Friends & the January Funk

I have been blessed with fantastic friends! This week has been a particularly crappy week. It is January and I have been in my annual January Funk - you know that time of the year when you hate everyone and everything? It is cold outside and the sky is cloudy and gray and the air quality is nasty because of the hated inversion. That is the kind of mood I have been in.

The week started out great. I had Monday off of school and went to see Young Victoria and had dinner in SLC with my MBA friends. It was a great time. My favorite part of the MBA program is the fantastic friends that I have made, especially among the women in the program. They are all so impressive and they are tons of fun to be around. I LOVED Young Victoria (I may even do a post all about it). It was one of the best movies I have seen and it was clean and am totally confident recommending it to others.

Things started to go downhill on Tuesday. For a school assignment I had to solicit feedback on my personal biases when making decisions. The feedback that I received wasn't that complimentary ( I am shallow and I make poor decisions when it comes to dating and relationships). While it wasn't anything I didn't already know, it was hard to hear. I tried really hard not to take it personally, but a comment was made in a follow up conversation that really made me upset. All that was said was, "I just want to see you happy." I couldn't figure out why, but it really upset me even when I knew it was said out of love and nothing else. I spent days trying to figure it out.

Thursday is my temple day with my wonderful friend, Kara. A few months ago I decided that I wanted to make temple attendance more of a priority in my life and to do that I needed a friend to hold me accountable. Kara has always been a great example to me for her dedicated temple service so I asked her to be my temple buddy and go to the temple with me at specific times -that way it would be more difficult to back out for lame reasons, telling myself that I would go another time. Anyway, Thursday I was in a massive funk and didn't want to attend the temple at all, but knew it was where I needed to be. Thankfully Kara and I had planned to go and so I went and it was nice to feel peace for a few hours. Kara has been a wonderful friend to me in the 7 years we have been friends and I am going to miss her while she is in Russia.

Friday after a bout of insomnia I was super grumpy and sat around all day (after going to the gym, so I was at least productive) looking for jobs (not a good thing to do when you are already grumpy and feeling crappy about life. I did find at least one job that sounds interesting, so that was a positive. My funk just got deeper when I was making dinner for myself ( I love to cook for other people, but doing it for myself is pointless and most of the time I opt for a Clif Bar or Mac & Cheese -gross I know, but I eat to live, not the other way around.)Anyway I was cooking dinner and I had the thought that I would be cooking dinner for at least the next 50-60 years and that was not a happy thought. It was really depressing to me.

Friday night was another sleepless night so Saturday did not start well. By now I was in a massive funk. Rebbecca and Teeno wanted to get together, but I had no desire to plan anything especially since I had made plans with them for the following week and I was grumpy and didn't want to do the planning. Then while running errands and putting away my laundry ( I hate laundry. I have decided I have too many clothes and need to seriously downsize my wardrobe. Having fewer clothes will make it so that I can't let laundry pile up for weeks and weeks which results in me having to spend entire weekends dealing with it all) I talked to both Teeno and Rebbecca and they helped cheer me up. Then I stopped by another friend's house to drop something off and I was invited to go to an early dinner. I had a party to attend later Saturday night, but depending on dinner I thought I could do both (and I didn't have to plan anything:) ). Dinner at six, be to the party by eight. It would all work out.

Dinner with "the Dancing Girls" (We all watch Dancing with the Stars and SYTYCD together -at least when they are on TV) was just what I needed. These friends have been one of the biggest blessing in my life and just what I have need right now. I have gone through some REALLY difficult personal stuff (as evidenced by extreme hair loss, insomnia and I think, the beginnings of an ulcer) in the past year and a half and they have been my sanity. They have not passed judgment and have provided a listening ear when needed. They provide support, laughs and a much needed break from reality. They have also let me into their lives and share their struggles with me as well. Dinner went a little longer than I anticipated (about an hour longer), but thanks to seeing them and talking with them I was starting to come out of my funk. Leaving the house also helped as did being able to serve another person. I was reminded of God's love for each of us as individuals when while shopping at Target with Julina we ran into our neighbor whose radiator had just cracked in the parking lot. Instead of her having to have her roommate drive all the way out to get her, Julina and I were able to give her a ride home. It is miraculous to me that our neighbor turned around at the right time and that I was in the right place at the store for her to see me. God really does love us!

Anyway after dinner I went to Kara's going away party where I ran into another wonderful friend, Sabrina. Sabrina was one of my dear friends in HS, but we seem to only run into each other at random parties lately. It was fantastic to see her and to catch up a little bit on what is going on in her life. I was also able to see other friends that I don't see often enough. Parties are great for that. :)

Today I was mostly out of my funk but this comment that was made early in the week was still bothering me. I have been able to sort through the comment, why it made me feel the way that it did and I also talked to the person who unintentionally offended me (LOVE YOU!). I thought about not saying anything, but knew that ignoring it was not the healthy way to deal with problems (but is totally how I have dealt with things in the past). I, of course, still worry that I may have now offended this person who I love dearly and who has been one of the best friends to me for basically my entire life, but I feel like I am learning and growing as a person which is the whole point of this life and the point of friends.

After a nice long cry, I went to meet with my Dancing Friends once more for our weekly catch up over Sunday night dessert (we don't see each other weekly now that our shows aren't on). My eyes were bright red from crying (after having the above mentioned conversation) and historically I won't have gone anywhere looking so awful but I knew my friends would be just what I needed; and they were. I think the highlight of the night was when my dear friend Nicole turned to me and asked if I needed a hug, and I said yes. I am not a hugger by nature, but I really did need a hug. I had been sitting in my room earlier tonight wishing that my family was closer so that some one could give me a hug. I am so blessed to have friends who are instruments in God's hands and are in tune enough to know when to reach out.

Thanks to my friends I think I am almost completely out of the January Funk. Hooray!

Sad, but True

Some additional words of wisdom from my classmates:

Heather: You don't need a job, you just need a man.

Kristan: Those are harder to come by than jobs.

I thought it was funny, especially give how difficult it is trying to find a job. Any ideas on where I should live or what I should be when I grow up? If I could nail down at least one of those options, I would be 50% there on finding a job. :)

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!