Welcome to Bakersfield

When Amy and I first talked about where we would like to live when I got a job after college, I told her the only place I don't want to go is California. I hate traffic and always associated California with sitting in a hot car for hours on end. Well, Tuesday I had a chance to fly out to Bakersfield for a job interview with Dreyer's Ice Cream. Bakersfield is a small town for California standards, only about 300,000 people live there. It has grown a lot over the past ten years, and because of that, coupled with it's desert climate, reminded me a lot of Vegas, minus the strip. It's not the prettiest town, but the traffic was great, the people were all very nice, and it seems like a very family oriented town. On the down side it's a hot dead town. At least they have a triple A baseball team!
I spent Tuesday driving around the city looking at apartments. We're definitely hoping to get in a house sooner than later, but figure we'll have to spend at least some time in an apartment. I took the video camera with me and filmed it all for Amy. Wednesday was my interview from 8:45am till 3pm. I interviewed with 8 different people. Luckily they were organized enough that they each took a part of my resume to ask me about, so I didn't get the same questions over and over. I was a little nervous that morning, but I talked to Amy and she reminded me that I had a chance to spend a whole day talking about something I love, Ice Cream. I went in with that attitude and really had a good time. Some of the interviews were pretty intense, asking me tough science questions. Other interviews were a little more laid back, mostly just about my background. Overall, I felt like I did well, and was impressed with the opportunity. There is really no better company than Dreyer's that I could work for. They are by far the leader of being dedicated to advancing the science and technology of Ice Cream, and that is a perfect fit for me. I spent that afternoon going to a couple of houses with a realtor and the camcorder. Then I got back here to Columbus yesterday afternoon.
Today I got a call to let me know they unanimously decided to offer me the job. Amy and I have been praying about it and went to the temple, and have decided that this will be a great opportunity for us, and we're grateful to a loving heavenly father who is guiding us. They want me to start October 5th, so it is going to be crazy getting ready to leave that soon. So, we're pretty excited and nervous. Even though we might not be living in Utopia, it will be a great opportunity as well as a chance to be a lot closer to family.