When the Impossible Happens

Dear friends who take the time to check this blog: this is an extremely long entry, and it's more like a journal entry than a blog post (I know I need to record this somewhere), so if you decide to read it, consider yourself warned: this is a very long story, and probably boring to everyone but me.
So, let's start this story at the beginning. About a month and a half ago, my supervisor for volunteering at the zoo tells me they are hiring keepers and I should apply because she had already mentioned me to the curator. I was completely shocked and flattered, but the more I thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed that they would even consider me for the job. I hadn't been volunteering for that long, I didn't have all that much experience in animal husbandry for large animals, and zoo keepers are the people I've always looked up to from afar - applying to be one of them felt like applying to be a movie star. Plus, when something matters that much to you, getting turned down for something so huge would be soooo painful! It feels much safer not to try and to let dreams be dreams. Still, after a few weeks debating, I figure, "why not? crazier things have happened, and at least it will put me on the radar." So I put together all my application material, turned it into the curator of the zoo himself (that was so scary!), and was slightly disappointed but not too surprised when I didn't hear anything for a couple weeks.
I began to write it off and focus on other summer opportunities, when one Saturday (after a really big snowstorm - it took Dustin and I about an hour to dig our car out of the parking lot that morning!) as I am cleaning in penguins, my supervisor comes in and asks, "Laura, do you want to have an interview with the curator of the zoo at 11:30?" Completely taken aback, I muttered something about how I wished I had put on makeup or something that day, and said yes.
To appreciate the absurdity of the situation, you have to understand what I wear when I volunteer at the zoo - old tennis shoes that are falling apart, jeans with holes in them, and a big baggy sweatshirt. These articles of clothing are perfect for kneeling in mud and snow, cleaning up poo, shoveling straw, and spending most of the morning in the most foul smelling place in the zoo (penguins). They are not perfect for a job interview. They are especially not perfect for a job interview AFTER kneeling in the snow, cleaning poo, shoveling straw, and covering them in the sweet scent of rotting fish.
Anyway, of course I was totally freaking out the rest of the morning. The keeper I was working with (such an awesome person!) was helping me prepare by letting me know what type of questions to expect, especially the random ones like "name 5 livng subspecies of tiger." As I was waiting for 11:30, I cleaned in penguins and covered myself in penguin stench, shoveled snow in the wolfyard and got soaking wet, then shoveled straw in Emus, which straw clung to my soaking wet clothing. It was finally 11:30 and I walked to the County Building for my interview.
On my way in, I pulled two peices of straw out of my hair. The curator is a very nice person, but pretty quiet, which is intimidating. When I sat down in the interview chair, I saw a puddle of water starting to form in the carpet at my feet. He proceeded with the interview, and I was scared, but thanks to the answer to about 100 prayers offered throughout the course of the morning, I think I was able to come off as confident. In fact, I think I came off as a bit too confident, because after the tiger question, he sort of slyly smiled and stated "someone has appraised you of my questions." I had told the keeper who helped me prepare I wouldn't tell the curator that she had told me the questions, so I just smiled and looked down in mock shame and said "no comment." The rest of the interview went pretty well (I think Heavenly Father helped me to think on my feet - it's not like I knew ALL the questions), and after the interview he warned me that I might not find out for awhile (things with the county approving the job and so on), and he actually told me that I did a good job and that he had heard good things about me.
Another couple of weeks passed, and I found out someone else had been hired as a part time keeper. This didn't necessarily mean I was out of the running, because they were trying to fill 4 part-time positions and only one of them had been filled, but it was still sad. Then, this last Saturday, the impossible happened. When standing in line at the food stand for lunch, the curator called asked me to come see him before I left for the day. Of course I was freaking out again (he calls in everyone to tell them yes OR no), and the keepers I was working with were so sweet and supportive. We worked out a way for me to go see him BEFORE I had to leave so that the Rocky Coast keepers could find out what he said, and they even promised me that if he said no I would get to feed the penguins and the sea lions to help me feel better. I was SO SCARED and I really didn't expect him to say yes, so as I walked over to his office in the front of the zoo, I ran through all the things I could say when he told me I didn't get the job - things like "thanks for your consideration" - so that I wouldn't cry until after I left the office. Seriously, it felt like in highschool right before they listed the cast for the plays I tried out for. Anyway, you can imagine my shock when he OFFERED ME THE JOB!!! I actually sat there for a second like an idiot to try to figure out if I had understood him correctly, and then I managed a bewildered, "thank you." About 20 seconds later it started to sink in and I said "oh my gosh! Thank you!" We talked about schedules (which is turning out to be complicated), and then before I left, and thanked him again and blurted out "I will work very, very, very hard!" He said "I'm sure you will," I walked out of the office, and then I sprinted all the way down to Rocky Coast! Right before I got there, I realized I wanted Dustin to be the first to know, so I called him, then I ran in and told the keeper I work with the most. She and all the other keepers were so sweet and happy for me! There was much hugging, screaming, and jumping up and down. I even got to feed the penguins in celebration and go out for the sea lion feed too!
So, here I am, waiting to find out my start date (more county processing stuff and I have to have a background check, drug test, etc.). I'm still in a state of shock. At times I don't quite believe it. I'm actually really worried that this is going to puff up my ego and that I'll start thinking I'm as awesome as I've always thought zoo keepers are. I don't want to turn into an ungrateful, insufferable snob. What a dangerous thing to get what you've always wanted! The important thing is to remember where my blessings come from, and never forget what a miracle this is. My family and I have all been praying that the right thing would happen about whether or not I got this job. I have no idea why Heavenly Father is handing me my wildest dreams on a silver platter, but it is certainly through no merit of my own. I am so grateful and awestruck, and honestly a bit confused by so many blessings. So I end this entry by shouting to the skies and to the far reaches of the internet, "thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!"