wierd happiness...

so...one of my favorite shows to watch is Ellen DeGeneres - i know that is probably not the BEST thing to admit to the vast internet community - and yet it is truth. i think her show is HYSTERICAL and she has the BEST GUESTS for sure!!! last week was an exceptionally good week as far guests were concerned - the highlight for me: LADY GAGA!!! she is SO extremely weird that it is intriguing to me...you should hear how excited i get when poker face comes on the radio. SO for your personal enjoyment...here is the video of her performing POKER FACE live wearing her own solar system IN ORBIT on ellen last week!!! YAY!

capsim is KILLING me...

SO...in December of 2008 I finished all the coursework to get a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). In MAY of 2009 I officially graduated. 3 days after graduation, I started my Capstone Business Simulation - it is the practical assessment for the learning and skills gained throughout the entire MBA program. I knew it would be an intense class. My professor, Dr. Deena Chapman (FAVORITE) said something along the lines of, “shelly, here is my advice for you – learn to tell your family and friends, NO, CAN’T until these 10 miserable weeks of my life are over. Good luck, my prayers are with you.” I took that seriously, and decided it probably wasn't a good sign. I knew I would have to sacrifice my social life to some degree...but I did NOT realize that the capstone would take away some of my very basic human needs....like sleep, food, and water. At this point, I think I can reluctantly release the food and water - but seriously GIVE ME MY SLEEP!!! This week I have spent more time in Riverside (which in case you are wondering - contrary to what the Mayor said in his graduate address - is NOT an emerald city) than I care to. I don't like driving from Riverside to Fullerton after midnight when I got up at 6:30am and already worked a full day. I'm exhausted. Isn't there some statistic that states a person will die in 3 days if he/she doesn't sleep....maybe it is true...maybe this capstone (generated by a computer program entitled capsim - hence the picture) is literally KILLING ME!! I think the count is at 46 days...maybe I need to turn into the little engine that could...i think i can i think i can i think i can...

changing the world...

Those who know me well know that for several years i was actively involved with World Changers - an organization sponsored by the North American Mission Board that provides youth with an opportunity to change the world one house at a time. Basically, youth groups go to World Changers as a construction oriented mission trip for one week of their summer. The kids do all the labor and the city supplies all the materials through the low-income housing budget. I participated in World Changers 3 summers in high school and then joined staff when I was in college. I have traveled throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada organizing builds and providing individuals and families with restored hope. There is something really invigorating about taking a broken down house and in one week seeing it transformed into a home with a fresh coat of paint, a new roof, new siding, new windows and doors, a wheel-chair ramp if needed or maybe even a room addition. It is an incredibly rewarding experience and one that will forever mark my journey in life.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to make an impact yet again; only this time, I was donating my services to my brother and sister-in-law. Kevin and Jamie just bought their first house and it is definitely a "fixer-upper." Due to my SKILLS with painting, I was enlisted as the first shift of help! On Saturday I spent numerous hours priming their walls and painting their ceilings. By the end of the day, I was absolutely covered in paint splatters and probably smelled terribly - but my heart was SO HAPPY. It has been a really long time since I've labored in love - and it was such a refreshing feeling. Kevin and Jamie still have lots left to do at their house and my friend Jenny just bought a home of her own - so it looks like i'll have LOTS MORE opportunities to exercise my construction skills in the near future... sounds great to me... i'm changing the world one house at a time!!!

i'm ADDICTED...

to television...i LOVE it...its a weakness...its just such a fun part of life - it brings people together, beckons laughter, evokes tears, reminds us of the blessings we have in life, and often times challenges our thinking and causes us to reconsider our position thus promoting individual growth and development. ok ok i know, i'm idealizing - television is a waste of time. but in this crazy life of working full time, finishing a masters, being involved in bible study, socializing with all the quality people that mean so much to me, and maintaining some semblance of personal organization in life - wasting time is just what i need....so...BRING ON THE TV!!!

today my heart is in Alabama...

today is my best friend sara's graduation day. in less than two hours she will be crossing the stage and graduating with a bachelors of science in behavioral science from Athens State University. i am SO PROUD! sara has worked INCREDIBLY hard to get where she is today and seriously deserves the world!

sara and i met 6 years ago - it was summer 2004 - and we were both in Shreveport, Louisiana doing World Changers. we hit it off right away and have really been best friends ever since. she knows me better than probably anyone else. for the past 6 years we have spent everyday together. she makes me laugh when life seems impossible to smile at. she cries with me. when the headaches consume my every thought, she prays with me and somehow manages to hold me even from thousands of miles away. she is my best friend. she gets me. she knows how i tick and always manages to say the right things. she sends the most AMAZING gifts for holidays and sometimes just spontaneously in between to celebrate me. she has never ever let me down. our friendship is so unique in that we have never spent more than 10 consecutive days together. in fact, 2007 was a peak year for us...we saw each other in january for a few hours, may for about 10 days and then again in august for about 5 days. 3 times in one year is DEFINITELY a record. we have the most amazing memories - from shopping for the whiffle ball tournament at the Wal Mart in Alpharetta to attempting to get on the price is right to seeing Wicked at the Pantageous theatre. we have lived life together and we have lived it well.

i wish with all my heart that i could be there today celebrating this milestone and commemorating this accomplishment - but in my heart - today i'm in Alabama - loving my sweet sara, hugging her, and looking forward to so many adventures that are ahead.

so today, to you sara, CONGRATULATIONS! i love you best friend...

and i can't WAIT for our celebratory cruise in August!!!!!

Shelly Swope, MBA

Well, it is official, I graduated. I have an MBA! Crazy! The time has gone quickly even though it has been a TREMENDOUS journey. I have worked countless hours into the night on more occassions than I can count. I breathed financial statement analysis for weeks on end, wrote papers until my fingers were raw and there weren't any letters left on the keyboard, developed marketing schemes and created business plans, evaluated my ethical stance and the predictability of interacting from a moral perspective, gained an in-depth understanding of business law and the somewhat overwhelming and scary connotations that said laws entail. When one class ended, another began - every 6 six weeks for almost 2 years - and then I walked across the stage at Graduation on Friday night, and the beginning of the end was upon me. For the next 12 weeks I will be working on my cumulative project with a team of highly competant and competitve MBA grads. July 18th is DONE DAY - the day we give our final presentation and close this chapter of our lives FOREVER. I am ready to taste the victory of completion...but until then, I'll celebrate because I DID IT!