Thursday, May 10, 2012

I have a secret

Hey everyone,
This is my One hundredth post!  I wanted to post something special for this post! Maybe the big move for the Chickens to their new home in the newly built Coop. But that's not the secret.
I have not mentioned this secret to many people in the hopes I would not Jinks it and everything just disappears!
Susan (e-i-e-i-omging) and I have been e-mailing out side the Blog world and she has been keeping her fingers  (and other parts crossed!) with the hope that this all works out!
Well it has and now I'm ready to tell the whole world!
The big secret is.........I have been offered a new JOB! And it's so much better then what I have now!!!
Here's the story,
Back in late December I was told that Job applications were being taken at the "Rivers Correctional Institute" near Winton N.C. This is a Federal Minimum Security Prison and is under contract with the "Bureau of Prisons".
I applied and went Thur the process of filing all kinds of paper work and 3 interviews.
It took some time for the back ground checks to be completed. But with my military time and the fact that I have been in Security jobs for the past 11 years, I though I had a pretty good chance to get the Job.
In late February I got a call from the HR office wanting me to get a physical (another worry, I'm 58 after all) and I got that taken care of and was classed as FIT FOR DUTY!
Now remember this all started 5 months ago and like I said, I did not want to jinks it by getting my hopes up to high and I did not want to tell you all until it was a sure thing!
Last Friday I received a call from HR that I missed (out side working on the Chicken Coop!) and I did not check my messages until I was on my way home Saturday morning. You know how they say it is unsafe to drive and use a cell phone? Well, I can tell you they are right! As I almost ran into the ditch when I listened to this message!!!!
I pulled over in the first safe place I could find and listened to the message again! The HR lady said that the start date for training was 4 June and I needed to get two more documents to her (DD214 from the Air Force and the Arizona Army National Guard). She did not come right out and say that she had a Job offer for me, But it sure sounded like it to me!
As it was Saturday and there would be  no one in the office until Monday, I was going to have to wait until Monday to talk with her. I had two days to be excited and worried! That was a long two days!!!
First thing Monday morning I called and the first thing I said to her was, "Is this an official job offer"?
She said that it was and the the Warden had chosen me first from the list of candidate's (there were 18 candidate's for 4 positions!). I was doing the Happy Dance!!!!!
I went on line and requested the two DD214's and even talked to the records office of the Guard unit I belonged to and got them to e-mail the forms to me. Yesterday I found a copy of the one from the Air Force that I did not know I had and should get the other one today.
I will take both to HR and sign my letter of intent. I have already given my notice to leave QVC and my last work day with them will be 30 May.

Let me tell you why this is so much better for me and the Homestead!

1. The starting pay is so much better then what I'm making at QVC right now!
2. Its closer to home! QVC is a 115 mile round trip each day and it is running me $200+ in gas each week just to get to work! Rivers is only 17 miles from home!! That's $200 I can put back into the budget for the Homestead!
3. With the increase in pay, I can get my bills back in line and start to get out from under the worry of how am I going to pay bills on time!
4. I can now start to put some $$ away to do some of the things I have wanted to do ever sense I got the Homestead almost 5 years ago! (It took me three years just to be able to work just 6 Chickens into the program!).
5. As I will not have to spend over an hour and a half driving each way to work, I will have more time to work on projects at home!!
And yes there are a few CON'S to this new adventure. The big one is I will now have to work with Inmates! That is something I have not had to do before and I will have to a just to that as part of the Job! But the PROS far out weight all that!

So that's my Big Secret! And I can now see some light at the end of the tunnel!
Wish me luck!

Next post, 101 and the Big Chicken Move!
Tom

16 comments:

  1. How wonderful! Congratulations on your new beginning!

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    1. Bee Girl,
      Thanks! I'm making a list of all that I want to do on the place, I will be posting about all of them.
      Tom

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  2. That's AWESOME! 115 mi a day, yikes! I thought I was bad at 85. Huge congrats on the 100th post AND especially the new job!

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    1. Rae,
      Yikes is right! The cost of gas just keeps going up! But 34 miles round trip is a lot easier to deal with!
      Thanks!
      Tom

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  3. SOOOO happy for you! We're all doing a happy dance for you (or maybe just hopping up and down a little in our computer chairs). :)

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    1. Carolyn,
      I was bouncing off the walls when I got the news! But a little hopping is good too!
      Thanks!
      Tom

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  4. Hurray! It's official!!! I think you are right - the pros will out-weigh the cons. But be on your toes just the same! Looking forward to seeing the 'girls' in their new home. And congratulations on your 100th post!

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    1. Susan,
      I hope that nothing got stuck! (You know, with all that crossing!). I have talked to the Army Guard twice and I should get an e-mail with the form I need soon!
      Post # 101 with pictures will be up soon!
      Tom

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  5. Wow, thats great! Traveling that far to work everyday would not be easy. Hopefully having to work with the inmates won't be to much stress, so you can enjoy working closer to home. :)

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    1. Deb,
      Working with the inmates will be a challenge. But I will keep telling myself that I at least get to go home at the end of the shift!
      Tom

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  6. Woo Hoo!! Congratulations! I can't imagine that long of a commute! I do hope this all works out well for you.

    Judy

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    1. Judy,
      Thanks! The work will be some what strange at first. But like I said, the Pros will be what I keep my eye's on!
      Tom

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  7. Congrats! You wont believe how much time you have now and you wont be as tired from all the driving. A little pocket change for your homestead is always a "good thing" (said in my most Martha-ist voice).

    Cant wait to see your girls in their new home. Have to have pics of the first time they see it. The first week my girls all crowded into one nest box and slept on the floor. They didnt catch onto the roost right away. And actually now they argue who can lay in that same nest box...silly girls LOL. Like there isnt two others to lay in.

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    1. Denise,
      Thanks, looking forward to the extra time to be at home. Projects on hold because of lack of time on the home place.
      Next project is fenced area for the kids so they can get out in the sun and start to eat them bugs!
      Tom

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  8. Ooops, sorry I'm late getting to this post but all the same . . . a great, big CONGRATULATIONS on the new job! It does have so many advantages and I'm glad you landed it. As for getting alone with the inmates, I have no doubt that with your personality and a bit of on-the-job training, you will have no trouble at all. Yay for more time (and $$) on the homestead!

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  9. Talk about late to the party! Lol. A BIG BIG Congrats! I'm a bit jealous having been corrections trained, it's my dream job, but the good Lord thought maybe I needed that training to raise my kids. :-). Lots of luck!

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