You may be wondering what I've been up to since final exams.
Or maybe you're not wondering.
Either way, I'm going to tell you.
I've been looking for a job!
My degree is in math and I am 8-12 certified to teach in the state of Texas, so I am looking for a job, preferably near Fort Worth so Matt can stay at Southwestern.
Each job application takes me roughly 1.5-2 hours.
And that's without an essay!
It's just entering the same information over and over again. Like references. I'm going to make a document with all of that information on it so I can stop looking things up every time I fill out a new application.
I've emailed principals at almost every school/district I've applied at.
I've only heard back from one principal - he said he would keep my information on hand.
That's not very promising.
I heard back from one district - "the position you applied for has now been filled. Thank you for your interest."
I've also heard from quite a few people that I should avoid the district I currently live in at all costs.
One guy told me his wife left the HR department crying and said if she had to teach there, then she wouldn't teach at all.
Wow.
So that's what I'm up to - searching, emailing, applying.
Say a prayer for me!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Whew!!
My last post was May 2nd...just a week ago but it feels like forever!!
I finished up my final papers of the semester (a few small ones and then two large ones: an exegetical paper on 1 Peter 3:13-17 and a research paper on Arab/Islamic contributions to mathematics), took my final exams, and got busy working some more!
I picked up a second job about a month ago, tutoring math through a local agency. So far I only have one student for one hour a week, which is fine by me!! And this weekend I worked 44 hours at the restaurant from Thursday night through Monday night. I would have worked more (on Friday) but I did a favor for another server by working her food-running shift instead of a floor shift (meaning hourly pay but no tips and less time) so that she could go to the Mavericks game.
I'm pooped!!
My legs felt like jell-o this morning from being on them so much this weekend.
With the extra Mother's Day business I think we all felt the same. Customers had a two hour wait on Sunday afternoon! I got in at 3 and stayed until 11, but many of the servers arrived at 10:30 or 11am and stayed until 9:30 or 10pm. If I hadn't had church, I would have been one of them. They said that by 11:30 the restaurant was already packed, and when I arrived at 3 the patio was FULL of customers. Most of us made a lot of money (I fared pretty well, averaging $20/hr) but some servers were sorely disappointed. That was me last year, so I was SO very thankful for my successful Mother's Day shift.
Now I've got two days to rest and work on wedding preparations.
Task 1: Guest lists.
Task 2: Shower lists.
Task 3: Invitations.
Task 4: Centerpieces.
Task 5: Bouquets.
Also, I'm applying for teaching positions. YIKES!!
With all the budget cuts, right now is a tough time to find a job teaching in Texas. But thankfully, I'm bilingual and I'm math. The two things they need most.
And I can hardly wait to start SEWING again!!
I bought a sewing machine last fall and have made a table cloth and a shirt and a half, and I've got what I need to get started on two dresses and a skirt. I'm dying to let my creative juices flow!!
In other news, our photographer posted some of our engagement photos:
www.jillianzamorablog.com
Matt and I are thrilled with the results.
She is doing the wedding as well and a post-nup shoot (me in my dress, him in a tux). I can hardly wait to see those photos, too!! We are so pleased with our choice for a photographer!!
I finished up my final papers of the semester (a few small ones and then two large ones: an exegetical paper on 1 Peter 3:13-17 and a research paper on Arab/Islamic contributions to mathematics), took my final exams, and got busy working some more!
I picked up a second job about a month ago, tutoring math through a local agency. So far I only have one student for one hour a week, which is fine by me!! And this weekend I worked 44 hours at the restaurant from Thursday night through Monday night. I would have worked more (on Friday) but I did a favor for another server by working her food-running shift instead of a floor shift (meaning hourly pay but no tips and less time) so that she could go to the Mavericks game.
I'm pooped!!
My legs felt like jell-o this morning from being on them so much this weekend.
With the extra Mother's Day business I think we all felt the same. Customers had a two hour wait on Sunday afternoon! I got in at 3 and stayed until 11, but many of the servers arrived at 10:30 or 11am and stayed until 9:30 or 10pm. If I hadn't had church, I would have been one of them. They said that by 11:30 the restaurant was already packed, and when I arrived at 3 the patio was FULL of customers. Most of us made a lot of money (I fared pretty well, averaging $20/hr) but some servers were sorely disappointed. That was me last year, so I was SO very thankful for my successful Mother's Day shift.
Now I've got two days to rest and work on wedding preparations.
Task 1: Guest lists.
Task 2: Shower lists.
Task 3: Invitations.
Task 4: Centerpieces.
Task 5: Bouquets.
Also, I'm applying for teaching positions. YIKES!!
With all the budget cuts, right now is a tough time to find a job teaching in Texas. But thankfully, I'm bilingual and I'm math. The two things they need most.
And I can hardly wait to start SEWING again!!
I bought a sewing machine last fall and have made a table cloth and a shirt and a half, and I've got what I need to get started on two dresses and a skirt. I'm dying to let my creative juices flow!!
In other news, our photographer posted some of our engagement photos:
www.jillianzamorablog.com
Matt and I are thrilled with the results.
She is doing the wedding as well and a post-nup shoot (me in my dress, him in a tux). I can hardly wait to see those photos, too!! We are so pleased with our choice for a photographer!!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Another Rough Work Weekend
This weekend was...not enjoyable.
Every time I go to work I have to remind myself that God is the one who provides for me.
Going into work this weekend I knew, "I need to make a lot of money." Rent is due, health insurance is due, I recently paid my car insurance, I'm going to the optometrist this week, I joined a gym (my seminary gym benefits expire this week and LA fitness was having a promotion), and the list goes on.
Sometimes being an adult just isn't fun. Everybody wants to take my money away.
Working as a waitress has been a test of faith, a challenge, and a reminder to trust God for even basic necessities.
I worked an extra 8ish hours this weekend and made about $100 less than I do on an average weekend.
On Saturday, one table left me $0 on a $87 tab.
Regardless of whether or not a table tips me, I still have to pay 3.5% to tip pool.
Every other table was just in a 10% kind of mood. If I had given them poor service, I would have understood.
But it was a SLOOOOWWW weekend, meaning I gave GREAT service, because I had less customers vying for my attention.
It was just one of those days.
Then to top it all off, my last table tried to get out of the mandatory gratuity.
I passed out the tickets and she said, "excuse me miss, but I see the gratuity is already included here."
"Yes ma'am, there is a mandatory gratuity for parties of 8 or more."
"But there were only 4 of us when we got here."
Which, by the way, is not true. There were 5 of them when they got there.
"Yes ma'am, but there are 12 now. Would you like me to get the manager for you?"
"No. But why should we have to pay gratuity when there were only 4 of us?"
"The reservation was for 10 ma'am. Would you like me to get the manager?"
"Yes, I think so."
She then tried to convince the manager that despite having 12 in the party, and despite having made a reservation for 10, they were really only a party of 4 (but actually 5) because their friends arrived late, after they had already ordered their food (she said after they got their food, but actually they had only ordered when their friends arrived). Their friends only came because they called them and told them to come here instead of Razoo's.
The manager explained to her that regardless of when they arrived, they were still one party of 12 and Laura took good care of them throughout the evening.
She then claimed that she didn't even know the other people at the table.
"Ma'am, you just told me that you called them and told them not to go to Razoo's. But regardless of whether or not you know them, you are still a party of 12."
Another lady chimed in.
"She over charged us. It says here, 'two large orders of alligator.' We didn't have two large orders of alligator!"
"What did you have, ma'am?"
"We had an alligator for an appetizer, and then he had an alligator for his meal. But it wasn't large."
"Ma'am, the alligator may be served on a small plate but it is a 7-ounce portion, and is considered a large."
"I don't even like this key lime pie. It's the worst I've ever had."
"Well ma'am, you're not paying for the pie because it is your birthday, but if you would like I can get you another free dessert."
In the end, the table paid the gratuity, but only after trying everything they could to get out it.
And the whole time I stood back from a distance, watching, thankful that I have such a wonderful manager who will defend me in the face of such selfish, stingy, and heartless customers.
Moments like that make me disappointed with humanity.
I had to go back to the table and take their credit cards. I had to smile at them. I had to wish her a happy birthday. I had to tell them to have a lovely evening.
After they left, I made sure to pray for them.
To be so cruel can only mean they lack the love of God in their lives. They love not, because they don't know true love themselves.
How can we, who have been loved by God so much, love others so little???
Today I deposited my money and after looking at my bank account, saw just how God, not those stingy customers, is the one who takes care of me.
I shouldn't have had enough money, but somehow I did.
Week after week, God shows HIS goodness, HIS faithfulness, and HIS generosity, even when my customers don't.
Somehow, it always works out.
Somehow, I always have enough.
God has been so good to me, and I'm blown away.
The whole time the humiliating episode was going on, I stood there thinking, "whether they end up paying it or not, God will take care of me."
And he did.
Every time I go to work I have to remind myself that God is the one who provides for me.
Going into work this weekend I knew, "I need to make a lot of money." Rent is due, health insurance is due, I recently paid my car insurance, I'm going to the optometrist this week, I joined a gym (my seminary gym benefits expire this week and LA fitness was having a promotion), and the list goes on.
Sometimes being an adult just isn't fun. Everybody wants to take my money away.
Working as a waitress has been a test of faith, a challenge, and a reminder to trust God for even basic necessities.
I worked an extra 8ish hours this weekend and made about $100 less than I do on an average weekend.
On Saturday, one table left me $0 on a $87 tab.
Regardless of whether or not a table tips me, I still have to pay 3.5% to tip pool.
Every other table was just in a 10% kind of mood. If I had given them poor service, I would have understood.
But it was a SLOOOOWWW weekend, meaning I gave GREAT service, because I had less customers vying for my attention.
It was just one of those days.
Then to top it all off, my last table tried to get out of the mandatory gratuity.
I passed out the tickets and she said, "excuse me miss, but I see the gratuity is already included here."
"Yes ma'am, there is a mandatory gratuity for parties of 8 or more."
"But there were only 4 of us when we got here."
Which, by the way, is not true. There were 5 of them when they got there.
"Yes ma'am, but there are 12 now. Would you like me to get the manager for you?"
"No. But why should we have to pay gratuity when there were only 4 of us?"
"The reservation was for 10 ma'am. Would you like me to get the manager?"
"Yes, I think so."
She then tried to convince the manager that despite having 12 in the party, and despite having made a reservation for 10, they were really only a party of 4 (but actually 5) because their friends arrived late, after they had already ordered their food (she said after they got their food, but actually they had only ordered when their friends arrived). Their friends only came because they called them and told them to come here instead of Razoo's.
The manager explained to her that regardless of when they arrived, they were still one party of 12 and Laura took good care of them throughout the evening.
She then claimed that she didn't even know the other people at the table.
"Ma'am, you just told me that you called them and told them not to go to Razoo's. But regardless of whether or not you know them, you are still a party of 12."
Another lady chimed in.
"She over charged us. It says here, 'two large orders of alligator.' We didn't have two large orders of alligator!"
"What did you have, ma'am?"
"We had an alligator for an appetizer, and then he had an alligator for his meal. But it wasn't large."
"Ma'am, the alligator may be served on a small plate but it is a 7-ounce portion, and is considered a large."
"I don't even like this key lime pie. It's the worst I've ever had."
"Well ma'am, you're not paying for the pie because it is your birthday, but if you would like I can get you another free dessert."
In the end, the table paid the gratuity, but only after trying everything they could to get out it.
And the whole time I stood back from a distance, watching, thankful that I have such a wonderful manager who will defend me in the face of such selfish, stingy, and heartless customers.
Moments like that make me disappointed with humanity.
I had to go back to the table and take their credit cards. I had to smile at them. I had to wish her a happy birthday. I had to tell them to have a lovely evening.
After they left, I made sure to pray for them.
To be so cruel can only mean they lack the love of God in their lives. They love not, because they don't know true love themselves.
How can we, who have been loved by God so much, love others so little???
Today I deposited my money and after looking at my bank account, saw just how God, not those stingy customers, is the one who takes care of me.
I shouldn't have had enough money, but somehow I did.
Week after week, God shows HIS goodness, HIS faithfulness, and HIS generosity, even when my customers don't.
Somehow, it always works out.
Somehow, I always have enough.
God has been so good to me, and I'm blown away.
The whole time the humiliating episode was going on, I stood there thinking, "whether they end up paying it or not, God will take care of me."
And he did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
