Job Story

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, Independence Day, the Glorious Fourth. I love this holiday. I love my country! However I am not in the holiday mood. Perhaps this is because we don't have any holiday-ish plans. DH and I are both working, then we are driving 45 minutes away to pick up the crib. Normally DH would not work on a holiday -- the man works 55 hours every week so I encourage him to take any paid time off that he can get. However we just got back from vacation and we can definitely use the money so he is going to put in eight hours tomorrow instead of his usual ten, and will get holiday pay plus regular pay which will essentially be double-time pay. Woohoooooo!!! I, on the other hand, work most non-major holidays (the major ones being Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Mother's Day. And Sundays.) Here is the reason:

In the beginning of July 2006 I started working at a chiropractor's office. One month later I got pregnant (which was not in the plans, but we'll talk more about that later.) DH and I decided that I would work up until I had the Boogie and then I would quit my job and stay home. That's exactly what I wanted to do. All I've ever wanted was to be a stay-at-home-mom (except for when I was little and I wanted to work on jet engines in the Navy like my dad.) About two weeks after the Boogie was born we started getting EOBs from our insurance company and discovered that instead of the delivery and hospital stay being covered 100% after our meager copay of $40, we owed a deductible of several hundred dollars. We're talking SEVERAL hundred dollars. It was my own fault because I neglected to carefully read our insurance handbook at the beginning of the year. We didn't have the money because we are terrible at saving ... So I went to the chiropractor's office and asked if they would let me come back to work for a few hours a week, doing whatever they wanted me to, and bring the Boogie with me. They love me there and they said yes. Not only did my boss say yes, he gave me a raise! So that's what I've been doing for the past year. I go to work 3 days a week and work about 2 hours each time. Sometimes it's a little more, sometimes it's a little less. I've done this and that and the other thing and eventually I started doing Medicare billing (we'll talk more about that later, too.) To do billing I have to be on a computer that's hooked up to the billing software and only three computers are, so what it boils down to is that I have to work when someone else is not: for example, over lunch when the office is closed for two hours, or on my manager's day off, or when the office is closed for a holiday. And that very long explanation is why I will be working tomorrow. Now that I think about it, Saturday is my 2-year anniversary to work there. It has been a great job and I have a wonderful boss and also a wonderful manager. While my preference is to be a SAHM, this is the next best thing and it's not bad at all. Plus we have to keep making payments on the Boogie or she might be repossessed!