easier for him to pick up future kids from grandma's house/daycare in the early evenings.  It seems like the perfect opportunity, and he works so hard - he totally deserves it!

So, I decree that both IB and E are going to get these jobs, IB and I are going to sell our house and buy a new one by April, and I will get KTFU this month and will have an October take-home baby.  Perfect timing to take maternity leave through the end of the year.  I have declared it universe...make it so!