People - Sometimes You Love Them, Sometimes You Don't

I was just reading one of my favorite blogs - MBA Words of Wisdom. It is a collections of statements made by my classmates and professors. Granted it is probably funnier to me than it is to you - you know since I know these people. However some of the quotes are just awesome. My personal favorite (at least today):

Sometimes my biggest pet peeve is other people - that they exist.

It makes me feel better about myself to know that I am not the only person who on occasion despises others just for being.

I love my Family!!!

The past few months have been a bit of a crazy roller coaster, but I have to say that I just love my family. They are awesome, pretty much the best ever. I know you think your family is more awesome than mine, but we may just have to agree to disagree on this issue. This fall has been super busy. What I was thinking taking 19.5 credits while being involved in club leadership and taking on a bunch of other extracurricular activities is kind of ridiculous, but my family helps me get through it.... Not because they help, but because seeing them or talking to them is what gets me through the day.

Below is the recap of my family events of the past couple of months....


On September 16, my "little" brother Asa left for the Massachusetts, Boston Mission. It is hard to think that he is SO grown up. I really do remember him in diapers. Tuesday night we all got together for dinner up in Salt Lake @ my sister's house. Abe & Ann came down too. It was the Utah gang, minus Tedi & Doug (more on that later) Unfortunately I left my camera at home that night, or maybe I just forgot to get it out.

Wednesday I ran to meet up with Becky, Eric & Asa at CPK for our last Wednesday afternoon lunch. Last year Asa was a freshman @ BYU and I was in my 1st semester of business school. Asa requested that we get together for lunch once a week and Wednesday was the day. Most weeks our lunch date was the highlight. Asa was there to listen to me rant (I tend to do it a lot) when I had a lot of stuff going on and needed a listening ear. I will treasure those memories.

Reuben came down to visit me/go to the BYU/Florida Game. I happened to score pretty decent tickets this year (11th row isn't bad, right) and since I have a guest pass Reubs wanted to come. I managed to find a ticket for his roommate Matt as well. The game had the potential to be awesome, but unfortunately the potential only lasted about 3 minutes. Then we were annihilated. I really do adore Reuben and he listened to me while I unloaded a burden that I needed to share, but wasn't sure who to discuss it with. Thanks Reubs!!

Last week I had 3 days off of classes for fall recruiting trips/ to attend NSHMBA. NSHMBA was being held in Minneapolis, MN where Tedi & Doug recently moved for grad school. I signed up to attend the conference and planned to stay with Tedi and Doug. As the conference approached and I FINALLY figured out what I want to do when I grow up, I looked over the list of companies attended and realized that I didn't want to work for any of them, so I skipped the conference entirely and spend the days hanging out with Tedi, Miss A and Doug (when he didn't have to study - unfortunately it was midterms :( )

Tedi, Miss A and I went to Mall of America (totally overrated in my opinion, but fun to see anyway) the Walker Art Museum - not really the type of art that I like (I don't really see how a bronze/gold urinal is considered art, but perhaps I am just not that cultured) and all around Tedi's neighborhood. We also made Asa a ridiculous birthday card - think pink hearts, ruffley HOT pink crepe paper and glitter. It was awesome. I really miss having family around to do silly things with. I am hoping I get a job close to family so that we can play and do stupid things on the weekend.

Below is the highlight of my visit with my sister, brother-in-law and niece.

Labor Day - MBA Single's Style

This year the fearless leader of the MBA Singles Association decided that we needed to have a Labor Day retreat as Labor Day fell just after school started, but before classes get too crazy. Since Emily's parents own two homes directly across the street from the beach in Carlsbad, we decided to hit Southern California for a little R&R/one last weekend in the sun.

I had a great time. I did some (read VERY little) homework while laying on the beach, trying to even out my tan lines. It was a great time to spend with new and old friends and to just enjoy hours and hours of sunshine. We did take some time out from the beach to watch the BYU vs. Oklahoma game - GO COUGS!! We also hit downtown San Diego for dinner. I had a great time and REALLY want to move to Southern California after graduating. What is there not to love?

What I have been up to - August Edition

August was a busy month, but also VERY fun. I finished my internship on August 14th and headed home for a 10 day visit. While I home I got to celebrate both of my parents birthdays, the birth of a new niece, go school shopping with my single sisters whom I love and adore. We have a great time together, even if I am old enough to be the mother of both of them, provided I started having children when I was 14. I also got to just hang out and do "a whole lot of nothing" which was definitely needed after the crazy busy summer I had and in preparation for the school year (which is possibly crazier than last year, if you can believe that!) Included in my "whole lot of nothing" was days at the swimming pool and hitting the driving range with my oldest niece and nephew (ages 7 and 5 - sadly I left my camera in the car and didn't get any pictures of that craziness.)


I returned to Provo in time to help out for a day at New Student Orientation and then left the next day for the Annual MBA Marketing Association (MBAMA) in Moab, UT. Fun times were had by all. Below are the collages of each of the "main" events as well as just random hanging out photos. It was WAY easier to do it this way, plus I am being totally lazy.

MOAB
Day 1: Arrive @ hotel, free time until dinner. We had dinner @ the Broken Oar and it was super delicious and a great time to socialize and learn more about one another. After dinner we headed to Zion's Bank for an industry professional presentations. We listened to Nathan Anderson from Union Pacific talk about Business to Business Marketing. It was fairly interesting - much more so than last year, but I think that may have something to do with the fact that I actually understood all of the business lingo that what used. What a difference a year makes!

DAY 2: Friday morning we were up at bright and early (what I affectionately call the "butt crack of dawn") for our hummer safari. It was fun. We went on the same trail as last year, but part of the trail was closed so we didn't get to ride as far, nor did we get the REALLY fun hills. :-(

Yes we are kind of ridiculous with all of our photos, but we had a good time. My favorite photo in this collage is the one of the girls jumping in the air (I took the photo and it makes me happy every time I look at it.) And to quote my friend Rand, "Moab was a big success. Although I was unable to attend, I know it was a success because there were dozens of photos of women in the program jumping in the air at the same time, which is a key success metric of any road trip."

After we returned from our Hummer safari, we went to hang out in the "Walmart Lounge." Walmart was one of our corporate sponsors for the event and provided us with all kinds of snacks. We had a great time socializing until all hours of the night (and during the day too).

After an hour or so of socializing, it was time to get dressed for the Capstone event - the Rafting excursion down the Colorado River, also known as "Rafts vs. Duckies" Basically the float down the river turns into a humongous water fight. It is a LOT of fun, especially since it was about 100 degrees.

(Please note Nicole and I smiling nicely in our ducky. We were minding our business watching everyone else get thrown into the river while we stayed nice and dry. Directly below the picture of Nicole & I is an overturned ducky. Sadly it was Nicole and I. After evading everyone's attempts to overturn us for at least a couple of hours, we got dumped. In the photo to the left is our pathetic attempt to hold onto our ducky while trying to overturn Kyle's. As you may have guessed, we were unsuccessful.)

After playing on the river all afternoon, we headed back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner (Zax's Pizza). After dinner we went back to Zion's for another presentation. This time from Walmart on Retail marketing. We got started early and presentations were suppose to be an hour. At the 1hr 50minute mark and no idea of how much longer the presenter had left ( his presentation got interrupted with a Q&A session) I turned to the person sitting next to me and pointed to my watch. Apparently the guy from Walmart saw me, made a comment about people in the back looking at their watches and decided to wrap it up. I really wasn't trying to be rude, but seriously - 2 hours!? I did apologize later and explain that I didn't mean to be rude,I just wanted to make sure he would be able to finish his presentation. Good thing I have no desire to work for Walmart!

After presentations we went back to the hotel to eat ice cream sundaes by the pool and for more socializing. We discussed such various topics as restaurants, classes, cuddling while sleeping vs. no cuddling and whether or not snoring was a "deal breaker" in deciding whom to marry. It was extremely entertaining and enlightening.

DAY 3: Saturday morning we got up early and headed for Arches National Park and hiked to the Delicate Arch. Good times, although I would recommend taking more water and starting even earlier. It was HOT! (My shorts were all dirty so I had to wear my jeans - not the best hiking gear for the location)

After lunch in the parking lot, we loaded the vans for the journey back to Provo; tired, a little sunburned and ready for another fun year with MBAMA.

Hitting the Books Once Again

Today was my first day back at school and I have ZERO desire to do homework. I loved seeing all of my friends back on campus. It was kind of ridiculous how loud we all were along with the hugging and laughing, etc. but it was wonderful at the same time. It is amazing how close you can become with a group of people in just a few short months.

I did spend my break between classes hanging out in the MBA lounge for the first time ever and I loved it. I knew every single person in the lounge and it was fun to just chat with them. Last year I avoided the lounge - it was full of people I didn't know who stared at me like I was an alien anytime I went in there. What a difference a few months makes!

I am officially crazy and have decided to take 19.5 credits, including one of the most challenging and time consuming classes offered in the MBA program - Advanced Corporate Finance - affectionately referred to as "The Heaton Beatin" I am wondering what on earth I have done and if I REALLY want to do this. Mostly I am hoping that motivation will kick in soon and I will be able to focus and get stuff done.

Wish me luck!

Maybe you should have kept your maiden name?

I was just checking out Facebook and saw that I girl I know got married. Her last name is now Fatz. She actually chose Fatz to be her last name for the rest of her life! I know you don't necessarily choose who you fall in love with (at least that is what people say. I don't really buy it, but that I will save for another day), but if I were her I would have stuck with my maiden name... I mean really, do you want to be Mrs. Fatz for the rest of your life?

26 People, 1 Cabin - The 2nd Annual Clements Family ReunionHe

This past weekend was the 2nd annual Lorin & Trudy Clements family reunion. This year we had our reunion at a cabin near Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It was good to be with family, but after 4 days, and VERY little sleep, I was glad to be back at home. There were 26 of us, including one 4 year-old, 3 2 year-olds, and 4 babies under the age of 1 sleeping in the same cabin. The weekend included playing games, a temple open house, a "tour" of the Kennecott Copper Mine, hiking, family pictures, a baby blessing (40 people @ my house - don't think I will be doing that again :) ) and eating lots of yummy food.

Highlighs included:

Driving around and around a traffic circle in an effort to get the group together. By the time we all got the to the park, lack of sleep and food had hit the Clements clan - not pretty. Thankfully the in-laws understand and let us eat first.

Driving all over the southwestern portion of Salt Lake County trying to find the Copper mine. Turns out that we just had to follow the road with the traffic circle (which we had been on for most of the day) to the west and we would have been there in 10 minutes, instead of the 35. I thought it was hilarious - others were a lot less amused.

Isaiah and Tagg trying to break out of the cabin (they are 2) using plastic knifes to shimmy the door latch - good thing the door was barred otherwise they would have succeeded.

Going on our "morning" hike at 5pm - Plans are VERY fluid when the whole clan is together.

And my favorite - Just as I was falling to sleep Saturday night I heard my Dad say to my Mom, "I guess I must have slept too much this afternoon (Dad had 2 'naps' each at least 2 -2 1/2 hours each)." Not more than 2 minutes later, Dad started snoring. Classic!

I love my family and family reunions, even if most of the time was spent chasing kids. I didn't get to spend as much time visiting and catching up as I would have liked, but I guess that is just what happens when families grow.

Rhonda we missed you and your family, but understand. Hopefully the pictures will help you feel apart (and we seriously need to photoshop you all into the new family photo).

Thanks Sam & Kelsey for putting the whole thing together! Love you guys!

Catch up

I am sorry I dropped off the face of the earth for at least a month. I have been busy. I started my internship the week after finals and then took a vaca home to see the family. It was fun to be home and spend some time with my siblings. Since Reuben came home from his mission that weekend, and Abe and Ann came up for the as well, all of the boys were there for the first time in years. I had a great time playing with my nieces and nephews and hanging out with my family. I caught up on some reading (fun stuff, not school related) and relaxed. It was great. I am the luckiest girl in the world because I have five fabulous brothers and I got to hang out with them. Although the love to tease and pick on me, I know that they love me and I love them.

In additional to hanging out with my brothers (and sisters too),I got to experience spring at home. I love spring in general - the trees are blossoming, tulips are everywhere, the temperature is finally above freezing and the grass is turning green. But I especialy love spring in WA. My parent's have a dogwood tree in their front yard and it is my FAVORITE tree in the spring. The blossoms are beautiful and it just makes me happy.










I am working 4 days a week in Salt Lake so I am catching up with my Salt Lake friends more regularly. It is nice to get to see them more frequently than once a month or less. I am also keeping busy with other random things, like:

311 Concert w/Special Guest Ziggy Marley:My Newphew's 2nd Birthday Party:
More festivities are to come with the 2nd annual Lorin & Trudy Clements family reunion in 2 weeks and playing with friends as well.

I Choose the Kettle

So I know my last post was all about how my family needed to update their blogs and I only had that one post in the month of April, so I am going to be the kettle and my family can be the pot. Although in their defense, almost all of them updated their blogs. MY sister-in-law even started a second one. She is a great blogger. Me, not so much.

In my defense (read excuses) I did have finals craziness, a bazillion internship interviews (some exaggeration may be used, but not that much) and more finals craziness. April was a VERY busy month. I had one week were I got ~20 hours of sleep TOTAL. I crashed, and crashed hard after that fun experience.

I did take some time for R&R in April and spent Easter Sunday in Logan with 4 of my favorite people - two of my younger brothers, my sister-in-law and my adorable nephew. The rest of my "Utah" Family spent Easter Sunday with their in-laws. Ace & I don't have in-laws so we can spend EVERY holiday with our family. Below is a picture of Ace & the acrobat. (The picture is kind blurry, my camera recently started taking really blurry photos lately - I guess I need to check the settings.)
Anyway, I started my internship last Monday and I really liking it so far. I have actually used my supply chain "skills," have tried my hand @ investment banking and am working on developing an e-commerce site. It is pretty great. I get to do a little bit of everything. I haven't had my ADD kick in even once. After working for 5 days ( I only work 4 days a week, which is a really sweet gig, I might add) I am now taking the next week of to spend some time with my family in WA.

My little Reubs gets home from his mission this week so I am excited to get to see him. I get to see him tomorrow @ the temple session they have for all departing missionaries and then I will head on home and Reubs will meet me there on Thursday. I am excited to hang with all the single sibs, all the single sibs (you can "sing" single sibs to "single ladies" - I typed "all the single" and my mind when straight to the song - I dare it not to happen to you too! I may have to write entire verses to be performed at the 2nd Annual Clements Family Reunion - It will be awesome!!!) For a few days ( okay probably just minutes since two of the married sibs live near by) it will be just those of us who are single. We are back in equal numbers, at least for now. While I adore my married siblings,I miss my single sibs. Ace abandoned me here 2 weeks ago and miss him and our weekly lunches. Next year is going to be a sibling void since all of my Provo family is abandoning me. Maybe Ruebs will decide to abandon the U and join me in Provo - Fingers crossed!!

One of my favorite pics of Reubs and me. Reubs was younger then; I, however, haven't aged a day.

Dear Family (and friends, too, but mostly family)

Please, oh please, oh please, oh please update your blogs! I know I am guilty of neglecting my blog as well; so in an effort not be a hypocrite, I have added this post pleading for some new posts about my wonderful siblings and my adorable nieces and nephews.

I am not asking for a lot, maybe just a photo, a to-do list, the 3 words "we are alive." Anything works. If it helps me feel a little more connected to my fantastic family, it will be a definite bonus. Please! I am begging (and begging just isn't dignified)

Lots of love,
Connie

P.S. Kels - keep up the good work :)

Things to Ponder

Over the past two weeks, I have had two questions posed to me that have caused me to stop and think, and think some more, and then some more. The first question that was asked of me was, "Do you have compassion for yourself?" This question took me by surprise. I am definitely not the type of person who fells sorry for myself. I understand that sometimes crappy things happen in our lives and I think that we just need to deal with it as best we can. My personal motto has been "suck it up princess" when life is bumpy and difficult. However, as this conversation progressed and I have thought more and more about this question, I have come to realize that feeling compassion is not just feeling sorry for others, but feelings of tenderness and mercy, of showing others and ourselves that it is okay to cry and be sad when hard, crappy things happen in life. Some times REALLY awful things happen over which we have no control and it is okay to be a little bit broken because of it, just don't wallow. When you are ready, gently pick yourself up and move forward as best as you can.

The second question was asked to today while I was sitting in church. The question was "How has Christ been the Savior of your world?" I think the better question is, when has He not been the Savior of my world. As I thought about this question today, I have thought of several instances when my world was crashing down around me, when life as I knew it was no longer. The one constant through out my whole life has been the Savior and his love. He is always there to pick me up and assure me that everything is going to be okay. When my oldest sister was in a very serious car accident and her life hung in balance, Christ was there instructing me,through the words of my wonderful mission president, to expect miracles. As a result I did expect miracles, and miracles, I saw. When I was stressed out wondering how my family would be okay after my dad lost his job, Christ was there reminding me to "consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin....If God so clothe the grass of the field...even so will he clothe you, if you are not of little faith." Christ has been my Savior by providing me with shoulders to cry on and people to laugh and rejoice with in the form of friends and family. Christ is always there to pick me up when I stumble and catch me when I fall. He understands me and my weaknesses. He is there - most often in the form of a friend, a classmate or a family member to strengthen me and help me when I need it. Christ is indeed the Savior of my world.

I said I wanted to be busier....

You know the old saying that says, "Be careful what you wish for?" - well, it is right. Most of the time when you get it, it turns out not to be quite what you wanted. You see,the first part of this semester went by painfully slow and wasn't quite as rigorous as the first semester (or according to a classmate, my ability to handle strenuous work loads has increased, but the work load is the same so it doesn't seem as difficult.) In either case, I haven't been very motivated. I need LOTS of stuff going on in order to be on my 'A game'. I was always telling people how I needed more to do, but I was afraid that at any minute the semester was going to blow up on me and school would resume its craziness.

Enter Tedi. Tedi is my little sister who is expecting a baby in a couple of months. She decided since I was looking for something to do and I am "not afraid to take charge" (I think that was her nice was of saying I am bossy), that I should host her baby shower. She also knows that I am an excellent party planner. I said yes and then proceeded to add another class at the block (1/2 semester). The class I added isn't just any class, it is a Financial Statement analysis class taught by one of my favorite, but definitely most challenging, professors from 1st semester, Dr. Stice. Yes, folks that is right, I, Connie Clements, added a finance/accounting class of my own free will! All of that free time must really have gotten to me.

Now fast forward two weeks and things are really getting crazy. The semester has "blown up" just like I thought it would and I have added a class that requires @ least 4 hours of outside prep each day and I am trying to plan a baby shower. I have been meaning to
get the invitations put together and mailed out for the past two weeks but finally got around to it this weekend.

I made Tedi come over to help. I figured if she was going to assign me to host her baby shower she was going to help with the invites. It is a good thing she came too. Otherwise it would have taken me 6 hours on my own instead of just 3 with her help. I have to say that the invitations turned out really cute ( if I do say so myself.)

My plan to be busier has worked out. Now I have so much going on that I actually have to schedule time to do my homework as well as other engagements. It is nice to feel like I am once again learning and contributing to the world, even if it is such a small way as hosting a baby shower for one of my adorable sisters!

2 Legit 2 Quit/ Ice Ice Baby

Friday I went to the best. concert. ever! Vanilla Ice & MC Hammer - one night only and in Orem, UT of all places! From the moment I heard about this concert, I knew I HAD to go!!! In fact just minutes after I heard the concert announcement on the radio, I sent a text to Rebbecca & Teeno to make sure they were going with me. We do all kinds of random things together and this was definitely something they would be in on. I believe my text said something like this - " 7 words: Vanilla Ice/MC Hammer in concert, Orem. You in?" They were.

Yes, I understand that I was only 10 years old "back in the day" when MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice were "big" but whenever I hear their music, which isn't often, but still, it makes me happy and takes me back to a happier place and time. For whatever reason the senior class of my high school had "Ice Ice Baby" as their "theme" during my Junior year of HS. It was played at every football game, basketball game and assembly we had that year. Everytime I hear "Ice Ice Baby" I flash back to HS and it makes me happy. Plus there is just something about billowing pants with tapered ankles that brings a smile to my face.
Anyway I had a great time at the concert, despite the crowds (personal space=not existent) and HORRIBLE event planning. (Who just has people crush in @ the "will call" window and only 3 security guards/ticket takers for the entrance? Seriously, my 11 year old sister could have done a better job organizing the event than the yahoos who were running it.) Too be honest Vanilla Ice kind of sucked. He kept playing "new material" but none of us where there for that. We wanted the old school stuff. He did finally pull out "Ninja Rap" "Funky Music" and last, but certainly not least, "Ice Ice Baby." Sadly "Ice Ice Baby" was a big letdown live. Sigh.

UnlikeVanilla, MC Hammer was AWESOME!!! That guys still has moves even though he did pop a button on his vest, (bless his heart!) and he had to take minute break after every song. All of that dancing apparently made him winded. He had a bunch of dancers with him and while he did do one "new" song (apparently he has an upcoming album - why don't they just give up?) he stuck to the old school stuff including "Pray" "Can't Touch This" and "Too Legit." I can't describe the nastalgia and entertainment this provided. Loved it!!

Opportunity of a Lifetime

About a month ago I got an email informing me of an upcoming opportunity to go and meet Mr. Warren Buffett, the "Oracle of Omaha", investor extraordinaire. Typically I try to steer clear of all things finance as I am more of a qualitative person, but this was simply an opportunity not to be missed. How many times in life do you get the chance to ask one of the most (arguably THE most)successful business men in the world any question you want? I quickly responded to the email for additional information, filled out the application and crossed my fingers that I would be selected as only 27 students from BYU were invited including both MBA and undergraduate students. Lucky for me I was chosen and so I forked out the money for a plane ticket to Omaha (never thought I would go to Omaha)for the opportunity of a lifetime. Seriously you don't pass on an opportunity like this!

Thursday afternoon I flew to Omaha. Unfortunately it seems that no one flies directly to Omaha from SLC, so I spent ~ 7 hours traveling. Can I just say that I don't love the Denver airport? I had a 3 hour layover where part of my time was spent trying, unsuccessfully, to ditch the creepy guy hitting on me... the joys of travel. Anyway...I finally got to my hotel at around 11:30pm and we were checked in and settled by midnight. Then Chloe, Julianne, Michelle and I all stayed up talking until 1:30 or so.

Friday morning came around and we were up by 6:30. We had supposedly had a pre-meeting meeting at 7:30. So after an awful night's sleep (I don't sleep well when sharing a room with people. I am always paranoid that I might make some noise that will disturb them. I don't even sleep walk or talk in my sleep. I am crazy and think that rolling over or shifting positions might wake someone who is in another bed up. Ridiculous, I know) we were ready to go. Apparently the pre-meeting meeting was canceled and we didn't to be anywhere until 9:15. I was somewhat annoyed.

We left our hotel and headed to the Berkshire Hathaway office building. Unfortunately the street signs were down due to construction and we ended up driving the wrong way down a one way street for several blocks. It was pretty hilarious. Our meeting with Mr. Buffett didn't start until 10am, but we went early to get the front seats, and get them we did. I was on the 3rd row, which was the furthest back any of the BYU students sat. A few of the guys were so close that Warren Buffett actually spit on them, which makes me glad I wasn't on the front row with them... I had a two row spit shield. :)

Mr. Buffett wasn't at all what I expected him to be. I expected him to be somewhat pretentious and overbearing; instead he was like an adorable grandpa giving great advice. I expected him to be very career and business oriented, but instead he talked a great deal on the importance of family, how being a parent is the most important job we will ever have and how important it is to marry someone who makes you want to be better. Instead of speaking about how awesome he is, he spoke of how blessed and lucky he has been and how bless we are and how we need to remember that we are in the luckiest 1% of the world population. He did not, however, disappoint on his famous one- liners.

Some of the gems included to following:
• "Wall Street had to cancel their Christmas pageant. They couldn't find three wise men. They also had a hard time finding a virgin, but they always have that problem."
• "Look for businesses that an idiot can run because eventually one will."
• "The key to a lasting marriage: marry someone with low expectations"
• "Everything that comes out of Washington is going to have problems."
And my favorite: A complete collapse of the banking industry is about a likely as "Ben Bernanke running off to South American with Paris Hilton."
After our 2.5 hour Q&A session, Mr. Buffett treated us all to lunch at Piccolo's a restaurant that reminded me of a place that my grandpa would go. It had a little bit of a diner feel and the world's biggest disco ball - seriously it was ginormous! Lunch was our choice of Chicken Parmesan, Cod Fillets, NY Strip Steak or a Veggie Burger. I was in Omaha and Omaha is famous for their steak, so I, along with pretty much everyone else, went with the steak. It was delicious! We finished lunch off with a root beer float, at Mr. Buffett's request. (Such a cute grandpa thing to do!!)

After pictures, we all went outside to have our picture taken with Warren. He was SO fun! He was such a great sport to take group and individual photos with everyone. He was also hilarious. He would go along with whatever you wanted him to do. He even got down on one knee like he was proposing for one of the girls from NYU, traded glasses and coats with people along with several GQ/sport coat over the shoulder posses. He stayed as late as was needed so that everyone got their photo with him.

I have to admit that for a guy who has a lot of money, he sure doesn't dress like it. His suit had a stain on the lapel and his tie was crooked for most of the photos. Chloe and I did our photo with him and then before I did my personal photo with him I asked if I could "help him out" and I straightened his tie. After I fixed his tie, he made some joke along the lines of, "You are kind of picky about who you take a photo with aren't you." To which those of you who know me know the only correct response is, "You have no idea!" All in all it was a great trip and truly an opportunity of a lifetime!

Why is it....

Yesterday I had my haircut and it looked really great. Today when I did my hair using the very same products and styling tools my hair does not look nearly so great. Why does my hair always looks fabulous when my stylist does it, but less so when I do it?

Also why is it that winter, particularly January and February, makes me so grumpy? Honestly, I typically am in a perpetually bad mood in January, which is typically winter blues. However this year I have been in a really bad mood, hating (or at least strongly disliking) everyone and everything. What is wrong with me!? I am trying to find things that make me happy, even if it is for 5 minutes, and it has been sort of successful. I have found good things each day, but I am seriously struggling this winter. Exercising makes me happy, because "exercising releases endorphins and endorphins make (me) happy." (name the movie...) I have also found that talking to family members also makes me happy. I love my family. They are great! Eating brownies made in skillets with my dear friend Kara also makes me happy. Friends are awesome. I even stumbled upon a great quote by Proust. It says “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Thanks to all of you who make my soul bloom when I am feeling down, sad or lonely. I really do have amazing friends! I have also found that a great haircut (see previous paragraph)make me happy as well as the movie "He's Just Not That Into You." I loved that movie. It made me laugh and it also made me think. I enjoyed it although some of my friends that I saw it with did not enjoy it.

Amongst my search for happiness, I have found that looking for internships does not equal good moods, and are very counter to my being in a good mood. The more time I spend on that the grumpier I get. But at the same time, I really need to find an internship. Such a vicious cycle! Maybe it would help if I actually knew what I wanted to be when I grow up. I need so much help it is ridiculous.

Photo Tag

My adorable friend Colleen tagged me....so below is my 4th picture from my 4th folder.



This picture is from my trip to San Diego last week with Rebbecca. I had a 5 day weekend so I took advantage of it and spent a little time out in the sun. This picture is of the "Brig" aboard the USS Midway (Retired Aircraft carrier). I love that I am wearing flip flops in January. I think I want to move to Southern California! More pictures and stories from last week coming soon.

I now tag Ann & Abe (they are new to blogging), Rebbecca (because she is in serious need of a new post) and Andrea.

Gimme a Break....

As is evident from my frequent comments about needing to be studying when I am distracting myself with blogging or other activities, I am pretty much always up for a diversion when it comes to school work. So as you might imagine I was SUPER excited last week when I got an email from a classmate about a Slinky competition. That is right, my classmate(s) decided that we should have a contest racing Slinkys down the stairs of the Tanner Building atrium. The idea was genius and the event turned out to be just what was needed to start our week out on a good note.

It was quite possibly THE best activity of the year!



For more event details including video, you can check out our blog @ http://mbawomen.blogspot.com

Skillet Brownies Anyone?

No, I have not gone crazy. I realize that brownies are not typically cooked using a skillet. However, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. Several years ago when I was living in Ohio with my good friend Kara, our apartment that was furnished using donated goods. Everything was donated - from the couches to the silverware. Unfortunately the only pan we had for cooking was a humongous skillet. One day Kara and I were craving brownies but we didn't have a cake pan. As necessity is the mother of all invention, we decided to use the skillet. We had a really good time making those brownies. We hoped it would work and that we wouldn't burn the apartment building to the ground. The brownies actually turned out and were some of the best brownies I have ever eaten. Wow, the laughs that we had. I wish I had those pictures in a digital format so that you could enjoy them. Those were some good times. And everyone once in a while I kind of want to bust out the skillet brownies for old times sake, but the pans that I have now have aren't really cut out for that sort of thing. (While I like having nice stuff, sometimes I miss the days when I had crappy stuff and it didn't matter if it got ruined.)

This Christmas Kara was particularly excited about giving me my Christmas gift. Unfortunately our crazy schedules didn't allow for us to meet up until after the holiday break. She was so excited about her gift to me. I was REALLY curious what could be such an amazing gift. She said she found the gift months ago and wanted to give it to me then, but had restrained. When I opened the gift, this is what I found.That is right folks, I got my very own set of cast iron skillets (complete with the handy-dandy skillet hot pads), designed especially for baking brownies and cookies! I took one look at my gift and said to Kara, "Shut Up! Where did you find this?" amongst my laughter. Apparently Kara found it while wondering through BB&B one day. Seriously who thinks of this stuff? If only Kara and I had thought to sell our idea, we could have been rich!

I love this gift for several reasons:

1. It is funny. It is probably funnier to me than to everyone else.
2. It makes brownies - one of the seven wonders of the world I am quite sure.
3. The cute little hot pads makes it seem like I am eating out.
4. Because it reminds me of the great times that Kara and I had (and still have) together. She has been a great friend to me for the last 7 1/2 years (has it really been that long?) If I can be just like her when I grow up, I will have accomplished a whole lot

Thanks for the great gift Kara!

Oh yeah, if you have a craving for skillet brownies, come on over!

January is for....redecorating?

For months, perhaps even a year, I have REALLY wanted a new duvet for my room, but since a new duvet typically runs in the neighborhood of $200-$300, I have resigned myself to what I have. Not that the duvet that I have is bad, I just wanted something different. Perhaps it is the ADD in me or my propensity to get bored with things really quickly. Well, Saturday (when I should have been doing homework - like right now) I went to Bed Bath & Beyond with Julina. She needed to get something to help her be organized and since she LOVES a bargin we wandered through the clearance section of the store. I decided to look and see if they had anything that I could afford on my stupid student budget (Can I just say once more how much I dislike living on nothing? It is REALLY cramping my style!) Much to my surprise and happiness I found a new duvet that cost $25! I could definitely afford that, so I made the purchase and now all I want to do is spend time in my room. My new decor makes me so happy. It has made the typically miserable month of January much more bareable.

Happy 1/2 Birthday to Me!

I love the symphony! And thanks to my student status and subsequent lack of money, I get a student discount when attending the Utah Symphony. For just $8 (less than the price of a movie) I can attend the symphony. However I haven't really taken advantage of this limited perk of being a student because it is hard to convince my non-student friends to fork out the $50 that a regular ticket costs to go with me. From time to time I do go to the Utah Symphony's website to check out what they are playing. Last time I checked (early January when I should have been doing my homework) I found that they were performing Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," one of my very favorite orchestral pieces. I asked my roommates if they wanted to go with me and they both did, so on Thursday, which coincidentally happened to be my 1/2 birthday, we went to the symphony and it was fantastic. I love it. Here is a picture of the roommies and me @ Abrovenal Hall. Sadly the lady who took our picture thought we wanted the entire sculputre in the background, so she took it at an up angle and we all look much chubbier than we really are(We don't really have double chins :) ) I guess it goes to show that beggars can't be choosers.

New Year's Resolutions

I know the month is half over and I now just getting to my resolutions, but I have had to do a lot of thinking about this over the past few weeks, plus I had to adjust to being back and school and on a schedule, but I am obviously not there yet, or else I would be sleeping now instead of blogging, but whatever.

I am sure that I will come up with new resolutions but below of some of the ones that I am working on presently.

1 - Journal writing - I have been using the same journal since the end of 2005, and I am only 1/2 the way through it. Sad, I know. Plus so far that journal contains more ridiculous boy drama than all of my other journals (around 7 or 8 volumes) combined. So lame!

2 - Getting priorities straight - that means that I am going to try to attend more church related functions (not really my fav, but I need to try more)making sure I am reading my scriptures and saying my prayers on a daily basis (I kind of let that slide last semester and I am determined not to let it happen this one!)This also means not obsessing about school at the expense of family relationships.

3 - Better expressing gratitude, love and appreciation - Due to some conversations I have had recently I have decided that I really need to make this a priority. If I am thinking about someone, I need to let them know about it. If someone does something that I especially appreciate, I need to express that. I have tons of great friends whose friendship I haven't maintained as well as I should have, and I want to remedy it as best as I can. I also think that it will help me be more aware of the blessings that I have in my life, which is never a bad thing.

4 - Move on! This is an on-going goal for me and it has taken various shapes and forms in the past, but essentially it means letting go of things that I have been holding onto both good and bad, that are preventing me from moving forward. This means forgiving. It means accepting my flaws and resolving to change them and loving myself regardless. In some instances it means letting people go...

Those are the big ones this year. I am also going to exercise more (that dance aerobics class and mandatory workouts 4 days a week is really going to help!)and hopefully find an internship. Obviously I am sure that I will have times when I am doing better at these goals than others, but I think it is part of the process to at least try to be better. Even if I don't have 100% success, I will at least have improved, right?

Christmas & Stuff

Christmas was great. I got to spend just over 2 full weeks at home & since Rhonda & Jared and their family and Sam & Kelsey and their family live near by I got to see my adorable nieces and nephews as well. Abe & Ann were also able to be there, so it was a pretty decent sized group when we were all in one place.

Tedi & Doug ended up staying in UT due to really crappy weather and since Becky is too pregnant to travel, she and Eric stayed home. But Becky did get a fun Christmas surprise a few days earlier. Eric arranged with Reuben's mission President for Reuben & his companion to go to Becky and Eric's house for breakfast Christmas morning. Becky and Eric live in Reuben's zone. Tedi and Doug also joined them for breakfast. As Tedi (or maybe it was Becky) said, "seeing Reuben was a good consolation for not being able to go home for Christmas."

We had a really fun Christmas Eve party at Rhonda and Jared's house. It was a good time. We played games and ate food. I took more video than pictures because one of the games was ridiculous and the video more accurately captures the chaos that is my family.







Here are a few pictures. We had our traditional New Year's Breakfast, but we decided that perhaps Breakfast was a bit too optimistic and went with Brunch at 11:30. It worked out a lot better! Unfortuately I didn't have my camera with me. Someday I will be better about
documenting life events!Now it is back to the grind of school work...Ugh!