Back-up plan.

With the economy in peril and an increase in unemployment, Mark and I decided we needed to come up with a back-up plan in case one (or both of us) lose our jobs.

We have relatively safe careers - I'm in corporate communications and he's in HR - but in hard times, nothing is safe. The company I worked at just 3 years ago made some pretty steep layoffs before the holidays and I'm certain that had I'd still been there, my job would've been one to go.

So, our New Year's resolutions include making a back-up plan. Here's what we've come up with:

1. Bulk up our savings.
2. Update our resumes.
3. Get online degrees in criminal justice.

Yes, #3 is probably pretty surprising, especially if you know either of us well, but we've decided that if the corp. comm. or HR things don't pan out, we need to be able to fall back on a different career, as bail-bond agents/bounty hunters.

We came to this decision after watching a Christmas Eve marathon of Dog the Bounty Hunter on A&E.

Mr. & Mrs. Dog (on their wedding day) - our inspiration.

Here's what we're going to do:

Mark is going to start going to the gym ASAP. He needs to begin bulking up in order to properly intimidate bail jumpers. He'll also grow his hair out into a decent mullet, which I'll help him braid into cornrows. He's still picking out his tattoos and figuring out where to place them. Once that's done, we'll replace his wardrobe of V-neck sweaters with leather vests and then sign up for a couples package at the local tanning salon.

For me? Two words: Boob Job. I can't run a successful bail bonds office without one. I'm also going to bleach my hair to a respectable platinum blond and start wearing acrylic nails. I'm going to slowly phase out wearing turtlenecks and start introducing plunging necklines and tube tops to my wardrobe.

You may think this isn't a very family-friendly career, but you're wrong. The whole family can get into the biz, as we learned watching the show. The kids would be perfect helping on the surveillance side of bounty hunting. (Nobody would suspect them.) And the twins can help me bleach my hair each week.

Now, I'm not saying this thing will pan out for sure, but it's good to have a back-up plan -- just in case.