An Interesting Couple of Weeks

A few weeks ago, a job I have been waiting for months to come available finally did. I saw the posting online and applied. Lucky for me, they were hiring 25 people. I had an interview the next week (in fact, I was the first person interviewed because I was only the 2nd person to apply because I applied right when the position opened). The woman who interviewed me, a very kind and friendly girl, told me she would call me the next week sometime to let me know if I had gotten the job. I explained that I really did need to give my current job some notice before I quit. That was last week. I was patient and waited all week. She didn't call Monday, obviously, because it was a holiday. She didn't call Tuesday, or Wednesday. By Thursday I was starting to lose a little patience. By Friday, I was annoyed. I finally called her in the afternoon but she didn't answer, so I left a message, explaining that I really needed an answer and convinced I was not going to hear from her until Monday (tomorrow). I called back every fifteen minutes or so between 3 and 4, hoping to catch her before she left for the weekend. But no such luck. Finally, at 5:30, she called me back and told me she had gotten my message. The delay had apparently been due to the third party they use to verify employment and references. Apparently they have been swamped in the past few weeks with their clients' requests for verifications. So it took until Friday for them to verify my information (and they still haven't finished). My recruiter offered me the job and I accepted. She said there was still some verification that needed to be done, but that it should be done by Tuesday or Wednesday and that I really have nothing to worry about. If there was a problem, she said, she would call me. So I have accepted a job working for Marriott Guest Services, my first real, adult, full-time job, and I start at the end of the month. I am way excited!

Last weekend Andrew and I went to Capitol Reef National Park with several members of his family, including his dad, two sisters and their families, and two brothers and their spouses. It was a lot of fun. We tent camped for three nights (but there were showers, yay). We went hiking on Sunday and had to climb down three or four waterfalls, the last of which one had to slide down into a pool below. I wore my swimsuit and my sneakers got soaked. They dried just fine, and are perfectly wearable again, but there is some residual evidence on them in the form of dried red-rock mud. I love it. I need new shoes. And pants for my new job. And some new shirts. It's time to go to D.I. At least for the pants.