Back to being a Billiken!

After much deliberation, I'm thrilled to announce that I'm returning to school FULL TIME! This also means I'll be leaving my job in the next few weeks. YIKES!

I'm excited to be returning to my alma mater, Saint Louis University for the one year MBA program (this includes a study abroad period in China!).Since most MBA programs are roughly 2 year programs, this will obviously be very intense. It will be a lot of work. Class will be from 9-5 and of course this doesn't include papers/homework/reading at night.

I'm pretty sure my 3 new best friends will be the library, my laptop and my books.

I'm very excited/nervous/scared to begin this new chapter in my life. It's been 8 years since I've been in school. Back when I was in college, I didn't exactly have to walk 3 miles in the snow to class everyday, but it definitely was different back then. We barely used email. I didn't even have a computer. My little word processor got me through just fine. Rumor has it, these days kids are taking notes in class using their laptops! Wow - a lot sure has changed.

The upcoming year will definitely be a challenge and I'm so thankful that I have a very supportive husband. It's going to be tough, but I definitely think the outcome will be well worth it!

Ever wonder what a Billiken is?

Feelin' HOT HOT HOT!

At the encouragment of a friend, I recently tried Bikram Yoga (aka "hot yoga") a few months ago. To be honest, I was not sure I would like it. My friend warned me ahead of time what to expect: the room is 105 degrees, there is no talking, no looking around, and the instructors don't exactly encourage drinking water during the 90 minute class. Despite the fact that it sounded like torture, I decided to give it a try. I barely survived my first class, but kept going and now I love it! Bikram claims many physical benefits including strength, flexibility and balance but can also help to improve concentration and patience. I can't say that I have attained all of this in the few months tha tI have begun yoga, but I do know that it is quite a work out! One of the best aspects that I have found in this yoga is the fact that you are encouraged to push youself and listen to your body- not to "keep up" with the rest of the class. If you're interested, you can learn more here.

One of the MANY reasons...

...Why I love my husband. He came home with these today in honor of our first little milestone- 6 months of marriage.

Not only did he get me this beautiful arrangement, but there was quite a bit of thought behind it. Tulips are my favorite flower and the mini calle lillies were the same flower I carried in my bouquet on my wedding day. Very sweet. I think I'll keep him!

Shake Shake Shake...

Early this morning St. Louis experienced an earthquake! Since I was dead to the world when it happened at 4.30 am, I didn't feel a thing. Nor did I wake up when Sumeet said "Molly, it's an earthquake!". Apparently it was a pretty big one- 5.2! Luckily, so far, there have been no reports of major damage or injuries--hopefully that remains true.

Hearing about it this morning brought back memories of the 1990 prediction by "scientist" Iben Browning that there was going to be a massive earthquake along the New Madrid fault (located south of the St. Louis region) in early December of that year. For some reason EVERYONE believed this man. My grade school pretty much put everyone- students and parents- in a panic. I remember having earthquake drills in the weeks prior to December. The school also encouraged parents to bring in bottled water and non-perishable food items. I think some even brought in extra clothing. I guess they felt that if something major happened, and we were buried under rubble, it would be nice to have a change of clothes when we were rescued. Of course, nothing happened. I guess you could say Iben's prediction was a bit "faulty".

A Very Special Day!

Today is my parent's wedding Anniversary! They have been married 37 years and now that I've been married for a whopping 6 months, I have a huge appreciation for my parents and their marriage. When I asked my dad what they had planned for the big day, he told me they'll do what they've been doing the past few years- going to the Church where they were married at the exact time they were married. Too cute!

My parents do not use email/internet (I'm working on that), so they won't see this post, but Happy Anniversary!
Here's a picture of my cute parents. Please ignore Sumeet raiding the fridge in the background.

Summer O' Fun!

During a typical summer, Sumeet and like to enjoy a concert or two (preferable NOT at Riverport/UMB Bank Pavillion/Verizon Wireless due to the nightmarish parking situation). Well, this summer it appears that a LOT of our favs are coming to town. Exciting...yes! Cheap...no!

My ultimate top choice this summer is of course the Dave Matthews Band at Busch stadium. We don't have tickets yet since we weren't season ticket holders/cardinal club members/ dave fan club members/any sort of VIP. The only seats left are crappy and expensive. If the ebay gods are good to us, we will be there.

We're going to the Foo Fighters. I'm giving Sumeet this one since he sat through two concerts over the past few years that he definitely would not have gone to without me--Tim and Faith "Soul 2 Soul" tour and Keith Urban. Enough said.

In August, we'll most likely go to Tom Petty at Riverport. We went a few years ago and it was a great concert and a great night until we had to sit in the car for 3 hours trying to get out of the parking lot. It was that night that I vowed never to return to riverport (or any form). We later compromised by agreeing we would always purchase the VIP Parking. Expensive but totally worth it. In and out!

Brad Paisley is at the top of my list, however not necessary. I think Brad is a great performer with great, fun sing-along songs. We might have to cut Brad.

The Journey concert has just been added to list. We recently heard that Journey found a new lead singer that sounds exactly like Steve Perry. And he's from the Philippines. It's unbelievable! Watch this clip and see/hear for yourself.

Finally, rumor has it that NKOTB is back! I'm not sure when they'll be in St. Louis, if at all, but I sure hope so. NKOTB was my first every concert and it was the best! Though I no longer have my prized "Joey McIntyre" shirt, I'd love to see them perform again.

Movin' on up!!!

I'm sad to report that today will be the last day at Elsevier for my friend Steph. We started working together on the same day over two years ago and clicked instantly. Steph has been a great person to work with and become a wonderful friend. I know that I can always count on Steph for a good laugh and great advice! I'm so thankful that we met and I know that even though she's taking a different path, we'll still remain close friends.


Every year Elsevier has an out of town sales meeting and they make everyone share a room (boo). Steph and I have always roomed together and despite my " lights at 10pm" policy, we still managed to always have a good time...here are the two of doing our "Roommates for life" sign....

and here are all of my Elsevier peeps at the wedding...

You'll be missed Steph...We all wish you the very best at your new "gig"!!!

Our Florida Vacation!

Last week, Sumeet and I headed down to Miami for Hugh and Tanya's wedding and turned it into a fabulous vacation. Once we arrived in Miami, we drove about 3 1/2 hours to Key West. It was a great drive with beautiful scenery. We only had 2 days in Key West and we took full advantage of our time there. The highlight was our boat ride to another island, Sunset Key, for a wonderful lobster dinner at sunset.Though our time on Key West was short, we were really excited to head back up to Miami for the wedding festivities. The wedding was held at the beautiful Viscaya Gardens and was so much fun. This was our first time seeing Hugh and Tanya since our wedding and it was so wonderful being a part of their special day.

The beautiful estate and gardens
They do!
It was great meeting so many of Sumeet's college friends!
Best wishes Hugh and Tanya!

This was taken on our final day in Miami. Our flight didn't leave until the evening so we decided to spend some time walking around and stopped at the Delano for a drink. The Delano is some sort of "hot spot" for celebs. I know this only from keeping up with my US Weeklys. I had convinced myself that while in Miami we would definitely see at least one celeb. There was a major tennis tourney going on and at least one major movie being filmed in Miami (Marley and Me). If we were going to see any celebs, it would be at the Delano. We did not. I did get this very nice picture of this handsome man though!