Margarita Mixer

To end the month of June, Vic hosted an office party at his trailer tonight. It was a potluck margarita mixer for office members+1 so I of course brought Kendall along! Since I had the day off yesterday, I made the fruit salad to bring (watermelon, cantelope, honey dew, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and grapes), but I was in a major cooking mood which doesn't happen often so I took total advantage of it! I ended up in the end with a four-cheese lasagna, bleu cheese appetizer bites (Grandma Van style!), peanut butter-chocolate brownies, puppy chow, and the fruit salad. We had so much leftover fruit that we decided to make sangria when Kendall came home from work and we had the neighbor boys over for dinner.

Tonight was even more food than that with everything people brought! I love the fact that we can get together from ages seventeen through seventy and all hang out playing games or sitting around a fire simply having a good time. Aubrey and I played a horseshoes-type game against Darst and Dale and they joked that it was young people v. old people and I retorted with what Vic always says, "young v. mature" as opposed to old. The friendly banter of the game as the score went back and forth was lots of fun and then after dinner, we all just hung around by the fire sharing stories and inside jokes as if this life that we currently share is how it's always been.

I remember before I left to go to China which was even before coming to Colorado, I was starting to worry that I would fall in love with this job and never want to finish up the music degree. I'm afraid that has happened, but I know I will finish since I barely have any time left. This all just feels so right for me--like it's where I belong.

Barry has been nothing but complimentary to me, especially today (even with silly things like the new haircut). He pulled me aside in the office today and told me that he NEVER lets first-year employees have as many projects as I have going on in the office, but that I have a "gift" that he wants to be able to take full advantage of. Tonight at the mixer, he was mentioning something along those lines to Kendall too and how he was honestly quite surprised that I got hired.

Most people in my age group in the office applied through what is called the "steps" program which is for students so they have a higher advantage of getting a summer job. I applied that way, but since my transcripts said I was already a senior, it was sent back to me. Luckily, I also applied through USAJOBS.GOV. I guess through this way, you are alloted a certain number of "points" depending on answers to questions along with your resume. There are about 400 people that apply this way, in direct competition for the twelve office jobs. Barry told me tonight that I scored 100 which is lucky because he isn't even allowed to look past that to a 99. The fact that my score was exactly what it needed to be and he interviewed so many people that weren't what he wanted until it got to me makes me feel great. He also said that through the extensive background checks, every single one of my past employers bragged about how amazing I had been at work and how I go out of my way to look for things that need to be done and that I have a fine eye for minute details. I don't ever think of myself differently that others, but it's nice to hear that people say these kinds of things about me and that definitely helps me fall asleep with a smile on my face (not that it's hard to do that living here!).