Mid-Terms!

Although last week was technically a three day week, it definitely did not feel like it. Here’s a recap of the first mid-term week of the semester. Next week is also setting itself up to be a busy week as well.

Monday – Monday was just what I needed! A day off in honor of a few pretty cool presidents turned out to be an intensive study day. Instead of relaxing, I got up early and started studying for the finance midterm on Wednesday. Later that day, I met up with my operations team on campus in order to go over Wednesday’s deliverable, which is an analysis of the Holiday Inn’s operations and our recommendations for improvement. This is the first deliverable in a three part series that will culminate at the end of the semester. After our meeting, a group member and I stayed on campus to study for finance.

Tuesday – First class of the week. Today in supply chain we finished our discussion on transportation and started a discussion on inventory management. After, I met briefly with my operations team to give a summary to a team member who could not make our meeting on Monday. Once the meeting was over, I rushed home so I could study for finance yet again.

Wednesday – Wednesday marked the dreaded finance mid-term, which did not end up being as dreaded as I had anticipated. In fact, the exam was downright fair. After finance, I have operations, and the case we discussed I had to pay super attention to because it was about a cranberry co-op. I hope this case discussion has better prepared me for my Corporate Residency.

Once class was over, I rushed over to Whole Foods in order to pick up some refreshments for the WMBA panel event. Although only a small crowd was able to come, the discussion was fantastic and the panelists really fed off of each other’s energy. Everyone who attended seemed to enjoy themselves, so I’d mark this event as a success. Immediately after the event, a friend and I scurried over to Barakis for the statistics mid-term review. After the professor cleared up a few things for me, I felt pretty comfortable with the material. I went home and studied more for the midterm, finally falling asleep at 1:00am.

Thursday – Thursday presented the normal strategy stats back to back schedule. In strategy we discussed a case about HTC and mobile phones in general – then, the stats mid-term. Although I felt I prepared for the exam, I did not prepare for the speed of it. I need to learn how to pace myself during exams, but I really like to double check my work before I move on. Anyway, I was unable to finish 2 of the exam questions. After class, my learning team agreed to meet at 9:00am on Friday to go over the finance case write up due on Monday.

That night, I had a much needed dinner at Penguin Pizza with a couple of friends. This is one of my favorite places in the area because of its wide assortment of craft beers.

Friday – On Friday, I woke up early, so I could get to campus and review the finance case before my team discussed it in our meeting. When the rest of my team arrived (one bearing the gift of Dunkin Donuts munchkins, YUM!), we grabbed an empty classroom for the case discussion. Once we felt that we had a grasp on the material and our recommendations, we split up the work to be completed over the weekend. Another team member and I were to write the case analysis (we are only required to write two pages), while the others created the exhibits.

After discussing the finance case, I met with a prospective student for lunch to tell him more about the Northeastern program. When he asked me to show him something that makes Northeastern unique, besides everything else I brought up, I took him to the Cy Young statue which marks the venue where the first World Series was played.

Then I had to rush off to go shopping with my mother and sister. My mother was looking for a dress to wear to my wedding (in August!), and wanted our opinions before buying anything. Although we were unable to find her a dress, we got to spend some time with each other.

By the time I got home from shopping, I had only a few hours to eat dinner and get ready for a show my friend’s band was playing in Boston. The band is fantastic, and they had an amazing performance. They honestly get better every time I see them. Since I spent most of my day running around, it was good to be able to see a few friends and spend some time with Jim.

Saturday – Saturday was another early morning, as I had rehearsal from 10 to 4. After rehearsal, I started writing my portion of the case write up; however, the analysis kept leading my team member and I in different directions. I finally finished my part of the analysis at 12:00am, after which I fell asleep on my couch watching a re-run of SNL. Another successful Saturday night.

Sunday – Yet another early morning with rehearsal scheduled between 8am and 12pm. Although I was supposed to go to the color guard competition today, I had too much homework and studying to do. Furthermore, Jim and a friend were finally putting a banister on the stairs. I tried to stay focused amid the sounds of drills, saws, and the power outages caused by such saws. I’m sure it will look amazing in the end!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

Career Fair!

Last Tuesday was the Career Fair, and because I know that this is what you ultimately are interested in reading about, I decided that I’ll give a detailed description of this day instead of the entire week.

Here is what my interview schedule looked like that day:

8:30-9:00: Asset Management Firm Fixed Income Position

9:15-9:45: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Business Analyst

9:45-10:15: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Business Analyst

10:30-10:45: Raytheon

11:00-11:30: Asset Management Firm Fixed Income Position

11:30 – 12:30 Bright Horizons

1:20-1:40: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Product Management

2:30-3:00: L. Knife and Son

(I also had an interview with Ocean Spray on Friday of that week, but more about that later.)

I got up early the day of the Career Fair, so I could grab a coffee and breakfast before my first interview. I stopped by Starbucks to pick up my necessary items. Then off to register and get my name tag.

First impression, the Career Center has this down to a t. I don’t know how they scheduled the interviews, but they did an amazing job!

I was not on my game for the first interview. It was a great opportunity, but probably not the best fit for me. The thing that surprised me most about the interview rooms was that there were other interviewing spaces for other people separated by curtains. With so many interviews in such a short amount of time, this was definitely the most efficient way to run this event.

I then went into my back to back interviews for the Business Analyst position at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. After both of these interviews, I was starting to drag a bit, but I had to keep my energy up for Raytheon.

From there, I had two more interviews – another interview for the asset management company and Bright Horizons - both of which went pretty well. Now time for lunch! I was starving by 12:30, and I needed something to keep my energy up. After my vegetarian sushi (don’t mock it until you try it!), I was ready for more!

After lunch I had an interview with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care for a Product Management position that sounded very interesting. Then I had an interview with L. Knife and Son, which is a beer distributor. It was great to end the day with an interview for something that I am passionate about.

By the next day, I had an offer from Raytheon and an offer from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, but I still had an interview scheduled at Ocean Spray. That Friday, I drove down to my parent’s house to spend some time with them before I left for Ocean Spray. I was already pretty torn between Harvard Pilgrim and Raytheon, then I had an amazing interview at Ocean Spray. A few hours after the interview, Ocean Spray called me to offer me the finance Corporate Residency position.

I spent that weekend deciding between the positions, and after talking to my friends and family, I decided that the benefits of the Ocean Spray position outweighed the long commute. So, I accepted Ocean Spray. This decision was by no means easy, but I believe I chose the position that is best for me.

I can’t wait to start my Corporate Residency, and I am so excited to work for such an amazing company!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

Crazy Week!

This was a crazy week with 3 deliverables due which ended in interview preparations for the Career Fair. Let me tell you about it!

Monday – Monday began with Finance where we discussed bond valuation. After class, I met with my Strategy team in order to go over the case write up that is due later this week.

Then I went home to finish up my case write up due for Supply Chain, and I realized I really hated what I had written, so I started over. I’m glad I did because I was more satisfied with the final product. It may have been more work, but I feel more comfortable handing in my second attempt at this case write up.

Tuesday – Today we have Supply Chain and we discussed the case write up which was about allegations that a supplier used child labor for a major furniture company. After class I met with the professor who recently hired me as a research assistant. She explained expectations and gave me some work to start on.

Then I met with my team for Strategy again, and we came up with an exhaustive list of ideas for our case about a motorcycle company. We outlined what we wanted to write and split up the responsibility between the three of us.

After that meeting, I went to a networking event with one of my friends from the MBA program. The event, hosted by the Advancing Women in Business, Science, and Technology, consisted of dinner and speed networking with career mentors who were women in the areas of science and technology who are now in business. I was humbled by the stories from career mentors and the women who attended the event. Many had doctorate degrees and post-doctoral experience in the fields of science and technology. My friend and I were able to ask questions and later speak to the one career mentor who was in finance.

Finally, I went home and I finalized my operations case write up due the next day. I also wrote my part for the strategy case write up. After this long day, I was ready for bed!

Wednesday –Today we had both Finance and Operations. In Finance we discussed stock valuation, while in Operations we discussed the case that was due. After classes my friend and I met with an executive from a local company who we had an Executive Luncheon with in the fall. We grabbed a coffee and discussed our upcoming Corporate Residency opportunities and our current classes, which he referred to as the “blood and guts” of business.

After that, I met with my strategy team to put together our case write up due the next day. We spent a long time making the paper sound like it came from a unified voice, but it was definitely time well spent!

I went home after the meeting and added the exhibits to the file and finished my statistics homework also due tomorrow. However, after being in front of a computer screen for all that time, one of my team members told me that I spelt her last name wrong! It was definitely time for me to go to bed!

 Thursday – When I got to campus today and took my computer out of my bag, I realized that I had once again broken it. This time I cracked the screen. I seriously have no luck with technology, and I think my computer has spent more time with the people who repair it than with me! Anyway, I had a long day of classes with strategy then statistics.

In strategy we discussed the case that was due, and then the professor from the other section came in to discuss the data which were collected for our IDP project due at the end of the semester. I looked up the files, and there is some serious data. It looks like all teams will be working incredibly hard on this project.

In stats, we had our third homework due. After, we discussed the normal distribution and z-scores. Then, I went out to lunch with a few friends from the program.

Friday – With the Career Fair less than a week away, we discussed all of the details in Career Management. After class me and another one of the bloggers from this year, met with the blogger from the second year to talk about blogging while on Corporate Residency. Because some of the companies we can have residencies with have proprietary information, we needed to understand the protocol in such situations.

Finally, I met with a member of the Career Center to go over my schedule for the Career Fair. Apparently, I have too many interviews booked, but I have trouble saying no to all the fantastic opportunities that have been offered. I finally had to say no to one of them, although it was difficult to choose.

After meeting with the Career Center, I went looking for a new pair of shoes for the Career Fair. Let me tell you, I am extremely picky when it comes to shoes, so this search took much longer than it should have. This is exactly why I usually go shopping alone – I tend to wear other people’s patience thin.

Finally, I went home to get a head start on some homework for next week. With the Career Fair and interview preparations this week, I knew that this had to be done early. Once Jim got home, we bottled the beer that we made a few weeks ago. 

First, we had to siphon the beer from the fermentation bucket to the bottling bucket.

Then, we used a capping device to seal each bottle.

The bottling process carbonates the beer. It should be ready to drink in about two weeks!

Saturday – I woke up early today, so I could get some more homework done before I had color guard rehearsal.  Today was our first show, and we had a bit of a rough rehearsal, so we were all a little nervous before their performance. Besides a few glitches due to first show nerves I’m sure, they had a fantastic performance! I’m so excited for our next show because we did not have some of our effects completed nor our uniforms. In fact, our color guard organization had 4 amazing performances from our novice guard, B guard, A guard, and world guard!

Sunday – Again, today I woke up early to get some homework done before rehearsal.

Rehearsal went by extremely quickly today, as we were mostly playing around with an effect that we are having quite a bit of trouble with. Also, we had to end early for the students to try on their uniforms! Then on to watch a depressing Super Bowl game between the Pats and the Giants. 

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

Mock Interviews Week

Another crazy week filled with mock interviews and cover letters but also a day off. Let me tell you about it!

Monday – A glorious day off! A day to sleep in and finally finish my homework! However, I did put my time to good use today. This girl who never cooks, every once in a blue moon I decide that I like cooking and my fiancé is the best cook in the world, made ratatouille. Here’s a photo if you don’t believe me!

It may not be gourmet, but I did try!

Tuesday – Only one class today; a good way to ease into this crazy week. In supply chain, we came up with an exhaustive list of some things that drive change in the area of supply chain. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that a business operates under so many possible adversities. Needless to say, this was eye-opening.

Next I met with the Women’s MBA club officers to discuss our upcoming events. We are setting up a panel of women in business and hopefully a networking event at the end of the semester. I’m so excited about these events, and I can’t wait to share them with the rest of the group on Thursday.

After that, I met with my new Operations team to discuss which company we will be looking into for our project. We’ve been throwing around the idea of a hotel since we reorganized the groups, and we were lucky enough to have the Holiday Inn in Brookline say “yes” to us. Because we are a newly formed group, we wanted to give each other an idea of how we work and what we want to get out of the project. This team will definitely be a great group to work with!

Once I got home, I researched W.R. Grace, so I could be prepared for my phone mock interview tomorrow. I wanted to make sure that I had plenty information on the company and questions to ask the interviewee. Taking advantage of sleep that I will not get later on in the semester, I went to bed early.

Wednesday- As per usual, Wednesday was a manic day as it always seems to be. Today we discussed our first cases in finance and operations. In between classes, I got to speak with Katie in the Career Center about which rooms are available for the upcoming WMBA events. As these events become more real, I get even more excited!

After classes, there was free pizza in the grad lounge (I know, two weeks in a row!) provided by admissions for those interested in speaking with newly admitted students or attending events so we can field questions from newly admitted students.  I quickly checked my emails after, and found out that I have been asked for an in-person interview with Raytheon, which made me both extremely excited and extremely nervous.

Then, I had to find a quiet space for my phone interview. Down to the wire and still no quiet spot to be found, I ran into my classmate Simran. When I told him about my predicament, having only 2 minutes to spare, he showed me a room that I had never seen before. This ended up being the perfect place for the interview. I definitely owe him a coffee!

Then it was time for an Insider Insight event with Ocean Spray. Not only did the Ocean Spray management members supply us with excellent information on the company, but they also gave us some delicious samples everything from their new sparkling cranberry drink, their classic cranberry juice, and my personal favorite, Crasins®.

Finally on to rehearsal! Tonight I wrote choreography for four of our great dancers. This was difficult after such a long day, but the other staff members really liked it. Also, one of the students brought cake pops because his birthday is tomorrow. So delicious! Next, time for sleep!

Thursday – Thursday is one long day! First we had strategy where we discussed the 5 forces of competition, which eventually lead us into the discussion of our case about Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

Then we had statistics. Our first graded homework assignment was due today, and we continued our discussion about standard deviation. The professor provided a brief tutorial on the statistical software we will be using, and after he handed back our quizzes from the week before.

After class, I held a Women’s MBA meeting where we talked about the upcoming events that we will be hosting. I am extremely excited about these events, and I hope the group is as well!

Then, I had to prepare for my mock interview. I printed off a few copies of my resume, in case I was asked for one, and I reviewed my questions and the information that I have on the company. Then, it was time for the interview.  Although my nerves made my mind race, I was able to stay calm, or at least appear calm, for the interview. I found the feedback from the interviewer to be extremely helpful, especially when I asked what to do the calm my nerves before the interview.

After, I decided to go out to dinner with a few friends – Jim even joined us when he got out of work!

Friday – Today in Career Management we discussed interviews. After hearing about the overall feedback from those who have already completed their mock interviews, we broke off into smaller groups to work on some behavioral questions. Although it was somewhat nerve wracking to be put on the spot, it was very much like being at an interview.

After Career Management, I met up with my friend who is moving to South Carolina on Saturday for our final goodbye lunch. Boston will definitely not be the same without her.

Once I got home, it was time for homework!

Saturday – I woke up early on Saturday to do more homework. I really want to get my homework done over the weekend, so I can prepare for my interview for the rest of the week. When I woke up, I realized that it was snowing pretty heavily. This means shoveling, which does not make me happy. Living in Massachusetts my entire life has made me disillusioned about snow. I no longer recognize it as beautiful, just a pain in the neck.

Sunday – On Sunday, I got some homework done before I had to head to rehearsal. Unfortunately, our rehearsal was scheduled during the Patriot’s game. Although Jim sent me update texts the entire time, it was not the same as watching the nail-biting game myself. Anyway, we had a productive rehearsal, and I look forward to seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

Second Semester - First Week

Phew! What a week! Here’s a recap:

Monday – Today we all had our first MBA-level finance course. The professor is fantastic and left us with a rather difficult, real-life question to answer. He told us about the CFO of a pharmaceutical company that was faced with a difficult decision of whether to stop producing a life-saving drug that was only given to nine children in the U.S. because it was extremely expensive to produce (tens of millions). The CFO had to decide whether to stop production on this drug or not. A little too realistic for me!

After finance we had the first class of our continued HR course from the previous semester. This semester we will focus on working on our managerial abilities, as we identified them in our Living Documents last semester. In this class, we analyzed our learning strengths, and mine was somewhat of an odd-duck. It seems as though I learn through experience and theory. A rather strange dichotomy if you ask me. I’ll have to look into that further.

In the evening, I applied for my first Corporate Residency! I don’t know why, perhaps it was because this was the first one I applied to, but I was extremely nervous to press the submit button. It took a bit of talking myself into it, but I came to the conclusion that the Career Center would not have told me that my cover letter and resume were ready to go if they were not.

Tuesday – Tuesday was our first supply chain class, and one of the two times we start class at 8:30. In this class we went over the syllabus and started to talk about the basics of supply chain management; transportation, warehousing, and packaging. This class is dismissed at 10:50, which left me thinking, “What should I do with myself?” Of course, apply to another Corporate Residency!

Wednesday – Our second MBA finance class was held today, and we got to find out what the CFO did. Apparently he had a change of heart and decided to keep manufacturing the drug even though it was expensive because the bad press from upset families would have been damaging to the company. The company eventually figured out how to use a synthetic to produce the drug at a lower cost. Extremely interesting!

Today was also our first operations class. From what I’ve heard in the past, Operations can be a dry subject, but the professor kept us laughing. Also, he suggested that we watch “How It’s Made.” Any professor that gives me the green light to watch more TV is good in my book!

After Operations, there was free pizza in the grad lounge! This is something that the admissions department provides for us once a month and I’d have to say that we are all very thankful for it. Unfortunately I could not stay very long because the Finance and Investments Club had a trip to State Street. Here, we got to see the trading floor, much quieter than I had imagined, and we were able to speak with several State Street employees. This was a very successful event planned by the Finance club!

But my day didn’t end there – I had enough time to bring my backpack home and head to color guard rehearsal. Tonight we choreographed a part that has been giving us some trouble in the past week. We wanted to continue the movement and momentum in a particular part of the show, but have been unable to conceptualize it, let alone put work to it. And after a manic day, I wouldn’t have been able to write any choreography without the help and logistical aptitude of the other staff members. (It also helps when your students can do flips!) I think we were finally able to hit the nail on the head.

Then home to study for the statistics!

Thursday – Today was my second manic day! First, we had strategy class where we discussed the difficulties CEO’s face in balancing short-term and long-term priorities in their first year.  This discussion definitely left me thinking. We were also better introduced to the Interdisciplinary project due at the end of the year. This project, which has pieces due in strategy, finance, and statistics, will require us to write a memo and present our findings to a panel of experts.

Now time for our first quiz in statistics. We had 15 minutes to answer 20 multiple choice questions and 4 open-ended questions; this may have been the fastest quiz I have ever taken! Anyway, after that, we went over the syllabus and talked about some basic statistical measurements.

Next on the agenda; I met with Rochelle in the Career Center, the WMBA advisor, to talk about the panel we are planning for this semester. She gave me a fantastic idea for a conference to encourage club members to go to, and told me to ask the club what they wanted to hear a panel talk about. I am so excited for the panel and the conference!

After my meeting with Rochelle, I ran (no, literally ran) to the L. Knife Insider Insight. L. Knife is a beer distributor which offers a Corporate Residency through Northeastern. We got to hear one of their HR members speak, along with a former NU MBA student who currently has a full-time position there, and the current MBA student who just finished her Corporate Residency. The company is expanding rapidly due to a combination of the growing demand for craft beer and their exploding imports business.

Friday – Friday started with an early morning team meeting. This was due to the many upcoming assignments in our classes that require teams of 3-5, and we are a group of six. Although we had to split the team up for some classes, I believe that the new teams will be productive and rewarding. Luckily, we were able to strike a deal with the other group of six for the Operations project, which another team member and I will be on a group with two new members. It will be strange not working with my team, but it will be great to get to know some classmates better.

After, we had our first Career Management course of this semester. The topic of this class was interviews. We were split into groups of six and asked to write down any questions we had about interviews. Our questions were then given to another team who had to answer them as best they could. After, one group member presented the responses. It was great to see that many people had similar questions.

Then it was homework time! Like last semester, I am trying to stay on top of my homework by getting the majority done on the Fridays and Saturdays.

When Jim got home from work we decided that it was finally time to go out for our anniversary, which was on Wednesday. (5 years!) We decided to try a restaurant that we have been meaning to go to since we moved to Malden, the All Seasons Table in Malden Center. The food was so good, especially the vegetable tempura. Needless to say we left full and happy!

Saturday- I got up at 8:00 today, so I could get a head start on homework because today Jim and I decided to make beer! Ok, it’s not the first time we’ve homebrewed, but it’s still very exciting. However, it is a time-consuming process, so I had to get an early start.

Anyway, we started the brewing process at 12:00 and we sealed the bucket for fermentation at 5:00.  Here are some pictures from the process.

Mashed malts are placed into the almost boiling water, like making tea.

After malt extract is poured into the mix.

After the hops are added and the wort is cooled, then you have to siphon into the fermentation bucket.

This stuff is sealed and then left to ferment for about 2 weeks!

Next up, we had some friends over to watch the Patriots obliterate the Broncos!

Sunday – Like the day before, I woke up and finished up my homework. Before I knew it, I had to leave for rehearsal. Today we finished up the drill (how the students move around the floor), and now we have even more choreography to write. Our first show is on February 4^th, and I can’t wait to see what the other color guards in the area have done.

When I got home I realized Jim had made vegan chili while I was gone!!! And then it was time for more football. I’m looking forward to my Monday off tomorrow!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

And Another Semester Begins

So it’s the week before the semester begins, and one would think that I would be on my couch bored to death and ready for a new semester to begin. Surely, that’s what I’ve experienced in the past. Although I am ready for a new semester to begin, there was plenty to do over this week to keep me just as busy as I would be when classes are being held. Other than the pre-work required for most classes, here are the other things that kept me busy.

First, on Monday, the Career Center posted some of the companies who are hiring Northeastern MBA candidates for Corporate Residencies. Already there are so many companies that I want to apply to!  The residencies uploaded today were not even all that will eventually be posted!

Because there were so many residencies that I am interested in, that meant the rest of my week was dedicated to cover letters! This is especially true because the Career Center requires two mock interviews before you have actual interviews for your Corporate Residency. That meant one additional cover letter on top of the others. I find cover letters to be especially challenging, so this took me more time than I had anticipated.

On Wednesday, I trekked down to Northeastern to purchase the courepacks for my classes this semester. Jim decided to come with me, so at least I had some company, and he was able to pick up his Northeastern Alumni card. To reward myself for buying my books, we met with one of our friends who I used to work with for lunch.

On Friday, my friends had a going away party for my one of my best friends. After about 6 years in Boston, she will move to the beautiful weather in South Carolina. (She may even miss snow entirely this year! So not fair!) Anyway, I will miss her dearly, but we will certainly stay in touch as she starts a new adventure.

An old but good photo of Clara and me!

Saturday was the annual fundraiser for the color guard I teach for. It was a spaghetti dinner in which all three color guards help serve and create prizes for raffle winners. When the fundraiser was over, the work for the A’s had just begun. We painted our floor as soon as the tables were cleared. (Winter color guards perform on tarps, referred to as “floors”, which are painted to convey the theme of the show. Each color guard has its own tarp.) Around 1:30am, we had finished painting.

Working hard!

But that was not the end of the color guard fun! The next day we had an extended rehearsal in order to write choreography. This year I have taken a larger role in writing choreography, and I have to say it is both exhausting (mentally and physically) but so rewarding, especially when the competitive season begins in just under a month!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*

2011 In Review

After working extremely hard for the entire semester, sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be in Northeastern’s MBA program. (This is especially true because I had anticipated starting my MBA in 2012.) As the year comes to a close, I can only think of what new adventures next semester has to offer.

Because my family is local, I didn’t have to travel too far for my Christmas celebrations. My mother’s family had its Christmas party on December 18^th, which we do a Yankee swap for. My family chooses a theme and this year’s was “Back in the Day”. I won a set of 4 Charlie Brown Christmas glasses. Christmas is also awesome because my aunt always sends us home with a ton of leftovers!

My winnings!

Jim and I have a particularly easy Christmas because our parents’ houses are 5 minutes down the street from each other. As usual, we celebrated Christmas Eve with Jim’s family and Christmas Day with my family. The best part of Christmas is seeing Jim’s nephews open presents and talk about Santa coming to their house.

A few days after Christmas, my sisters and I went to pick out their bridesmaids dresses for my wedding (which is coming much faster than I had anticipated). Just like when I tried on my wedding dress, the first dress they both tried on was the one. Although I did not require them to purchase the same dress, they both looked awesome in the short strapless bridesmaid’s dress, so they ordered them in chocolate brown, the wedding colors are white and brown, and they should be ready in about a month. I think we were in the store for a total of a half an hour, now that’s my kind of shopping!

Because we were on a roll with getting wedding preparations done, Jim and I decided to start our wedding registry – Target and Macy’s. We decided to go to both stores on the same day because I am a particularly impatient shopper, and I wanted to get it over with. Basically, we got to walk around both stores with a scanner gun and pick out anything we wanted, within reason. However, we felt a strange guilt with putting expensive things on the registry, and I’m not sure we currently have enough to get us through both a bridal shower and a wedding, but it’s a good start. We did add one fun item to the list, an Xbox Kinect. After playing at a friend’s house (read: Amy played video games instead of mingling the entire time), I decided that we could not live without one.

And suddenly it was New Year’s Eve! We have a group of friends that we generally celebrate New Year’s with, and this year festivities were held at our friend’s house in Somerville. With friends, food, (and yes, another Kinect!!) we rang in the New Year. One of my New Year’s Resolutions, I often have many, is to write more frequently for this blog! I hope you all brought in the New Year with friends and family. Here’s to new beginnings in 2012!

*The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Northeastern University, its staff, faculty or affiliates and are solely the opinion of Amy Foley.*