Vegas Baby!
Two weeks after I returned from Europe, for her birthday, Jordan and I went to Vegas with her dad and stepmom and Mimi and her boyfriend (now husband). Our flight departed at 6:00am(!) and we landed in Vegas a few hours later. We went to Las Vegas Motor Speedway to watch the drag races that day. It was exhilarating! We stood next to the starting line right where the noise is deafening (we did wear earplugs), you feel the revving engines take your breath away, and the tar/asphalt from the track sticks to your skin. Also, I became very sunburned because I'm really white (it's a fact of life I've come to terms with). At the end of the day we returned to the hotel, pulled on a few slots, and went to dinner. Other outings we managed to fit in our four days there were visiting the Hoover Dam, walking up and down the Strip, going by the 'Pawn Stars' pawn shop, seeing "O" the Cirque du Soleil water show, and we went to the Academy of Country Music Awards which were that weekend. It was a lot of fun and despite Vegas having a negative connotation, it was very easy to avoid the "crazy" people.
At the Awards concert
Graduation
Back from Vegas, it was time to hit the books for a great finish to my last semester. Yep, I graduated in May with my finance degree, but I’m still at A&M. I’m now working toward my Master of Real Estate (MRE) which I’ll receive in December of this year (2012). I knew I wanted a master degree straight out of undergrad, and during my last semester, I took a few real estate classes and fell in love! I enjoyed the courses, the knowledge, and, perhaps most importantly, the professors. I heard about the MRE program and applied. I was accepted without even having to interview. I have enjoyed every minute of it. I love the professionals I’m meeting, what I’m learning, the people in my program, and the fact that this program is a perfect fit for me.
Boo!
During my last couple of months of undergrad, one of my friends found a litter of five kittens and a nursing momma cat in their front bushes. I had visited them multiple times and when they were eight weeks old and it was time for them to find homes, I decided to adopt/rescue my favorite kitten. I had no intention of being a parent to any pet until I was out of college, but I could not get over this cat. Mom has always said, for big decisions, sleep on it, and if you can’t get it out of your mind, then you know what to do. Alas, I chose to adopt Boo. He has a shiny, jet black coat, yellow eyes, and is quite a ball of energy. He loves playing fetch with his plush mice, he likes bothering Jacob (much to his dismay), and he is always happy to see me come home every day. All in all, I know I made the right choice.
This is what he looked like when I adopted him.
And this is him now...
GE
Come summer, I was on internship again and with the same company (sort of) as the previous summer. I had worked for Dresser, Inc. the previous summer, but that following December they were acquired by GE. It was basically the same company, but I did have a different boss and different and more involved responsibilities. I was given a specific project this summer as opposed to monthly financial reporting duties as I had done previously. In short, I was charged with finding what areas and why we were losing money at one of our plants, and then coming up with something to fix the problem. The plant in question was in a different state, so I went up there for a week to do some digging. I had to meet with many people and learn so much more about the business than I already knew, but I did find what I needed. I found the problem areas, and mistakes made, and the parts of the process where mistakes often occurred. Armed with my problems to solve, I went back to Houston and by the end of the summer I put together a new costing and pricing model complete with steel research and accounting procedures built in. This model is now what the engineers, salesmen, accountants, and everyone in between all use to cost and price new jobs.
Familia
Also during the summer, Rachel had a baby! Levi Wesley was born the evening of July 6 to Rachel and Justin via C-section. He is a big, healthy, almost eight-month-old boy now, in the highest percentile of height, weight, head size, etc.
As for Brewer, in the beginning of March, he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Sabrina, and they will be marrying on March 31. I am a bridesmaid! We are all eagerly awaiting and looking forward to that milestone.
Jacob is making it through Biomedical Science as best he can, as it is a tough major. He still is looking to go into Pharmacy, but I don’t think he has resolutely excluded other options.
Dad and Mom enjoy their new role as grandparents (Pop and Gram), and they’re still holding down the fort for all of us. Grandmother is doing as well as she can for being 81, and I know she’s happy she made it to be a great-grandmother.
Currently
I took one of the hardest tests of my life yesterday, and have multiple upcoming obligations regarding presentations, exams, and reports. I did have a spectacular birthday this year which makes me appreciate all my friends and those close to me even that much more.
I am blessed.
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