Wisconsin State Fair

So the Wisconsin State fair is going on right now. It was pretty good considering the first night it open there were Flash Mob "gang events" that were happening.

-$9 just to get in and walk around might be kind of high

-The best drink station was the $0.25 flavor milk booth. That was freaking good

-There is a reason that Creamie the cream puff is their mascot. The cream puffs are delicious!!!

-My friend (Marilyn Morris - SHOUT OUT!!) had her little niece and nephew walking around with us for half the night. Those two kids made the fair fun. I've never seen a 5 year old so enthralled by chickens and bunny rabbits.

-On that same note, its kinda cute when a little 5 year old is too scared to go down the "BIG SLIDE" when his 3 year old sister loves it.

-I got squirted in the face with molten butter (Thanks Thomas :) )

-Deep Fried Butter Not as bad or as good as you might think it is.

-Fanny Pack count for the night - 31

-Mullet count - 2 (little disappointed Wisconsin I was expecting so much more from you)

-Some one had the job of Holding a bucket behind a cow while it was pooping... there is not enough money in the world for that to be my job.

-Someone actually asked (I'm hoping he was joking) if the 10 second rule still applied in the Cow/Goat/Swine Barns (ya there is just poop all over the floor)

Overall Not too shabby of an experience I'm just a cheap skate and don't like paying through the nose.

Week 14: The End of Summer (In Racine)

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Week 14: Pressures On!

Phew... This last week was kinda crazy and I am definitely feeling the pressure here at work. I'm now down to only 4 days left at work... YES 4.... holy crap where did my summer go?!?!? So this upcoming week I will be giving my final presentation on Wednesday and then I should find out Thursday (my last day) if they are going to offer me a position to start full time next summer ....So needless to say this is a big week coming up. This last week was full of fun times so without further adieu here's my 10!

1. Kickball....... Ok I am just going to get this out of the way right now.... So of course for the third week in a row I do not have enough players to field a full team despite people telling me they were coming. This week however we didn't have enough guys .... ya didn't see that coming. So its game time and I have 7 players there.... Luckily a friend who is on the Finance Kickball team was there and offered to be our 8th so we could play. I talk to the Score keeper and tell her we are using a sub but playing short and she says its ok. We play the game and we are winning the entire time until the last inning when we fell apart (like always...) But we held it to a tie and forced it to go extra innings. Now not to toot my own horn (but I'll do it anyways) I scored not only our first run but the winning run as well. So we win the game YAY!!! I go to sign the official score sheet after the game and at that point I am informed that we "technically forfeited the game" ....SAY WHAT!!!! Apparently there is some "implied" rule that says you must have a minimum of 8 of your own team members on the field to play... I check the rule book it says you need a minimum of 8 players and subs can be used.... So .... After all that the intern teams official regular season record is 1-9* (I put the asterisk there just to make myself feel good)

2.I apologize for the rant above... can you tell I get a little into sports sometimes... Luckily I was very calm and reserved when dealing with the situation as to not embarrass myself and risk not getting an offer over a stupid kickball game

3. (this is actually from last week but I forgot to put it there so its going this week) I had dinner with a bunch of executives last week.Well of course that would be the day that I snag my shirt on something and pop the middle button off the front of my shirt. Oh but of course the dinner is immediately after work so no time to go home and change... I like to think of myself as the ghetto Macgyver. If I need to get something done and don't have the proper tools... no worries I just improvise! Who needs a needle and thread when you can use a safety pin and a white paper clip and voila. No one is the wiser that your middle button is being held on by a paper clip....

4. All North America Finance Employees and all the interns were treated to a lovely baseball game this week. This is my second time going to see the Brewers and I have to say I had fun. One guy went freaking crazy and went 3-4 with 3 homers.... I mean who does that!?! The only negative part was that it was a day game and we were sitting directly under the sun for a solid 3 hours and I am too much of a cheapskate to pay 5 bucks for a stinking Gatorade.

5. We had some really cool lightning this past week. None of it was actually hitting the ground but it was all just up in the clouds, It was just like fireworks the clouds were just on fire it was pretty awesome. (Imagine this picture constantly all around you for a solid half hour) (No I didn't take the picture (thank you google Images)

6. I have given myself the fun job of helping teach my nieces fun practical things. Such as shooting a basketball, telling time, Pumping your legs on a swing.... Well I am not sure how much of this knowledge they will actually keep but I can tell you that the 7 month old has mastered making elephant noises (and I wasn't actually trying to teach her that one :) )

7. My 4 year old niece one night at dinner looks out the window and says "WOW Look at that bird!" "It's beautiful" said in an almost dreamy voice, she turns to her sister and gives her a hug and says "This is the one we've been waiting for" If it doesn't sound that funny it was freaking hilarious to see it in person.

8. So I was holding the 7 month old niece early this week and "flying" her around the room. She came in to give her sister a kiss and proceed to puke on her... haha wow it was awesome... Needless to say they aren't as excited when she goes flying anymore :)

9. Like I said last week the company does a really good job at putting on these huge events for the employees. So this weekend was the Company Picnic. I'd say it is definitely a family friendly event. Lots of inflatables and little kid carnival games. Tons of free food, and then of course the adult (beer) tent. Overall it was fun, I think my nieces probably enjoyed it a lot more then I did.

10. In case you are interested I took some pictures this week of "The Great Work Room" and then my favorite Hallway... I know that sounds weird but just look at the pictures.

Week 13: Randomness...

Hi once again, so this week has been filled with a lot of randomness but I suppose that makes for an interesting week. Kind of scary/stressful that I have 8 days of work left..... holy mackerel where did this summer go??? Well my lunch break is quickly drawing to a close so I should finish writing this ... here's my 10.

1. Never thought I would actually get to a point where I could max out excel. In excel 2003 there is a limit of 65,536 rows and who would have thought that I would get to a point where I needed at least 100,000 rows... fun times :)

2. The great thing about working in the "Great Work Room" is that it is always under construction. Currently they are replacing windows and brick that go all the way around the building. This week was the time when they got right behind me and every morning I got an hour of saws cutting brick. Luckily in our contract we were smart enough to tell them that after 9am they aren't allowed to be loud, so I only had to deal with an hour of noise every morning.

3. I have reached a point in my life I never thought I would reach. I have turned into the crazy uncle that does stupid magic tricks... you all know you have a crazy uncle that does that...

4. Kickball update... think of the same scenario last week except it was raining not 100+... 3 girls decide to bail and I only find out 5 minutes before game time... well this week we weren't as lucky as the week before and got smoked pretty handily... grrrr please follow through on your commitments... yes I know its just kickball but its still annoying!

5. SC J does a really good job with parties and events. This week they had the "Great Lawn Kickball Tournament" (No I did not play I just watched) But they go all out with food, signs, bleachers etc for a one day event. I was pretty impressed.

6. Ok really who can say they have seen their President/CEO walk around with an enormous super soaker and spray executives...???? Oh ya I can!!! I love this place :)!

7. My 4 year old niece decided she wanted to update the old wet willy gag... just forget about the finger she just goes straight for the ear.... ( I told you this week was random)

8. Pretty awesome, I got to have dinner with the CFO this week. Its cool he is a very smart guy but loves to talk ... A LOT... hmm reminds me of someone...

9. So one night I walk into my room and find a freaking Praying Mantis sitting on my bag... A. I don't like bugs and B. how does a praying mantis get inside, I mean I can understand I fly, bee, ant or something else... but come on...

10. Last but certainly not least my nieces discovered a laser pointer this week and now that the youngest is crawling they are having fun letting her chase the laser.... This was cute until I got a hold of the laser pointer and then the 7 and 4 year old started chasing the laser... didn't know my nieces were part dog....

Week 12: Victory!

So this week has been filled with a bunch of little victories. Work has been progressing along nicely and I am really enjoying my time. So without further adieu here we go.

1. Biggest victory of the Week: Kickball. Yes we won in a beautiful 7-5 victory. It was the hottest day of the year and we played two people down but none the less we came out victorious in the end.

2. While at the store with my sister we were on approach to the cashier when we notice this cute little old man in the aisle next to us take off. He starts racing towards to register trying to beat us there, which he did (while this is not a victory keeping this old guy from having a heart attack and dying on the spot was a victory) The best part of the whole experience was watching his wife give him the best look I have ever seen.

3. Apparently my car is a prime target for stupid drivers. But thanks to my awesome cat like reflexes I was able to avoid being side swiped at 70 mph on the highway.

4. I've recently discovered that Wisconsin drivers rival Utah drivers as some of the worst in the country.

5. I found I have an amazing skill of making music with random SCJ products but I also found out that my music history skills kinda suck...

6. Ice blocking is a very enjoyable activity, and it is hilarious to see how good little kids can be and how bad they can be and the same goes for adults... My brother in law even decided to show off his skills and ice block down a hill face first and then safely make his finale by going underneath a picnic table.

7. Went to my first Barn Party, it was a lot of fun after playing volleyball for 3 hours The dance kicked in and I proceeded to dance like a fool and show everyone my *cough cough* amazing dance moves.

8. Apparently based on my awesome dance skills this makes me qualified to teach my nieces ballet. Yes I was showing them my awesome moves, and No there is not enough money in the world for me to show them to anyone else.

9. Shout out of the week goes to my sister and her family. I survived a week of being alone in their house but oh how great it was to have them back!

10. Biggest failure of the week was writing this blog last night and after saving it the entire time I was writing it as soon as I hit publish it gave me an error and deleted the entire thing... stupid

Week 11: A week of me time

Hello again! So this week has seen another new adventure of my summer. My sister and her family went back to Ohio mid week to visit both sets of grandparents. So this means that I had the opportunity to "house sit" we'll call it. I do have to say its been pretty boring... nonetheless this is this weeks top 10.


1. The one day we were outside using the hose to water some plants and my niece decides she wants to start blowing into the hose for some reason. So of course my brother in law decides he will play a lovely trick on her and this is the result. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN_RYdOGabc

2. Fun fact of the week. I discovered a new skill I possess, place and Oreo on your forehead and move it to your mouth with out touching it. You should try it... it's a lot harder then it might seem. The best part I discovered I had this talent at work! (In case you are worried that I just slack off at work, it was during a training meeting and they asked for 2 volunteers to attempt this feat) If you are wondering my time is 27 seconds forehead to mouth, I dare you to beat it.

3. I finally let the other interns in on my secret game plan. Lose every game intentionally so that the full timers will offer us all jobs. But the trick is still looking good and showing off your individual talent so that you get recruited for next year.

4. So needless to say we lost in kickball again!

5. I have found that swimming laps is kind of fun! And really really tiring!

6. Wanted: Eye donor... Strong pair of eyes that are capable of staring at an excel spreadsheet for at least 8 hours a day. I will swap you my current set they are getting a little tired...

7. Apparently my 4+ years of studying German are really paying off..... or something like that, because I can sit in my bosses office when she is talking to our Mexican coworker and I can understand over 50% of what they are saying

8. 2 hour staff meetings are not as fun as they might sound. Especially when most everything being discussed is stuff you have no clue about... But hey it was a good break from staring at my computer screen.

9. Our complex here at SCJ isn't huge, but I still get lost so its great that they give us these little maps to carry around with us. However, there is this intricate tunnel system that they have that connects every building (you know you are in the Frozen North (Wisconsin) if they have tunnels connecting everything). So I found it very interesting when employees who have been here for years still get lost (made me feel just a little bit better :) )

10. This weeks shout out goes to my pal Jason Taylor! So Ladies(if you are a flake you need not respond), Jason is a tall athletic confident guy that loves the outdoors and being awesome if you are interested just let me know and I'll hook it up for you!
(if you are interested in being next weeks shout out just call/skype me sometime this week and it could be you!)

Week 10: A new beginning... or something like that

So this week I began my second rotation of my internship. I am now working in Global Internal Audit and I get to look at countries in Latin America and do some lovely data analytics looking for trends and anomalies. So I'll cut to the chase here's this weeks 10.

1. So I'll just get this out of the way now. Intern Kickball team is 0 and 6 on the season. We have lost to every team once and my optimism for a turnaround is fading. We only had 11 players this week (usually 20ish) and we still couldn't pull it off.

2. I came into work one morning and I had an email that read:

Hi All

I brought Donuts today

Have a happy Friday

-Jesus

Yes Jesus brought me Donuts!

3. So I started in my new group this week, and unfortunately technology has decided to revolt against this move and has thus stopped working for me. The system I need for my project decided I do not have sufficient access, another program wouldn't let me log in, and my Outlook decided it just wanted to wig out for a few hours.... yup Love Technology some days!

4. So my 7 month old niece has been ... we'll call it scooting (almost crawling) around the house. YAY! Well anyways, one night she's on the floor taking a break so I got down and this was the result of my encounter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EaYyXx9MEw

5. Cute moment of the week: A few weeks ago my 4 year old niece told me I wasn't part of the family. Yesterday she told me she was talking about me during church. So I asked her why and she responded that they were talking about families. So I decide to ask if I was part of the family and she said YES and then gave me a big hug. :)

6. I wish I could keep track of everyones responses at work when I tell them I go to school at BYU. A lot of them end up being "How the heck did you get here???" Many start conversations about Jimmer. Every once in a while I get a comment about the church. But it's pretty much all of those in one form or another. On the same note I get different looks when I tell people at church that I work for SCJ but those are more looks than words... not sure why most of the looks are followed by " A family company" or "It's a good company"

7. So a about a month ago I went swimming with the Fam and my nieces were showing me their swimming ability... you might be amazed at what two weeks of swim lessons will do for them. The 7 year old is pretty solid, shes in and out of the deep end, and can go down the water slide all by herself and doesn't need as much help. However, the 4 year old while she has improved still needs constant supervision, this doesn't stop her from just leaping off the wall when you aren't looking and trying her best to reach you 6feet away before needing to be rescued.

8. I am a little surprised to find out that most of my Audit coworkers are extremely social and fun people. Yes I might be insinuating that accountants are usually dull and boring... but not this group.

9. My boss from my first half took me to lunch at ... Chipotle!!! Some of you might not know but I love Chipotle and unfortunately for the last 2 1/2 years I have gone without because the closest Chipotle is 40+ minutes away in SLC. Well as a good job / going away gift my boss gave me a gift card for Chipotle which will basically be enough for me to eat there once a week for the rest of the summer!!! I am very happy!!!!

10. I just have to let everyone know that Brooke Showalter is AWESOME.