I Survived....True Stories of a 1/4 MBA

Hi Friends!

Happiness abounds today cuz I finished my first semester as an MBA student, survived finals and am now one quarter of an MBA! Hooray! Adding to my joy is the fact that I ended finals on a high note. I think I probably did the very worst on my first final and did progressively better with each subsequent test. I think all in all I will probably pull out B's all around in my classes, which is actually great. There are SO many brilliant people in my class that I feel lucky to be even middle of the road, bottom half with them.

My stress level has also greatly diminished now that finals are over, RB-H is at the Mayo Clinic and HG is recovering from her brain surgery last week. I am no longer forgetting important meetings that I have responsibilities to attend. It really is amazing the weight that is lifted off of your shoulders when school is done!

I am off to pack. I am headed home tomorrow for 2 1/2 weeks of doing absolutely nothing! I can't wait!!

Everyone raise your glass to the end of finals! Cheers!

Laugh or Cry?

I am not really sure if I should laugh or cry. It has just been one of those weeks... you know the kind where you have a million things going on every day and it is somewhat difficult to keep track of everything going on. The kind of weeks where you are grateful for things like your BlackBerry, Google Calendars and Microsoft Outlook, because without them things would definitely fall through the cracks. Add to the end of the semester craziness one of your best friends having heart surgery and some family drama and it has been one AWESOME week! (insert loads of sarcasm here).

In typical fashion not only have I got school work and crazy personal things going on, but I have also (without thinking, obviously) been nominated and/or volunteered to head up a few school activities as well as host a potluck this week. I knew today was going to be super busy and my scheduling had to be just right or something was going to fall through the cracks. I had a group meeting scheduled until 6 pm, but I knew I would need to duck out a little early as I had a finance review session at 5pm and a club meeting where I was responsible for the treats at 6. I decided last night that I just couldn't swing the finance review session at 5 and get the treats on time so I decided that I would leave my team meeting at 5 and run to the store to get the treats and be back on campus around 5:45 to make sure I had enough time to set out the treats before the speaker arrived.

Thankfully me team got done a few minutes early so things were looking good. I headed off to the store to get treats and just as I was getting in my car with the last of the treats to head back to school I got an email on my phone. I checked the message and this is what it said,

Connie, Not sure if we missed you or you forgot, but we didn't see you in 264 tonight. Bryce

I quickly responded with:

"Please tell me it wasn't at 5! I thought it was at 6 and was just picking up the treats! I had it on my calendar for 6"

Apparently sometimes even with a BlackBerry, Google Calendar and Outlook, you can miss important events, especially when you put the time in wrong. I am sure that I will some day think this was funny, (I can see the humor in it now but it isn't funny yet) but right now I kind of just want to cry.

Lesson to be learned - you can't be everywhere and do everything....some day I will actually remember this.

I sure hope your day was better than mine!

Just for fun

My Friend Colleen had an iTunes tag posting on her blog and since it was highly entertaining and I needed a SERIOUS break from studying and school, I decided to play along. The instructions, etc are below. It turns out it is pretty entertaining....I may just do it all again to see what happens. Here are the result:

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song title down, no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Tag your friends who might enjoy doing the same!

If someone says, "Is this okay?", you say...
"it's not your fault..." Head Over Feet - Alanis Morisette
What would best describe your personality?
Somebody to love - Queen
What do you like most in a guy/girl?
All Summer Long - Beach boys (T-shirts, cut-offs & a pair of thongs)
How do you feel today?
A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More "Touch Me" - Fall Out Boy
What is your life's purpose?
Crazy For You - Madonna
What is your motto?
Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Me First & the Gimme Gimmies
What do your friends think of you?
L-O-V-E Fisher
What do you think about very often?
Sam's Town - The Killers
What is 2 + 2?
Dance Inside - All-American Rejects
What do you think of your best friend?
Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued - Fall Out Boy
What do you think when you see the person you like/love?
Change your Mind - All-American Rejects
What is your life story?
This Time - 3 doors down
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Accidentally in Love - Smashmouth
What will you dance to at your wedding?
Fall Away - The Fray
What do your parents think of you?
I'm Still Here - Goo Goo Dolls
What is your interest/hobby?
Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
What is your biggest secret?
Somebody Told Me - The Killers
How will you die?
Walk Away (Maybe) - Good Charlotte
What makes you cry?
Leaving on a Jet Plane
What makes you laugh?
The Boys of Summer - Ataris
What scares you the most?
Everybody Hurts - REM
If you could go back in time what would you change?
Fat Bottom Girls - Queen

Hope you all enjoyed this as much as me. If you want to play along, well then I tag you.

Blessings

This week I have much for which I am grateful and so in the spirit of the season I would like to share them with you all.

1. An amazing family - I really have one of the most amazing families ever. My parents have done a great job teaching all twelve of us to work hard, dream big and to love and support one another. While we definitely have our challenges they have brought us closer together as siblings. My siblings are my VERY best friends and I know that they will do anything for me, and I for them.

2. Great friends - I have been fortunate to be blessed with wonderful friends who are always there for me. They know how to cheer me up when I am sad or feeling lonely. They get why I think ginormous flower pins are funny. They know when to let me cry on their shoulder and they also know when to say, "Suck it up princess." My friends forgive me when my bluntness is offensive and they understand my true intentions. They withhold judgment and love me despite of my abundant flaws.

3. Fantastic roommates - both past and present - All of my life I have been blessed with great roommates, from my little sister to my present fellow MBA students. They have been my friends and my confidants. They have taught me about relationships and getting along with others. They have cried with me and laughed with me. They put up with my occasional moodiness ( I am a girl after all!) They have known when to push me and when to hold back. It seems that they all have known exactly what I needed of them whether it was a shopping buddy or a listening ear or something else.

4. Home teachers - Today my home teachers came over for their monthly visit and the message that they shared - a discussion of hope and the necessity of it in our lives - was just what I needed to hear. My home teachers have no idea what is going on in my life, but they are spiritually aware and followed the promptings of the Lord who does know what challenges I am facing and what I need to hear. I am extremely grateful for young men who are sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit and who take their responsibilities as home teachers seriously.

5. Visiting Teachers - along with my home teachers, my visiting teacher also came over today. Like my home teachers, she does not know the problems and challenges I am currently facing, but her message was also what I needed to hear. She shared a message about standing close together and lifting where we stand. I had heard part of this message previously, but the part that is so profound to me was the "close together" portion. Many times in our lives we face challenges, have burdens that are too heavy for us to bear alone. Thankfully God has placed people in our lives to help ease these burdens. If we "stand" closely together(are united in our cause) and lift - each bearing the portion that we can - we are able to handle challenges and problems that are just too big for us to carry on our own.

6. Tender mercies of the Lord - In addition to the Lord providing me with a great family, amazing friends, fantastic roommates and home and visiting teachers, I have seen his hand in little things in my life. Friday was a particularly rough day, but thankfully the Lord knew it was going to be a bad day for me, so he made sure that I had plans Friday evening with my friends who had me laughing and having a good time. Additionally I called a friend to ask her a question and she offered a listening ear, taking time out of her VERY busy schedule to be there for me. Then today, after thinking that I needed to seek out individuals who faced similar challenges, I found such a person in a casual conversation at church. I am overwhelmed at the love God displays each and everyday. As long as we are looking for it and recognize that what may seem to some as a mere "coincidence" is actually the Lord manifesting his hand in our life.

Seriously?

At least once a day I find myself doing some online "window" shopping when class gets a little dull or when I need a break from studying. Today during class while looking at scarfs (the hot trend for fall) on The Limited's website I came across this gem.
Seriously?! Who is going to wear a flower pin that, to quote my friend Rebbecca, "is as big my head"? ( I am pretty sure that this pin is much bigger than my head.) To what kind of event would you were this item? Surely you would not where this fantastic accessory to the office. Perhaps you could where it when going out, but I don't think this pin is a clubbing kind of accessory - it would get smashed while dancing and you would hate to have a drink spilled on it. Likewise dinner is out of the question, although all of those folds might be helpful in storing some crumbs for later.

I just wanted to share my shopping gem with you all. This pin could be yours for just $16.50 plus tax and shipping and handling. I know you want one! My only wish is that this lovely gem came in colors other than black and white.

It has been a while since I really ranted....

And so today may be your lucky day. This may not be an actual rant but more of my personal musings over the past few weeks.

1 - Internship searches - Honestly if I would have know that Business school was essentially a two year job search, I most definitely would have reconsidered the whole gig. I HATE looking for a new job and so I hate the intern search. I am trying to have a better attitude about the whole thing, but it just isn't happening yet. I am blaming it on the rainy weather. Anyway, when you compound searching for a job with everyone asking me want my long-term goals are - I am in a fit. IF I KNEW WHAT I WANTED TO BE DOING WHEN I GREW UP I AM PRETTY SURE I WOULDN'T BE IN HERE!!! (Or maybe I would, but I would feel like I had more of a purpose... you know more of a purpose than - I had a thought one day that I needed to go to business school, start the fall of 2008 and attend BYU - so I did.) When recruiters ask me that question, I want to tell them, " I don't know. That is why I came back to school - to give myself 2 years to figure out what I want to be 'when I grow up'." I have had a couple of interviews that went okay - nothing great, but not bad either. I just am not that excited about the companies and I am pretty sure they could tell. The problem is I am not sure what kinds of companies I can get really excited about...I thought maybe some clothing companies or shoe companies or cosmetic companies, but I just can't get excited about it. Everyone who comes to campus and is giving "free career advice" always talks about finding something that you are passionate about. What if I am not passionate about anything? Am I destined to never be happy in my career? How do you figure out what you are passionate about? I think that a lot of things would be fun - for about 5 minutes or maybe 5 days. I think some career paths would be great if I knew I would be single forever, but they aren't necessarily career paths that easily transfer over to part-time options that would work if I ever got married and decided to have a family. I need to get excited about working somewhere cuz I have to have an internship lined up by April. I feel like I am completely behind in the game when my classmates are all flying all over the place for interviews and I have only had 2 interviews. Some of my classmates had 2 or more offers. What if I don't get any offers?

Next subject:

Wasted time & ugly design - Last week when I was updating my resume for the internship search (again!) I decided that I should check to see if all of the work that I had done getting things ready for our new website at DRG had been implemented. After being in the works for several years, had DRG finally updated their website? I went to their website and to my surpise and horror, they had finally updated their website, but it was NOTHING like what I had spent hours and hours working on. Even worse, it does not look good. I guess that is what happens when you let males, especially IT guys - make design decisions. I worked for 12 hours on my last day at work just to make sure that they had everything that they needed, so that they were presenting a cohesive image across all of their marketing, but alas they didn't use it. What I want to know is WHY in the heck did I spend 3 months working on a project that they weren't going to use? Obviously I am biased in thinking what I had designed looked better, but what they have doesn't look good. It is U-G-L-Y!!! (you can check it out at thedurge ) The only redeaming factor is the flash graphic. Part of me wants to confront the people I worked with to see what happened, but I should probably just let it go....

Other things that I find amusing:

On Thursday I was attending a meeting with executives on our Business-to-Business Marketing board as well as members of MBAMA. One of my classmates had seated himself in a seat that on the northside of the room while the rest of us were seated on the east side. My classmate decided that he felt awkward where he was sitting and came and sat by me. He told me he felt uncomfortable and decided to sit by me. He said, " I felt like "one of these things is not like the other." I laughed and then said, "One of these things," pointing to myself " is not like the other." I was the only female in a room with about 20 people in it. I said it just to be funny, cuz I mean really if we want to talk about feeling out of place, try being the only female in a room full of guys. I am getting used to it. I have a feeling that it will be the story of my future life.

I don't really know what else to write about.... All of my fire must be out of me for the moment...I could discuss politics and how strange I think it is that everyone is mad at the Mormons for the passing of Prop 8 in California or how far America has come when it comes to diversity and inclusion in the past 40 years, but I think I will leave all of that to others.

Busy, Busy. Busy

It has been a busy couple of weeks. When I think that Halloween was just last week, I can't believe it. I have FINALLY finished all of my midterms and I have decided that I just don't care about grades.... not really the best attitude to take, but whatever. I have had a great time hanging out with my family for the past 2 Saturdays and spending Sundays with my great friends in Salt Lake. I will post pictures of my adorable nephews and the fun times I have had lately. Unfortunately I have also been fight a cold and perhaps a touch of the flu ( I have felt nauseous for 3 days straight. Since I am definitely not pregnant it is either the flu or sympathy morning sickness for Tedi - much more probable that it is the flu).

I am off to a fireside with Salt Lake friends, but I will post more another day.