barista-ing

So today was my last day working at Irish Blessings Coffeehouse. I cannot believe how lucky I got with that job. No joke, like, seriously...unbelievable. I didn't even seek out or interview for the job. My older sister had been working there the previous summer, and when we got back from our roadtrip to take her out to school there was a message on our machine from her boss asking if I'd like a job there. This was quite perfect really, seeing as how I had been bugging my parents for a while about their letting me please not be someone who gets out of college with no money, no car, and no way of supporting myself. PLEASE let me get a job! They reluctantly agreed to let me have a go at it if we set up some strict rules about the number of hours I'd work and if I'd keep in mind that school was always to remain the priority. Fast forward two years, and here I am, a store-manager who's just graduated from high school with a year of college credit under my belt along with a two week trip to London with my best friend, ready to go attack uni in VA. This job gave me so much....

Financially, I never would have been able to do half the "fun stuff'' that I did in high school with other kids or by myself.  I never would have been able to pay for two college classes in my senior spring semester. There would have been no trip to London and no funds stored up for college. There also would have been no INSANITY nor some of the extra little cushion money I had to help out with when my dad got a blood clot in his lungs last fall.

Personally, I would be a very different individual today if I hadn't gone through all those experiences at work.  I would never have learned that, actually, I can manage a job along with schoolwork. I would not be nearly as good a multitasker as I am now, nor as skilled at handling tricky customers. Or great customers either, for that matter. I would never have gained so much confidence in myself or my ability to learn new skills. I would never know just how greatly hard work pays off and what sacrifice really means (a nine-hour shift on a Saturday in the summer when you've been up since 5:00am and your feet are swollen).

My boss and her husband are seriously the best. No screwing around here, no kiss ups. Natalie and Chris are generous beyond belief. Natalie was and continues to be very patient with her employees. She gives second chances, doesn't expect perfection, and has the best sense of sarcastic humor. She's also very open to suggestions about how things can be improved. She and Chris have created a business in which customers, employees, and honesty are valued, truly. I love Natalie; she, and Chris, and her parents, and her sister Tammy, will be at my wedding. Now that's not to say that there were never days in which I came home frustrated with her. She does have a tendancy to be impulsive and when things go unplanned, become a little crazed and rushed. And I never liked being yelled at get out to the counter when I couldn't hear customers come in. Also, since I'm finally done, may I just say a royal FUCK YOU to deep cleaning! hahahaha OH that felt good man! Deep cleaning was never my fav; although it did need to be done. Anyways, the point is, there were good and bad things with Natalie. But the good made up about 90% of her character, and the bad the other 10%. Yeah, essentially a kick-ass boss who I very muchly enjoyed working for. Love you Nat!

I still remember on my first day at work without Natalie training me in. Tammy was working and the first thing she said to me when I came in was, "Welcome to the family, hun!" Followed by a very soft, sweet side-hug. I fail to think of another time when I had felt more accepted in public. And what a perfect welcome that had been. Working at IBC has been like working with family. Ironically, I truly did work with both my sisters as well, which was amazing. But truly--the fun, the challenging, and the rewarding days--just like working with family. Oh the things you learn as a barista at IBC....

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