It's over...
Our first semester as managers is done! And we survived! These last few weeks have been so busy preparing for the departure of our 128 students for the winter break. This is my excuse for lack of posts... There were lots and lots of papers to retype and organize, print, staple, and pass out, then collect and file. There were lots of dusty fingers, greasy hands, and aching feet. On top of all that, we also made and hand delivered little gifts for each apartment - a loaf of bread and a bag of yummy chocolates!
Our check out schedule lasted for four days, Wednesday - Saturday, during which we were at the mercy of the tenants as they finished their tests and cleaning. When they were ready, we went to their apartment to make sure that they cleaned well enough to earn a full refund of their deposit. Even though we are so tired, we are so thrilled at the outcome. Nearly every student passed and our apartments are quite clean. There is hardly any follow-up cleaning needed! Which is a relief because we volunteered to clean up behind them...
So, one semester down, and the next is right around the corner. Now comes the time to prepare for check ins. Those I'm not as nervous about because I have done it once before. With check outs, it was all new territory. And it was up to us and the owner, who hasn't been that involved over the last few years because she hasn't had to be - she had a property manager that lived in town that took care of practically everything. Now most of those responsibilities have fallen to me, and I know practically nothing. Though it has been exciting to learn.
It is intimidating to be the manager of so many people older than I am. I feel like they might think, "who is this little girl, and why does she thing she's the boss?" During one of my clean checks I wore my "Class of '09" t-shirt. A tenant noticed and asked, "are you really class of '09?" I -slightly embarrassed- told him yes, to which he replied that he was class of '05... awkward silence. We ended up laughing it off. It's a similar situation when I chat with the girls that live here, especially when I started revealing that I was pregnant (oops... I promise to blog about that soon!) and only 21. Not that I regret the decision to start our family by any means! Sometime you just get weird looks... Oh well. Their loss, right?
Managing has been hard for me, I'm not going to lie. Every day I'm pushed outside of my comfort zone by talking with people, approaching people, calling people, etc. It's really not a job I was cut out for, but I am learning so much and doing better. Tom has been a real sweetie through it all. He is so willing to pick up where I leave slack. He's much better at talking to people and approaching situations in a calm matter - I tend to freak out. A lot. Working on it.
Really, managing is more of a lifestyle change than a job change. We can't just clock out and forget about work. We have tenants who need us to be available all the time, in case of emergency. I think that is really why it has been a challenge; I don't do well with change. But honest, I am improving. And now that we have a semester under out belts, I know a little more of what I am up against. Before too long, I'll catch up to where Tom is and be a pro at this managing business!
All in all, this job has been a blessing for the both of us. We get to spend so much time together! We talk about what we used to do when we both had school and work and only had a few hours a day together before we headed to bed. Now we get to spend nearly every waking moment together. It is so great. We're really lucky and cherish all the fun we're having. It's so great to be in love. Cheesy, I know, but oh so true!
Showing posts with label Rexburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rexburg. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Rexburgians
I can't believe how fast time flies. It has been a month since we moved to Rexburg.
Rexburg is treating us well, and we are enjoying ourselves.
Our apartment is humble, but just great for a newly married couple. We were really spoiled in Pocatello, and our home now is much more like what you would expect newly weds to live in as they start off. We live in the basement of an old house and "manage" the girls who live upstairs. There are 4 of them this semester, but usually there are 6. They are all very friendly and fun gals. We have to do clean checks once a week and enjoy what little time we have to get to know them. We also enjoy watching movies with them as the dialogue comes directly through the vents and into our bedroom.
I was hired as a "Guest Service Representative" (aka Front Desk) for the Springhill Suites Marriott in town. It is a great place to work and everyone there is so friendly. Marriott is a good company and does well to treat their employees well. I've had a hard time adjusting to the 3p-11p shift that I often am scheduled to work because my usual bedtime is an hour or so before I get off. Slowly, but surely, I will get used to it. My only complaint is that the Front Desk is a 24 hr, 7 days a week kind of job, so I end up working quite a few Sundays. Not what I like. But, I am the new kid on the block, so I pretty much expected it. With time, I'm hoping I can get out of working them. The hotel is much smaller than the Clarion in Pocatello, so even on "busy" nights, I find myself without things to do and really bored... I end up cleaning a lot: the lobby, the front desk, the closet, and the back office, just to name a few. But I'm not complaining. I would rather be bored than stressed out of my mind because everything is going wrong! The best part about this job is I can receive an Associate Rate at ANY Marriott worldwide, so long as it is available. I also have access to a Friends and Family Rate. *wink wink*
Tom is working for the Salt Lake Express. They mostly use him for charters, so he actually has a lot of downtime. With charters, he is paid by the day, so in a weekend, he can make what he would working on regular routes. He really enjoys the charters and prefers them over the scheduled routes. Charters are fun for me too because if the group gives the okay, I can come along! Sometimes they are more busy than others, but they always feel like a mini vacation. It's a pretty good gig. So far he has been to Boise a few times, Yellowstone, Salt Lake, Idaho Falls, Grace, and Downey, to name a few.
Tom is officially a BYU-I Student. The proof is in the cards.
Our I-cards. This is how we can get into the I-center and the gym, among other things. Tom was very eager to get his I-card, so he obtained special permission to take an online class this semester, although he technically isn't supposed to start school until the Fall. For now he only has the one online class, Science Foundations, but he will start up full time in September.
Between our jobs and traveling on weekends -baby blessings, farewells- we haven't had a chance to experience our new ward yet. It is very sad, but we both have this coming Sunday off and will finally be able to attend. We just hope the ward doesn't think we're inactive!
Probably our most exciting news is our new purchase....
Hooray for a new car! We have been looking for a while with not much luck, until we stumbled upon this beauty parked in front of the Broulim's grocery store here in town. We called and though the guy had had a lot of interest, we were the first to say, "We'll take it!" As soon as we offered, he said he had calls flooding in of people offering to buy the car. We were lucky that we were dealing with a honorable man and he stuck to his word to sell it to us. We sure do love it!
We miss Pocatello often, but we really are enjoying ourselves here. We really like the atmosphere of Rexburg. It is a lot of fun to walk to a park and see so many people there enjoying the weather, a game of Ultimate Frisbee, or spending time with one another. We often walk to Porter Park and meet Mom, Dad, Sam, and Kanolli. We sure enjoy living close to them and getting to see them as often as we do! It's also really neat to be so close to a temple. We are just down the hill and could easily walk to it. We're very excited to make that a regular part of our routine!
3 cheers for 3 years in Rexburg! (give or take.)
Rexburg is treating us well, and we are enjoying ourselves.
Our apartment is humble, but just great for a newly married couple. We were really spoiled in Pocatello, and our home now is much more like what you would expect newly weds to live in as they start off. We live in the basement of an old house and "manage" the girls who live upstairs. There are 4 of them this semester, but usually there are 6. They are all very friendly and fun gals. We have to do clean checks once a week and enjoy what little time we have to get to know them. We also enjoy watching movies with them as the dialogue comes directly through the vents and into our bedroom.
I was hired as a "Guest Service Representative" (aka Front Desk) for the Springhill Suites Marriott in town. It is a great place to work and everyone there is so friendly. Marriott is a good company and does well to treat their employees well. I've had a hard time adjusting to the 3p-11p shift that I often am scheduled to work because my usual bedtime is an hour or so before I get off. Slowly, but surely, I will get used to it. My only complaint is that the Front Desk is a 24 hr, 7 days a week kind of job, so I end up working quite a few Sundays. Not what I like. But, I am the new kid on the block, so I pretty much expected it. With time, I'm hoping I can get out of working them. The hotel is much smaller than the Clarion in Pocatello, so even on "busy" nights, I find myself without things to do and really bored... I end up cleaning a lot: the lobby, the front desk, the closet, and the back office, just to name a few. But I'm not complaining. I would rather be bored than stressed out of my mind because everything is going wrong! The best part about this job is I can receive an Associate Rate at ANY Marriott worldwide, so long as it is available. I also have access to a Friends and Family Rate. *wink wink*
Tom is working for the Salt Lake Express. They mostly use him for charters, so he actually has a lot of downtime. With charters, he is paid by the day, so in a weekend, he can make what he would working on regular routes. He really enjoys the charters and prefers them over the scheduled routes. Charters are fun for me too because if the group gives the okay, I can come along! Sometimes they are more busy than others, but they always feel like a mini vacation. It's a pretty good gig. So far he has been to Boise a few times, Yellowstone, Salt Lake, Idaho Falls, Grace, and Downey, to name a few.
Tom is officially a BYU-I Student. The proof is in the cards.
Our I-cards. This is how we can get into the I-center and the gym, among other things. Tom was very eager to get his I-card, so he obtained special permission to take an online class this semester, although he technically isn't supposed to start school until the Fall. For now he only has the one online class, Science Foundations, but he will start up full time in September.
Between our jobs and traveling on weekends -baby blessings, farewells- we haven't had a chance to experience our new ward yet. It is very sad, but we both have this coming Sunday off and will finally be able to attend. We just hope the ward doesn't think we're inactive!
Probably our most exciting news is our new purchase....
Hooray for a new car! We have been looking for a while with not much luck, until we stumbled upon this beauty parked in front of the Broulim's grocery store here in town. We called and though the guy had had a lot of interest, we were the first to say, "We'll take it!" As soon as we offered, he said he had calls flooding in of people offering to buy the car. We were lucky that we were dealing with a honorable man and he stuck to his word to sell it to us. We sure do love it!
We miss Pocatello often, but we really are enjoying ourselves here. We really like the atmosphere of Rexburg. It is a lot of fun to walk to a park and see so many people there enjoying the weather, a game of Ultimate Frisbee, or spending time with one another. We often walk to Porter Park and meet Mom, Dad, Sam, and Kanolli. We sure enjoy living close to them and getting to see them as often as we do! It's also really neat to be so close to a temple. We are just down the hill and could easily walk to it. We're very excited to make that a regular part of our routine!
3 cheers for 3 years in Rexburg! (give or take.)
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