I dropped the piece of paper on Gina, my boss' boss' desk this morning. It was quickly written just a little after I got to the office. i could have written it earlier - over the weekend, but i guess I wanted that reassurance that everything was right.
About an hour earlier, I had called the HR recruiter for my new employer. She once again went over the offer, telling me the pay (a little lower) and benefits, and that I'd be starting, if I agreed, at 8:00am on monday, January 23. It's a fast jump for me. She had originally called me on Friday, at work, and I was having to sit there giving slightly vague answers as my boss sits next to me. I had told her that I would call to confirm on Monday just to give me time to contact all the people who should know about this. I had immediately emailed Chris from work to tell him that it was on.
It wasn't entirely a surprise, because it was something that had been working on for several months, from application to interviews to offers. Last month I called in sick and traveled to Dallas to do a face-to-face that I think really helped me get the job. The HR person contacted me back and told me that I was overqualified for that position, but that there was another one that they were interested in talking to me about, so last Tuesday I sat in my car during work hours and talked about how I would be good for this new position even though I was being bad at my old one.
Still, I have to admit that even though I did well in the interview, I was thinking that I wasn't going to get it. I've been turned down so many times, by phone calls, and more often by emails, so I was genuinely surprised when the call came in. Still, when I heard about it, what they were offering, and knowing what kind of quality company it was, I knew that I needed to take this opportunity. Still, I have to tell you that I thought that this might be the job for me, and there was the possibility this might happen, so that's why I didn't sign up for Fiesta this year.
She even told me that both of the people I interviewed with were impressed, liked that I had experience, and that I had the ever elusive retirement experience. she also mentioned that my new bosses thought that I would advance quickly, so now I'll know that I'm going to be watched for sure.
I have to remember, less internet surfing.
I talked with Chris about everything this weekend, and we agreed for me to move into his wonderful home, and I'm still working with the apartment complex on how to get out of my lease, that lasts till May. It looks like I'll be able to get out of it after giving 60 days notice, so that would actually give me some time to get everything packed and out the door too. I was worried that I'd have to get out quickly.
I told my parents last night. For the most part, they were supportive, and I guess with my continuing talk about Chris, it was pretty clear that it was going to happen, sooner or later. Mom seemed cool with everything, but Dad seemed to just want to make sure that I was getting a decent job. Still, I wondered how much of my furniture they might like for their house, and I'm going to get rid of a few items, while the bulk of it will be placed in storage. Since I have some stuff in Dad's current storage unit, Dad and I agreed that he would price a larger unit and we could go in together paying for it, rather than having two separate rooms.
I even called my sister, who gave me a few tips for moving after her move to Baltimore last year. Her biggest advice was, don't skimp on the movers, because they will be 7 days late getting your stuff to your new place. Of course, I'm not moving nearly as far, so maybe it will be only a couple of hours or so. I know the new car will also get a lot of cargo time.
So after saying yes to the HR person this morning, I went to work, late, and gave Gina my quickly typed notice. I gave it to her, and not my new boss because I've worked with Gina for all of my 7 years with the company, while my new boss has only been around for a few weeks, and is more worried about his gallbladder than about the new groups he's running. Gina said that she was sorry to see me go, but also knew that i wanted to move to Dallas, and understood. It was honest, and it felt good to hear her say it.
My new boss has no idea what he's getting into with my old group, and now he's going to have to learn fast. I have a short 8 days to teach him, but luckily my guys could run themselves, it's just all of my projects that he'll have to figure out. He really looked pained by my announcement, and who could blame him, he'll also have to learn and work. Really, I hope they'll find a good replacement for me, because he's going to need it. I have already recommended the best guy on my team for the position.
As for me, I'm buying storage bins at Target and moving boxes and making lists. There's so much to do! I'll have more stories about the move coming.
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