The job search
continued. I had one more interview a whole month away in Denver.
As the New Year always starts out dramatic and sad for my family we lost
a family member. My family headed to Northern Utah to be with family.
During this time, particularly on Sunday, I was shocked to receive a
phone call from another airline wanting to conduct a phone interview at that
very moment. 12:00pm an hour before church, so I sat in the hotel
bathroom with the lights off having a phone interview. About 40 minutes
later I was being invited to the city of Phoenix (to which I can correctly
spell now - it's a hard one) for a face to face interview. A week later
at 3:00am in the morning I woke, drove to Vegas, hopped on a plane, had some
major motion sickness during take-off which was completely weird, and flew 50
minutes to Phoenix to be, once again, shot down from another major airline.
In the mean time I
continued searching for jobs in my current town, and surrounding state. I
was becoming depressed. I needed to get away. I know I had been to
two big cities for these interviews, but the filthy air of Salt Lake City was
calling my name. Okay, I had some friends I needed to see, and I knew
they would brighten my spirits. AND, I was also up for meeting someone
new! (Libby Sr. has wanted me to meet her “kid brother” (new) best friend
that she met in Indonesia this summer.) I quickly fell in love with this
younger man. It's going to be long distance for him and me, but I think
in time we will be able to make it work! Look at me planning our life
together - I think it should be mutual... Also as I was in SLC I took a
trip to the busiest temple in the world (Jordan River), so they are saying, and
had fun seeing my dear friends - Alisha and her kids, Jeanni, Jeremy, and their
cute little banana, and my sister Jessie, who has a hip condo in Suga House.
Holla! That girl is living it up in the coolest part of SLC! FO
SHO! (She also cooked me a yummy gourmet meal - shrimp fettuccine. Then she took me to a Dutch store that sales Haribo gummy candy! Heaven!)
Returning home I
had to come back to reality, and I had a decision to make. A job was not
manifesting itself to me any time soon! I needed to decide my future, and
I needed to decide fast. What was the city of Cedar City holding for me?
Seems like nothing any more, or at this time. I had finally
graduated from the University, and felt like the only thing holding me there
was my calling in the church. I knew the Lord didn't want me to stick
around if it only be for a small church calling. I need to stay for the
calling, so that is why I was hanging on. Yet, work was not happening,
but the calling apparently was? Or was it?
The job searching
continued. I landed quite a few interviews in little old Cedar City,
but again, all I was doing was getting interviews. My friend Lisa called me
up one day and told me of a position at a lodge in Zion (National Park) that
was looking for a Front Desk Manager. I hesitated. I really took a
weekend to even consider turning in an application. Finally, on Monday
evening I submitted the long application. And what to my surprise, I
immediately heard back from the General Manager. I was shocked, but also
relieved that finally something might come from all this job searching.
Again, I kept attending more interviews.
One interview in
particular was for a ski resort up the mountain from Cedar City. I was 20
minutes late to the interview. Why even bother continuing on to the
interview. Seriously, I'm not sure why I even went to the interview after
being late? As I was approaching the ski lodge I went a little too far up
the canyon road and when turning around IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE because of
snow packed roads my car decides to slide into a big old snow drift!
Luckily enough, I had a garden tool known as a "hoe" in my car
that I used to dig myself out and finally unwedged my car, BY MYSELF. So,
I walk into the lodge 20 minutes after 9:00am and say, "I'm here for the
interview I had at 9:00am if you still even care to interview me???"
Shockingly enough I got offered the position after hearing that the lady
who interviewed me spoke so highly of me....Waaaaaaaaa?!?
In the meantime
February showed up and I had one more airline interview in Denver. I
didn't even care to go. I knew it would be a waste of my time. But,
I also knew that it would be more experience under my belt in the interview
department. Oh gag me! That is just what I want, more experience in
"learning how to interview." Shoot people, I am so freaking
good at interviewing I could probably teach a class on it now! I flew to
Denver (stayed with family I have there - BLESS THEIR HEARTS!), and hung out
until Wednesday (February 6, 2013) to have my final airline interview.
Wednesday morning came. I went to leave my family’s home at 8:30am
to drive into the city for the final interview which starts at 10:00am. I
go and start the car and nothing! It won't even turn over. I sit
and ponder for a moment. I don't care, but then I kind of sort of do?
Why won't the car start? Why is this happening RIGHT now? I
guess I can call a taxi, but I'm in the burbs and to drive into the city will
cost me a one way airline ticket home. Well I came and tried, and shouldn't
that be all that matters? A part of me keeps moving forward, so I make
some phone calls. Finally at 8:50am my cousin calls me back and tells me
the button I need to push for the car to start, and I am off. I reach the
interview along with the 400 HUNDRED OTHER PEOPLE. I still just keep
going, I am this close. What is it going
to hurt to go a little bit further? Doubt slips in again, I start to not
care anymore. Nevertheless, the Lord intervened and the spirit poured out
on me for the next 7 hours. Yes the interview took 7 hours. I
honestly have no other way to explain my experience that day except that
Heavenly Father was truly with me. I know this all sounds so "gag
me!" All these interviews I had gone to previously were in
preparation for this one day. I left the interview at 5:00pm that day, and
I felt really good about everything that happened during the day. I also
met a wonderful lady Rose, who is my new best friend for life! She is from
Atlanta, and had told me that she had been praying to meet a spiritual person -
I suppose I'm kind of spiritual? We went to lunch and have now continued
to stay in contact via text/phone calls. With this interview done, and
now behind me, I felt completely honored that from 400 hundred people they
picked me and put me in the group of 100 people to have a personal interview.
I didn't care at this point what was to happen next, I felt pleased with
myself that I had gone this far, and I was happy of where I was, no matter what
was to happen.
I was okay if this
last airline didn't work out because I had just had an awesome phone interview
the week before for the lodge in Zion and was planning on another interview in
person at the lodge the Friday after returning from Denver....if I were to make
it home from Denver....
Thursday, after
the interview, I flew out of Denver. Flying DEN (Denver) to SFO (San
Fran) on to LAX (Los Angeles) then on to SGU (St. George). (Do you love
how I'm using the airline terms...haha!) I hated this route home because
flying from DEN to SFO meant I had to fly over Utah and this was causing some
backtracking....which I HATE! Well, you gotta do what you gotta do when
using sky miles so you don't have to pay! I took this route/trip all into
consideration as a "fun experience." However, I was not
expecting delays in SFO...now you know if you ever fly to SFO you CAN EXPECT
DELAYS! My flight to LAX was delayed by two hours. I was so lost
in....honestly, I am not sure where my mind was when I landed in SFO, but it
was not working. I didn't think of it until I was flying to LAX way
late/behind schedule, that there was not a chance in hell I was going to get on
my flight to SGU! I finally realized...hmmm...why didn't I try to see if
I could've got an earlier flight to LAX??? Oh well, I bet they have a
later flight to SGU I'll just get on that one. As my flight to LAX is
landing my one and only flight to SGU is taking off. I quickly run off
the plane, run through the LAX airport, and make it to the counter out of
breath just to be told that the last and only flight of the day to SGU is gone!
I had missed it by just a few minutes. Well DUH! I hold back
tears. Seriously, I really did hold back tears. Mostly because I
was mad at myself for not trying to get an earlier flight as I sat in SFO
FOREVER, and second I was mad because the one time, THE ONE TIME, I don't pack
clean underwear and other stuff (like toiletries) in my carry on is the ONE
TIME (not really this has happened once before and you think I would learn) I
get stuck in L.A. I wasn't about to sleep in the airport (because I have
done that before), so I ended up getting a discounted a hotel only to sleep in
dirty underwear. GROSS! I can't believe I am blogging about
this....well, it's not like you don't know how I wiped my butt with white socks
on the side of the road with a bunch of my friends...
There I sat in a
nasty Ramada, just west of Compton - being slightly dramatic, in dirty
underwear - NOT being dramatic, with a TV that had no remote and a massive
spider (that I killed) lurking in the corner of the room. Life had
literally hit rock bottom - not being dramatic, this was seriously rock bottom.
I was supposed to be in Zion the next day for my second interview.
I finally got logged on to the Internet and immediately emailed the
General Manager. After emailing I called him only to leave a voice mail. Then I finally called my parents, to which my Dad couldn't understand why
I was stuck in L.A.? Clearly he doesn't travel often, or at all.
Then I have my Mom call me minutes later to let me have it for not
packing clean underwear. I KNOW MOTHER!!! After sitting and not
watching TV because it required me to get up to change the channels I decided
to take a hot shower. Honestly, that is all I had going for me, a hot
shower. Of course during my long shower the phone rings and the General
Manager is calling to reschedule our interview. Thank you, thank you, and
thank you! Okay, I was starting to see a glimmer of hope once again.
We had decided on Monday February 11.
Friday finally
came. I was offered no free breakfast, so as my Dad would think, I put
myself in danger and walked the half a mile down the busy interstate to what I
could see in the distance, a Denny's on the corner of sad and depressed.
I ate me some nasty food, found my way back to the hotel, checked out,
found the shuttle, and soon found myself back at the LAX for a long wait for
the one flight to SGU at 4:22pm.
After arriving
back to Utah I found myself in Cedar packing up my tiny little apartment to
move back in with my parents. Pay back I presume, since I have made fun
of people my age who still live with their parents. Well folks…what goes
around comes around. Poke fun all you want! I deserve it! Sunday
came and I was awaiting my interview in Zion. All day I had been feeling
sick. I was "with nerves" I kept saying. I was sick that
I had to move home with my parents, and I was still in shock about it not
knowing whether to laugh or to cry. Sunday evening came, I couldn't
breathe. At this point my life was in shambles and I couldn't take any
more. My Mom tells me I am having a panic attack. I CAN'T HAVE A
PANIC ATTACK! My Mom then says, "What, you are immune to anxiety and
having a panic attack?" YES! I say back. Next thing I
know she shoves a brown paper bag in my face and tells me to breath into it.
Oh, rock bottom is officially here! On top of the panic my stomach
is in some major knots. I have had diarrhea all stinking day long.
No pun intended! Which is kind of normal if you know about my IBS -
well now you do? However, this isn't normal diarrhea. Something is
off. I realize it probably stems from the Subway I had the night before, which was a
seafood sub. I KNOW - who orders a seafood sub? I DO, but now I
can't even look at the Subway logo - pretty sure I got food
poisoning. Oh I know it was food poisoning! Finally it hits me at
10:30pm I am not only squirting but I'm vomiting as well. Are you
freaking kidding me! I have to be in Zion at 10:00am the next morning.
My Mom, since I live at home, sends me to bed with a bucket. I toss
and turn all night thinking I am going to have to call in the morning and
reschedule. I wake in the morning weak, and motionless. I have to
go, I am not rescheduling. I leave with a bottle of Coke (which I hate)
and drive to Zion for the interview/tour. From 10:00am to 2:30pm I see
the resort, I chat with managers, and I secretly pray this all ends soon since
I am weak, motionless, and tired.
He gets ready to
offer me the job at Zion...I stop him, get completely honest with him, then
tell him how great my airline interview went in Denver. I tell him that
if things don't work there, I want this here. He was very understanding,
but also played the devil’s advocate and asked the pros and cons of working for
this airline rather than the resort. Of course the airline is what I
wanted and he knew that from the phone interview. I can't see the future
or predict it by any means, but I didn't want to miss my opportunity with
either position. He sent me on my way, and we began to wait. A week
and a half we waited.
February 20, 2013
will be a day that will forever change my life.
I awoke to the
ringing of my cell phone. It was the General Manager of the Zion resort.
He was calling to know the status from the airline. Today was the
day I was supposed to hear from the airline. I can't answer the phone!
I can't talk to him! I don't know anything, so what am I supposed
to say to him! It was 9:30am (yes I am still in bed - I'm jobless and
live with my parents what do you expect)! I listen to his voice mail. He tells me to call him after 3:00pm. Good! I think, and hope
this buys me some time. 3:00pm shows up quickly, and I still have not
heard from the airline. I don't know what to do! I'm freaking
out...that panic attack is starting to come forth again...I decide to email the
General Manager and at 3:11pm due to some WIFI technicalities the email
gets sent from my iPhone. Not two minutes later at 3:13pm my phone notifies
me with a new email. Frantically I check to see if it's the airline notifying
me, finally. I open the email without any moment’s hesitation to see the
words "Congratulations! You have been invited to attend the
__________ flight attendant training." I was with my Mom at her work
and run to her yelling and flashing my phone. She immediately tells me
congrats, and then tells me to leave because all this “job deciding/not knowing”
is making her anxious and she can't handle it. Hello! Mom, you
can't handle it? Then how the heck do you think I am handling it???
The email has a list of instructions but all I can do is see the number
at the bottom that states that if you have any questions to feel free to call.
Well, I called. Why did I call? I called to see if this was FOR
REAL. The lady then tells me it is for real, and I need to follow the
instructions of the email. Okay thank you! Then I panic because now
I have to call the General Manager. Finally at 5:00pm I decide to call
him. He doesn't answer so I leave a voice mail. Within 15 minutes he
calls me back. We get to the point, I tell him the airline has invited me
to training, and I am going to take it. I thank him for believing in me,
for giving me confidence, and for wanting me to come be his front desk manager.
I then tell him that if there is anything I can do for him I would be
happy to help out any way I can. He stops me and asks, "When is
training?" I tell him that it is tentatively not until May. To
which he says, "Can I still have you until you go to training?"
Um...Okay? He then tells me, "let's sleep on this, I will
write up a contract, and we will start you the first of March until you leave
for training." I say again, "Um....Okay! Yes! Thank you!"
Houston you may
not have wanted me a month ago, but there is a slight possibility with this other
airline who does want me that our paths may meet again. Although the base
that is calling my name is Denver... If you know me well, then you know I
will go pretty much anywhere. I have one more week of freedom and
laziness (I say lazy, but these last two weeks have been far from lazy...) here
with my parents then it's back to the grind. A grind I am completely
excited about, and blessed to have. Seriously I don't deserve all these
great things! A friend said, "Enjoy these blessings now because a
few months down the road the trials will hit you up again." This is
what I have wanted for some time, and it has taken a long time to get to this
point. I can't believe it's finally here, and I can't believe all I have
gone through to get to this point. It has been an awesome ride, and I can
only imagine it's going to be even more awesome as time goes by. Don't
get me wrong, I know it's not going to be easy. There are going to be
plenty of days I will be wishing I could go back to this moment on February
19th. Right now life is ideal and I am going to enjoy this moment here
and now.
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