When it rains, it pours...

Okay, so after nearly a year and a half of not having a job, I got a job offer as an executive assistant for a couple  who teach leadership and communication skills along with team building to corporations and other high-profile clients.  They've been doing this work for 18 years and they're very successful.  They've authored several books and run workshops all over the country, internationally, and over the internet as well.  I can't even begin to guess how high their IQ's are, they are both brilliant though the wife seems somewhat smarter than the husband.  Either that or he is hiding it. They run the business from their home, where they live with their daughter.  

When I applied for the job, it was almost an afterthought.  I normally do my applying from jobs listed on Career builder, USA jobs, and the Colorado Workforce websites.  Now and again I won't have enough applications in for the week from those sources (I have to have five contacts per week) so then I will check places like LinkedIn and Monster.  This particular job was posted on Monster, and this was the last day that applications were being accepted.  I hurried and sent in my resume and the very next day I got a  call requesting an interview.

I went to the interview and I thought it went pretty well.  I found out that there were about 300 applicants for the job.  (From what I've seen this go-round, that's typical.)   Anyway, they weren't interviewing many people.  And they actually needed someone in the position several months earlier but they hadn't had time to go through the process of getting the position filled.  They still didn't have the time, but they had gotten to the point of desperation.  I let them know that I had another interview in one week, a second interview with CU, and they assured me that they would let me know before that time if I was successful.

A day before my CU interview, the man called me.  He told me that although his wife liked me, he liked someone else a little more and his judgement prevailed.  I was a little discouraged, but I figured I would just go to my interview with CU the next day and do my best.  I was a little worried about that one because I didn't think that they would offer what I was asking, but I figured the interview would be a good experience and I liked the woman who was the hiring manager there.

The CU interview on Friday was actually three interviews in one: the first with the hiring manager, the second with HER boss, and the third with another person who would also be someone I would support.  All three of the interviews were pleasant and I enjoyed them.  Afterwards I drove over to Gary's office and we went to lunch together so I got a bonus date out of it.

On Monday I was doing some shopping at Office Max and I got a phone call.  It was the husband/wife team from the job that turned me down. They wanted me to start immediately since their first choice hadn't worked out, and they offered me $2 more per hour than I had asked.  I had scheduled a vacation with Gary the weekend coming up so I wouldn't be working the full week (or the full week after that) but they wanted me to work as much as possible up till then.

After my trip, I returned to work (I brought some little souvenirs for the family) and on Thursday, about 10:00, I got a phone call on my cell, which I went outside to take.  It was CU, and guess what?  I was offered the job at the university.  They didn't offer as much per hour as the job with the husband/wife team, but there are a lot of other perks.  First of all, they offered a tad more than my original asking amount.  And they match contributions to a 401K (not sure what the cap is) so if I contribute the max, I'll be back up to what I was getting with the husband/wife team, maybe a bit more.  Second, the university gives 13 point something hours of vacation per month (pro-rated for me, since I will work 3/4 of a full-time schedule, every Monday off, 30 hours per week) which works out to over 4 weeks of vacation per year, a lot more than I would get with the husband/wife team.  I'd also get sick time and holidays.  Also, and this is a biggie:  although currently the university gives tuition credit to the employees only, they are going to extend the benefit to the spouse and children as well.  Because it felt right, I told CU that although I had recently accepted a job, I really wanted to work with them and they said that I could think about it and call them back.

I went back inside and continued working, but it was a very long day.  On my way home from work  I called Gary and talked to him about the situation, and then I called CU and told them that I accepted their offer.  They asked if I could start June 1, or if, due to my having a job at this point, I would need to wait until June 15.  Since I had only worked 5 days at this point I really couldn't see the husband/wife team wanting me to stick around.  In fact, I was fairly certain that once I told them that I had chosen to leave for a different job I would be asked to leave.  Anyway, I told CU that I would let them know as soon as possible when I could start.

The next morning when I arrived at work, I immediately told my employers of my decision.  Surprisingly enough, although they were astounded that I was leaving the job, they understood (especially when I told them about the tuition benefits and the fact that I have several family members who could use that.)  Even more surprising, not only did they NOT ask me to leave immediately, they asked for not just the full two weeks notice, but anything beyond that which I could give them.  (They have a book due on June 6.)  Since CU was willing to wait until June 15 (CU hires only on the first or the 15th of the month) I will work for them until I start for CU or until they don't need me, if it's before that.  The way I figure, it's the professional thing to do and they do pay well, so I'll do my best for them.  And actually, I have to say that they have both been very gracious about my leaving the job (which I felt terrible about, after all.)  I even got a "thank you" email, which I thought was above and beyond what was necessary, thanking me for giving them the extra time to work on their book.

Okay, that's the whole job story, whether you wanted to hear it or not.  :)  I'll let you know how the CU job goes, but I think it will be wonderful.  My new boss's name is Emily and she is a very nice woman.  She knows I will have "grandma duty" when Isaac is born and everything.  Yay!

We did it!

Well, we did it!  Gary and I went to spend a few days in Orlando together, visiting my friend Mickey and enjoying one another's company.  We also figured we'd touch base with the realtor to see what was going on with that town home we put an offer on months ago.  (FYI, "short sales" are not for the faint hearted...)

Our New Home

Anyway, we had some spare time on Saturday, so D'Anne (the realtor) took us to a few places we hadn't looked at before and we saw a place that had just been reduced in price because the owner was getting pretty antsy to sell.  Since our previous offer had fallen through (the owners decided to take it off the market and just let the bank repossess it) we were a little skittish towards anything bank-owned or labeled as a short sale, so since this wasn't either of those that was a big plus.


Also, since it was a vacation rental,, that was a plus to me.  I know that this is a tough time for a lot of folks and it's nothing personal and all that, but it's nice to know that I wasn't yanking someone's primary residence away from them while they went to live with their parents or whatever.  Also, since it's a vacation rental, all of the furniture (right down to the linens and kitchen items) are included, so even though I might want to replace items, I don't HAVE to buy anything in order to make it useable.  

Living Room

The picture above is of the exterior of the condos.  We have a unit on the ground floor, no stairs.  (That made Gary happy.)


When you come in the front door and look to your left, this is what you see.  The couch (which is barely visible in this photo) is a sleeper sofa.

Living Room

This is another shot of the living room area.  The dining room table seats six comfortably, though the condo sleeps eight.  (two in the master bedroom, two in each of the other two bedrooms, and two on the sleeper sofa.)  Plus there are two porta-cribs and a high chair.


The second and third bedrooms each have two twin beds rather than having a full sized bed.  They also have fairly ample closets.  One has a walk in closet, the other just a regular closet.  One is decorated with Disney bedspreads.  :)

Kids' guest room

There are two bathrooms, the one in the master bedroom has a tile shower, the one in the hall has a tub/shower combination.  Both have single sinks.  There is a closet in the hallway with a full sized washer and dryer.  The kitchen includes the fridge, stove, and dishwasher.

Adults' Guest room

Behind the front door is a securely locked, heavy duty closet called the "owner's closet."  This is a closet that the owner can use to store personal items so that when he or she uses the condo for their own use they have a place to put things they don't want renters to have access to.  (clothing, personal items such as curling irons, cosmetics, etc.)  It's not a huge storage area, but it's nice to have some space to put a few items, especially since Gary and I fly standby and the amount of stuff we can take with us has to fit in one carry-on suitcase.  

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Currently, the condo has some summer bookings that we can either keep or the rental  management company will re-book them elsewhere.  I think Gary and I are going to let them rent the place out for the summer.  For the most part, I don't go to WDW in the summer for 3 reasons:  first, it's too hot and humid.  Totally miserable.  Second, it's too crowded and too expensive.  It's Disney's peak season (which should make it easier to rent, too.)  Third, it's horrible to try to fly standby. Summer travel to busy tourist areas = headaches all the way around.  Since I don't plan to use it this summer, why not let the bookings stand and perhaps see if this is something we will do each summer to offset the HOA fee?


The last two photos are of the master bedroom, which also has a small TV. (There was a TV in the living room, too.)  Gary and I will replace the bed with a king, but not until at least after this first summer of rentals.

Anyway, TA DA!!

Guess what?

I found out today at 2:30 that I have a new job.  :)

My take on tools...

1.  Why are there two kinds of screwdrivers?  I believe they only exist to frustrate women.  No matter which kind of screwdriver I need, I find the OTHER one first.  And if one is obviously superior to the other, why aren’t all screws made with that type of head and the other done away with?  I think the world was just fine with a regular screwdriver and some dude named Phillip came along and said “I want a tool named after me.”  So he created a screwdriver, got all his buddies to agree to use it, and now we have about half the screws in the world with little “x’s” on them so when we’re looking for a screwdriver we need to know if it’s a regular one or if it’s phillip’s screwdriver. 

2.  Tool boxes are too complicated.  Really, Handy Manny has the right idea for the most part.  Have you looked inside a tool box lately?  (Especially a man’s toolbox.) There’s undefinable garbage in there.  I can accomplish most of what I need to do with just a few items, the most valuable of which is a hammer.  And if I can’t find a hammer, a lot of other things will do in a pinch.  (Gary once had a pair of shoes that was heavy enough to use as a hammer.  Sorry about those chips in the soles, honey.)  And as every woman knows, a butter knife will do as a screwdriver in all but the most precise screwdriver cases.

3.  Tools do not automatically become the property of the man.  I should not have to resort to buying purple flowered tools in order to guarantee they stay in my toolbox.  However, I happen to like purple flowered tools.

4.  Tools do not automatically become more valuable because they are filthy.  It’s is acceptable to have a clean tool.  Especially if you are borrowing mine. 

5.  Go ahead and mock my tools.  I realize that I am the only one in the household that thinks it’s neato-torpedo that you can unscrew the head off my purple-flowered hammer to find seven screwdrivers inside.  But then don’t resent my knowing smirk when I see you using it. 

6.  If you are borrowing something from MY toolbox (which should be fairly obvious because you found it IN my toolbox or you noticed that it is either a feminine color or it is a size you enjoy mocking) you should return it to my toolbox.  It does not belong in the garage.    

7.  When a certain husband leaves a favorite hose nozzle out all winter so that it doesn’t work (cuz something plastic in it got frozen and cracked so that the water just pours over my hand instead of shooting out over all of the cool different settings, a sledge hammer is the perfect item to take out your frustration with it.  But be careful, because it will scare the dog.  

Something I have done that you haven't done...

Here's a challenge.  Name something I have done that I don't think anyone else I know has done.  That's easy.  I have driven down the runway at Lowry Air Force base.  In a big white station wagon.  It wasn't a terrorist act or anything, I was lost.  I was trying to find the Cherry Creek mall and I took a wrong turn.  (Okay, a couple of wrong turns.)  I noticed that I was on the base, and the streets were getting narrower and twistier, so my logic  was that since I was obviously getting deeper inside the base, I should look for streets that were wider and straighter.  So I aimed for the widest, straightest street I could find.  Once I found it and was driving on it, the first thing I noticed was that there were no other cars.  Then I  noticed there were no typical lines painted on it.  (Not much gets by me, huh?)  Then I noticed there was a big airplane in my way.  I stopped driving.

As I was looking to see where I could turn around, I noticed a perplexed guard (complete with rifle across his chest) behind my car.  I got out and said, "I'm lost."  He replied, "No you're not."  Okay, that wasn't what I expected to hear.  He wasn't smiling, either.  I said, "Yes, I am."  He again said, "No, you're not.  Where do you think you are?"  I said, "I think I'm on a runway;"  He said, "See?  You're not lost."  I said, "But I really don't want to be here!"  He said, "Well, I'm not too wild about that myself.  Where do you want to be?"  I said, "The Cherry Creek mall."  Then he got this "how-in-the-world-did-you-manage-to-get-here" look on his face and lowered his gun.  He then gave me a bunch of compass words to get me to the mall, which of course I didn't understand at all.  (If I spoke compass I wouldn't have ended up on that stupid runway in the first place) and I turned around and managed to get off the base.  I wonder how many air force people were watching me drive around while I exited Lowry?

Of course this was LONG  before 9/11.  Thank goodness.

Weird...

This may be a total coincidence, but since I made my blog public I have received three facebook messages from men I have never met before, who are all looking for the woman of their dreams.  Reading back over my blog entries I can see absolutely NOTHING that would attract anyone, but who knows what others would find appealing?  Like I said, it could be a coincidence but it's a weird one.

Today we went to Ikea and I bought some pepperkakor for Gary.  I also bought a package for the kids/grandkids to eat in the car.  Jack loved them.  :)  It's the first time I've seen him not just open his little mouth for the next bite, but actually grab the hand holding the next bite and help guide it to his little open mouth.

We also went to see the movie, "Rio."  A few days ago we saw the movie "Gnomeo and Juliet."  Both of them were cute little movies, and Alice seemed to like them.  But neither of them could hold a candle to Tangled or Toy Story 3.

Tomorrow or early Monday I'll be headed back to Colorado and my real life, no more Grandma duty in Utah.  I'll miss the babies so much.  It's been a fun visit.

A stupid thing to be sad about...

Okay, this may be low on the totem pole of things to be upset about, but my favorite soap opera, "All My Children," has been cancelled.  I'm sad about that.  I used to go to "Super Soap weekend" with my sister every year, till that event was cancelled.  I even got kissed by Michael E. Knight (on the MOUTH!) seven (yes SEVEN) times.  I saw Susan Lucci in person, and she is really, really tiny.  Plus she looks even younger in person than she does on the show, no where near 63.

I actually got to be an "extra" on an episode once, too.  A "groupie" in a concert scene.  The funny thing was that there were all these paid extras who were dressed the part, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I ended up on camera while the paid extras did not.  :)

So the soap that airs right afterwards, One Life to Live, is also cancelled.  I have watched that one on and off too, but my favorite was All My Children, which I started watching back when I was in college.  It will air its final episode in September.  It'll be replace by some stupid cooking show called "the chew."  I won't be watching.