[Insert obvious vintage TV theme song here]

Yes. I am moving up, thankyouverymuch. No, I can't believe it's my life, either.

After almost exactly two years of worrying about when the money would run out and we would become officially destitute, I got a job. And not just any job. I got an incredible job in a lovely, professional office with stunning views overlooking gorgeous downtown Knoxville.

Pardon me while I gush. I'm happy.

At the end of April, after two years of trying to find a job, any job, any job at all, I saw an ad on Craigslist which stood out in its unique tenor and candor. Everyone that I mentioned this ad to asked with a crease in their foreheads, "Are you sure it's not a scam?"

That's a reasonable concern. I hear that in the western part of the U.S., Craigslist employment ads are usually quite legitimate and reliable, but here in the East, they're a pit of iniquity. I learned how to spot the scammers in 2009, but they got smarter and changed their tactics. So I had to learn the new keywords to avoid this year. I'm still getting spam from one of those fake ads that I accidentally replied to in March.

Anyway, this ad stood out. The person who wrote it could really write. He said at one point, "The more you know about computers, the better, because Attorney is willfully ignorant of such matters." Oh, you know I loved that turn of phrase. It reminded me of Mr. Pelham, a dear old family friend who passed away more than twenty years ago.

So I sent my resume and a few days later, I received an email asking for more information. 'Scuse me while I get real Southern -- I just about died. I wrote my replies, slept on it, leapt up in the morning, proofread the letter, and hit "send." Held my breath.

It worked! I have no idea how. There was an interview -- the day after a major storm damaged the daylights out of my beloved Prius -- and then I got the job. As unbelievable as it all seems, I became an official legal assistant to a family law attorney in downtown Knoxville.

I -- have difficulty putting it all into words.

My head is still spinning.

I'm largely lost at work, still. I was warned, though, that I would feel this way for about half a year, so I'm not discouraged. The work is incredibly interesting. My boss is so smart and fair -- he's able to see both sides of a story. I'm not nearly as objective as he is, but I love being around someone who's so intellectually generous. I'm learning so much! I can't believe how quickly I'm learning, and at the same time, I feel so very stupid and slow sometimes, as if I should have already learned everything and put it to work flawlessly.

It drives me crazy to make mistakes, and I make them every day. They're usually fresh, new mistakes, though. A thousand details go into every pleading, and I am not yet accustomed to looking for all of them. For instance, if you don't put "Notice of entry requested" at just the right place at the top of an order, the clerk's office will not send the attorney a copy of the order after it's been entered. Oh, my goodness. Such a tiny detail has such an impact on the efficiency of a law office's workings!

Mostly I'm just in awe of my turn of luck. I have a job. Our finances are so much more secure now than they were two months ago. Wesley and I get to carpool, and our hours together are so pleasant. I'm exhausted when I get home, and I kind of miss the freedom I enjoyed for 14 years to go about on uncrowded weekdays to run all my errands and seek cheap entertainment. But -- I'm engaged, I'm interested, I'm having fun, I'm enjoying downtown Knoxville like nobody's business, and on top of all that, I get paid to go to work.

I really am moving on up.