I am originally from San Bernardino. I moved to San Diego in 2004, right after I graduated from high school. I went to a private school called the Design Institute of San Diego, where I graduated with a BA Degree in Interior Design. I graduated in 2008, right after the recession hit.
I had worked at a bar/restuarant for all four years so I had a job when I finished school... just not what I was applying for. While trying to find any work related to my field of study, I continued to work in at least one restaurant or bar. After many interviews, commutes, energy and disappointment, I realized I really deep down loved working in a restaurant. The market being so bad didn't help finding a career in such a luxury field. I was bummed out, but not for me. I just knew everyone else didn't see a "successful" future for me if I just stayed working at the bar.
Moving forward to 2011, I hung up my server apron to try and find the "normalcy" of a "regular hour" type job. 9-5 working for a jewelry store in the mall is where I ended up. After about a year at the jewelry store, I swapped over to a jewelry repair shop. This did not last long either. Being confined in a box, in a mall, with all of the awful lights and no outside world was my least favorite working environment.
I then moved to beautiful Alpine, on the eastern, mountain edges of San Diego County. Here I worked at a very small but very well known Italian Restaurant. I worked there for 5 years and gained an immense amount of bar knowledge, as well as mastering the attention to detail. While I worked in Alpine, I studied and passed my Real Estate exam. Trying to find my "calling" and "big girl job" was really the only reason I took the test. I believed that having the education in Design would be such a helpful tool in trying to sell a house.
I ended my real estate career almost as fast as I started it. I am such a people
person, but not a seller, nor a closer. So I accepted this and went back to the service industry and took a bartending job at a bar and restaurant. This time, I knew I had finally found a place where being a bartender was such a privilege.
This establishment in beautiful Downtown San Diego, stole my heart from my very first orientation. It was as if all of the service standards and tools that I held value in, were their exact approach to business. It was the Universe working for me. This was my real dream job. I found a position, in a place built on principles, vision and hard work. I had finally found my missing puzzle piece. I found More than a future, I found a family.
Everything had finally fallen into place, and I mean everything. I was healthy, happy, in love, working full time at One job. All of my efforts, lessons, and experience had led me to find such a phenomenal job. Everything in all areas of my life at 34 was by definition "incredible."
Every single thing was perfect until Monday, March 16th when I lost my job because of the coronavirus.