In April I received a call that I was candidate for a position with Portland Public Schools as a Nutrition Program Manager. This was a dream opportunity for me. Not only would I be able to work in school foodservice, but I would be working with a team already revolutionizing what people visualized when they thought about "school food." I also would be living in Portland, a place that I fell in love with when I visited for a friend's wedding two years ago. This is one of the places that Mr. NN and I had on our "places to live" list after our wedding.
I'll spare you the boring details and give a brief interview of what the last week of April/ First week of May was like. I flew out to PDX the last weekend in April for the interview, came back to OKC Tuesday, took my final final exam, picked Mr. NN from the airport Wednesday, Friday both of sets of our parents came to OKC and that day I graduated from UCO with my Master of Science. The next day Mr. NN and I started our drive back to Wisconsin.
Begin "downtime" week.. until Thursday. That day I received the offer from Portland Public Schools. I also found out they needed me to come out for the month of June. So much for what I just unpacked. That weekend I went with Mr. NN and his mom to Michigan to celebrate his cousin's graduation from college. Fast forward the month of May: found a room to rent in Portland, repacked, cleared away some wedding to- dos, and left for Portland, OR on Memorial Day.
June 1st I attended my first work happy hour, which made me feel at home. On June 4th I actually started training for my position and so I wouldn't be lost when the 2012- 13 school year starts (at least that's the goal). The people I work with are fantastic and love food as much as, if not more than, I do. My last day was June 28th and that evening I began my journey home. In Minneapolis on June 30th I was finally reunited with Mr. NN and if all goes according to plan (which it better after this past year) we won't be separated again like that for a long time (like ever).
During all this I was studying for the CDR Exam, the exam that would officially make me a RD (or as I like to think of it: master of all things nutrition related (until new research comes out)).
Today, July 11, 2012, it is official: I am Cathy Kozik, RD.
(At least until August.)
What will I do now with all this free time?
Oh wait, I guess I should finish planning my wedding.
Maybe I'll write more in here too.
