Stretch armstrong

So I have become stretch armstong. But this is the best stretch armstrong situation EVER!

So Thurs I had my phone interview with Detroit. It went great! I felt wonderful after that! Friday, I drove up to Kilgore, TX to see my sister and Luke. I stopped in Naychadoches, La to see Steel Magnolias locations and was having lunch when the book club lady called saying the org here wanted to meet me and see if we could reach an agreement to take to the board! So I went there yesterday, they're recommending me to the board tomorrow as "museum consultant". Then today, detroit called for a ref check, and Jay (my prof) tipped off the fact that I'm bout to get an offer. So bout 2 hrs after he did that, u get a call saying Detroit wants me to come up for a face to facer interview! So I've got two possibilities. Both have major pros. But both have even
bigger cons. And both could still go south. We'll see!

Now or never

I'm posting from my blackberry so if things don't always make sense or there's mistakes that's why. Time to post my plan.

First off, my good news. I have a phone interview Thursday! Its with a job in MI that I applied to before I left for Natchez, same one I had the preinterview with! Plus its with the guy who graduated from UMSL and worked at the museum I was at for 5 years!

Second, more good news. The org here with the job I found out about at book club is definitely interested! At least, the President of the org is in my corner. I dunno bout the committee or the rest of the board. But signs are good there! Nothings set in stone, it could easily get ripped out from under me like Galveston. But signs are good!

Now for my plan. I have these two amazing leads. But, nothing is even close to set in sstone. Rosalie has said I could stay and finish the inventory project. I could also keep hostessing there. Plus today I was told that, while Melrose can't give me an absolute guarantee, they definitely need to fill the STEP pos they now have open, so if I want to figure out registering for classes somewhere, go ahead and do that and plan, for now, to work at Melrose. That could suddenly change but the chief of interp doesn't think it will, though he couldn't make any promises. They also know that I will be looking for a full time job while a STEP student and if one came up, I would leave - as the chief said, he wouldn't hire someone without initiative.

So one option is, once this internship is over, I could stay in natchez, finish rosalie, and be a STEP student till I know for sure bout full time jobs, or till December. My other option is to go back to STL, work retail, and volunteer at the same museums I've been at for years. I know that if I take option 2, I will kick myself constantly. I will also be miserable bvecause I missed an opportunity, thus making my roomie, my friends, and ESPECIALLY my family miserable too. I don't want to do that. And I need to get my foot in the door - if these full time jobs don't work out, at lease the natchez option would let me get my pinkie toe in the door.

So I am currently planning to stay in Natchez. I'm not making formal plans (ie registering for classes, finding an apt) until I have my interview Thurs and get a vetter timeline on the MI job. If they'll hire by september and I get an in person interview, I may not stay. But I kinda doubt that, I bet that propcess will go till bout October 1. I will be looking for a furnished apt here for 2-4 mos (if the full time job here works out, ill rent an apt and move down here, but I'm not moving all my stuff and sure not signing a lease for just thro Dec). If these FT jobs don't work, I will reevaluate in Dec, when my lease in STL is up. But that's the plan for now!

Don't worry, I won't be gone from you forever! Ill come back to STL to visit - if nothing else, I have to come back in Aug to get some more stuff! And thanks to the wonders of modern tech, you can still keep in touch with me - and I do expect you to!

I love everyone in STL. You're all absolutely amazing. But I can't turn down this opportunity, just to come home and wait for my shot. I need to take a chance and see where God is leading me, starting with a temp stay in natchez.

ill keep you updated as things develop!

Thanks for everything! I love you all!

Love and still missing you,
Katherine

Nobody panic. I have a plan.

I think that's a movie quote... maybe...

Anyway, wanted you all to know I have a plan. A tentative plan at least. Still lots of ifs in that plan. But it gives me peace of mind.

No time to post the actual plan. Darian and I are off to Planet Thailand. I'm going to drown my sorrows over the fact that Soupman, one of my fav lunch places in STL, is closing today, efore I could have my last soup, in some yummy stir fry.

Fill you in later! Love and miss you all!

Jesus take the wheel

I'm posting this from my blackberry, so if things are wrong here, that's why. I love that Carrie Underwood song. And right now it is very fitting for my life.

Recently, doors seem to be opening somewhat. Not fully, at least not as fully as I want. But doors I've been praying to open are starting to be unlocked. The problem is, I have no idea which door to go through.

- Temp job here. It has been offered to me! Problem is, it's only temporary. Now I could stretch it to 3 mos or so. But there are no guarantees and a whole lot of ifs involved here.

- Org here. Still no word. But I need to call the woman I met and meet with her.

- Melrose. Ranger pos are opening, I'm gonna apply. There's also the STEP program. I'd have to be a student, but it would be a job. Plus I could combine it with the first option.

The top and bottom combo was what I was leaning towards. Till this latest amazing but frustrating monkey wrench.
-job I applied to before coming down here. I had what I guess you could say was a preinterview today. I think I nailed it. As much as I can nail a preinterview. I'm not guaranteed an official phone interview. It'll be two weeks before I know for sure if I got a phone interview or not. But signs are good. Then they'll make a cut and the finalists will go up there. Then they'll pick one. I think I've got a good shot and some legs up. But assuming that I make it to the finalists, it'll be the fall before I know for sure. And eben if I don't make it to the finals, it'll prob be 3 or 4 wks before I know if I got an in person interview. That means it'll be hard to commit to one of the ones above. HUGE monkey wrench.

I've been praying for these doors to open. I've said that wherever God wanted to send me, I would go. But now so many options are starting to be presented that I don't know which one to do! And if there's one thing I HATE, its not knowing!

Otherwise life is good.

Be praying for guidance for me!

Love and miss you!

It's my life, it's now or never

Yeah I felt like a little Bon Jovi today. Don't know why. It just popped into my head.

So here's the update from Natchez:

1. Jr. Ranger Camp. I survived! Barely. I thought I was gonna KILL some of those kids, 1 in particular. I know this is crazy coming from the girl who wants to go into museum education. But here's the thing. I really would have been fine if these were normal kids. And most of them were. But there were 3 that were demons. And they drew others in with them! Plus on Wednesday, the whole crew were just MONSTERS. There's no other way to explain it. MONSTERS. I know kids will be kids. I know they'll interrupt. I know they'll be loud. All that stuff. But here are some of the things we dealt with -

Soap on the doors of the bathroom (twice) at William Johnson House while there were visitors coming into Johnson house
Trashing the bathrooms at Melrose
Kids tipping the picnic tables by sitting on them
Kids walking on the picnic tables
Getting so rough while wrestling that a kid ended up crying
Running into the street after we told them to wait
Having a girl take the gunk off her shoe and throw it at Christina
Throwing paper towels at Christina after they trashed out the bathroom
Kicking down the door of the 1800s-1900s play house at Melrose
Stealing my shoes and throwing them into the bushes
Running down to the pond by themselves to throw a giant stick into the pond
Telling me multiple times how other kids were making fun of me, then laughing with another intern about how I scolded them after they put soap all over the bathroom.

Yeah. And that doesn't include the normal kid stuff. See. MONSTERS!

2. Jobs. This week it's been pretty good news. Still no official "yes" on a job yet. But I've got leads!

- House down here, I won't say which, one I applied to before. I've been giving tours on the weekends there, and one of the ladies that runs it really loves my tour. My curator at Melrose has been helping them inventory the whole collection, but she's been sick and hasn't been able to do it recently, so I'm going to help with that project. BUT I'm already working 7 days a week, so I can help a little in between tours and 1 or 2 nights in the evening, but by god I deserve some time off. So there's only so much I can do. THUS, I am hoping I can impress them and swing it so that they hire me part time after this internship is done to finish the project

- Two houses down here, run by big organization, won't say which. So I went with Darian to a book club down here. I'm introducing myself to the women, they ask what I do when I'm not here, I say right now I don't know, I just graduated. The woman next to me goes "I need to talk to you". Turns out I'm sitting next to the president of one of the biggest organizations in Natchez that runs two really famous houses down here (1 is being used in True Blood as the King of MS house right now) and they've been looking for someone. They're still debating the position. But I sent my stuff in. Good thing - hasn't been posted yet, basically non existent applicant pool, plus my curator is pulling for me. Bad thing - they could cut the position.

- Melrose. Planning to apply for 2 of the 3 ranger positions opening and still looking itno the STEP program

- Recent job I was upset about. Got my thanks but no thanks letter. Best one of those I've gotten. They put it off for 6 months (well they said at least 6 months, but still that's better than a year!) and they want to contact me later!! I STILL HAVE HOPE!

- Others. Still applying. We'll see.

3. Life. Things have been good down here. I've been super busy and time is flying, which is great. I've discovered that I really like Natchez, which is good cause there's a chance I'll be staying here (fingers crossed - I really want a job!) I still miss everyone at home though!

Tonight I"m going to see Eclipse. The only theater in Natchez didn't have a midnight showing on Tuesday, and I was exhausted after Ruby Tuesday's yesterday and didn't go last night. But tonight I am gonna get my oogling on!!!

LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!