The Great White North

I know I am a horrible blogger - my last real post was back in April and its August now. I promise I will be better, and with my internship wrapping up my schedule should allow for more posting.

So since school adjourned:
Spent a good 2 weeks in San Diego with the family - got to meet my new nephew, eat tons of delicious food I have missed and just chilled
Went to Lake Powell - it had been so long since my last trip (6 years). It was great to just veg, play games, read and get some sun
Took an impromptu trip to the UK - me the girl who plans everything...just hopped on a plane with 2 weeks notice and had a blast putzing around England, Scotland and Wales.
Moved to Minneapolis! - Packed up the cat and all my junk for the 10 hr drive
Worked the last 8 weeks in Target's Decorative Home Division - working my tail off on my project that spans 10 categories

I had some fun and some trying times - but I wouldn't have expected anything less. I have pushed myself to a level that I didn't know I could work to, couldn't have asked for more.

Just got to push through...will be over before I know it. Hello, Good Buy!

What Happened?!

It's almost been a month since my last post, that is completely unacceptable! Even if you consider that I have no time for myself, let alone time for blogging. So I will try to bring you up to speed without the whining, and try to make it as brief as possible.

Where did we last leave off? I was in Israel, or Jordan, being bussed through the desert. The trip was amazing, I got to see so many things that people wait their whole lives to see. Meanwhile, learning about business and culture. And I think I have eaten my lifetime quota of pita bread.

The trip was a whirlwind, but I didn't expect the tsunami that the second 7 would bring! 4 new classes, to be topped with a redo of our KIP presentation and residual CMA project work. Doesn't sound too bad right? You had 8 classes at a time in Core, this should be a piece of cake! WRONG! With the responsibilities of Kelley Women, SAC, my parents in town (thanks Mom and Dad for the bed & all the dinners) I am getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Addie has been pretty depressed as we are gone all the time. The weather has been fantastic and she has hardly been able to enjoy it.

So where does that leave us? With 2 1/2 days before the end of the week, I have:

• 3 more team meetings
• 3 more class sessions
• SAC meeting
• A presentation
• Experience Weekend activities

Pray for me!

Say hello to Maccabi Tel Aviv's newest cheerleader

After a long day of company visits yesterday we had a little fun at the Afula v. Tel Aviv basketball game. That's where I learned all my new cheerleading moves! Maccabi barely won, just by one point. It was an interesting game as the fans were crazy and really into it, and there were all sorts of guards everywhere.

We visited Plasson, a plastic manufacturer, where we got a tour and learned about Kibbutz life. Then we went to Iscar, a metalworks maker. Long day! Although today sounds longer, ugh!

On the Sea of Galilee

Yesterday was a long day, we got up really early and headed to Nazareth. We got to see the Church of Annunciation, which was a modern church built over Mary's cave. The church had gorgeous contemporary stained glass and mosaics of Mary from each country.

After the visiting the church we had a walking tour of the streets of Nazareth through the old souk and Mary's well.

Then we had about 2 hours in Tiberias, a seaside resort town. It had some bustling street stalls (Charlton and I got falafel and delicious strawberries) we also walked the boardwalk.

Next up another long bus ride to the Mount of Beatitudes and the Church of Bread and Fish where we had a long hike through some San Diego like hills.

Then off to Mt. Bernal (an IDF lookout point) where we had sweeping views of Jordan and Syria. Before checking into our hotel we stopped at the Golan Winery to taste some of their wines, yum! (Even though I don't drink)

Then we had a nice little dinner party in our MBA directors room where we all could get together and relax over great food. But again another early night as we have a packed day today!

Heading North

After a few packed days in Jerusalem: visiting the Western Wall, going through the Kotel tunnels and going to museums, we are heading to the North of Israel to Nazareth and Galilee.

It's going to be a long day on the bus.

We're in Israel!

After what seemed like forever, we are here! We haven't got to see much as we got in so late and a few of my classmates were detained (helping us get to the hotel a little late) So after a meet and greet with the guide and dinner we strolled along the Med and then went to bed. Now we have a packed full day ahead of us and I can't wait to see Tel Aviv!

For Charlton's recap and some pictures check it out here:

http://www.thelejo.com/2010/03/international-arrivals-tel-aviv.html

Built Strong to Last Long, or at Least that is what we told Creative

Day 2 of Academy Week was a presentation on working with agencies and creative. It was a really helpful session to help understand the relationship between BMs and creative and how to get the best work out of them. We learned about what makes up a creative brief, and then were put into groups to analyze a print ad and reverse engineer the creative brief. Each team then presented to the academy so we could dissect the brief and see which ad best fit. And as our presenter, Eric Bauchet, was from Whirlpool the day would not have been complete without some Maytag ads and comparison to LG, GE and Electrolux in the space.

After a quick lunch break, we got a preview of Jonlee's M537 Channels class with a discussion of the retail and manufacturer relationship. Going into retail myself this was an incredibly valuable presentation and I learned a lot of things I can apply this summer (GMROI, etc) I am really excited for the full length class in the fall.

After we wrapped up for the day, my team met for 3 hours or so to go over where we stood on our project. We assigned tasks and banged out a lot in the time we allotted then headed home to do the last of our "WHO" research. I grabbed a quick dinner of a salad and a Lean Cuisine (no I am not being healthy, I am stressed and have snacked all night!) and got to work. I read over 20 articles on Japanese consumer behavior before coming up with a one pager for my team tomorrow. Not looking forward to everything we still have to do! Tomorrow will be a busy day!

Innovation and Ideation

Today was the kickoff of our second Academy Week. Our speaker was Ralph Blessing, Managing Director of Chicago Office and Senior Partner at GfK Strategic Innovation. He talked about his career and some of the amazing products he had a chance to work on: Coppertone Sport Continuous Spray, Degree Antiperspirant, and Axe to just name a few. He explained the needs approach that GfK uses to help develop products to fill in shelf "white space." It was a really great presentation and it got even more interesting when we went through the process to create a new product. We picked Quick Service Restaurants as our category and then just brainstormed ideas, concepts and positioning. Look for our Mediterranean/Tapas QSR soon with our own branded olive oil and hummus (which we will expand into grocery) soon!

After we finished our scheduled activities we were able to work on our team projects...my team split up and worked on our own, we should come back together tomorrow ready to knock this out of the park.

Can't wait!

for the Bloomington P-Fresh! It can't get here soon enough, now I will no longer have to leave my beloved Target, hooray!

Holding on for Dear Life

The last two weeks have been intense. I don't even know where to start, last week seems like a year ago and the week before (gala, etc. even longer!) Finals have been killer with the wrap up of my Tiffany & Co. brand valuation and recommendation, my market research analysis report, KIP presentation, Diesel brand valuation, CMA project work and an accounting final. Phew! Makes me tired to even write it out!

And it hasn't just been schoolwork tying me up; there has been volunteering, Kelley Women Speaker Series, Pilates, Yoga, Dinner with Friends, researching Japanese cooking at the Asian Cultural Center, Carnival, Kelley Women farewell dinner, blogging for school, and trying to have some semblance of a life (watching the Olympics with Charlton and the pets)

Both of us are really burnt out, was it possible to be more exhausted than when we were in Core?! Any 2nd year that said this would be easier was definitely lying.

So to try to make up for the torture of the last few weeks...I slept in (after having fallen asleep on the couch until 6 am), then I did a little research for CMA, made lunch, gave Addie a bath, did a little laundry, took Addie to the dog park and watched Public Enemies after picking up some Mexican food from La Torre.

I wish I could sit around all day tomorrow, but still have some laundry left to do and some reading for Academy Week 2 (ugh!) Can't wait for spring break in Israel.

Gala!

No matter how old you are, when you are in school there will always be school dances. Gala, the MBA equivalent of prom was last night in the IMU's Alumni Hall. There was an open bar, gambling and a nice seated dinner and HOURS and HOURS of dancing. It was a lot of fun, but having just got back from Minneapolis, I felt like I wasn't able to get much done this weekend. Oh well, sometimes you just got to cut loose.

I'm going to make it after all...

Mary did it, and hopefully I will be able to make it in Minneapolis myself.

Summer Preview Day at Target was an amazing experience! It reminded me of Kelley's Experience weekend, a lot of excitement, and a lot of people still on the fence. We met some great potential intern classmates from Kellogg, Ross and Minnesota.

We had breakfast all together and then a director came and spoke to us about his experiences and his internship project. Then there was an internship panel and breakout sessions so we can learn more about the internship projects. Next up was lunch with senior leadership; me, I sat next to a Vice President...pinch me! After I finished up my bullseye cupcake, we loaded up on a bus to get a tour of the Minneapolis area. It was a lot of fun and I am really excited to explore the city more when I get there this summer, there is so much to do and see! Last stop...our corporate housing! The apartment was nice and spacious, with lots of closet space. What more does a girl need?!

A great visit, that definitely pumped me up for the summer. Is it June 14th yet? MSP, I will be back!

MSP

I am sitting in my own hotel room downtown Minneapolis. Somebody pinch me! Me and 4 of my classmates are here to visit Target for our Summer Preview Day and to learn more about what we will be doing over the summer.

We left Bloomington after going to Market Research and then got here right before dinner. We used the opportunity to get something tasty that we wouldn't be able to get back in Bloomington. Seared Organic Salmon at Zelo, yum!

It has been great so far and we haven't even been to Target yet. Cannot wait!

Monday Flashback

I was up bright and early to take my first midterm/quiz for this semester. 15 multiple choice questions of cost accounting goodness. I think I did okay, finally was able to get answers that were choices (which I am hoping is a good thing!)

Next up, Brand Management. We talked about Azko Nobel, a case on brand portfolios and finding the right size and number of brands. It was interesting and had more information than I have ever seen in a case.

I headed to Kroger after I got out of class and stocked up on the necessities. I quickly unloaded all of the food stuffs and took care of Addie before heading back to school. Our KIP had another Hebrew lesson and a humanities professor speak.

Then home again, where I got almost nothing done before turning in for the night at midnight.

Fun at Kelley!

Yesterday I got to witness my first flash mob in the Kelley atrium. During Coffee Break a bunch of my classmates just started dancing. Our program chair got involved and our really good friend was part of the mob (he didn't even tell us!) It was really cool, watch it for yourself here:



I am in the back with my white backpack (you can see the straps if you look really hard!)

Catching Up

Things have been crazy, definitely not easier than last semester. Way too many teams, projects and things going on. Trying to keep up with what is going on with market research so I can run chi-square tables and knowing what Japanese are cooking in their kitchens and the price differential between Tiffany's sterling silver and the generics at Blue Nile. Exciting huh? It has been a whirlwind.

If it wasn't for outlook I wouldn't know where I have been, where I am or where I am going.

Friday was one of my first Friday in a long time that I didn't have CMA, it allowed me to relax at home and to get a jump start on the mountain of homework. I also mocked a classmate for the first time. She is interested in going into retail and I was the first person she thought of :) We also took the car in for a much needed oil change, its needed it for awhile.

We got some snow over the weekend so we have pretty much camped out in the apartment over the weekend. Didn't help we both had stomach aches yesterday and weren't too excited to go out.

This morning we went to my cohort teammate's baby blessing at his church. It was really special and I am glad to have been able to share in it. One of those moments I know I wouldn't have if we hadn't been at Kelley.

And now instead of staring at my accounting until I go crazy, I am taking a much needed break to FINALLY watch my Christmas present...Julie and Julia. ooh la la.

Then its off to watch the Super Bowl at Wayne Winston's and then our friends. Go Saints!

It's Thursday?

Where has this week gone? I had every intention of blogging all this week, but like life it got away from me. I am on my way to class and then have a meeting with my Academy directors to discuss our CMA project and then I should have the rest of the afternoon and evening to myself. So a real update should be coming soon...I promise!

Ladies Dinner Club - XXX Version

That's why we have the Ladies' Dinner Club! It gives us first years a chance to get together once a month, and try a new restaurant or do something fun. Because it doesn't matter if you are an MBA student, a mother, etc. you need time to just be a girl and hang out with your girlfriends!

We had January's Ladies' Dinner Club at a classmate's home where she made the main dish (a wonderful chicken!) and the rest of us brought appetizers, salads and desserts. I have eaten so much great food since being back in Bloomington, my classmates are amazing cooks and bakers!

While we were all socializing in the kitchen index cards were put on the table so we could ask anonymous questions to our guest for the evening, Debby Herbenick Ph.D. of Human Sexuality at IU. We had a great discussion, a lot of fun, and definitely learned a lot.

Definitely a fun way to spend a Saturday night!

Manic Monday

Day started at 6 when my Blackberry started chirping. *Time to get up!* I straightened my hair and then grabbed a few more minutes of sleep before stumbling out to the kitchen to feed Addie.

I grabbed my laptop and got to writing some emails while I watched the Golden Globes' Red Carpet (they were on Sunday?! Where have I been?!) I made a salad for lunch, packed it up and got a bunch of work done. Then off to school to start my marathon day.

Monday's are always packed, 3 classes my most all week. But on top of that I had 2 team meetings and an informational interview I did for a project. Kelley Women had a bunch going on today too, as our budget was due to MBAA and we are trying to update our website.

Tonight's KIP has been my favorite so far, we had a professor speak to us about the Israeli Special Forces and their selection process, so cool.

Didn't get home until 8ish or so and then it was time to catch up on emails and finish up a few projects. I have a bit more that I had wanted to get done but I am planning on getting up early again tomorrow...and the whole process starts all over again!

Why I love my Brand Management Class...

Because Professor Morgan puts the following picture up on the projector. Genius! We spent 30 minutes discussing the issues with Apple's latest release and the fact that their real tag line, tell the customer nothing. Do they know what the device is supposed to do? Who is the customer? Is the idea to just put it out there and see how the customers use it (and who actually buys it) and then market to do that?

With my brother and my dad HUGE Apple fans it was great to hear someone stick to Steve Jobs, and critique the company's strategy. I look forward to seeing how this will be positioned in 6 months and see if all the negative associations the name has (by itself) is erased as Morgan predicts.

Internship - check, Schoolwork - ??

Everyone thinks I am on easy street now, my dream internship under my belt and the rest of the semester should be smooth sailing right? Um, no. Now that we are out of the core the number of teams I am on has grown exponentially (from one to four!) and now that I have a leadership role in Kelley Women, that seems to fill in any of the space not already allocated to school projects.

Accounting thankfully is not a lot of group work, but we have lots of cases to prepare for every class. Thankfully, for me Charlton is forced to take the same class so I have a study buddy at home to make sure I am not allocating costs to projects based on some silly driver like times they turned on the light switch.

Brand Management has a fairly in-depth project where we value a brand. My team (of 6) is valuing Tiffany. We have to look at the consumer perceptions and then a few different valuation methods. The good thing about having a team so large is we can have mini-projects within the project. Each pair has their own valuation, mine being product based. We also have a survey we all created to gauge customer preferences, so if you are reading this and want to help out...click here.

Market Research has a project too, teams of only 4, but so far it seems fairly straightforward. It is more of an exercise to get us using SPSS so our professor is walking us through it. Perfect!

Then there is my KIP class where we have teams of five to work on case write-ups and our industry presentation in a few weeks. Our first case write-up was on the Israeli Special Forces and really interesting. As for the industry presentation we are going with agriculture as CPG was too hard to find resources on.

Lastly, there is my CMA project where we are working on a global entry strategy for Kitchenaid...something like what we would see in our internships. It is fairly vague and we haven't gotten too far in, but I already know more than I ever thought I would on Japanese cooking tastes and trends.

And if that wasn't keeping me busy enough, there is our readings, homework, housework (still haven't done laundry this week!) and try to keep up with my friends. Pulled in 500 directions, and this was supposed to be easier than the core?

The next adventure...

This week has probably been the most hectic, stressful and yet exciting period of my life. The week started off with an interview with Target. They were the reason I had come to business school, so I had a lot riding on me to do well on the interview. 10 or so of my classmates were also interviewing and we didn't know how many spots they were planning on taking from Kelley (eep!) About 6 of us got called Monday evening to come back for a second round on Tuesday.

Cue more stress, smaller pool but still no indication on how many slots. Did the best I could do under the circumstances and made sure to take a little of the edge off by talking to one of the senior buyers after. It's funny how much more relaxed you are when your resume is no longer on the table. Decisions were to come out on Weds. *cue dramatic music*

Weds morning came and went, as did Weds afternoon. All my classmates knew how badly I wanted the position and were checking in with me every chance they got. I began to sound like a broken record with "still no news." I think by the time I got home I didn't have any fingernails left!

When we got home, I pretty much gave up on the idea of hearing whether I would make it or not. I settled in to watch "Everybody Hates Chris" (how apropos right?!) and tried to relax. Then, BZZZ BZZZ! A 612 number! OMG! And that was it! My offer to my dream internship, still makes me get all choked up. I had worked so hard for it so to see it come full circle was great validation.

After I got off the phone, I was frantic! Who to call first!? After attacking Charlton and squealing for a good 5 minutes, I called my mom who was just as excited as I was. Then there was my sister, brother, friends and my aunt to fill in. I seriously got nothing done yesterday.

This has been a nutty week, but I am glad it is finally over and with such positive results. Now I can finally start focusing on schoolwork again!

Winter Pic Recap

I know these have been a long time coming, but with break and the whirlwind of interview season finally getting to posting these. Sorry, I know bad blogger! But enjoy, I promise to be more prompt with the picture updates in the future!

And so it starts...

Today is my first on campus interview. I am excited and nervous, and just want to do well and not embarrass myself. It's like b-school interviews although the stakes are higher as I no longer have a job to fall back on.

But it's at 8:30 and I have to make sure I have adequate time on campus and look cute in my suit so better go get ready. Wish me luck!

Weekend Recap

Friday: Was the kickoff of our CMA projects, mine is evaluating global entry for Kitchenaid brand. Very exciting stuff! My team had a little meet and greet to discuss questions we wanted asked and then we met with the other team working on the project to have a conference call with our project manager at Whirlpool. We have lots of information, and we can't wait to get started, too bad we have those pesky interviews in the way! After CMA I volunteered at the snack shack for the Kelley Women's Case Comp. I got to hang out with some classmates and attempt to do homework so not a bad gig. Although I didn't get to leave campus until 7, though. Then it was off to Target to get thank you notes for this week.

Saturday: All day spent studying and doing homework. At 5, headed to campus to watch Operation Thunderbolt with my KIP classmates. Then off to the IMU for the Case Comp awards dinner where Kelley took home 3rd and one classmate took home honorable mention for her part of the presentation! Good job ladies!

Sunday: More of the same, lots of accounting, lots of reading for our KIP. Also a little interview prep, but not too much as one of my favorite second years reminded me that I know what I am doing. Let's hope she is right. Charlton had a group project at 7, so I packed my bag and watched trashy tv and was in bed by 9:30.

Long day

So I didn't get to leave campus today until 8, and I got there at 9:30...what a day! First, I trucked across campus to pick up my SPSS software for my Market Research class. Was very glad the rain decided to come later, that's for sure. Then back at Kelley, I attempted to read for class and didn't get very far as I was talking to my classmates who were preparing for their first interviews on campus. Next up, Market Research where we talked about the 2 hour focus group video we watched on diagnosing allergies. Then straight to a planning meeting for the International Dessert Potluck we are co-hosting with Asian & Latin MBA. After that, a meeting to talk about my experiences at Qualcomm with an Investment Management Academy student who plans on pitching the stock for the fund the academy manages. Then a little more studying and talk about interviews (the hot topic of every first year these days) and then there was an MBAA funding and planning meeting. Once that wrapped up, I got debriefed on volunteering for Kelley's first Women's Case Invitational that my friends are competing in. After the quick debrief, it was off to the kick off reception in the basement catered by Good Life Culinary, which was absolutely delicious! Once the girls were all settled in their break out room, I finally left school and went to Target to get my thank you notes for next week. Finally collapsed on the couch around 9 to watch Martha and the office and get a snack. I have spent the last hour reading Market Research stuff and can hardly keep my eyes open. Need to get to bed, I have a big day tomorrow...CMA team project kick-off and a conference call with my project coordinator at Whirlpool.

In the middle

Yesterday was nuts, but most of my days are now. Had accounting and brand, a mock, a Kelley Women exec meeting and a brief visit to the museum. Then I got home and spent 2-3 hours updating what we want to do with the website so my chair can fix it up for us. Fun times! Have a feeling today is going to be worse, on campus from 9:15-8:00 pm. Wish me luck!

And now its in print!

While flipping through my Real Simple last night, I was pleasantly surprised to see this ad. Giada & Target together in PRINT. Love it. You get to see all the new products and Giada enjoying the food she has prepared with them. Beautiful, now we're really cooking.

And its over!

We finally finished plowing through the Wire. Just in time for us too, things are ramping up like crazy here.

Today wasn't so bad itself: Market Research, tons of Kelley Women stuff and my first Pilates class at the HPER. Oh and my first tour for SAC.

Tomorrow is another story with Accounting, Brand Management, Kelley Women Exec meeting a mock interview, and an event at the Art Museum. Buckle up!

New Packaging for Lean Cuisine

While I didn't think anything was wrong with the old packaging, I love the redesign! Fresh and clean, it really draws attention to the simpleness of the food and the nutrition of it. Its a great way to stand out in the category, as no one else has such straightforward and beautiful packaging. Bravo Nestle!

No School Monday

Yesterday we had off for MLK day. It was nice to get a little break so early in the semester and let me adequately catch up on my homework and work at finishing the Wire. I stayed in my PJs all day only leaving the house to take Addie on a walk. Wish we had more Mondays like this!

Great Idea!

To have a mini Starbucks card to hang from your keys! So whether you are just coming home from the gym or out to meet a friend all you need is your key ring and you've got yourself a latte!

Faculty Auction Dinner

Last night we were able to claim our prize of dinner at Gale Nichols, Director of Student Services, home. She had 14 of us first years over for an amazing home cooked meal. Each dish was amazing and I ate way too much! The dinner gave us all a chance to catch up with each other as a lot of our schedules don't overlap anymore. Gale was a great host and FANTASTIC cook, class of 2012 take note and start saving your money now for next year's faculty auction!

Peer Coach Dinner

Friday my peer coach, Tara, had all of her peer coachees over for dinner to just talk through where we are and get a sense of where we are going. It was really great to get together with everyone and just talk about everything. Totally felt spoiled too with a home cooked dinner, I don't think any of the other peer coaches did that. Really helped me focus on this last final push, so glad she is in my court.

Target ♥s P&G

CMA Friday this week, has been my favorite session so far. But I do have a bias as my class' "Target Girl" We had representatives from P&G come to campus and discuss some new initiatives to a department in the store. It was great to hear about how collaborative their relationship is and how they can utilize data each has to best serve the guest. And to top it off, we all headed to the Bloomington Target for a personalized store tour. It's days like this that I don't mind being at school at 9 am on a Friday.

MIA

When we were immersed in the Core all we heard was it would get better second semester. Well, now I am not so sure. My time seems even limited, and I only have 4 classes. But now I have 2 class teams so far, 1 academy team and then Kelley Women Exec activities taking up my time. Oh and don't forget mock interviews! I had 4 mock interviews and then a GCS sponsored slam-a-thon in the span of 3 days. And their not even over yet, I have another one already lined up for next week, and maybe an interview if I played my cards right.

The atmosphere at school has changed a lot too. Can't say they didn't warn us, that things would change once preference lists for companies came out and I definitely feel it. More competitive, a little jealousy, and a lot of people who are torn between being excited and being depressed. It's a weird time: new classes, new attitudes and new commitments.

New from General Mills

I was able to get my first taste of General Mills Chocolate Cheerios in their corporate store in their HQ. Not my favorite, was similar to Cocoa Puffs but not as chocolatey. However, the Banana Nut Cheerios they gave us coupons for and I have since tried...AMAZING! And now both are in a supermarket near you.

Where is my seat?

The start of a new semester and my first day of non-core classes, its weird to type that. While it is fun to have new classes and ones I picked I already miss some of the familiarity there was in the core. I don't have the same seat, I have to move classes and second years mixed with the first years changes the dynamic a lot. I am sure it will take some getting used to and then by then it will be summer right!?

Today I had my most filled day class wise with 3 classes: Managerial Accounting, Brand Asset Management and KIP Israel. So far I like all of them and I am really pumped about KIP Israel, and yes they bribe us with food from Falafels, but I am really excited at all we are going to see and experience. In an effort to get to bed before 1, here is the rest of my day in a nutshell:

• Waited in line forever to mail our textbooks we sold
• Signed up for the wrong pilates class after getting lost in the HPER
• Switched my pilates class to the one my friends are in
• Watched an episode of the Wire
• Fast forwarded through a whole episode of Martha Stewart watching only 2 minutes
• Wore my new boots in the house for a good 2 hours
• Danced when I got a present from my aunt of new silverware!
• Talked to my dad on the phone
• Read my case for Brand Management's Weds class on Samsung
• Read a chapter of Accounting
• Made appointments for 3 mock interviews this week
• Tried to kick this cold
• etc.

There is no warm-up, just go!

These Boots are Made for Walking

I ♥ my new Kamik Brooklyn Boots! I can't wear them tomorrow and not have to worry about my feet getting cold. Hooray for Endless and their free overnight shipping!

Two of my favorites meet...

in the middle of Kitchenwares! I am so excited about Giada's new partnership with Target! I really think she resonates with their target guest and it should be a great venture for the both of them. I can't wait to see how it does, and better yet tastes (at least the sauces and not the pans) as I had to show a little restraint after spending quite a bit on jewelry there during my last visit. I will definitely have to ask about it during my store tour with the CMA on Friday.

Welcome Back!

So tonight marks the end of winter break. I had a great time visiting my family and being back in San Diego. I miss them and the food already! The last week has been packed with a whirlwind trip to Minneapolis to visit Land O' Lakes, 3M, General Mills and Target and try to make nice with the -9 degree weather. I brought back with me loads of new clothes (thanks mom and dad), Banana Nut Cherrios (thanks General Mills) and my coveted Bullesye stuffed dog (thanks Target). Since being back I have had some time to catch up with some of my friends, take Addie for walks in the snow and watch as much of the Wire as humanly possible and just relax. It's been nice, but I have to say goodbye to it, and hello to my 2nd semester.