Home for the Holidays

I haven't written anything in a long time so I feel like I really need to update the blog on what has been doing on. Sharon had also written some updates that I added also, sorry for those who have already read them.

School: I'm done. I finished all my course work at Carnegie Mellon and I'm graduated. The ceremony and diploma come in May, but it is looking like we won't be here for that. It was a pretty stressful semester and I wasn't sure how I was going to do. Grades are in though and this ended up being my best semester so far. It helps that 24 credits (which would usually be 4 short classes or 2 normal classes) was my capstone project with Bosch ( By the way, I would like to thank those who participated in the survey we sent out). Our work culminated in a report and presentation given to the Bosch team here in Pittsburgh. They liked our work and it sounds like they might have another project for students to work on in the future.

I've been saying goodbye to all my friends. We went out to eat Indian food with a bunch of my Indian friends. There is an amazing Indian restaurant, called Tamarind, close to campus and right behind the church. We went out to the famous Primanti Brothers restaurant with my friends from Pittsburgh. It was a fun experience, but the food wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be. It was traditional Pittsburgh, meaning a lot of coleslaw and french fries on the burgers.

Job: For those who haven't heard, I have accepted a job with General Electric (GE) in Connecticut. I start the beginning of July. We are excited for the opportunity. I've had my eye on the job since I talked with some Alumni from my program who were at the Career Fair at Carnegie Mellon. I liked the idea for several reasons. First, it is a 2 year rotational leadership program they call the Information Management Leadership Program (IMLP). Which means, if you perform well and they like you, there are opportunities for good career growth in the company. If at the end of two years they don't like me, or I don't like what I'm doing, it will be a convenient time to leave, with great experience and 'graduation' from a highly valued program.
Second, every 6 months I will be rotated into a new project with a different focus and exposure to different roles (4 rotations in total). I could be working on designing and implementing a database one rotation, helping gather requirements in another rotation, doing software/application development on another rotation, or doing process improvement. I like this idea because I want experience in different areas. It is kind of giving me a 'consultant' like experience without the travel and other downers that can some with consulting.
Third, we still have options for where we end up. We will be moving to Connecticut for the first rotation, but on any (possibly all) the rotations I could be moved to a new geographic location. We would live there the duration of the rotation and move on to the next one. We like this because as a young and fairly mobile family it will give us the chance to try out some other locations. We are excited to start in Connecticut because we will be about an hour from New York City on the train, or less driving (Depending on traffic).
Fourth, I'm in an industry I've been interested in getting to know more about. I will be working in the GE Capital group, meaning all my rotations and likely future employment would be in GE Capital. That ranges from their consumer finance (like credit cards), to commercial finance (like financing small businesses or green technology development) to other financial areas. GE has actually been trying to shrink this part of the company since the financial crisis, but it means the opportunities for what I do are greater, I also don't see them ever getting rid of this part of the business like they are getting rid of NBC Universal.

So, we are excited about work. We are now working out all the details of what we will do from now until July. Probably visiting a lot of you and introducing our new child to the family.

Baby: The pregnancy is going well. We are officially in the last month! We are in the 38th week, which means the baby could really come anytime in the next 5 weeks. Sharon is taking it well. It would be a lot easier if we could keep her healthy. Something about Pittsburgh irritates Sharon's respiratory system and causes her to cough a lot, combined with a runny nose, cold weather, and working at a preschool you have a recipe for making someone sick. The last three weeks have been pretty bad. We are off to the doctor today to see if we can't speed up recovery. She will stop working in a couple of weeks so she can rest before the baby is due. We finished our lamaze class a few weeks ago. It was a decent class. I was expecting more practice and not as much lecture, but the videos helped prepare me for what it will be like.

We have been getting everything together for the baby. People here are super nice. We have a car seat for infants and a basinet on loan from friends. We got a rocking chair and crib for free through friends and freecycle (if you don't know about this you should read up on it).

Fun:
Thanksgiving: We visited my family in Utah. It was great to be in the mountains again and to play out in the field behind the house, visit with family, and feel the crisp mountain air. We did the 'Turkey Trot". A 5k community event put on by the stake(Picture above). Sharon made it all the way. I got to break in our new gift from my sister with our niece, a back pack for carrying the new baby around.

Wedding: Sharon's co-worker got married the beginning of December. We were invited to the ceremony and reception. It was a lot of fun. It was my first Catholic Wedding. It was nice and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Christmas: We stayed put for Christmas. It was fun and above all relaxing. We had Sharon's sister and her family from Niagara Falls here Christmas day and had a dinner with them and a single guy from our ward. It was an enjoyable evening. The next day we just lounged around and visited. It was just what we needed.

Take a Survey about Home Automation

Home Automation
The project I've been working on this semester revolves around Home Automation. That means having the ability to control things in your home from one central location. That includes being able to control things in your home remotely through a smart phone, like the iPhone, or from your computer. It is pretty cool stuff.

We are trying to get a feel for what peoples perceptions and demand for a product like this would be, including what they would be willing to pay and what channels they would consume it through. We put together a small survey and we are looking for a wide range of opinions and thoughts, so please take the survey and pass it on to others:) You can click here to take it, or click the link below.
http://www.eSurveysPro.com/Survey.aspx?id=e4ceff1c-7295-4862-9900-09f56094c847

As an incentive we have secured a $100 gift certificate from restaurants.com. People who have submitted a survey will be put in the drawing to win that certificate. The survey won't be open for long so go quickly.

Thanks.

Graduation and Beyond

The last two weeks have been eventful. Life happens fast sometimes and you just get to enjoy the ride. Here is the update on the events of the last two weeks.
Graduation!
Sharon finished her classes in December, but didn't do any of the graduation stuff because she was in Brazil. She decided to put off walking until Spring so we could walk together. With finals behind me on Monday I was able to rest and relax for a few days before the big graduation ceremonies. Thursday, April 24th , was the commencement ceremony for all graduates at BYU. As we walked from our house to the Administration building we were surprised to find it snowing. First time I've seen it snowing that late in the spring in Provo.
After a long march, or procession, into the Marriott Center we heard from various speakers. A student graduating in accounting recounting the many things he had learned while at BYU that would help him and us have success in the 'real world'. After that the keynote speaker was Elder David A. Bednar. The main focus of his talk was centered around the BYU motto of 'Enter to Learn; go forth to Server'. His main point was that while at the University we should learn to love learning. He suggested that the motto for BYU, if there were unlimited space, should be 'enter to learn to love learning and to serve; go forth to continue learning and serving'. We were happy we decided to participate in the ceremony.



Friday, April 25th, were our separate convocation ceremonies. Sharon walked with the Anthropology department at 8:00 am and received her 'diploma' from the professor she went to Namibia with, Dr. Crandall. It's always nice to be congratulated by those you've worked closely with. I walked later that afternoon around 2:00 pm. The ceremony was fun for me too. I sat with two good friends from my program so it made it extra fun and special.
We then packed up and went up to Park City to celebrate with my family our graduation as well as my brother McKay and my Dad's Birthday.

Pittsburgh, PA
Monday morning we drove down to the airport and hopped on a plane headed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The purpose of our voyage was to evaluate the city and schools there to see if we would be comfortable and happy making the move. It was a fun experience. We rode the public transportation the first day to get a feel for how well we would be able to get around. There was a bus that went straight from the Airport, through downtown, past all the Universities including Duquesne & University of Pittsburgh (PITT), and ended at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). It was a colder than normal day, overcast and damp, not the best conditions for a great first impression. As we explored campus I found myself noticing people smoking on campus and run down buildings. However, after exploring the buildings more my perspective changed to admiration as I noticed the character they had from so many years of use and how great their architecture was. We also got to the newer buildings, which were also very beautiful.
Tuesday we woke rested and to a much more beautiful day, which helped get a different perspective on the city. We returned to campus (CMU), and I meet with my student host, Salahaldin Hussein from Palestine. Sharon & I went with him to a Business Intelligence class offered at the Tepper School of Business. The classroom environment really sold me. There were maybe 25 people in the class. Of those 25 a max of 4 or 5 were white Americans and few other African-Americans. The diversity was great. There were people from India, the Middle East, Asia, and I believe some European or Eastern European. The discussion in class was centered around a case on the Sysco Corporation and their strategy for implementing technology and whether or not they should give the go on a new project. I thought it was interesting. I even participated a little. After that I meet with the Director of the Information Systems Program and had a great conversation, followed by some informative meetings with career services, financial aid, and admissions directors and assistant directors. They were all helpful and answered many questions as well as gave great advice from succeeding in school to what and where to look for housing.
Sharon's parents made the trip across Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh so during my meetings and a little after they walked around campus with us. We then faced some construction traffic on our way back to our Days Inn and had an enjoyable evening visiting and eating out.


Wednesday we were back in town at University of Pittsburgh(PITT) for Sharon. She has been looking at their Anthropology and International Development programs and had lined up to meet with a few people. Again, very informative. I highly suggest meeting and discussing in person programs of interest. It is so much more enlightening and informative than emails and websites. We then took a few hours to explore PITT's campus. You can't really tell you are on campus because it's just part of the city, kind of like NYU. However, there is one building called the Cathedral of Learning that you can't miss. It's a huge tower built in an old Gothic Cathedral style. We went in and checked out the architecture and a few of the rooms that they made into 'theme rooms' to reflect different cultures in the Pittsburgh community. I recommend visiting it to anyone. After lunch we were on our way back to the airport and back to life.

Beyond
So, the verdict is in. We've officially decided to make the move to Pittsburgh to pursue my Masters degree of Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon, whether or not Sharon gets her degree at a University in Pittsburgh is still in question, but we are now looking into employment options, such as at an NGO. I have to say I feel really good about it. Of course I have the usual reservations and questions anyone has when it comes to moving and change in life, but deep down I know it's right. I'm excited for a change of pace from Provo. I'm look forward to making new friendships and networking with new people from around the country and the globe. I appreciate the experience and education I've gotten from BYU, but I'm eager to experience the difference. From our visit CMU seems very progressive, dare I say 'liberal' compared to BYU, which will be a fun contrast, as well as the, in my opinion, much more diverse environment. I also feel that CMU will open a lot of doors for Sharon and I in the long run. It's nice to have a decision made and be working out the finer details now. We have been in touch with the two wards that cover that part of the city and have had great responses to questions and help offered in finding housing. You have to love the almost immediate network and consistency the church provides when facing change.

So for the next month we are in Provo, then we will be in Seattle, WA for seven weeks, then we will be on our way out to Pittsburgh, PA.

We hope you've enjoyed the update. If you know of anyone who might want an update on our lives feel free to pass on the link to this blog. We also love to hear your comments and feedback, don't be shy about leaving a quick comment or two.