Another Year Has Passed

Mele Kelikimaka! Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas!

What a great Christmas! I am so grateful for my family! We had the whole family together for dinner tonight, which, might I add, was hands down the best meal I have had in years! The ham, sweet potatoes, homemade rolls, eclair pie, and sparkling punch, and the other 20 items on the table were absolutely divine. With everyone together, I tried to discuss important agenda

items such as future family reunions, but as always, the conversation was diverted to lighter and less important topics, such as moving to Germany, "our diet starts tomorrow," and past love life scandal links between C&C. I also loved seeing the National Christmas Tree and the DC Temple Festival of Lights!

I cannot even believe 2011 is right around the corner but here go some

2010 Highlights...

Last 4 months of my mission in Houston, TX

Back in Houston for a Mexico v. Angola friendly with the Patino family

Dukelow Family Reunion in San Diego- Fourth of July Weekend

PwC FICG Internship. What a fun group of interns!

Several NYC/DC rendezvous with my favorite Carrie Lipscomb!

Signing a full-time IBD job offer with Wells Fargo

Teaching some amazing Hermanas & Elderes at the MTC

Apt prayer/boggle with fabulous roommates Fall 2010 @ the Elms

Short but sweet stop in Yorba Linda, CA before MD for Christmas :)

Being with the ones I love for Christmas 2010

Pozole Verde

Today, Callan Graham and I made my most delicious Pozole Verde ever! Ok so it was my first ever- but it was super rico! It is hominy (mutantly giant corn kernels) and chicken stewed in chicken broth and an amazing chile: jalapenos, poblanos, tomatillos, oregano, garlic, and onion. It's eaten with tostadas and crema, and garnished with lettuce, cilantro, radishes, and avocado. We made it for the ward mission council's Culture Night activity. I couldn't stay for the activity but I hear the Pozole was the popular dish. We ate this dish probably every other Sunday after church with la familia Araujo for the last 4 months of my mission.

Winter time in Houston was filled with delicious pozoles, caldos, abuelitas (chocolate) and atole to get us through the "cold."

What a Blessing!

So, for those of you who know that I interned with PwC both before and after my mission, this may be a shock, but I declined my full-time offer. For some reason I did not feel good the more I contemplated the decision of returning to DC after graduation in April, especially to the accounting world. I loved my group this summer but decided to take the risk and go full force for investment banking.

With the help of soo many people, I was able to grow my network, prepare for technical interviews, and finally, I am happy to say, land an offer. I will be joining Wells Fargo Securities, Investment Banking and Capital Markets. In February I will fly out to Charlotte and participate in a placement day where I will be assigned a group and from there, a location- either Charlotte, San Francisco, or New York City. I will begin in June 2011 and am so excited. After speaking to so many banks, I feel like it is the perfect culture fit for me!
I am so grateful!

My Path to Wells:
Scott Havertz who told me about Pathways to NY this summer
Winston Wilkinson who provided me with contacts keeping me busy in NYC
Jessie Butterfield my random roommate for a week while hunting down Winston's contacts,
Thomas Jones Jessie's boyfriend, now in Private Equity, previously @WF,
Troy Ford @WF passed my resume on...
Craig Cox @WF ---> First round phone Interview in the SFO airport- 9th Interview of the day

Enjoy my childhood memory below:

Layover Fun

Yesterday at LAX I had the funnest entertainment. I was sitting at the gate across from an obviously LDS family of 4. The mother left and the father was left with his 2 year old son (Noah) very contently playing a game on a laptop and a 6 month old that began to cry immediately after the mother left. His feet barely reached over the seat of the chair and his big eyes were fixed on the screen. After about 15 minutes, Noah decided he needed help but his father was tied up trying to calm the crying baby. He asked blonde middle-age women two chairs down to help him. He gets up and carrying a big laptop makes his way to her lap. She was quite amused and decided to go along with it. The woman and Noah became friends instantly. About 10 minutes later, Noah decides he is done playing on the laptop and starts digging around in her Disneyland souvenir bags. He finds her phone and before she could get it out of his hands, he informs her that he is going to program her phone and proceeds to update her facebook status. The whole ordeal went on for about a half-hour before the mother returns with chicken nuggets that Noah decides to enjoy from the comfort of this woman's lap. I absolutely loved his fearless maneuver of cuddling up right next to her without her even inviting.

I was smiling the entire time, as was the rest of the surrounding crowd. I think it is so interesting that our fear or hesitation to befriend others inhibits this natural tendency of a 2-year old to see no bounds. I appreciated the woman's willingness to entertain him while his father struggled to tame the infant. If we were all like Noah, awkward moments would cease to exist. I think this is exemplary of Christ's invitation to become as a child and His admonition to "let not [our] heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid." This was a great lesson to me. Sometimes my pride stands in the way of love. I fear the judgement of others and forgo serving them. I am continuing to be taught how I may better emulate my Savior.

On another note, the sope de carnitas at El Vaquero (100 W & 300 N Provo) is absolutely delicious. QUE VAYAN TODOS!