something awesome

I just finished my first week at my new job. It's been crazy-awesome so far. Pat was also in town all week, so it was double busy. It was awesome to see him and hang out. He and Seth hung out all week and I think they did ~everything~ possible in the city. I felt bad for being gone all day, but luckily I get off pretty early so we got to do dinner and a Mariners game, too :)

Anyway, my job is pretty amazing. I've been trying to think of a way to explain how much I love it but I can't. The benefits are great (including free tuition, if I lose my mind and decide to go back to school), everyone in my office (and everyone I've met so far) is so fabulous (I feel like I've known the people I work with for years already), the campus is gorgeous, and there are all these extra perks (I get off at 3 on Fridays during the summer, and free coffee on Mondays anywhere on campus, there's a Starbucks right across the street, etc.). It's already the best job I've ever had, and the idea that it's actually mine, to keep, (as opposed to student work jobs, which are usually pretty awesome but totally temporary) is pretty unbelievable.

In addition to all the perks, benefits, and great people, the job itself is pretty incredible. I get to manage the advising center that oversees 4 different programs, meaning that I keep all the directors' calendars organized, help coordinate any events they host, and, most scary of all, keep up with all the different budgets. Basically my job is to organize, record, and color-code everything that happens in the office.

And I love it. We use Outlook for EVERYTHING so it's all in one place, and we're all on the same network so it's all updated in real time. We use Office 07 so it's super easy to use and very tastefully color-coordinated. :) I love it! Best of all, I have my own office, which is huge, and I have access to my own Office Max account, and was told to re-decorate my office and reception area to make it more friendly and more "me" (which is a pretty bold statement from people who only just met me, to be honest).

Since school doesn't start for about another month, I've using this time to get organized and oriented. My boss, who is amazing, gave me a schedule of meetings she set up with people she thought I would need to meet. And like I said, everyone has been fantastic so far. Not in a creepy stepford-wife way, but honestly everyone seems to really really like their jobs and like working here. I feel like a different person when I'm there, like I'm doing this important work that people really appreciate, even though it's just setting up meetings and ordering paper clips or whatever :)

I feel incredibly lucky to (a) have found something permanent so quickly and (b) to enjoy it as much as I do. I know it's only the first week, but if things stay this way I think it'll be great. It's completely different that anything I've done before, but in a weird way I feel like everything I've done has contributed to me being here right now.

Whew! So anyway, things are great here. Seth had a job interview last week and has a follow-up one this week so fingers crossed that he finds something new soon. He had kidney stones last weekend but was better by Tuesday. :( He felt so awful and seeing him in the hospital (again) was incredibly scary and freaked me out. But once he passed it he felt better almost immediately. Anyway, I think he's done at his old job so hopefully he'll find something new soon.