The New Voyage - Part II

Dan and I got home around 5:30 p.m. that night and thankfully both of us had the following day (Friday) off. We were supposed to go to my parents for the weekend but as it turns out we would be heading to the other coast in the LP. I am impressed that it only took me 2 hours to get out of the house. Grabbed two of my 'interview' suits and we were on the road. We got to Bear Lake (Dan's parents cabin) pretty late. It was one of those really foggy, rainy nights that go on forever! There were times that I couldn't see the road in front of the car and I would slam on the brakes and tell Dan "I can't see!” Needless to say, it was a rough trip.

My interview with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) was to be at 2:00 p.m. the following day in Traverse City. This is about a 45 (or so) minute drive from Bear Lake. After only a few hours of sleep, I was up at 5:00 a.m. texting Kat and trying to go back to sleep. Pat (Dan's mom) made me an awesome breakfast of fresh made olive loaf toast (to die for-really), watermelon, blueberries, melon and strawberries, smoky links served with a huge glass of orange juice. Oh, and coffee, lots of coffee!

We ended up getting on the road a tiny bit later than I would have liked. Dan's parents were so supportive, giving hints, enjoying the excitement. And it was taking me a bit to get ready, much to Dan's chagrin. On the way up to the interview, we made plans to meet at a little cafe right around the corner. I already had my Blackberry in my planner - with the ringer OFF. Dan's phone rang and he told me it was Kelly. Dan asked if I wanted to take it. I was pretty nervous already and told him no. But then thought better of it, yeah, Kel wants to wish me well; I could use her calming voice. Then Dan said NO. He didn't think I needed any more distractions so on we went.

I got to the CR store on Front Street and went in to see what destiny had to offer. The COO Todd was waiting for me when I arrived. He was wearing jeans and a (slightly) wrinkled button down. And he was so friendly, the kind of person that makes you feel instantly at ease. We talked for about an hour and a half. It was a really good interview, tough questions, yet not ones to play tricks or mind games with you. The more he told me about the job, the more excited I got. It was going to be a job that was being created. The company has grown so fast that it appears there are a few things missing from the puzzle. I openly talked about my weaknesses. Things that I would need to - and would be willing to learn. I talked about my customer service philosophy, which if you know me is pretty strong and opinionated. Wow. What a great company, everything I learned really had me anxious to nab this position.

The COO told me that he would probably call me back for a second interview. He told me that out of hundreds of resumes he has only really liked 8-10 well enough to call them in for an interview. Of those, he has only liked 3-4 and I was one of them. Do you ever have the feeling you nailed it? It just clicked and it felt right. I was on cloud nine. My big change - finally!

I walked out of the store on to the famous Front Street and started to turn on my phone to call Dan. Find out where he was in the coffee shop. As it turns out he was parked in the car around the corner. I get in the car- gushing, all excited until I see his face. He tells me, you have two minutes to talk to me and then I have to tell you something.

Deep breath. Okay, it went great. I loved everything I learned about the job. They want to call me back for another interview, probably next Friday. Okay, what's up?

He tells me that my dear, dear brother Jimmy had a heart attack and will be undergoing open heart surgery the following morning at 6:00 a.m. - I am crushed. From so high to so low in such a short amount of time. I cannot even react. It is really confusing and I am glad that Dan is driving. He starts heading back to his parents so we can make the journey across the state to Port Huron where Jimmy is in ICU. I guess I am glad I didn't pick up the phone before the interview, otherwise no 'New Voyage'.

Pat and Moby had been Kodi-sitting but would not be there when we got back. The one thing I did do is make Dan stop at a store so I could buy a thank you note and stamp. I called CR for the COO's address and sent that out so it would be on his desk on Monday morning. Then off to pack up our stuff and head to Yale.

We got in after 12:00 midnight and helped mom with her night pills, said hi and was in bed by 1:00 a.m. At 4:30 a.m. the clock went off and we got ready and took off to Port Huron Hospital to see Coach (Jimmy). We made it there and were able to spend a full hour with him before he went into surgery. Scary. I was pretty over tired, but doing a good job of keeping it all together.

I went and had a huge breakfast with Dan and Carol. Food nourishes stress and I was stressed. Then we waited until Jimmy came out of surgery - around 5:00 p.m. we were able to speak to the Dr. and eventually see Jimmy. And by we I mean: Dad (Mom could not attend but Mandy, Jeremy and Cade stayed with her most of the day), Carol, Dave, Terri, Kelly, Denise, Derek, Melissa, Matt, Patty, Dan and Tiffany. Quite the crew. They kicked us out shortly after that so he could get his rest.

Dan and I headed back to mom and dad’s house. We had a quick supper with them and then we got back on the road to head back to Ann Arbor since I had to work a bridal show in Plymouth and Dan had to work the next day. Oh, and daylight savings time STOLE an hour from us.

The New Voyage - Part I

So, a new voyage is in the works. A relocation from my beloved Ann Arbor to the un-chartered waters of Northern Michigan. How did we get here? Let's look at the past four weeks:

There are times when it seems an ominous black cloud is following you around. The last week of February was one of those times. It started on a Friday. February 26 to be exact, when Dan and I found out that we would have to move. The time line was never firm, but we knew it would be within the next few months. Ah, the joy and pain of renting. We love our condo and was pretty heartbroken by the news.

As the weekend went on we decided to look at other options available. One of those options to fulfill a dream of living 'Up North'. I told Dan that I might check out the classifieds and see what is available right now. On Sunday night I came across an ad on Craigslist for an Office Manager at Cherry Republic. (Have you had or heard of CR? You need to add that to your vocabulary! Dan's mom has turned us into faithful customers of their yummy products.)

I applied for the position after a few days of updating my resume and cover letter. Then I wait. I keep looking in the local paper, the Record Eagle. Not much else is even remotely appealing. Then on Sunday I see it! The same ad that was on Craigslist is now in their classifieds! A few days go by and on Thursday morning I decide to be aggressive. I composed an email explaining that I had already applied to the ad on Craigslist but wanted to make sure it came across the readers (HR) desk. I wrote that I know how hard the process is - finding the right person, that perfect fit- when you have received hundreds of resumes.

A couple of hours after I sent that email, I received a response: would I by any chance be in the area the following day? I think that can be arranged. Dan and I ended up driving to his parents (Bear Lake) that evening and heading up to the Traverse City the following day for the interview.