Post Graduation and New Job!

Dearest friends and family!

Time has literally flown by after graduation and I have a lot of updates to share. My goal was to get a stellar job right after graduation and post about it right away. Well, that didn't happen. Life after graduation was not what I expected. The plan was to move to Star Valley (back in with Derek's folks...yikes) and find summer jobs until student teaching in August at S. Jordan Middle School (where Derek got placed). So the first week into summer I looked high and low for a job and turned in about 10 different applications and resumes' to golf courses, RV parks, city offices and whatever else I could think of. The second week, I continued to look but heard nothing back. Come to find out Star Valley's summer doesn't start until AFTER memorial day and so the places I applied too were either not ready to hire or were in the process but weren't hiring/starting someone until weeks later. It was a long process.

After about a week, I got an interview with the Wolf Den, a cabin/hotel stay here in the valley. They were looking for an assistant office manager and I was confidant I would get the position. We interviewed, it went really well and at the very end she told me the pay. Ouch. Not at ALL what a post-grad was hoping for but being a small family business, it was all that she could offer me. Well 30 hours a week for that was better than nothing, I thought, so I waited to hear back from her.

Within the next few days (by that time Derek had started working for Star Valley Lawn Care), my friend Bree (who's in SLC, UT working at Corporate Alliance) calls with a potential job opportunity. A man she met was looking for a new office manager since his was leaving on maternity leave in about two weeks. She said he was anxious to meet me and wanted me to come down to S. Jordan (where his office was) to interview. I WAS THRILLED! Finally a real job opportunity! I was so excited I honestly didn't care what I would be doing, I just wanted to work. Well that same day, I got a phone called from a company called Morris Murdock and Travel (also in SLC). During my down time in Star Valley, I had also been applying for jobs like crazy in the Salt Lake area. I was applying for event manager and administrative assistant positions all over. This company liked my resume and wanted me to come interview for their admin assistant position open. DOUBLE WHAMMY! Two interviews in one day--it was more than I could handle. So I packed up my bags and left the next day. I interviewed for the office manager job first and understood more clearly what would be expected of me. I would basically have been the right hand man for a financial adviser, running everything in his office and getting him clients to meet with. It would have been me, alone, working in an office and him working upstairs telling me what to do. Not ideal, but at that point, it was looking much better than what the Wolf Den was offering.

The second interview with Morris Murdock went SO well. The lady was so kind and we talked all about event management and how their company does that on a daily basis. I was beyond excited to interview with them and really saw it to be a good fit. I left her know my situation with the other job offer and she was very understanding and said she would get back to me quickly. That SAME DAY at 4pm, she called me for a second interview! Again, OUT OF MY MIND excited! I was so impressed by how prompt she was and how well we clicked in the interview. In the meantime, the Wolf Den offered me the job and since I was 90% sure I would get either one of the jobs down in SLC, I turned it down. (More on that mistake--later).

Well the second interview went great, this time I met with two other staff members and they conducted a group interview, each of them asking me 10 questions. It was definitely more intense but I still felt good about it. They said they would get back to me Monday of next week with their final decision and since I had until Monday get back to the other guy, I thought I was in the clear. Well turns out everything flopped. The financial adviser ended up giving the position to someone else (after offering it to me) and Morris Murdock decided to "go another direction." AND to top it off, I had already said NO to the Wolf Den (counting my chickens WAY to early..) thus leaving me jobless in all areas.

I was heartbroken. Talk about the worst day of my life. I felt like a complete and utter failure. I had three potential job opportunities and blew them all. I thought I could juggle them all but I ended up dropping the ball more than once.  I now know how I would have handled things differently if it were to happen again. Live and learn, I guess.

Well I was back to sitting around Star Valley--waiting to hear hopefully from any of the other places I applied too. After hours of crying and being depressed, I got a 307 phone call. It was another man I had interviewed with for a lifeguard position at Star Valley Ranch's pool. I didn't think anything of it because A. I had never been a lifeguard before and B. I have never been a lifeguard before. But, he offered me the job. There was no hesitation this time, I took it. No, I didn't really know how to be a lifeguard, let alone swim in a straight line but at this point I was desperate. I was going to be a lifeguard--I guess that was my fate all along. Well it was better than nothing and I tried to be grateful.

Two days later, Bree texts me around 7:45 am and says some of the most wonderful news I had ever heard.

"I met Julie Palmer today, she's looking for an event coordinator and she wants to meet you!"

AHHHH!!!!!! I was awake instantly and started looking up her company online. "Have Party Will Travel," Fresh Catering, in Salt Lake City, Utah. This sounded perfect! And again, I was just thrilled to do ANYTHING with events. This sounded to good to be true. So Bree told me to fill out an app online and call Julie in the early morning. Goal for the day (I was thinking)--"Don't screw this up! If she offers, just TAKE IT!"

In the middle of filling out the application, I got another 307 phone call. It was an RV park here that I had turned in a resume' to, to work in the office. The lady said to me, "Well you're too over-qualified for anything we've got, but we have a housekeeping position available if you want it." Housekeeping?! I didn't even apply for that but at this rate and not knowing if this Have Party Will Travel position will work out, I took it. Housekeeping and life guarding, my dream jobs. They were actually my back-up plans because this time around, I was going to fight for this event job.

After the 307 phone call, I finished the application and called Julie. No answer. So I left a message. Bree said she would call me back later that afternoon anyway. And so I waited. Derek and Cole got off work early that day, so we decided to go golfing up where Stacia works. Well more like, they golfed and I tanned my legs in the golf cart. But as we were about to start our game and head out onto the course, Julie called me back.

It was perfect. Julie was so kind and everything I said was exactly what she was looking for. She was looking for someone who could be an event coordinator, lead events that they catered for, work in the office and in the kitchen. It was full time work and I would have my own desk and space. The pay was lower than I was hoping for (and benefits were limited because it was a small business) but it was a job I could see myself staying at for a while and working my way up at. And it was COORDINATING EVENTS! ALL DAY! And eating catered food! Well needless to say, at the end of the phone interview she said, "Can you start tomorrow?" I was floored. I told her I would need a day to travel down but that I would start Friday. She was thrilled and in all of our excitement she even said to me, "I truly feel like you are an answer to my prayers." It was amazing. So I accepted the position and ran all around the golf course screaming with excitement! Derek was so supportive and he could tell right away how happy I was to be getting an opportunity like this. He told me to take the job and that he'd be with me soon enough. We were both so excited.

Five minutes later I called the RV Park and the guy from the pool and told them I was OUTTA HERE! More like, "Thanks but no thanks, I am moving to SALT LAKE!" They were nice about it and wished me luck. That night I packed my bags and the next day, I drove to SLC. I couldn't believe I was already back down there but this time I had a job. It was so surreal.

In all of this craziness, my communication with my Heavenly Father became very real and very open. There were many nights I poured out my heart and thoughts to Him, praying for some guidance as to where I should get a job, where I was suppose to be and why things were happening the way they were. I also prayed for understanding and confidence to accept whatever He had laid out for me. My faith was really tested and I learned that if I just continue to put my faith in Him and in His plan for me, things will work out. And they did. I don't know why I had to go through that awful time of disappoint and hurt but I'm so grateful that I did because after I was able to see the love and support of my husband and family. I was also able to be more open-minded and accepting of jobs I really didn't want but were grateful to have anyway. I think all these things lead me to where I am now. The Lord heard my prayers and blessed me. I am so grateful to Him and my sweet husband.



Working at Have Party Will Travel has been great so far! The first day I felt immediately welcomed by everyone and since then everyone has been so kind and patient with me. That first day I worked 11 hours too! I trained in the office all morning, prepped in the kitchen with Jeff our executive chef and then I worked at a wedding that night. I was running on adrenaline all day! Since then the days have calmed down. I typically work 9-5 in the office with about 2-3 events I cater during the week. The hours are so flexible but I always get over 40. I LOVE working with Kim and Mindy in the office, they are our Event Sales staff, who work with the clients and help them coordinate their decorations, linens, service ware and menu items. That's what I'm training to be eventually, once I get more experience working at all the different venues and once I've been a lead for a while. It's all great experience!



Sorry this is has been a novel, but I've been meaning to share this story for a while and with so many unexpected twists and turns it took longer than expected. It sucks being away from my husband and I miss him everyday but since we're both so busy with work we don't have much time to dwell on it. August will come soon enough and until then, we'll just be saving and making the big bucks!

So that's us right now. I'm living with my sister (in her basement) in SLC, working 40+ hours at Have Party and Derek's working 30+ hours in Star Valley. We have many fun summer things planned, including our Dirty Dash 5k this coming Saturday in Midvale! It will be our first 5k run ever but really we're just doing it for fun. Dirty pictures to come! :)