I Got The Job!

Hey everyone! So, remember how exactly one week ago I went in for an interview?
Well, I am pleased to say, I got it! I got the job!!

I will now be a cook at a cafe/restaurant in an office building; I will even get to wear a white chef's coat! (Eeep!)

Truthfully there wasn't much of an anxious waiting period, because as we were finishing up the interview, my future-boss said to me, "the job is yours if you want it".
And because I'm not one to make rash decisions as I need my precious me-time to mull it over/and pray about it, I replied with, "Great! I'll think about it and get back to you". ;)

As I wrote last week, I drove straight to the mall, and beelined it to Barnes & Noble. I sat down at one of their little tables--with a Caramel Brûlée Latte in hand--, feeling super tingly and called Jarryd. (I love that excited tingly feeling!!) He was SO happy and excited for me but said "why are you calling me?! Hang up right now and tell him you're accepting the job". (Haha!)

I was nervous! It's a big deal calling your future-boss and telling him that you're choosing to commit to a new job! Isn't it?!

Needless to say, my future-boss was so pleased to receive my phone call. So, after a week of background checks (these always take way too long for me to fill out, as I have 8 different address in my short 25 years of living), drug tests (I got to pee in a cup for the first time in my life!), and giving my present employer my two weeks notice, I start my very first day: TOMORROW!

(Because my present job is part-time, I have a few days this week where I am free to start at my new job, which is nice seeing as I don't have to wait two whole weeks to start!)

Aside from being nervous-outta-my-mind about tomorrow, I am truly very excited. It's a big decision saying "YES!" to a new job, but it's not so scary when it feels right.
A few reasons why it feels right are:

• I felt so much peace about giving my two-weeks notice, and I just feel at peace overall.
• The pay is better than my current job. More money is always a plus!
• It's full-time!
• The hours are A-MAZING! Monday to Friday, 6:00 AM-2:30 PM. (This means NO WEEKENDS!)
• Awesome benefits! Seriously!
• At my interview I met some of the employees and they gave off a good vibe. They seemed very friendly, as if they actually enjoyed their jobs. (It is extremely difficult to work with people who hate their jobs!)
• This job screams "routine". Other than the hours being consistent, I'll literally be seeing the same people every single day because we are a client of a huge banking/financial service company who serves their office workers. I love routine!!
• The commute is about 25 minutes. Not too shabby.
• I was told I'll predominantly be working in the BOH (back-of-house), which were the magic words for me accepting this position. I always prefer to be behind-the-scenes.

When I started at my present job ten months ago, I started out as a prep-cook. A few months later after I got the feel for things, I was working more as a "cook" than a "prep cook"; for instance, I was no longer preparing things for the cook/sous chef, I was now the one in charge of things. I was now the one who'd leave the kitchen to go outside and talk to guests about their meals or special diet requests. I was the one making meals for 200+ people by myself. I was now training and teaching other new co-workers. And at first I hated it. I absolutely had no desire to be in charge of the kitchen, or any superiority for that matter. I was perfectly content being a prep-cook.

But as time moved on, being in charge and preparing meals on my own became second nature. I'm definitely no expert at it, but it just became easier. So when it came to job hunting, six months ago I only looked into the job postings that were titled "baker" or "prep cook". I was stubborn. I was only interested in either my dream job of working in a bakery or a prep cook position that required hardly any challenges or responsibility. Yikes, it feels quite shameful to see that typed out on my computer screen. :/

But this past January, something clicked inside of me. I KNOW how to cook. I then proceeded to give myself a pep-talk that went something along the lines of:
I have a year of culinary school under my belt, I have almost 4 years of employment experience in the food industry, and this past year of work has been incredibly educational for me. I have learned SO much. I can do so many things in the kitchen and know so many things that most people don't.
I finally had the confidence to say to myself what everyone else had been telling me: I am so skilled!

This then resulted in non-stop job hunting under the category of "cooks", and I applied to an abundance of nursing homes, hospitals, and other health-care centres.
I am convinced that if I never would have discovered this confidence in myself, I would still be working part-time at my current job with no hope whatsoever.

I definitely didn't think landing a new job would have happened this fast. I feel incredibly blessed by God for giving me this opportunity. I seriously could not stop smiling after the interview. Like for the first time in my life I finally have a full-time job, with amazing hours, and amazing benefits. (This is seriously so rare for a culinary career!) This job is going to help Jarryd and I in so many ways. I can't even tell you how excited I am to have the same hours as him! We can now sleep in together and experience lazy Saturday mornings on a regular basis. I'll never have to miss church for work now! AND we can plan travel adventures for the weekends too without having to take any work off.

It definitely all seems too good to be true. I'll admit I am the kind of person who after such a blessing as this one, I try to find any sort of "catch". Like, there has to be something terrible about this job that I just haven't found out yet. Perhaps the "catch" is that I'll never get to watch "The View" with bagels and cream cheese and coffee in hand on a regular basis. If that's the case, it's not so bad then. I'll survive I think. :)
But I really don't want to be that way. I want to let go of all that negativity and just rest in the goodness of God.

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Thank you to everyone for reading this and keeping me in your prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for me as it's typical of me to be super nervous for new jobs resulting in a horrible night's sleep. Tomorrow is my big day and I need all the rest I can get. Also, I hope it like it!! :)