Friday, January 6, 2012
Stilletos to Sandy Toes.
Chad left and checked into an extended stay hotel so he could assist with the hiring of employees of his store and I began to look online for a job. I applied for everything I could find from hospitality to bank teller on the usual job sites. No bites. I had a professional resume writer overhaul my stuff and I began to continually apply for job after job... no response. I mean I wasnt even being told to goq to hell when I applied. At first I couldnt figure it out. Yes, our economy is in the toilet. This is not news to me but ever the persistant one I kept looking online.. calling, faxing, and emailing resume after resume... NOTHING!! WHAT THE HECK?! I have a pretty great resume! It clearly shows off my capabilites and my ability to learn quicky and go onward and upward. Still nothing! One day I took a pause and a breath and thought about the situation. Where are you moving? The beach. Is there a wide array of transportation or logistics opportunities at the beach? Uhm, no dummy there isnt, unless you can commute 1.5 to 2 hours one way to work. What time of year are you trying to apply for employment? August and September.... you know... when tourism starts to taper off. It began to occur to me I needed to examine what I was looking for. I dont know anyone so its not like I can walk into a resort, flash my smile and resume, and be welcomed into the hotel industry. I have no background and like I said.. I dont know anyone nor could I sell my experiance as anything relative to what the hotel business would require of me. Also, Chad still has the same ever changing schedule as he did at home and we have a child to raise. So yes, I need Mon- Fri, 8am--5pm. Not happening in a place where weekends and holidays make or break you.
I planned a trip in between moving preparations to head to Destin and find a job and a place to live. I had already located a condo that seemed nice, although 1/2 the size of the home we would be leaving, but still! Pools galore and across the street from the beach?? I was sold on it and we signed our 7 month lease while I was job hunting here.
The day I got here Chad picked me up from the airport in Ft. Walton and graciously took me out to dinner to welcome me to our new life! We passed row after row of extravacant and oddly painted beach houses. ( lavender with lime green shutters?!! really?) to a place called the Lobster Cage. The Lobster Cage is right one the water and it was sunset and I was immediately impressed. We were sat with a perfect view of the sugar sand and emerald colored surf and I took a look around and at the menu and did some figuring in my head. Hmmmmm.... This server seems to be working about 3 tables at a time and everything on this menu is in the 15.00 dollar to 20.00 and above price range. Cocktails are pricey too.. Appetizers? Also on the expensive side... I let this roll around in my head while I enjoyed our outstanding food ( worth every darn cent! drinks.. amazing.. all of it great) So as our dinner wound down again I thought about what two of us had just paid to eat and tipped as I looked at the people at tables and waiting to be seated. It seemed never ending and like a sure ticket to pretty good money making. I had waited tables about 10 years ago and I knew the general routine so heck... WHY NOT? Im young, not ugly, and good with people at times ( i stress AT TIMES with the most stress one can put on those words.) I was going to apply here. Chad seemed a tad surprised but hey, I needed a job, this is the local industry and means for money making sooo... here we go. I went to bed that night decision made. Tomorrow I would get up, put on my job hunting clothes, and hit the pavement starting with this place. Fresh resume, pretty dress, and an eager and willing attitude. Let the job hunting begin.
I planned a trip in between moving preparations to head to Destin and find a job and a place to live. I had already located a condo that seemed nice, although 1/2 the size of the home we would be leaving, but still! Pools galore and across the street from the beach?? I was sold on it and we signed our 7 month lease while I was job hunting here.
The day I got here Chad picked me up from the airport in Ft. Walton and graciously took me out to dinner to welcome me to our new life! We passed row after row of extravacant and oddly painted beach houses. ( lavender with lime green shutters?!! really?) to a place called the Lobster Cage. The Lobster Cage is right one the water and it was sunset and I was immediately impressed. We were sat with a perfect view of the sugar sand and emerald colored surf and I took a look around and at the menu and did some figuring in my head. Hmmmmm.... This server seems to be working about 3 tables at a time and everything on this menu is in the 15.00 dollar to 20.00 and above price range. Cocktails are pricey too.. Appetizers? Also on the expensive side... I let this roll around in my head while I enjoyed our outstanding food ( worth every darn cent! drinks.. amazing.. all of it great) So as our dinner wound down again I thought about what two of us had just paid to eat and tipped as I looked at the people at tables and waiting to be seated. It seemed never ending and like a sure ticket to pretty good money making. I had waited tables about 10 years ago and I knew the general routine so heck... WHY NOT? Im young, not ugly, and good with people at times ( i stress AT TIMES with the most stress one can put on those words.) I was going to apply here. Chad seemed a tad surprised but hey, I needed a job, this is the local industry and means for money making sooo... here we go. I went to bed that night decision made. Tomorrow I would get up, put on my job hunting clothes, and hit the pavement starting with this place. Fresh resume, pretty dress, and an eager and willing attitude. Let the job hunting begin.
The beginning...
I guess I should start off with the basics and let you know a little about me. Im 31, and I consider myself to be average. If average is high strung, hot tempered, and overly vocal then yes, I am totally average. Born and made beautiful by the great state of Arkansas I can proudly say I bleed Razorback Red and proudly show off any and all of my Hog paraphenalia I can on the beach. How did I get to this beach I now call home here in Destin, Fl? Well first let me ask you this... you think this is some amazing tale of how some corporate girl stood up in her cubicle and shouted "IVE HAD ENOUGH!!!! TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT YOU CORPORATE SLAVE DRIVING IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", right? No, this isnt that story. It is the story of supporting the dreams of my spouse and making a sudden move to further his career, leaving behind my new house, job, The Junior League of Northwest Arkansas, alllllllllllllll of my friends from all over Arkansas and my entire family as well. No big deal, our nations military wives do this everyday right? Heck yes they do and those women are STRONG and AWESOME! Me? I thought I was. I now know better. Here is how it all went down.
Phone rings some random day in June 2011 and it is my husband calling just to shoot the breeze with me for a moment while Im at work. We do this at least once a day if possible because he works for one of the nations major retailers and has the luck of co-managing it. With that line of work comes pretty much shift like hours, also known as retail hours. 5am to 4pm. 11am-10 pm, and sometimes a mid- shift like 8am to 7pm. We never saw each other. We cover the basics in our 5 minute conversations like " How is your day? Did you remember to pay xyz bill? Will you get off on time to pick up the kid? What do you want for dinner?" and occasionally we share a snippet about something thats happened at work already today. Todays call was bit different.
" Hey babe, guess what I saw posted on the open job board site at work today?" he says. Im typing away and cursing some moron on email under my breath or seething at my boss for one reason or another and I respond half listening, " Whats that?" I say. " They are builidng a store in Destin, Fl!" WOW!!! Destin, Fl??!! How cool is that? " Oh yeah?" I ask. " You gonna apply and move us to a beach town before they decide to send us to some random place like No-mans-land Montana?" I laugh. " Ha, yeah right, they wont move me to Fl. Shan, not unless they need me" he says. " I say, well go ahead and apply, just to see what happens..." 2 phone interviews later and a 2 week moving time frame he was gone!! When the offer comes down you dont decline. You go. He went. I stayed to start the relocation process and it wasnt pretty.
My head and world were spinning!!! How am I going to sell this house? We cant afford two mortgages so where will we live?! I have to find a job! We have to get Blakely in school! How on earth do we tell our friends? What will our families say/do? OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was an emotional nuclear bomb of " WAY TO GO SHANNON!!! YOU JUST TOOK YOUR JUST NOW SIMPLE LIFE AND SHOOK IT UP LIKE A SNOW GLOBE!!" PANIC!!!!!!! and yet.... We were really moving to the beach.. holy moly. So to go back to what I said before, these will not be stories of a gutsy girl who decided she wanted to live like a pirate on the beach. They are of that of a homesick, hardworking ( giggle ), wife, and mother. Hold onto your seats if you are expecting predictability.. you wont get that here. What I hope you get here is some laughs, some ability to relate, and some reassurance that " yes, running away to live on the beach can be done!!!" So happy reading! OH and most importantly.. We are 10 minus twenty minuets from the Cotton Bowl featuring my Arkansas Razorbacks.. WPS GO HOGS GO!! Its Mich-Ultra time. Catch you all later!
Phone rings some random day in June 2011 and it is my husband calling just to shoot the breeze with me for a moment while Im at work. We do this at least once a day if possible because he works for one of the nations major retailers and has the luck of co-managing it. With that line of work comes pretty much shift like hours, also known as retail hours. 5am to 4pm. 11am-10 pm, and sometimes a mid- shift like 8am to 7pm. We never saw each other. We cover the basics in our 5 minute conversations like " How is your day? Did you remember to pay xyz bill? Will you get off on time to pick up the kid? What do you want for dinner?" and occasionally we share a snippet about something thats happened at work already today. Todays call was bit different.
" Hey babe, guess what I saw posted on the open job board site at work today?" he says. Im typing away and cursing some moron on email under my breath or seething at my boss for one reason or another and I respond half listening, " Whats that?" I say. " They are builidng a store in Destin, Fl!" WOW!!! Destin, Fl??!! How cool is that? " Oh yeah?" I ask. " You gonna apply and move us to a beach town before they decide to send us to some random place like No-mans-land Montana?" I laugh. " Ha, yeah right, they wont move me to Fl. Shan, not unless they need me" he says. " I say, well go ahead and apply, just to see what happens..." 2 phone interviews later and a 2 week moving time frame he was gone!! When the offer comes down you dont decline. You go. He went. I stayed to start the relocation process and it wasnt pretty.
My head and world were spinning!!! How am I going to sell this house? We cant afford two mortgages so where will we live?! I have to find a job! We have to get Blakely in school! How on earth do we tell our friends? What will our families say/do? OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was an emotional nuclear bomb of " WAY TO GO SHANNON!!! YOU JUST TOOK YOUR JUST NOW SIMPLE LIFE AND SHOOK IT UP LIKE A SNOW GLOBE!!" PANIC!!!!!!! and yet.... We were really moving to the beach.. holy moly. So to go back to what I said before, these will not be stories of a gutsy girl who decided she wanted to live like a pirate on the beach. They are of that of a homesick, hardworking ( giggle ), wife, and mother. Hold onto your seats if you are expecting predictability.. you wont get that here. What I hope you get here is some laughs, some ability to relate, and some reassurance that " yes, running away to live on the beach can be done!!!" So happy reading! OH and most importantly.. We are 10 minus twenty minuets from the Cotton Bowl featuring my Arkansas Razorbacks.. WPS GO HOGS GO!! Its Mich-Ultra time. Catch you all later!
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