Brother's Birthday Celebration

Two weekends ago I was in St. George visiting the family and on Saturday night we drove down to Mesquite, Nevada to meet up with my oldest brother and go to dinner for his birthday. After dinner we went over to the Virgin River Casino and went bowling. It was so fun. Ryder and Taia were running around everywhere and I was bowling pretty well. Taia and I played with the air that comes out of the machine and she even helped Amber push a ball down the lane. When we were done Taia and I made a game out of returning the shoes. It was so cute! She would grab someone's shoes and then follow me to the return counter where I'd lift her up and then the man behind the counter would say thanks and she'd run back to the group to grab more shoes until they were all taken back. Then Jon and I started like wrestling in the middle of the bowling alley. After a little while of wrestling we decided we should probably leave before security guards came and on the way out of the bowling alley we passed a security guard. I wish there were more pictures, but after we took a bunch of random pictures at dinner the batteries in the camera died, so there are no pictures of bowling which is sad.Only pictures of the parents.

So cute!

She loves me
Me and my sister
Yeah, this is my brother. He's special.
Mike, Dannielle, and Ryder (aka Rydie)
She was struggling with looking at the camera.
I love this boy.
Scared, cuz Mike was freaking her out
This is what he was doing.
Her and Mike are perfect for each other.
I am his favorite.This was the funniest thing to watch happen. Ryder's head is huge and so when he was falling asleep it was start to lean one direction and then it was so heavy it would make his entire body fall over and then he'd wake up for a second until it all happened again. So cute and sad!
Taia wanted to have pictures taken of her too
So she decided to pretend to be asleep too.

Pumpkin Carving Time!

So this week for FHE we carved pumpkins. Nicole and I shared a pumpkin and when it came to my side I couldn't think of what to do. Luckily I had been working on a homework assignment for my tax research class right before FHE and so this awesome idea popped into my head.

Maybe it is to make us feel better about our nerdy major, but our teacher always tells us that tax is sexy. One day when we are in a room full of executives and they are all looking to us for an answer on their taxes we will realize how sexy it is to be the only one is the room that knows the answer.
A classic girl and her pumpkin picture
During the impromptu photo shoot I dropped the pumpkin. Rookie mistake.
Possible Halloween costume?
This isn't weird at all.

Women's Conference

This past Saturday I was able to go up to the conference center in Salt Lake to watch the Women's Conference live. This was the first event I'd ever been to at the conference and it was awesome! I was always worried that with there being so many people all around me it would be hard for me to concentrate, but it was just the opposite. It was so fun and I learned a bunch! It made me so excited for General Conference next week!

"We are going to do something extraordinary!" ~ Emma Smith

Interviews

Two weeks ago I started the interview process for next summer internships. What the firms want us to decide as we start the interview process is where we want to end up after graduation. I thought a lot about that this past summer and I was really only considering Las Vegas, Nevada or somewhere in Southern California. After a lot of thought I realized that I don't really want to live in CA, at least not now, maybe when I'm older. So I made my decision...... Las Vegas here I come.

Because of where I wanted to end up I picked 3 accounting firms to interview with: 2 big 4 firms, and a smaller one that is ranked high for working women. I met with Ernst & Young on the 16th, Deloitte on the 18th, and RSM McGladrey on the 23rd. As far as I can tell, all 3 interviews went pretty well. I was pretty nervous for my first inerview, just not knowing what to expect and wanting to do a really good job promoting myself. I'm a fairly talkitive person, so I was lucky to not be too nervous so that I could just be myself and crack jokes and stuff like that.

Now I just wait. I heard that the firms have a deal with BYU to not contact us again till October 2nd, because BYU is one of the first schools the firms meet with. Hopefully I will hear back later on in this week, so look for updates!

First week down!

School started this week, and luckily it has been pretty uneventful. As of now, as I kinda expect the rest of the semester to be, this year is so much easier than last year. This time last year I was probably crying every night thinking that I was too dumb to be in the Junior Core, and that I should just quit. None of that this year - well, so far so good at least.

Tuesday school started way to early for me at 8 am. Was it a mistake taking an 8 am class... probably, but I didn't have any other options. So the day started with Operations Management. All I need to say about that class is first, that it's definitely not an accounting class, and second, I know the supply chain for milk. After a 3 hour nap, some fun reading, and running some errands, I had my second and final class of the day. In case you're wondering, there is 6 hours between those classes.... sometimes nice, but also maybe a little too much time in between. Anyways, after all that time I went to Organizational Behavior. Also not anything like an accounting class - no tests - but it seems like pretty interesting stuff.

Wednesday was a nice and easy day. Lindsay Owen - the girl from my group winter semester - and I rode up together to Aspen Grove where we had our MAcc orientation all day. It was better than having class, but it was soooo long! After a couple hours of listening to people we had a break for "activities". The activities they planned were things like miniature golf, volleyball,
ultimate frisbee, and other activities kind of like that. Luckily Lindsay and I had the same thought that all we really wanted to do was find somewhere on the grass to lay out and chat. Michelle Miller - a girl from my group this semester, practically the same person as me, as we decided later on in the day - and Jamie Albertson - who was in our classes last year - joined us for "girl talk." We found this awkward blue mat kind of thing that covered some rocks in between where people were playing volleyball and ultimate frisbee. We hung out there till lunch time were the girls, with a few more add-ins, all found a table together. Even the Director from the SOA came over and commented on the segregation he saw at our table. After joking that the few girls there are in the program need to stay to together, we finished lunch and then heading back to the afternoon meeting. Although this one involved some confetti, which I was finding all over the place the rest of that day, it was still pretty long. It was more enjoyable at the beginning due to Michelle and I laughing at everything that was happening during the first speaker. Good times. But after the meeting it was back to Provo with only a few pages of reading for class the next morning.

Thursday classes were pretty uneventful. Operations Management at 8 am, where my group decided that our task for that class was to escape the classroom in case there's ever a fire. This doesn't really make sense explaining it like this, but the assignment was to find something that was our groups mission, so to say, for that class. It was fun. The teacher said we could pick anything we wanted so while most of the other groups picked getting good grades or always being prepared for class, my group went for survival in case of a fire. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love my group this semester! Later that day in Organization Behavior we had representatives from KPMG, Grant Thorton, Ernest & Young, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers come in and talk to us. There's been something I've wondered about a lot, and so I decided to ask a question. I asked if the firms looked at the fact -or even thought about - that as women, chances our we'll be starting our families in the next couple of years, and if there is any apprehension on the firms part when it comes to hiring someone who maybe won't stay in the work force for every long. Well, this question apparently hit home, because the recruiter from E & Y was tearing up as she said that is not a factor and she doesn't want any women to ever think of that as a hindrance to their careers. Then the women from KPMG said that she had just had a baby in December and that she was able to take 6 months off of work and that a lot of the firms have a flexible hour program to work with balancing both home and work life. It was nice to hear their answers, but I was kinda laughing at myself, because I am probably the person in the room that is least like to be starting a family anytime in the near future. I also felt a little bad about almost making the one lady cry.

Later that night we had meet the firms, where representatives from over 30 firms came to talk to us about the different opportunities and functions of their company. I know that I want to live in Las Vegas, Nevada after graduation so I was interested in talking to the firms that have tax practices in Vegas. I ended up talking to Deloitte, Ernest & Young, and a smaller firm called McGladrey & Pullen (who apparently has a great reputation for working well with mothers, balancing schedules). I was pretty excited about all the firms I talked with and can't wait to talk to them more. I hope I get an internship for next summer, that's the goal and I'm sending in all my applications by tomorrow, so fingers crossed!!!!

Today, Friday, was a pretty chill day. I had a tax research class this morning and my professor seems pretty cool. He does this little dance when he gets excited about whatever he's saying and it's pretty funny! Even though that will most likely be my most difficult class I also think it will be pretty fun. After that I had a lecture class where the chairman of the board for Deloitte & Touche came and talked to us about ethics. I thought it was a pretty good lecture, especially for something we have drilled into us again and again here at BYU. After that I worked on my resume, which after hours of work was accidentally closed without being saved - yeah, just a little frustrating. Anyways I'm about to redo it right now, but thought I should update my awesome blog about the first week of the MAcc program. All in all, I actually feel like I might actually fit into this accounting world, but then again, it is only the first week...

That's it.

I'm done. No more thinking. At least when it comes to boys. I know that I've ended up at this decision before, but I'm thinking that if I post it on here for others to read that maybe this time I'll be able to stick this choice.

Here's the dilemma. When I start to think a guy's cute, I start acting all weird and say and react to things way different than I normally would. It really is a noticeable change that my friends can see and sometimes will tell me when I'm being weird. Why do I do this? I don't know. All I know is that once I make that decision, and especially if I vocalize it to anyone, even to myself, there's no turning back and awkward Genna is here to stay.

Then I always have issues with that whole, just a friend area. While I'm fine, and in most cases prefer, with keeping guys as friends I seem to get into trouble wanting more from them than I should as a friend. Is it bad to expect to hang out with someone multiple times a week when that has been the norm? And then what happens when those multiple hang outs go to not hearing from them for a while. Is it weird to feel a little confused or even hurt? It's not that it's a big deal or that I want more from them than just a friendship, but it's just weird when that's been the norm and then suddenly changes.

Anyways, I'm probably going to regret posting this in the morning. That just goes to show that people should blog at 2 in the morning.

Meet George

Of course I had to get another fish. This time I decided it'd be best to just start over completely. (I'm blaming my past fish fatalities to a disease in the tank) So yesterday I stopped at Petsmart and found George. Apparently I was feeling a little homesick when I got him, because I named him George, like St. George. Anyways he's cute. His body is blue and his tail and fins are red. I decided it's cuz I went to Dixie High, who's color is blue, and I love the red rocks in St. George. George enjoys swimming all around the bowl quickly and come to the front whenever I get close to it. Anyways I'm excited to have a new fish and this time I put him in my room, which I'm kinda liking the new location better as well. Here's some picks, and his bowl is advertised as a giant brandy glass, sweet huh?! (I don't really know how that applies, but I was just thinking of it so I decided to type it.) I think it might be time to get a real life.....

Floating the Provo River

That's right, I floated down the river today with some friends, and it was AWESOME! I've heard about people doing it for such a long time now, and I've always wanted to go to but I was usually either working or out of town when they went. But today I could go, so I did! Even though it was soooooo cold today (I had goosebumps almost the entire time) it was so worth it! I can't wait to go again, on second thought, I can wait till next summer so it's warmer.

Goals

While I was driving back up to Provo after my recent trip to St. George I started thinking about the new school year. One thing I thought about a lot was somethings I wanted to change or start doing, aka goals. After careful consideration I decided on some goals that I think are not only important, but also completely doable. One of my big goals that I'm looking forward to achieving but am kinda a little nervous of the difficultly is getting straight A's this semester. I'm a good student in general, but I've never had a semester at college where I've gotten all A's. So that's one goal that I'm sure will occupy most of my time these next couple of months. Basically I'm planning on spending a lot of time in the Tanner Building this year, come visit me please so I don't die of boredom!

Whoa! Those are huge.

After picking up my books from the bookstore this morning I headed over to the Tanner Building to pick up some IRC thing from the Accounting Secretary's' office that I got an email about. I was just expecting it to be a paper that had some websites with ids and passwords on it. Oh no, I was very off! What I really got was 2 huge books wrapped together containing the entire tax code. They are sooooo big! It's a pretty sweet deal though, because all the books were donated by Ernest & Young, one of the big 4 accounting firms. What can I say, they love the BYU accounting program so we get awesome hookups! Another plus, I won't have to memorize them! Thank goodness! But just think of the homework assignments.... ahhhh!

Where's the Monster?

So Taia and I play this little game that I started this past trip home. I've been calling her Monster for a while now. It's a nickname that fits so well that it's here to stay. Anyways whenever she's being kinda fussy or just being a little ADD I go, "Where's the Monster?" and with my hands making binoculars over my eyes I scan the room and end on her face and go "There she is!" She seriously thinks it's the funniest thing! She even will run over to me and stick her face right up in my face so when I end up on here she's right there. It is seriously the cutest thing ever. These pictures have nothing to do with this story, but the story is cute and these pictures are cute! And of course, there are some super cute pictures of Bella too who is getting way to big! I can't take how quickly she is growing up!

Dancing in the backseat of my car!

Riding the rides at the mall

Driving around in mommy's car and constantly picking her nose!!!

She's glowing!

Showing us her teeth

I love her guts!!!

Who can resist that face?!

Reuniting with high school friends!

Usually when I go home I just hang out with my family, but after my California trip with my mom I had Lauren Cox's (Lo's) wedding reception to go to. So I had planned to meet up with Kelsie James (Kelso) to go to the reception. We were both pretty skeptical about how it was going to be and whether we'd want to be there for very long. Well as soon as we starting talking and met up with Jennifer Shakespeare (Jeff) and Kaylee Andrus we realized that hanging out again was so freakin fun!!! We stayed the entire time at the reception and then made plans to hang out even longer all that night! After Lo's awesome reception, filled with yummy snowcones and stealing the flower girls' flowers, we made plans for the rest of the night.

After a quick visit to Kelso's friend's party in Bloomington we met back up with Jeff to see the new Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 movies at midnight. The movies was kinda lame and I'm made that the girl picked the ugly Greek boy over the hot semi-black guy, who was freakin hot!!! Anyways Jeff fell asleep pretty soon into the movie and that was pretty funny. Afterwards we sat around the lobby of the movie theater taking a million pictures while Kelso skeemed that Jeff should steal the extra popcorn that was just sitting on the counter. Of course sketchy little Jeff did it. =) So we decided to do a good little deed with our ill-gotten gain and feed the ducks up at the Skyling pool on the red hill. A good time was had by all for sure!

After that Kelso, Jeff, and I went up to the Dixie rock and caught up and were creeped out by a weird man howling in the background. After a couple of hours up there it was now like 4 in the morning and we decided that we just needed to have a sleepover on Jeff's trampoline! The best idea ever. Of course more pictures were taken and more memories remembered! It was so much fun!!! So of course that couldn't be the end!

On my last night in SG I hung out with my hs friends again! At midnight Kelso and Kaylee came over to my parents' house and we longboarded up to the church building around the corner and longboarded and talked for about 2 hours. Well of course that's not the end!! We decided someone was missing.... Jeffner! So we came up with this great plan to kidnap or just surprise Jeff! Naturally, we cruised around in my car and after one first stalker outing that was almost thwarted by a "bum" we headed to Jeff's! Very quietly we snuck/walked into Jeff's house and after a few false alarms we finally found where Jeff was sleeping. For some reason Kelso, Kaylee, and I decided we should all just quietly hide in the dark while Jeff was saying some hilarious stuff! "Who's out there? Is someone here? I'm not wearing any pants." And other such hilarious things! I loved it. Finally we couldn't contain our laughter and so our cover was blown and Jeff herded us upstairs. After some random conversations upstairs and some scary moments as Jeff tried to convince us that a tv we were hearing was really some ghost. Anyways after we decided we were all too ridiculously tired, Kelso, Kay Kay, and I headed back to my car and decided it was time for some caffeine! 3:30 am = Maverik run! Some caffeine and candy later we were even more creeped out by the crazy worker lady who was telling us ghost stories and about how she'd seen us pass by hours earlier. So as politely as possible I started backing up and rolling up my window. Anyways a little more longboarding in front of my parents' house and then Kelso and I proceeded to import her cd's onto my computer until 7 am. Oh yeah, did I mention that this was the night before I had to drive back up to Provo. Am I crazy? Or is that just what SG does to me? Needless to say I had a blast!!! It was so nice to finally have someone to stay up ridiculously late with, but now it's back to reality, aka Provo. Sad day. But I can't wait to go back and hang out with all those girls again. Oh, and on a side note, it was really funny runny into some other random people from high school. There were a couple of people that didn't recognize me at first which I thought was weird. Also, it's funny running into some of the guys from hs that were "cool" but not super nice, but apparently missions do boys good, cuz now all these boys are way nice. Who would have thought, but it's very refreshing to see that some things in SG do actually change! Ok, now it's picture time!