Stone Hill Church of Princeton

One other thing that's kept me busy this fall?  I've started a new part time job!

The legal recruiting gig that I started back in January has been great in terms of its flexibility, and I can see how it could be a wonderful work-from-home income generator.  But in this season of our family's life, with two very young children at home, I just haven't been able to carve out the hours that the job really would require.  I've had some promising opportunities (and one that may still work out this year), but after taking a hard look at our finances and our needs, we decided in late October that I should probably start looking for something that would be a better fit.

Just when we came to this conclusion, our senior pastor called and asked if I would consider taking an executive position at our church.  Totally out of the blue, perfect timing -- God saw our need and opened a door that I never would have considered a possibility.  And the job is such a wonderful fit for me, and for us!  Officially, I'm the Executive Associate to the Senior Pastor.  We're all still working out exactly what that means, but essentially, I'm here to provide logistical and executive support to Pastor Matt and, secondarily, the other pastoral staff.  I'm in charge of church public relations, I'm coordinating special events, I'm working out feasibility analyses for Pastor Matt and Pastor Tracy (both of whom are big idea guys, so my detail-oriented persnickettiness is actually of use!), and I'm taking basic executive functions of their plates so they can better focus on ministry work.  And I'm loving it all!

It's been a critical season of work for the church these last few months, too -- because after over 25 years of trying, planning, and praying, Westerly Road Church has finally built a new church building, and transitioned into being Stone Hill Church of Princeton this month!

"When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, 'The LORD has done great things for them.'  The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad."  (Ps. 126)

I took some photos of the old Westerly Road Church building on our last Sunday in that space.  Small though it may have been (see the odd L-shaped sanctuary, where an office wing was repurposed to make more room for the congregation?), it was well-loved!


And then I had the pure joy of taking some photos at the first worship service at the new Stone Hill Church.  The name was chosen in part as a nod to the geographic location -- the building sits on a very rocky piece of land, on a bit of a ridge, near the township of Rocky Hill.  But there are also deeper theological shades of meaning to the name.  The "stone" could reference Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the church, and all the members of the body as living stones out of which God builds His church.  And the "hill" evokes, among other things, the city on a hill, with the light of the gospel shining forth in the darkness.

After so many years of praying and hoping, it was such a JOY to worship together in such a beautiful space!





The Atrium is a truly lovely space, and for the first time, we now have the ability to stay and talk and actually see other members of the church, rather than being quickly forced outside due to space limitations!


Joshua and Sophia loved the Atrium, too.  :)


What a beautiful space, and what a joyous occasion!  As Pastor Matt preached and prayed on Sunday, may the gospel come in power in this place!

Going pro

One of the things that's kept me so very busy this fall is my growing little photography business.

...And I'm pretty sure that's the first mention of Christina Keddie Photography I've made on this here blog.  Which is a little absurd, since I've been legally in business since May 2012!  So let's backtrack just a bit, shall we?

When I left my last law firm job, a dear friend of ours, who is himself a photographer and also works at the University communications office, mentioned that he might be able to throw some freelance photography work my way, as a small way of supplementing our family income.  So I went through the process of making myself a legal small business owner, thinking I would take the occasional job from the University but not do much more than that.  I registered myself with the state and filled out all the appropriate forms, did a little bit of market research to figure out a fair quote for freelance event work, and slapped together a portfolio.  Which was thankfully pretty diverse and full of Princeton-related event photos already, thanks to being the unofficial PEF photographer for so many years!

I got to do a few paid gigs for the Princeton Alumni Weekly and the Ivy League Christian Observer, and had such a blast doing them.  I found, to my surprise, that not only did I enjoy the photographing and post-processing work, but I also really liked thinking about the business side of things and being an entrepreneur.  Slowly, I started diving into the world of running a business -- writing up a basic business plan, learning how to market myself, painstakingly figuring out a good and sustainable pricing model, drafting contracts (for myself, not for a corporate client!)... I found myself voraciously reading everything I could get my hands on about pricing, client relations, photography business structures, and following all kinds of rabbit trails through this exciting new world -- usually while I was up late at night nursing Sophia.  ;)

So last October, I officially launched my business Facebook page.  I ran my first mini-sessions special, and started putting myself out there to attract portrait and wedding clients.  This past April, I shot my first wedding as the primary photographer.  And over the summer and fall, I've had a steady trickle of bookings -- referrals from friends of mine, and, excitingly, people who just found me via a Google search and decided to hire me!

I'm consciously keeping this a part-time venture for now (you know, while I have another part-time job and two very young kiddos at home!).  My goal is to have an average of two portrait sessions per month and two to three weddings per year.  And this fall, during the photography busy season (October into November), I'm booked solid!

So I just wanted to share a few of my favorites from this year.  I feel like sharing them here makes it even more real that I am, in fact, a professional photographer.  ;)  I'm so thankful for work that I love and that fits well with our family's needs in this season of life!

Oh! Mama's a radio operator!

So one other thing that's been keeping me busy the last few weeks?  The new job I started in early January.  :)

I've spent the last several months dissecting what I did and didn't like about my two stints as a corporate litigator, and trying to think through potential alternative career paths.  I figured I would start looking in earnest again after the new year, and I wanted to get a sense of what my options might be.  (Because much though I really, truly love being at home with the kids, there are financial considerations that mandate my going back to work in some capacity.  And I've been thinking a lot about what constitutes productive and satisfying work, inside and outside of the home, and in traditional and non-traditional fields.  That's a whole other very long-winded and philosophical blog post that I do eventually want to try my hand at writing...)

Anyways, in December, I reached out to a recruiter I had worked with in the past, just to see what openings there might be in the area.  And I mentioned in passing that I would also be open to more non-traditional legal jobs as well.  The recruiter wrote me back with a few law firm options, and then spent a couple paragraphs gushing about how much she loved her job as a legal recruiter.  Intrigued, I had a phone call with her where she set out all the pluses of her job -- extreme flexibility, ability to work remotely from home, the highly people-oriented nature of the work, and the very real potential for bringing in a nice income.  She noted that the typical successful recruiter is someone who loves talking to people, is extremely organized, and is motivated enough to take control of his/her career.  All of which sounded very, very attractive to me!

So I interviewed with her firm in early January, and ended up accepting their offer to join their ranks as an independent contractor.  The scary part is that my income is entirely commission-based -- I'm entitled to a sizable fee with every placement I make, but I have to make those placements.  I'm encouraged, though, by the firm's very strong reputation with law firms all over the country, and by the excellent support staff and business model as a whole.  And after doing this for a couple weeks, I'm optimistic that this could actually work out.  And I'm really enjoying the day to day work so far!

I had several days of training in the office in New York, and now we've set up a nice little home office for me.  For the first time EVER, we actually have a landline.  ;)  I'm working from home on the days when David isn't on campus (2.5 days a week), plus at least a few evenings after the kids are in bed.  So far, this balance and flexibility is really working out for us!

Oh, and the title of this blog post comes from Joshua's reaction to my home office setup.  :)  I showed him my headset, telling him that this is what I get to wear for my new job.  He clapped his hands with glee, and shouted, "Oh!  Mama's a radio operator!"


Given that this is a reference to one of his current favorite books, I'm taking this as a sign of approval.  :)

So thankful for this new line of work, and praying that this will indeed end up providing the work/life balance we've been seeking for so long!

Coming back up for air

It's been a long time since we've really had any margin in our lives...  My life in particular has been going at a brutal pace for all of 2012.  Turns out, juggling a crazy-intense job, plus caring for a very energetic toddler, plus growing another human being, isn't a particularly sustainable long-term proposition.  After a lot of long talks with David about the lack of balance in our lives, and a series of conversations with the partners at my firm, and plenty of prayer and wonderfully encouraging support from our family and friends, we decided it would be best for me to resign from my job.  So I gave notice in early April, and last Monday, April 30, was my last day of work.

Let me say that again, because it still hasn't quite sunk in for me yet -- I am currently not working as a corporate litigator.

!!!!

I did truly enjoy my work, and am thankful for the time I had at the firm -- going at that pace really does teach you an incredible amount about being a lawyer.  But I can also say that this is undoubtedly the right choice for me, and for our family.

And let's face it: this past week has been such a refreshing time for me!  There are all the little things I just haven't had the time or energy to handle over the last year -- for instance, I ran the dishwasher for the first time probably in months.  Which action so confused David that he re-ran the dishwasher after I had already done it, despite me mentioning that I had just taken care of it.  :)  I also took some photos and videos of Joshua on an actual camera, rather than just trying to snap some cell phone shots before he grabs my phone to try to play with it.  (And I've already composed a blog post in my head to display the latest Joshua cuteness -- that should be coming down the pike soon!)  It's wonderful having the mental space to begin getting back on top of life again!

As for what the future holds for us, it's all still a bit up in the air.  I'm looking for a new job, but my current tentative plan is to stay out of work until after the baby is born.  I'm hopeful that I can find something that will enable us to have a better family balance, and I'm exploring a ton of options -- as I'm sure you can imagine, the type A planner in me is busily researching away.  But in the more immediate future, I'm planning play dates and fun summer activities with Joshua, soaking up as much time with him as possible before he's no longer an only child.  And I'm hoping to get back on top of this ol' blog, because seriously, our little corner of the internet has been sadly neglected for far too long!

And because a blog post is *always* more interesting with photos...  Here's an adorable candid shot of Joshua from Easter, walking down the stairs like a big boy.  With identical toys in his hands, because that's still how he rolls.  :)

Ahhhhh...  Feels good to dip my toes back into this blogging thing.  Stay tuned for a whole series of back-dated backlog posts, going all the way back to Christmas!

On the eve of a new job

"Work plunges men into the world of things.  The Christian steps out of the world of brotherly encounter into the world of impersonal things, the 'it'; and this new encounter frees him for objectivity; for the 'it'-world is only an instrument in the hand of God for the purification of Christians from all self-centeredness and self-seeking.  The work of the world can be done only where a person forgets himself, where he loses himself in a cause, in reality, the task, the 'it.'  In work the Christian learns to allow himself to be limited by the task, and thus for him the work becomes a remedy against the indolence and sloth of the flesh.  The passions of the flesh die in the world of things.  But this can happen only where the Christian breaks through the 'it' to the 'Thou,' which is God, who bids him work and makes that work a means of liberation from himself.

"The work does not cease to be work; on the contrary, the hardness and rigor of labor is really sought only by the one who knows what it does for hm.  The continuing struggle with the 'it' remains.  But at the same time the break-through is made; the unity of prayer and work, the unity of the day is discovered; for to find, back of the 'it' of the day's work, the 'Thou,' which is God, is what Paul calls 'praying without ceasing' (1 Thess. 5:17).  Thus the prayer of the Christian reaches beyond its set time and extends into the heart of his work.  It includes the whole day, and in doing so, it does not hinder the work; it promotes it, affirms it, and lends it meaning and joy.  Thus every word, every work, every labor of the Christian becomes a prayer; not in the unreal sense of a constant turning away from the task that must be done, but in a real breaking through the hard 'it' to the gracious Thou.  'Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus' (Col. 3:17).

"Then from this achieved unity of the day the whole day acquires an order and a discipline.  These must be sought and found in the morning prayer and in work they will be maintained.  The prayer of the morning will determine the day.  Wasted time, which we are ashamed of, temptations that beset us, weakness and listlessness in our work, disorder and indiscipline in our thinking and our relations with people very frequently have their cause in neglect of the morning prayer.  The organization and distribution of our time will be better for having been rooted in prayer.  The temptations which the working day brings with it will be overcome by this break-through to God.  Decisions which our work demands will be simpler and easier when they are made, not in the fear of men, but solely in the presence of God.  'Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men' (Col. 3:23).  Even routine mechanical work will be performed more patiently when it is done with the knowledge of God and His command.  Our strength and energy for work increase when we have prayed God to give us the strength we need for our daily work."

Bonhoeffer, Life Together

The times, they are a-changin'...

As a general rule, I make a point of not talking about my job on this blog.  For one thing, this blog comes up on the first page of Google hits if you search my name -- so discretion really is the better part of valor.  :)  And for another, there's attorney-client privilege, and confidential information, and all kinds of other issues that aren't worth tangling with.  Besides, we know most of you come here just for the cuteness that is our son!

But there are some big changes on the horizon, so I wanted to mention them at least in part here -- to chronicle our family life faithfully, and also to ask that you pray for us as we make these transitions.

So about a month ago, I started looking for a new job.  Given how terrible the legal market is right now (link to an article that I think should be required reading for all considering law school), we were steeling ourselves for a months-long search and the potential of long-term unemployment...

But in this-is-happening-so-fast-our-heads-are-still-spinning fashion, I managed to land an amazing job in just two weeks.  It's in the Princeton office of another large firm, located just across Route 1 from our apartment -- so I'll be doubling my commute, from 2.5 minutes to 5 minutes.  :)  I'll be working in a very busy but really stable practice group, responsible for a lot more and getting a ton of hands-on litigating experience.  And I get such a great, friendly vibe from everyone I've met over there so far.  I'm really excited about this new opportunity!

It does, however, mean that I'll be back to working full-time.  And this is a true BigLaw full-time, with what promises to be a fairly grueling pace.  We've spent the last couple weeks busily rejiggering the rhythms of our lives in preparation for this change... Joshua had been spending one day a week with his buddy Phil in a nanny share arrangement, so we've worked out a new arrangement where he'll be over with Phil three days a week instead.  Two of those days, he'll be watched by Carrie (as he has been for the last several months).  The third day, he'll be watched by the B family's second nanny, a wonderful woman named Jennie.  Thanks to Hilary and Steven's assistance through all of this, the logistical details of drawing up and signing a contract with Jennie's agency has gone incredibly smoothly, and we're hopeful that this will all work well for Joshua!

David will also be picking up a good deal of the slack at home.  I'm low-balling my expectations for my free time at home -- because then, if I *do* get home in time to feed Joshua dinner, that will be a pleasant surprise... My current plan, though, is to at least wake up every morning with Joshua and spend that time with him every day.

And we got ourselves a second car this week.  It's a little ridiculous, since neither of us will be commuting more than about three miles!  But given the time pressures we'll be facing, we decided it would be wisest to have the second car -- so, for instance, it'll be easy for me to drop Joshua off in the mornings and for David to then pick him up in the evenings.  (And since our first car is a blue car named The Colonel, it makes sense that our second car is a red one named The Major, right?)

We're very thankful for this new job for me, and through this whole process, we've seen abundant reminders of God's faithfulness to our family.  So we're clinging to that faithfulness as we transition into this next season of our lives -- I start my new job on Monday morning!  Please do be praying for us, though.  And forgive me if the blogging becomes even more sporadic.  :)

Oh, and what's a blog post without a photo, right?  Here's one quick snapshot of our little guy, cracking himself up with the funny noises he's learned to make with his tongue -- I've got to get this on video sometime soon!

Catch-up post: Joshua vs. The Bottle

Another reason why Joshua and I didn't go to Commencement this year is because my start date back at work was the next day (6/2).  I'm back now on a part-time basis (three days a week), and so far, the transition has gone about as well as I could have hoped.  It's nice that my office is so close to our apartment -- in winter, when there are no leaves on the trees, you can see my office from our living room window!  So I've been coming back home for lunch to feed Joshua and spend just a little more time with my boys...  And since David has a much more relaxed schedule in summer, he's been able to watch Joshua on my days in the office.  So they've been able to get in some great bonding time!

In preparation for my return to work, we started trying to have David feed Joshua from a bottle about two weeks before the end of my maternity leave.  In retrospect, it might have been wiser to have tried making this transition sooner...  Joshua may be little, but he's no fool.  He knows where food comes from, and it's not from not-the-mama!  In his stubborn mind, I'm the cozy and warm food source, and David is the happy fun times playmate.  So when David started trying to give him a bottle, he just wasn't having it.  After all, his entire life experience cried out against this crazy role reversal.

For my first week back, Joshua was basically not eating at all when I was away, which didn't make me feel any better about leaving the house to go to work...  He would scream and arch his back and fling his arm to hit away the bottle when David offered it to him.  Oddly enough, he was (mostly) fine with taking a bottle from me -- so it really seems he had a fixed idea about proper gender roles with regard to feeding!  It's taken a couple weeks, but it looks like a switch has finally flipped in Joshua's mind -- this past Friday, he immediately latched onto the bottle when David first offered it and peacefully chugged down his meal in just 15 minutes.  He even reached out to hold the bottle closer!  So we're hopeful that this is the beginning of a new trend, and that it'll just get easier from here on out.

And what would a Joshua post be without pictures?  :)  These are from the very first time David offered him a bottle -- it looks all peaceful, but that only lasted for the 30 seconds it took me to take these three shots...  You can see the confusion and stubbornness in Joshua's eyebrows.  :)



We'll keep you posted on whether our stubborn little refusnik has indeed come around!

Cheer Christina up while David's away -- leave a comment!

Day one of the PEF/Manna winter retreat... So I'm all alone in our suddenly too-large and too-quiet apartment.

I was supposed to be traveling to DC tonight for a deposition tomorrow (and then hanging out with a college roommate and her boyfriend), but the trip got canceled at the last minute. Literally at the last minute: I was starting to shut down my computer to leave, when I got a series of emails postponing and then canceling the deposition. So there goes my new and exciting work challenge -- and my distraction from a David-less home.

So I thought I'd declare my very own delurking day on our blog as a cheering-up measure. :) According to Google Analytics, we have had 134 unique visitors to this blog since its inception. The vast majority are referred from Facebook or Google Reader, so I'm guessing we know most of you out there... And we'd love to hear from you! Staying connected with friends and family is, after all, the primary purpose of this blog.

So do me a solid, and leave a comment! Whether you're a long-lost friend, a next-door neighbor, or someone who just stumbled across our blog somehow, I'd love for you to delurk and let us know that you've been reading.

It sure would cheer me up... :)

Hypochondriacs should not be pharmaceutical defense lawyers.

I never thought of myself as a hypochondriac. It's only weirdos like Howard Hughes (as depicted by Leonardo DiCaprio -- I really disliked that movie) and Woody Allen who get it in their heads that they're always sick, right?

Then I started this job.

One of the main reasons why big law firms have New Jersey offices is because many major pharmaceutical manufacturers are headquartered in this great state. So when I started working at my firm last year, they staffed me on one of the ongoing pharmaceutical mass torts, and I've been working in this group ever since.

The first mass tort I worked on involved a drug that allegedly caused plaintiffs to have heart attacks and strokes. As the most junior associate on the case, I was mostly tasked with reviewing plaintiffs' medical records and flagging things like pre-existing risk factors. Let me tell you, I learned a lot about heart attacks and strokes -- more than I ever wanted to know.

About a week into this assignment, I started to notice minor chest pains. Then I realized that the pains in my legs? The ones I had had off and on for years? Those must be blood clots! And oh no, was I feeling numbness in the left side of my face? Everybody stand back, I'm about to have a STROKE and DIE!!

Luckily, the client settled that litigation just a few weeks later. And mysteriously, my pre-stroke symptoms dissipated.

The next mass tort I was staffed on dealt with diabetes claims. Did you know that over 25% of Americans 20 years and older have impaired fasting glucose? And that you're at a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you have a family history of it? And that there were 5.7 million Americans with undiagnosed diabetes in 2007?

I spent weeks reading lab results and poring through medical records. One afternoon, I stood up a little too quickly from my desk, and felt a little lightheaded. Uh-0h, lightheadedness? This must be a sign of low blood sugar! My glucose is erratic! And wait a minute, my mother has type 2 diabetes! I must be one of the millions with undiagnosed diabetes! And I haven't had any insulin treatment, so surely I must be developing diabetic complications! I'm going to go into diabetic SHOCK and DIE!

And then I had my yearly physical. And, um, my glucose level was a mere 90. Well in the normal range. So I'm trying to keep that particular "sickness" in check.

Most recently, I've been working on a case where plaintiffs have suffered corneal infections. Many of these plaintiffs were contact lens wearers; many also suffered various forms of trauma to their eyes. So the records this time around are full not only of doctor's notes and lab results, but also beautiful full-color pictures of infected eyes pre- and post-corneal transplant. Not a particularly happy set of records to have to review.

Guess who no longer feels truly comfortable wearing her contact lenses?

It's safer this way!