2 things

First of all: I GOT A NEW JOB!!! It's with the same company and a lateral move, but it's at a different location which has a WAY better culture and environment. It should provide me with a bit more exposure to other groups so when the time comes to move on again, i'll be in a better position to do so. And most importantly, i LOVE LOVE LOVE my new boss and also my new coworker. i mean, so far anyway :). Who knows how i'll feel in a few months, but if he's anything like i think he is... i did see him criticize (sort of) my new coworker and i actually really liked how he did it. It was lighthearted and not even out of place in the environment.

It's crazy because Wednesday i woke feeling pretty down, because it was exactly 1 month since i applied for this latest job and it was apparent that they weren't going to interview me. This was the fourth position i'd applied for since April 1, so that should tell you something lol. Then late morning, i got an email from the HR recruiter that said they were going to set up an interview, and within 48 hours i knew i had the job. Crazy! Obviously i ran out and bought a suit at lunch, and Thursday i interviewed, and this morning i got the offer. No pay increase, but considering i have a shot at a REAL performance review, i think it's still a financial boost. i'm sure i'll discuss later.

Now for the story. It's been a while since i've told a story about a stupid or insensitive infertility or adoption story. i had hoped it would be able to be put behind us by now, but alas.

i have this "friend" who i'm not really close with but she's been a good friend in a lot of ways. She's the kind of person you can go months without talking to and if you need help, she'll pitch in. And vice versa. She's kind of crass (she texts during movies; we don't do movies together anymore lol) and obnoxious, but also loyal to the core.

i hadn't talked to her much in a while and she texted me on Sunday inviting Alan and me to meet for brunch at a restaurant near our house. We were able to do so, and conversation turned to the adoption. She asked if people say Charlotte looks like us, and i said, "All the time. Seriously!" (Just the previous day our waitress at a restaurant said, "She looks exactly like both of you." We just smiled and said, "Thank you." But it seriously happens constantly.)

At this point, my friend says, "Yeah, you did it the easy way." i say, somewhat shocked, "The easy way?" "Yeah, you didn't have to deal with morning sickness or anything." Now, to be fair, my friend had a really hard pregnancy with her daughter, developed dangerous blood clots in her legs, was on bedrest a long time, and was warned never to get pregnant again. She was considering adoption but in the "Yeah, someday maybe we'll adopt" way and not in the *really* considering adoption way. But what i wanted to say was, "Yes, you're right, it was so easy to deal with 3 1/2 years of infertility -- so far -- a debilitating chronic illness, 3 surgeries, excrutiating pain, a 2 year adoption process including a time when we thought we were going to lose her and a year of never knowing for sure if it would be official, caseworkers, and continuing education. It would be awful to vomit for 3 or 4 months and gain a few pounds." But i didn't. i just rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah, nothing hard about this process."