First Shall Be Last and the Last Shall be FIRST!!

So in my Management Accounting class we had to partake in a Business Strategy Game online. We were put into groups and each week we would make decisions for our company. Our company was Elite and we were in the industry of selling shoes. It's business and shoes....can it get any better than that!!

Well we started the game towards the middle of January and I didn't have a clue in a bucket of what I was doing. Asher's whole goal for the game was just to be ahead of me. He didn't care about coming in first-he just wanted to beat me. There were so many factors that came into play. You had to look at exchange rates, employee incentives, charitable contributions, bank loans, stock sales/purchases, advertising, retail support, plant capacity and upgrades---the list goes on and on!

Does it not just scream complicated?! There were 9 other pages looking just like this one that had to be played with.

But I just didn't have a whole lot of time to sit down and figure out how everything worked. The time came for us to make our first year's decision (year 11) and, well, we absolutely blew it!! We ended up with a negative earnings per share and return on equity!! That shouldn't have even been possible!

Everyone started at 100 overall---we dropped to 25! Ouch!! (And Dash, the team in first, ya that was Asher's!)

So my competitive nature (that I got from my mom) kicked in! I figured there was no way we could bounce back from being down so low, but I was determined to not come in last! That is just not the Wood way of things! So each night before going to bed, I would get on and play with numbers and more numbers-trying to do anything that would increase our standings. By the last year, we were in 4th place with one more decision to go before the game was over. Tensions were building. Stress ran high. Groups would sit secluded in corners, wary of people trying to listen in on their trade secrets. And at 3 o'clock the results were in. It was time to see who came out on top. And obviously if I am blogging about it...you can probably guess!

Yes, the first shall be last and the last shall be first! My professor said he has never seen anyone who was in last place for so long, do such a comeback and take it all!!

So once again, I am kind of a nerd-blogging about accounting and share prices. But please bare with me. Now let's just all hope I can come up on top throughout the next 2 weeks with finals!

I also get to do the Accounting 170 and 175 Open Tutorials this week! Already I have had over 20 students sign up for each! I love doing these!

When All Is Said and Done

What a weekend! It was a great, although altogether disappointing, weekend.

Pictures are kind of ridiculous! One, I HATE pictures. And Two, the other girls in the group were all shorter than 5' 3", so I kind stuck out like a giant... I made them wear heals, while I went barefooted for pictures!

So March 25-27 was the Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition. We left Thursday afternoon and travelled up to Calgary. We settled into the hotel with about 40 minutes to get ready for the Opening Banquet. It was quite the affair, let me tell you. We mingled about and met the other teams. There really were some amazing people involved in this event, the brightest of their schools all around. I felt incredibly inadequate to be counted among them.

But the fun was yet to come...

So Friday we were up at 6:00 -- well that was when my alarm went off. Normally, once my head hits the pillow, I am soo gone! But that night I tossed and turned, waking up every 45 min to an hour, until about 4 o'clock, at which time I just gave up. I pulled out my scriptures, but they were incredibly difficult to read by light of my cell phone so as not to wake my roommate. Finally morning arrived and we left for SAIT. At 8:00am, we were fed and being locked away with the 20 page case. And I literally mean locked away! We were escorted to our team's room which could only be opened from the outside with a key. The case was about a small company in Nova Scotia called Just Us! coffee. They were involved in both retailing and wholesaling and did a lot with Fair Trade. The case gives us the background of the company and kind of where they are at now. We go through and find the problem, and then fix it! Within the first hour we had some camera people come in who wanted to take action shots while we worked through the case. I have never felt so awkward in my life! There was one lady with a huge honking video camera, who would zoom up and around our faces while we were trying to 'act natural'! Another guy was taking still shots and would come well within our personal space bubbles while we were discussing our vision for this company. I was glad when they left!

So till 6 o'clock that evening we were stuck in that little room pouring over this case, trying to come up with a solution and put it to power point. Thank goodness we were able to have scheduled potty breaks. It is almost frightening how much we looked forward to going to the bathroom for a change of scenery....!

At 6 o'clock, we submit the power point and nothing can be added or changed. We had the car ride back to the hotel to unwind, and then the next 8 hours (so till about 2:30 in the morning!) were spent getting ready for the presentation the next day. It had been an exhaustive and draining 20 hour day.

This picture was taken after collapsing onto my bed after being locked in a room all day! Still had the 8 hours to go at this point....I looked worse at the end of that.

Saturday was the presentations. On Thursday, we had picked a number out of the hat to see the order in which groups would present...and we were dead last. Which meant that we couldn't watch any of the other presentations, as you can only watch those after you have presented.

We heard from other people that our group took a very unique and creative approach compared to what other schools had done. We presented a campaign for the company. Here, Just Us! was doing great things in all parts of the world and really wanted to educate people on what was going on globally. Our campaign was called, "It Just Takes One"--stemming from the whole 'power of one' concept. (And Just Us! the company---Just One---get it!!) So this is the concept: (I wish I could show you the presentation-it's just not going to sound as great on this thing)

We would send people a single coffee bean in the mail, with a coupon for a free coffee, inviting them to come in and learn more about what this company was all about. The coffee bean representing the great and miraculous things that can stem from a single seed. They would bring the coffee bean into the cafe and put it in a jar. Then, filling out the back of the coupon, the customer would write down a good deed that Just Us! could feasibly do for the community. For every 100th bean, Just Us! would select a good deed and carry it out. At the end of the campaign, they could do a final donation to a charity of their choice. The idea was, yes, we all want to make the world a better place, but often that starts within the walls of our own homes and communities.

Our presentation and power point and everything went perfectly!! At the end of the presentation, the judges then question us on our strategies and what not. The first judge said we did an amazing job, he loved the idea and really felt like we understood what the company was all about. He didn't have any questions for us and just said he loved everything we did. The second judge reiterated what the first judge had said and asked what we would do after the campaign. We were ready for that question and had an answer prepared. The third judge was actually the owner of Just Us! He also said that he loved the idea and concept of where we were taking this. He said we truly caught the vision of what his company was trying to accomplish in the world. He also didn't have any questions, and just said he loved the approach we had taken things. We left that room on such a high!

We had Deans from other schools come up and say that our group had the best concept and presentation out of any of the groups. We had other students come and say that they loved our presentation and thought it was the best out of all they had seen. Even the cameraman and IT guy came and repeated what others had said and also mentioned that our power point was the best they had seen throughout the past 5 years of being involved in this competition!

But...then we ended up not placing...it was really bizarre. We must not have touched on a key point that the judges were looking for. But the great thing is that we had such an amazing time and we felt great about what we had done. If we were to do it all over again, we wouldn't change a thing, Dave and John, our faculty advisors were amazing and helped so much.

The other girls on the team were Chelsa Larson, Kelly Thompson, and Courtney Quenneville, with John Russell on the left, and Dave Kennedy on the right.

I loved the ending quote we used by Edward Hale:

"I am one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I know I can do."

It was so powerful. So that was my weekend. It was great and I am so grateful to have been a part of that group. Now....I just need to survive these next few weeks!

Be Good Girls and Boys

So it has been an amazing weekend. I skipped class and went down to Echo with my family...generally nothing gets better than that! But on Saturday, Elder Bednar was in Lethbridge and did a fireside for the YSA. I am in the institute choir so I got to sit right behind him. It was amazing. And his hair really is as perfect as it looks on TV!

Instead of talking to us for 2 hours, he opened up the whole time for questions. If you could ask an apostle of the Lord anything, what would it be? There was a plethora of thoughts running through my mind but everything was too personal to actually put forth in front of the entire YSA from Southern Alberta. When people asked him questions, he didn't just give them the answer and move on; rather, he put them in the right direction and gave just enough to get started. Then it was up us to find the answer for ourselves and come to our own conclusion. We must be agents unto ourselves. I know what I can do to get my own answers. We need to act and not be acted upon. He talked about being good boys and girls. And that is what I want. I want to be a good girl! There is so much more that I can do.

We simply claim and boldly testify that God speaks. I know that He is mindful of me and knows me personally. Elder Bednar spoke on the differences between objects and agents. He really put the concept of agency into perspective for me. We have already accepted Christ and have made covenants with Him. We can no longer do whatever we want. When we choose to not follow in His ways, we are violating our covenants, not 'exercising our agency'. Elder Bednar put it much more eloquently than I can.

We live in the greatest season in the history of the world! What tremendous blessings and opportunities are before us!

So Im just a little bit of a nerd...

A couple weeks ago, I was approached by one of my professors and asked to compete in the Alberta Deans of Business Challenge. They take 4 students from our school and we go up to compete against other schools in Alberta, some from BC, and some from Saskatchewan. My professor said it was such an honor for me to be chosen! Here is the link that talks about the competition.

So it's not like High School Musical where they have the little dinger bell thing and we race to see who can solve the equation the fastest, or make a substance turn green and bubbly...

Basically, they lock each team in a War Room (sounds ominous, doesn't it!!) for 10 hours with a 20 page case that we study and prepare. Then the next day we give a presentation before a panel of judges, after which they question us on strategies and how and why we would do certain things. Crazy, yes!

I am super excited to be involved in something like this, but also way stressed. We have meetings each week with the 3 other students, as well as with 2 faculty members that help in getting us prepared. Apparently some schools have been meeting for months already....I guess it's kind of a big deal!

So I have just over 3 weeks to be ready! No pressure. In previous years, the cases have been on anything from the Apple iPod to Lululemon attire. I have no idea what to expect...!

Warning! Super Sappy Blog Post Below!

So today is the day I have been waiting for since I was six years old and learned what a Golden Birthday was. For those of you that may not know what I am talking about, today is my Golden Birthday because I am turning 22 on the 22nd. If your birthday was on the 14th, your Golden Birthday would have been when you turned 14...and so on.

Weird, but I was always so excited for my Golden Birthday and thought it would be some grand party. But today has turned out differently then I expected. My Family is scattered around the world and friends are just getting back into the whole stress school thing from having a week off. But today, I realized again how gosh darn lucky I am! I have the most amazing family in the entire world. Lethbridge was the one place I never wanted to go to school, but I absolutely love it and being close to home has been great. I love that I can make a quick jaunt home just to regroup and get my head back on straight. I love that even though I am not far away, my family always gets excited to see me when I come home.

My brothers are the best.

Kyle was the oldest so we were always at different stages in life. But I remember always wanting to be 'cool' like him growing up. As a typical girl, I loved the Princess and Fairy Tale movies and anything that had to do with Happily Ever After. But those girly movies couldn't compete with my all-time favourite: Star Wars. I wanted Kyle to think I was like him so I watched what he watched, and my love for Ewoks and Wookiees was born. I am so excited to move to Virginia this Summer and spend more time with Kyle and Jess and their little adorable family!

KJ has been a lifesaver for me! I know that if ever I am in trouble and need someone, I can call him without a moments hesitation. He is such a hard worker, which I know he learned from my Dad, and he is always so willing and loves to help. For instances that shall remain anonymous, I am so completely grateful for him it isn't even funny!! One of my favorite memories is coming home late at night (no longer within curfew hours) and heading down to my dark room. Without even bothering to turn on the light, I slipped some PJ bottoms on and looked over at my bed to see some strange lump. I turned on the lamp, flipped down the covers, and there was KJ smiling up at me with a mischievous grin on his face. I laughed and asked what he was doing still up-- and he said he just wanted to visit with me! How amazing is that!! There is nothing I loved more! That was a special moment for me!

And Kody. Gosh how I love and miss that boy! He writes me every week!!! Every week! Sometimes it is just a couple lines but it means so much to me. I am so incredibly proud of him and my other brothers that have served missions. It is no small thing that these young men do and I think they are just absolutely amazing!

Since the day Kaden was born, he held a special place in my heart! I pretended that little boy was mine and loved taking care of him. Other than my nephews, there just hasn't been a cuter boy in all the world. Sometimes it scares the living daylights out of me when I see how fast he is growing up...and he is so like me too! The love of reading part is great...the getting stressed out over small insignificant things- not so much! But he has the kindest heart in all the world. I know sometimes patience with him isn't always my strongest suite but he really is the greatest and I love him!

I am so grateful for how close Kennedy and I are. I looked up to her so much growing up. She spent a lot of time with me growing up that forged a bond between us. We are lucky and blessed, as that is something that a lot of sisters don't have when there is a 6 year age difference. I always felt so special and important when she spent time with me. I remember her giving me my first make-over! I can still picture the yellow shirt and skort I wore! Yes! A skort!!

I can't even count how many times I have told someone how incredibly lucky I am to have the in-laws I do! We've all heard the horror stories of crazy in-laws but my family has lucked out so far! Jess was the first, and has always been so great to listen to my crazy stories and give advice on what to do! One of my favorite memories is sitting on the floor with her and Kennedy, laughing ourselves silly as we shared stories. I was pretty young but I remember how special I felt at being included in that moment. Whenever I have a crazy story to share, I always know Jess will appreciate it like no one else! Eric and Shayla have been so fun to add to our family. I can't think of two better people more suited for Kennedy and KJ. Gosh how I love them all!

And there is so much that I could say about my parents! My Mom and Dad have stood behind me in everything I have tried to do! Which I know wasn't easy when I decided to traipse halfway around the world to "find myself". ( Ok...so that wasn't the reason I left but I remember trying to play that card when talking to my parents about it.) But they are so great to me. I thank my Father In Heaven every night for sending me to such an amazing family. Apparently He knew it would take a lot of work to keep me in line. I love the one on one time that I get to spend with both my parents. I pray that someday I can raise my own family in the same way.

So this post has turned more into how blessed my life is and what amazing people I have been surrounded by! My Family is definitely first and foremost! But there are so many other things that I am grateful for:

*My amazing friends- Megan, April, Katelyn, Leah, Cole, Jason, Melanie, so many more!

* My calling in Church

*School

*Tutoring Job

So I just hate being in pictures, but I realize that is almost the cardinal sin of blogging. I will try really really hard to be good and take pictures...and maybe even smile in one or two. But for this post, my pictures are very much lacking so I just grabbed a few, old as they may be!

I don't have any pics of adorable Max and Seia but hope that will be soon rectified. So thank you for bearing with me during this incessantly long post ,but I just had a few things I needed to say!

Irony At It's Best

So this was on the front of our bulletin last Sunday....Valentine's Day...in a Single's Ward:

"Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Regardless of our current state, there is hope for us."

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf-

Haha! I love it!

There is a first for everything!

So I have been wanting to start a blog for a long time but mostly just hummed and hawed and threw the idea back and forth. In looking back at my journal from 2009, it was ridiculous to see how many goals I had made that never lasted a week! I am the epitome of one who has the "road paved with good intentions..." and decided that needs to stop!

So 2010 is my year! It has already been fantastic but I want to make it even better. I am taking the necessary steps to make some of my dreams from the past 6 years become a reality! And plus, I wanted to start a blog to journalize some of the crazy things that happen in my life....shame I didn't have this up and running 6-7 months ago! Those times were a real doozie and provided my apartment with great entertainment for weeks. But let's hope in the months up and coming there will be some good times to post about....