I Have the Perfect Excuse ....

.... for being so tardy and MIA from Working Girl.

Um, I'm about to pop out a baby!

I know you've all been waiting and dying to hear all the preggo updates from me since I first announced my pregnancy on Working Girl. Right? Actually, you should be glad I didn't. Pregnancy is no fun. Dislike. Anyway, my little baby is due one week from today, so I'm betting I won't be coherent enough to blog for the next few months. This isn't good-bye, just the beginning of my Working Girl "maternity leave." I'll miss you, and I'll be back.

Anyways, how's work been, you ask? Can't complain. I'll admit it's been amazing to work from home and to fit in work around napping and constant nomming on chocolate chip cookies, brownies and McDonald's hamburgers ...

But probably the best thing to happen work-wise is hiring my first intern. Yes, my little at-home PR business is actually thriving (one year in business this March, wow), and it was kind of a shock when I first realized I would need help to manage my clients during maternity leave.

(And I say maternity leave lightly, it's not like an official time off or anything since this is my business. But for those wondering, I'm giving myself 12 weeks "off." Running your own gig is full of so many unknowns and surprises.)

Anyway, I was really worried about what to do. Do I recommend the services of another PR provider? But then what if they don't take me back when I'm ready to work again? Or should I tell my clients "Sorry" that I'll be unavailable for three months, so ... hope you don't have any PR plans you want executed during that time. That'd be lame. Bottom line, whatever I did, I couldn't risk losing any clients.

Luckily, there was a girl who had approached me several times while I was still working in the corporate world to chat PR. It was her major in college, and she wanted to learn more of what PR was like in the "real world." I was always happy to share my experiences with her. Well, she just graduated in December, right around the time I realized I would need help with my business. I approached her about the opportunity, and she eagerly accepted.

We've been working together since mid-January with me teaching her about the work I'm doing, the clients, etc. and although she tells me all the time about how much she is learning, I have to admit I am learning so much from her.

She has reminded me why I work.

First of all, she is so full of enthusiasm. So eager to learn. She's like a sponge, soaking in every bit of information I give her. She's excited about every little thing. She's positive about our plans. She can't wait to get her hands dirty. She can't wait to work.

Remember when you were like that? Remember when you were fresh out of college and the world never looked brighter? When blossoming into a real-life Working Girl was the epitome of adulthood, independence, success and happiness?

It's so easy to get into a rut now that most of us are a few or more years in and to think of work as merely, "It pays the bills." Remember, you love to work! Back in the day, you couldn't WAIT to WORK. Can we bring that back? Revive that inner intern that still lives inside all of us? I'm betting good outcomes can come from this.

Thanks to my intern, I am remembering that I love to work. It stimulates me. Working tells me, "Hey, you've got a pretty good brain in your head, good job for putting it to use!" Although I'm going to be a mom soon, I'm determined to still do what I love: WORK. I know I'll love being a mom too, and really, being a mom will be very similar to taking on a new working role and responsibility. It'll be a challenge, a pretty awesome challenge, but like my intern, I can't wait to get my hands dirty in this new job. New adventures are a-coming.

Wish me luck!! And we'll chat again soon.