Friday Favorites *7/19*

Happy Friday everyone!  Even though temperature wise summer is still heating up, and according to the calendar we still have a couple months left of summer, my summer is rapidly coming to an end.  Whether I wind up going back to Texas (fingers crossed that's not the case though) or I stay in Minnesota, I only have 3 weeks max left until I return to work.  In just a few days, hopefully Monday or Tuesday, I will find out about the Minnesota job.  

I want to thank you all for the well wishes & good vibes you've been sending me throughout this process.  I could really use some more positive energy & prayers over the next few days until I hear the news because I am not mentally or emotionally prepared to return to Texas.  I'm also just flat out not prepared as I haven't set up an appointment with any moving company to get my stuff from Dallas to Houston...

Linking up with Andrea

From the Phone

This was on the wall directly in front of the toilet at the restaurant my friends & I went to on Monday

Moments of Gratitude

**Finally getting to attend Restaurant Week**

**Feeling confident about my interview**

**Officially getting cleared to start grad school August 1st**

**Being close to my bank this time around when my debit card info was compromised**

**Being able to push back my orientation date with Houston so I can wait to hear from the MN school**

Events of the Week

Monday: I *finally* got to attend Restaurant Week!  Nearly a year ago I had made reservations for a restaurant during the Dallas-Fort Worth Restaurant Week, I woke up that morning super sick & couldn't go...  So when Kayla & Sonja asked if I wanted to go to Baja Haus for Minnesota's Restaurant Week I jumped at the chance!

Drink: Bad Hombre: Habanero/serrano infused Mezcal, tattersall orange crema, agave nectar, haus sour

Baja Caesar Salad: avocado, jalapeno, heirloom tomatoes, cotija cheese, chipotle caesar dressing
Divers Scallops
Not pictured: Coconut flan

It was all SO good!  Well, the flan was eh but that's because I hate coconut.  The 2 dessert options were a coconut flan & a pineapple 2 ways tres leches... I hate both coconut & pineapple but pineapple more so.

The drive to the restaurant was intense.  About halfway there it started pouring so hard that I could only see the road if there was a car right in front of me.  I even had to pull into a gas station for a few minutes because it was so bad.  I made it safely & it was totally worth it.

Tuesday: I had an interview in the morning for a school in Minnesota.  I honestly feel like it went really well.  For once I wasn't nervous at all & the people that interviewed me were all so nice & laid back.  I emailed all 3 of the people that were in the interview when I got home because if I took one thing away from the time we had a principal come in & talk to one of our classes in college, it was when he said that a thank you note goes a long way & can sometimes be the deciding factor.

That evening I had a date.  When he asked I was excited for it.  Day of I was not...at all.  Then I got there & holy shit it was bad.  Trying to have a conversation was like pulling teeth.  I basically had to force conversation & if I stopped asking questions the conversation would pretty much stop...  No second date will be happening...

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I said that the Guy from HS out of nowhere pretty much ghosted me... while on my date of all times he sent me a snapchat.  I didn't see it until the date was over but WTF.  It was simply a picture of 2 of our mutual friends.  Not even a caption.  It took everything in me to not respond with "are you fucking kidding me right now?!"  But I did not.  All I said was "I miss Gregg" (one of our friends in the picture).  He half ass tried talking to me as if he hadn't blown me off & disappeared a week & a half earlier but I was so short with him that it quickly died & he hasn't attempted to say anything to me since.

I also got an email from Houston *finally* trying to set up a time for me to do my paperwork.  However they wanted me to come in at 8:30 am on Thursday 7/18.  They also said that if that didn't work they had several other options available throughout July & August.  Seeing as a)I'm waiting to hear back from MN & b)there was no possible way for me to be there by then I responded and asked what other dates were available.  Nothing like trying to set something up fairly last minute 6.5 weeks after offering me the job...

Wednesday: I got a response to my thank you email from one of the principals that had interviewed me the day before.  I'm trying not to read *too* much into it but that is literally the first time someone has EVER responded to a thank you email in the 7 years I've been interviewing for jobs...  Really though all he said was a thank you for the note, that it was a pleasure to meet me, & that he would keep me posted on where they're at early next week.

I also got a response from Houston since I told them was out of state & had asked what other dates were available.  When I asked that question I sort of assumed/hoped they would give me a list of the dates available.  Nope.  They asked if 8:30 am on July 24th would work.  No.  Mostly because if I do wind up getting the Minnesota job I'll find out on Monday or Tuesday but I'd have to leave here on Sunday in order to get down to Houston on time & I don't want to have start that drive if I'm going to get the MN job.  But also because I still haven't found a moving company & the chances of getting one to help me in just 5 days wasn't likely...

My friend Bridgette was telling me about the movie Little & since I had nothing going on I went to Redbox for the first time in FOREVER to rent it.  I thought it was cute.

Thursday: I got an email from WGU saying everything was completed & I was cleared to start my orientation.  Once I complete that I will officially be able to start my coursework on August 1st!  

I never did get a response email from Houston though so even though I'm pretty sure they're closed today, I'm going to have to attempt to call them to see what dates are available for me to do my orientation/paperwork for them.  I was telling a few of my friends that while Houston taking forever is helping me out on the Minnesota front, it's super frustrating & has me dreading potentially having to work there.  I was interviewed & offered a job 7 weeks ago... I am just now getting emails about setting up a time to do orientation/paperwork & those responses have been taking a day or more to even complete that process...

I got a call from my bank's fraud department saying there had been a couple of suspicious attempts to use my debit card.  Luckily the purchases were too big & automatically got declined, & luckily I'm actually in Minnesota this time so I can just run to the bank quick today to get a new card printed.

Nash (& Jack)

Funnies