First, Shelli and I have been looking to move out of state about 1 1/2 years after we were married. We flew to Denver to check out areas in Colorado, considered moving to Flagstaff in northern Arizona, and dreamed about moving to New Zealand. I even looked for jobs in Portland and Seattle a few times in 2007.
The only problem was, we were STUCK. We had bought a house, had decent jobs, and were overall content where we were for the time. That didn't mean that we didn't want to go, it just wasn't the right time.
Then my job as a kitchen designer kicked me in the ass a few times, pretty hard, frankly. After being laid off from my job in 2007, I resorted to serving tables at a local brewpub. There I learned about the wonders of beer, what foods it goes with, and how to interact with people on a different level...I mean when you are dealing with people's food, you are dealing with a serious emotion for some.
I was reluctant to begin a new position for another cabinet company, but it paid well...and it was a really neat project. It was a great position, with a high stress level and long commute attached to the paycheck. We knew it wouldn't be long before the company started cutting back, so we decided to start doing the same right away. We cut off the cable TV (highly recommended by the way), Sold one of our vehicles to buy and own an older one, and hunkered down for the storm.
We know we couldn't keep paying for our house for much longer, and once I finally was let go, we stopped paying, and I was back to serving. This time I found a serving job at a steak house, where I thought there would be better tips, but instead found a manager with the persona of Hitler, and an attitude of a spoiled trust fund college kid that had no regard for servers as humans. I had to get out, and when a job popped up for a kitchen designer again, I had to stop myself and think about it.
I knew if I applied for the job, that I might actually get it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to start all over again in another cabinet company. We were already talking about just up and leaving Arizona, but when I found out that the company was based out of Oregon, I decided that it was worth consideration...Like maybe I could, in time, be considered for a transfer. After much consideration, I decided to go in and drop off my resume in person. Less than a week after interviewing, I was back to designing and selling kitchens, but this time I was acutally getting physical and unloading trucks, lifting cabinets over my head, and working with two great guys, Jordan from Oregon, and my boss Mike.
I had decided that I would save every paycheck I got and had direct deposit set up linked to a savings account that we wouldn't touch except for certain circumstances. When we had enough money saved up, we were going to move. We figured that we would have the amount we needed by January, but it is 6 months later now, and we are finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
Now for the actual blog, and not just a bunch of history (believe me, there's more history):
I got the position as a Harvest Intern at the Benton-Lane Winery, and I'm supposed to start around September 21st! I am beyond excited, because it will put me 1/2 hour away from the school that I want to go to, and it applies to the fermentation science degree I'm going for. This is as new as news can get, so exactly what I am going to do next is unclear. Shelli will keep trying for jobs in the area, and we'll go from there. I will likely be helping with bottling for the first 2 weeks in August, but i'll need to find some work in the meantime...Maybe I'll go back to serving for a little while- Fun!
Stay posted, and enjoy this picture of my friend Jonathan and I having a deep conversation about wine while out at First Fridays in Phoenix, AZ:
Cheers,
-AJ
No comments:
Post a Comment