MIA

I've been MIA for way to long... so here it goes.

THEE job...
Some friends have been asking me about how the whole job thing worked out so here's the infinity long version... just warning ya in advance.
I guess you could say my dream came true this past summer as I didn't have a job for the first two months of summer. I became way too accustomed with day-dreaming in the lazy river at Lagoon, having time to work-out every morning, sleeping in, chilling with the sisters, becoming the favorite aunt, learning how to be a chef (for the first time I can actually say I enjoy cooking when I have the time), staying up way too late watching netflix, and doing a whole lot of nothing. But the time soon came when I started to worry about the whole job thing. By mid-July, I realized there were tons of people applying to the not so many jobs that were available. I had a couple interviews each week and was often told there were several hundred overly-qualified applicants that applied for the ONE position that was available. (As a side note, I wasn't looking for teaching jobs as I was in one of my many stages of not wanting to teach because I was fed up with the whole idea for several reasons.) Anyways, by the end of July, lucky me, I found a job. I was working as an office manager for a PT office in Salt Lake. I loved the atmosphere, loved the people I worked with, and loved the duties of the job. It was an ideal job except for the pay... I was frustrated that I had worked so hard my whole life, graduated High School with a 4.0 gpa, earned a full-ride scholarship, finished college early, blah, blah, blah... only to be working at a job that paid a little more than minimum wage. Don't get me wrong, so grateful was I to actually have a job, but oh so frustrated that my hard work only led to this. I never thought that the reason I went to college was so I could be a receptionist. I thought that was something you could do without having a degree. So why'd I go to college?! You get my vibe.. Then one night I met up with my college girlfriends at Cheesecake Factory. We talked for hours about teaching and about the job market. One of the girls was lucky enough to find a teaching job. She was so excited and her pay sounded a lot better than my job. And we all know teacher's make next to nothing, which means, I was pretty much making nothing, but enough to pay for the gas to get me to my job, seriously!... So the next day the man and I were lucky enough to escape to the most pretty place I have ever been to on Earth, the Caribbean (which I still haven't even posted about, oh man, so behind). Due to my conversation with the ladies from Cheesecake Factory, I thought a lot about teaching while we were on the escape. Which leads to the main point of my story, I'm getting there, promise.

I told you this story was infinity long...
So we return on Thursday August 19th. Friday the 20th I start looking for teaching jobs again. I make the usual round to all of the district websites and one job catches my attention. Roy Jr. High for the SECOND time had a job posted for P.E. and Health. (I remember seeing the job posted back in May, but didn't apply because, well, I was going through one of my "phases".) I casually called Aubrey, the sister who lives in Roy, and told her the news. I told her I applied but didn't have my hopes too high as I figured they had already found someone and just hadn't taken the job posting off the site yet. For all I knew, school started the very next week! Aubrey being the way she is, was ecstatic, she must have known what was about to come, I sure didn't. So fast-forward to Sunday, Aubrey is sitting in church and talks to one of the English teachers from the school who lives in her ward. He informs her the job is indeed for a female teacher to run the girl's locker room and the school still hadn't found anyone yet. Monday morning comes and I am at the jr. high by 7am to physically and personally hand my resume to the principal. I get to the school and am told he's out buying breakfast for the faculty meeting. Great, just my luck... The secretary said she "didn't know" if they had hired someone yet (kind of weird I thought) but was told I could stay and wait for the principal to return. Considering I had been MIA from my new job for an entire week, I knew I couldn't be late to work which started promptly at 8 in SLC. I asked the secretary to please give the resume to the Boss and I would call later that day. So I speed down to 5300 S in SLC just in time to make it for work. Get to the office and find the situation a little ironic. No cars in the parking lot, office is locked, lights are turned-off, no one is around. I found this all a little weird considering we always had patients at 7 am on Mondays. Great just my luck again... I so could've been sitting in that principal's office right about now, but no, instead I'm just sitting in the empty parking lot getting a little frustrated. 45 minutes later I proceed to drive back up north. I am now thinking this situation actually might work in my favor. If I had the day off, then I could go back up to Roy. At 9, my phone rings, it's the PT office calling to say I needed to come back to work because we did indeed did have patients that day, but not til later. You think?! Thanks work, glad you keep me posted on life. I drive back down to SLC and call back to the jr. high on my way. The same secretary answered the phone and I told her I was the gal who dropped my resume off at 7am. I asked her if she knew if the school had done interviews yet for the job, she told me they had. Huge bummer! I figured it was over, until she asked me to hold. I was on hold for what seemed like forever. So forever passes and she comes back on to tell me the principal would love to interview me! I was excited and a little caught off guard. So now I had to ask for time off from my new job, sticky situation considering I just got back from a week's vaca. But what the hey, they didn't even try to inform me about the morning situation, so I figured they owed me big time. I told them I had an "appointment" Tuesday afternoon and they said that would be fine. So Tuesday afternoon comes. I interview at 3:30... And things went great! One of the most comfortable interviews I had been in. Which I had been in quite a few this summer, so this is saying something. The principal told me they had interviewed several candidates, but I was the last they had interviewed, so they would make their decision with the next 30 minutes and call me! How crazy is that?! 40 minutes passes, yes you better believe I was watching the clock like a hawk, and no call. I figured I didn't get it. My phone rings, it's the principal, and he offers me the job!!! What in the world?! I really couldn't believe it. School was starting the very next day!!! I was freaking out. But there was a catch. I technically am not qualified to teach P.E. as I am not fully endorsed in the subject. And Weber School District law states that if the principal wants to hire someone, but interviewed a candidate who is more fully qualified than their top pick, they have to fore go their top choice and hire the more qualified person. This all stands UNLESS, the person you want to hire can offer something that no other candidates can bring to the table. Back to my interview, I was the ONLY candidate who offered to help coach. The school was looking for a girl's track coach, but didn't tell their candidates this, and I led them to believe I was just their girl! (It boggles my mind that out of a dozen candidates for a Health and PE position, no one else even offered to coach. But how lucky for me!!! And I'm so glad those three hour daily track practices in college finally paid off...) It was now 5 and I knew I had to make it back to SLC by 5:30 to tell the Physical Therapist I wouldn't EVER be back to work. This was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Just not the type of person I am.
But five weeks later, I can honestly say I haven't thought about that night in the P.T. office since then. I LOVE my job. It's a complete turn-around from my experience last year. The teachers are super nice to me and have done nothing buy try to get to know me and help me in anyway they can. The principal is always checking up on my needs and has gone completely out of his way to help me. This is so unlike last year. And on top of all of this, teaching PE is like the cherry on top for me. Teaching PE is a very low-stress, but very exciting job. I teach all 7th graders, boys and girls, yes all 350 of them, and love it! On Mondays I run with every class period, and by the end of the day, I run a total of 12 miles, and I get paid to do so! Love it! So I guess you could say my days are spent running around playing ultimate frisbee, kickball, flag football, you get the idea, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
This experience has been one of those times where you look back and say "Oh, I get it now." And for all of those times I was shot down in the teaching field, stopped looking for a teaching job, or even wondered why I had gone to college, I get it now, and someway somehow it all works out and it just makes sense. If only I knew this six months ago. But that's life and my life is grand.
And just in case you are wondering, my nephew Porter who lives in Ohio has been super busy because his days are consumed of being too excited for his favorite aunt and uncle, Caleb and Lala, to arrive. 11 days we get to escape again. And for the first time I get to meet precious little Marin. And I. Can't. Wait!!!
Life is beautiful.