Spring Break! When was the last time you had 1 1/2 weeks off? No work, no school, no responsibilities, no kidding? Well, for me, it was just this Christmas (wrap-up post here), but you can have all these breaks too if you come back to b-school! I'm going to hit a few of the spring break highlights and what's happened since we got back.
My fellow blogger Connie reported on her trip to Cabo, and a few other large groups of Anderson students dispersed around the globe to create havoc and get ideas for their next great business venture (depending on who you ask). Costa Rica got rave reviews for gorgeous weather and amazing scenery like the famous waterfalls:
Cloud forest vs. Cloud storage. (Photo by Marshall Mawson.)
And every picture I've seen from the legendary Japan trip that almost 100 students went on makes me either wildly jealous or hugely relieved I didn't go!
Luiz, Heloisa, and Camila prove that what happens in Japan should probably stay in Japan. (Photo courtesy Aspan Dahmubed.)
You may be wondering why I didn't get to partake in any of these amazing trips. That is, unless you are an avid reader of this blog, in which case you have been following along for the past 9 months and already know why (no, not THAT!). Stanton and I finally tied the knot!
Stanton manages to hold up his left hand in a salud despite the ball and chain beautiful ring he now sports.
Having been working on planning the wedding behind the scenes during all the craziness of moving across country, surviving fall quarter, and recruiting and doing four high-profile races this winter, it is definitely a relief that the big event has happened. That's easy to say though because it was such a huge success and my husband is so amazing! Really, to all bridezillas out there, it turns out you don't have to micromanage everything to have a fabulous wedding. Have good food, a crowd-friendly venue, an awesome band, and a guest list of people that love to dance, and you can't go wrong. We partied deep into the night and still no one wanted to leave when it was over!
It's my wedding and I will jump awkwardly higher than anyone else on the dance floor and otherwise show off my two left feet if I want to!
The big day was March 31st in Atlanta, GA, where spring had officially sprung. I'm always going on and on about the amazing weather here in LA, and I guess my hometown was getting a bit of a complex because the flowers were in bloom and it couldn't have been more perfect.
Although this pic was included to show off the illustriously blooming azaleas, I suppose it bears explaining that one of the activities at my bachelorette party involved puffy painting matching hoodies. What can I say, my bridesmaids and I are children of the 80s. (L to R: Kara, me, Lucy. Don't get any ideas Gentlemen, we're all spoken for.)
My beautiful family! I couldn't have done it without their support, especially my lovely mother Gaylen. Just in case you weren't sure, she's the one on the left. My sisters Jordan and Allie are next, then my Dad. He was really relieved I finally dragged another man into the family!
So now it's back to the grind (yes, we got married on Saturday and I was in class on Monday), and the last week has been filled with getting up to speed on my new duties as president of the HTBA, starting my first TA position, and getting used to all the new classes. We had ASA Transition day on Friday, a 7-hour haul where we learned all the ins and outs of being presidents. It was a long day, but I am so impressed by all the leaders of the student council (ASA), the associations and clubs. The class of 2013 is pretty amazing!
Finally, just because I spent so much time making this collage-style picture and in another plug for LA weather, here is a shot of me smiling with relief after finishing the LA Marathon in 3:29 on March 18th. I loved getting to tour my new city on foot with no traffic, but I did not love the fierce headwind for the entire race. I'll definitely do it again next year and recommend it to my readers!
Next blog post, I'll have more info on the events the HTBA is planning, as well as an update from the Knapp Business Plan Competition, where Sarah Fixler, Aviva Altmann and I are pitching our business plan Yogameo in the semifinals on Thursday. As always, we never stop here at Anderson!
-Charlotte Baxter Maines
Follow me on Twitter: @CharlotteK
