Oh Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Today was a good day. I GOT THE JOB TODAY!! Not "a" job, but "the" job! The job I've been praying for; the job I've been wanting; the job I've waited oh so patiently for (ok, maybe not that patiently, but still). I was supposed to find out if I got the job on Friday, so I called to hear my fate, but he hadn't made his decision yet and I was told "sometime early next week" the decision would be made. So, I didn't have much on my to-do list for today since I was just waiting to hear. So, I cleaned the house a bit this morning and then went to the gym and finally took a shower. When I got out, I had a message on my cell phone from Mr. Martinez asking me to come in for a second interview today. So, I immediately called the office and set up a four o'clock interview, which meant that I had to get crackin on prepping my lasagne and dessert b/c I was having the missionaries over for dinner at 6:30. So, I rushed to get all that done and managed to look decent for my meeting. I was so nervous because I REALLY, REALLY wanted this job. Here's how the meeting went:

Mr. Martinez: "Well, thanks for coming. This isn't really a 2nd interview; it's more like a job offer."

Me: "Great! (with a look of disbelief)

Mr. Martinez: "You had some tough competition though. I had it down to 5 people and then down to 3. For some reason though, I felt comfortable with you, so I picked you. You're the one."

Me: (huge grin coming across my face) "Thank you! I really, really wanted to be the one!"

Mr. Martinez: (chuckling) "I'm just going to give you the $60K you asked for. I was going to offer you less, but I decided to just give you what you wanted."

Me: (trying to contain my excitement and the cheesiest grin ever) "Thanks!"

Mr. Martinez: "You're benefits will kick in after 90 days, and we'll see how well you do and then we'll talk about bonuses."

Me: "ok."

Mr. Martinez: "You start next Monday, but in the meantime here's a research project for you....."

And thus, I was hired. OH HAPPY DAY!! I'm so excited to actually be a lawyer now. It's insane to think that I am one. It's unreal to me.

This firm is THE job for me because of several factors. First, it is a small firm. I'm the 3rd attorney. I love small firms because you get more hands on work and the atmosphere is more supporting instead of competitive. Second, I'll be working with the owner. He is my mentor. He wants me to pretty much be his shadow for the first few months I'm there. I really wanted someone to train me how to be a lawyer. In law school, you learn the law, but you really don't know anything about actually practicing law. He remembers that you need to be trained out of law school, and he wants me to learn from him. I'm stoked about that. Third, the office is not very far from me. It's about 20 minutes away (with good traffic...not so sure about rush hour morning traffic, but still). Also, it's not on the busiest highway here; it's on the nicer, wider, and less congested one. Fourth, the office is in a really nice neighborhood. There's golf courses around, an elementary school, and lots of other law offices. Fifth, it's civil litigation (they specialize in worker's compensation defense...we defend the companies...companies like PF Changs, The Cheesecake Factory, and Miami Dade School District, etc.). I'll be settling most of my cases, but some will go to trial. The trials, though, are just in front of a judge and not a jury. I'll also get to do a lot of depositions, mediations, negotiations, and hearings. I'm super excited for the experience. Sixth, it's everything I wanted including the salary!!!!!!!

The Lord has really blessed me with this job. I've been praying for a good job that will be a good learning experience for me and one that will help Elliott and I pay for his school. This job does just that. I love the Lord!