Week 8 in Review
8/7/16

Wow, time is flying here!  I can't believe I only have two more weeks left.  Much is going to happen in the next two weeks, so I know that they are going to fly by as well!

Sunday Game night: When I first started working in the vitamin analysis lab at BYU, I measured vitamin A with Seth Ellsworth.  He now lives in Arkansas with his wife and baby, and he is pursuing his doctorate of food science at the University of Arkansas.  We went over to his house for Sunday dinner and game night.  I would recommend the game: Settlers of Catan.  I lost, but I would for sure use a different strategy next time :)

Intern Bike Ride: All the interns had an opportunity to do a morning bike ride around the town and a trip to the coffee shop.  We rode so slow that I almost struggled to keep balance :)

Meeting up in the morning

The girl in the white is my friend, Erin Haley

We rode to the overlook of Crystal Bridges.  It looks like a Star Wars base

I thought that the coffee shop looked pretty cool -- very lab like

This is a funny little store.  It says under Sunday "closed for church, long runs, and naps."  I love this town!!!

Work: Lots has happened at work this week!  One of my highlights was when the President and CEO of Walmart spoke to us this week.  He is a stand up, charismatic leader, and I trust my company with him.  Troy and Aly will get to hear from him at the Saturday Morning Meeting this next Saturday.    

I was able to do my end of the year presentation this past Friday, and it went very well. The senior vice president over private brands wrote me an email after my presentation to tell me good job (see below).  I think it's so cool that the really important leaders in the company interact with even the lowest interns :) I received  "exceeds expectations" in most categories for my internship as a whole during my exit interview with my manager, and they want me back next summer.  That's nice to know!

Erin,

Great work on the clean label project, you presented well and made great progress on an important project for our customers and our business…thank you.  If there is anything I can do to help as you go into grad school and grow your career, please feel free to reach out to me.

Thanks, Jack

Jack Pestello SVP, Private Brands 

We also had our Holiday showcase in the new culinary center this week.  During the showcase, all the kitchens are decorated, and featured holiday food is set out for sampling.  I brought a huge doggy bag home of lobster, shrimp, sweet potato stuffing, crackers and dips, roasted sweet nuts and dried fruits, and dessert.  Sometimes I feel judged walking around with a take-home tray, but i still live the college life :)  The rooms were beautiful, and they really got me in the mood for Christmas!!

Entrance

dips, cheeses, meats, and nuts and fruit

Christmas table

lobster, shrimp, crab, turkey

baked goods

small baked goods and accompaniments like petit fours and coffee creamers

candy and chocolate

Frozen foods and appetizers

There was also an adult beverage room, but I stayed clear of the tempting wine :)

Cake and ice cream buyers, Dallas and Jennifer.  They're fun and I've worked a lot with them this summer.

Friday Night fun: Friday night, we rushed home from work to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.  The global warming part was lame, but it was fun hanging out with some friends.  We then took off to do 18 holes -- of mini golf :)

Alyssa Jones and the giraffe

Erin and the gorilla

Kristina and the Elephant

Fun night!  I love Arkansas!!!

On the Water: Saturday afternoon, Kristina knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to go with her and the other MBA interns on a pontoon boat.  Um, yes!!! We all headed out to beaver lake and hung out on the water for a few hours.  Tons of fun!!! I didn't bring my swimsuit because I did not plan on swimming -- snakes live in the lake! However, peer pressure and the heat got to me and I ended up doing some *skinny dipping.  The water was super warm, and we didn't see any snakes, woot!

The MBA interns

Drying off in the wind

This next week I have the county fair, Kansas city temple and seeing Josh's sister on Thursday with 4 other girls and PTO, and TC and Aly coming this weekend.  Have a good one!

*Not really, but I wanted to make sure that the readers were paying attention :)