This is why I'm hot.

Molten Chocolate Cake.

This is how I celebrated the end of my nearly 10-month run as a server at Chili's. Saturday was my last day. And although my fellow servers don't want to believe it, I don't really want to go back to serving if I can help it. So Saturday afternoon, I finished my shift, did my checkout, and dove into a molten... Which, I think, is by far the most delicious dessert I've ever had. But this isn't about chocolate cake, or about how I ate ice cream at Baskin Robbins on Friday, immediately followed by ice cream at Cold Stone (Thanks, Nicole!). That's a story in and of itself.

Today I want to focus on the fact that tomorrow - yes, the day that starts in roughly 20 minutes - I start a new job. A REAL job. I get a salary. Benefits. A desk. I'll be using my degree. It's fantastic. I found this job through my oh-so-loving cousin, Allison, who does marketing for an insurance company. They needed another marketing girl, Al hooked me up with an interview... and the rest is history. Goodbye Chili's, hello new job. Hip, hip... HOORAY!

And a special thanks to Allison. My best-est friend/cousin/roommate ever.

So goodbye to serving Babyback ribs and Cajun Ribeye steaks to tiny Asian women who made me wonder, "Where DOES she put it?" Goodbye to my favorite bus-boy, Rafi, who would walk through the kitchen and say in broken English, "Ladies and Gentlemen, watch the Lakers tonight!" ...Even when the Lakers were out of the play-offs. Goodbye to my grease-stained black t-shirts, my smelly-old non-slip work shoes, and ruining countless pairs of jeans. Goodbye to awesome blossoms (a whopping 2700 calories) and molten chocolate cakes (1000 calories-plus) and stealing shake "shots" from the chocolate shake machine.

Chili's, it was a good run.

I'm going to miss the Mexican cooks - namely Galdino, Reuben and Paulo - who were all convinced I was their girlfriend. I'm going to miss pretending that my favorite bartender, Jesse, was my boyfriend so that the cooks would back off; then laughing when they'd say, "I don't care, you can have TWO boyfriends!" I'll miss sitting at table 87 with our regular customer, Mike, who gave good advice, but always warned, "My advice is worth what you pay for it -- nothing!"

Working at a restaurant gives you a little work family. There is so much I will miss.

Natalie's sweetness. Chris singing "This is Why I'm Hot" and "I Make It Rain" while he walked around the restaurant. Having secret crushes on Jesse with Nicole and Natalie. Post-shift hang-outs on the patio. Nicole's jokes. Going to Stacy for motherly advice, even though she's young enough to be my sister, not my Mom. A sweet good-bye card from Sue.

I could go on. But for the sake of those who don't have a clue what the above paragraphs even mean or who I'm talking about, I'll save you the trouble of reading any more. Just do me a favor and wish me luck on my new journey. A new job. A REAL job.

This is why I'm hot.