Turning Down Jobs

Turning down a job is a difficult thing to do, especially when you aren’t sure another is going to come along anytime soon.

Last week I heard back from the firm that I’ve been applying with. They told me that they really enjoyed meeting with me and think that I would make a good addition to their team, but they aren’t sure they have a good spot to put me yet. I was a little discouraged, but was told to be optimistic: they frequently sign new clients and they scramble to find new employees. They told me I had two options: wait until they do have an opening and do the whole process over again, or take a writing test now that they can keep on file (this makes the hiring process, once they have a position open, much easier). I opted to take the test.

In the mean time, I was feeling like I just need a JOB. I didn’t really care doing what; I just needed to be doing something with my days, and pulling in some kind of income. So I went to Craigslist. Great resource. I sent resumes to a number of the postings and was called back to interview for a PR position at a oral surgeons office.

-- In case it’s been a while since I’ve spoken to you, I spent the last year and a half working for my uncle’s dental office as a marketing director. --

I figured that I might as well keep my options open, so I went to the interview. The surgeon and office manager were very nice, and seemed very interested in me as an employee. I left the interview hopeful.

I took my written test for the PR Agency on Thursday and immediately afterwards received a call from the oral surgeon, offering me the position. I asked if I could have a few days to consider my options, which they were fine with.

Here was the dilemma. Do I take a job that has a really limited scope, but that is in my comfort zone and is a sure thing – or do I hold out for the chance to work at my dream job, even though that opportunity may never actually make itself known?

In the end, Shiloh convinced me to discard my risk-averse tendencies. I turned down the offer yesterday. It was a difficult thing to do, mostly because the Dr. and Office Manager were so nice, and it would have been a pleasure to work with them. Here’s to hoping something works out.

I’ll keep you posted.

Adi's Hot Spot

Last Saturday, Shiloh and I took Adi to a dog park in Shirlington (about 5 minutes from us). It has a small river that runs along the side of it, so tons of dogs come to play, especially on hot days. Adi had a great time, made lots of friends, but came home really sick. We think she may have drunk a lot of the river water, which is not very clean.

Sunday, when we returned from church, Adi had a large wet spot on the top of her back. Apparently, she had been licking it all morning. She did not want us to touch it, and yelped when we did. We weren't sure what to do, so we left her alone and hoped it would work itself out. That night was miserable. She woke up about every half and hour crying and trying to run away from whatever was hurting her. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep.

So the next morning I called our wonderful vet back in Pocatello, to see what I should do. He told me that her skin was probably irritated by a scratch and she had been licking it to try to make it feel better. Dogs do this I guess. Unfortunately, its not a good thing for them to do. Her licking had introduced bacteria and had cause an infection under the skin (ie: a hot spot), which is pretty common. He told us to shave the hair from the affected area, take some pictures that he would look at and then put an antibacterial ointment on it. This was a process – I don’t think I’ll be applying for a job as a vet’s assistant any time soon.

She didn’t eat, drink or sleep for a few days, which worried us, but after a couple days of the medication she was doing much better.

By Wednesday she was eating, drinking and sleeping again, as well as feeling the itch to get outside and play. We made her stay in, away from other dogs, for another day or two. By Friday she was pretty much back to normal. The infection had scabbed over and was coming of, and aside from it itching, she wasn’t paying much attention to it at all.

We are happy to have our healthy dog back, although having a lethargic one for a while was a nice change.

Just Starting Out

Hey everyone! I decided with all of our running around and constantly changing plans we would put together a blog to keep everyone up to date.

Right now we live in Crystal City, VA and are working in DC. Shiloh is doing an internship with the government and loving it. He has one more semester of his MBA program and then we'll be out here for a longer stay. I am currently looking for a job. I interviewed with a great PR Firm in the district last week and am expecting to hear from them by the end of this week. Hopefully all goes well. We live in a 12-floor apartment complex called Crystal House. We love the area - tons of great restuarants and shopping. We've had a really good time exploring what Virginia has to offer.

Adi does not like city life as much as we do. Our studio apartment just doesn't offer many things to do. We have, however, found a few lovely dog parks that she uses to get as much energy out as possible (we'll post pictures when we've taken some). She has discovered all of the squirrels and birds that live in the area, but leash laws keeps her from chasing them...too bad. She spends a lot of time looking out our windows to see what's going on outside.

We had a great time in Montana last month. It was so nice to have a chance to hang out with the Allens and help out where we could. Adi tried her best to become a "cow dog", but I don't think she'd make the cut. Jan and Lyle were nice enough to let her take over the back yard, spoiling her completely. :)