The Windy City

When I retire I will become a Food Critic. It's decided. Chicago has been a great time for work related activities but the food is outstanding!!

Monday

• Lunch: Venice Cafe Famous for their calzones!
• Dinner: Townhouse Wine and Bar Delicious appetizers but dinner was phenomenal. Edamame veggie burger with avocado and carmelized onions and a side of quinoa mac & cheese!

Tuesday

• Lunch: Potbelly Sandwich Shop They had a delicious Mediterranean veggie sandwich and an Oreo milkshake!
• Dinner: Untitled This was a cool restaurant and bar that was in the style of a 1920s and 1930s Speakeasy bar. The waiters and waitresses wore black pants, white shirts and black suspenders too! There was a live brass band called Lowdown Brass Band.

Wednesday

• Lunch: The French Market  Raw Food The Super Six juice, Zucchini spaghetti, turnip ravioli, quinoa burger!

• Dinner: The Purple Pig This is a Mediterranean restaurant where all the dishes are served "sharing style". We had a large variety of dishes but one was quite adventurous for me. It was fried Skate with beets and blood oranges. Skate is in the family of Shark and Ray fishes. It was a flaky fish when eaten in the same bite with beets and oranges, it was amazing!

More delicious food exploits to come!!  (Thursday lunch is Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and dinner is Las Palmas Mexican!)

Data Center Optimization: Rotation 1 Complete

I am coming to the end of my first ITLP (Information Technology Leadership Program) rotation here at GE Transportation (GET). I had a very important review meeting this morning to present the work I have accomplished over the past 6 months. It went very well! Nancy Anderson, the CIO of GET, was able to attend the meeting and was very engaged, asking great questions! The presentation consisted of reviewing the process our team, led by Project Managers Donny and myself,  took to accomplish the Data Center Optimization initiative at the Erie site and the relevant cost savings. We also presented the Data Center Optimization Playbook - a comprehensive document detailing everything a project manager would need to optimize a data center. Everyone in attendance was impressed. At the close of the meeting Donny and I wanted to recognized team members that really made the project successful. We recognized 6 individuals with Bronze Above & Beyond awards. Our manager Tony, CTO Operations Leader, recognized the efforts of Donny and I, and awarded us Silver Above & Beyond awards.

The coolest part about this rotation is that it doesn't end here! Before I officially transition roles, we will be hosting the Data Center Optimization Center of Excellence Workout in the beginning of March. During this workout all team members from Transportation's data centers (Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania  Brazil, Italy, and Mexico) will work together with GE Corporate to share best practices and develop optimization plans for 2013 and beyond.

Also, I am now an unofficially published author! We will be utilizing the Data Center Optimization Playbook to guide site leaders in creating optimization plans for their data centers. The playbook will be distributed to all team members (printed hard copies, as well as electronic soft copies) within Transportation and Corporate will be taking the playbook to other GE businesses as Best Practice Sharing!

The past 6 months have truly been a whirlwind experience. My next rotation has a lot to live up to! I will be joining the IT Controllership team and my new assignment leader (manager) will be James Olender, CIO Engineering & Data Security. More details will be coming soon!

I am off to Chicago, IL next week for ITLP Rotation kick-off activities. Please pray for safe travels!

Urbana 2012

I haven't written in quite awhile but I want to update everyone on all the amazing things God is doing in my life!

I felt God calling me to attend Urbana after talking to Glen Ewart about it all the way back in February 2012. I was intrigued so I signed up super early and had no idea what to expect. If I had expectations they were most definitely blown out of the water. After the first night of the conference I could already feel God's presence and sense Him working in me. After hearing Chai Ling speak and talk about forgiveness - God placed it on my heart to forgive those that have hurt me in the past and to lift those burdens to the Lord. Through the amazing Prayer Ministry at Urbana this was possible on the following day.

Throughout the Urbana conference I was learning how to spread the gospel to my non-Christian friends. I learned more about the Hindu culture through attending a seminar titled "Engaging your Hindu Neighbor" and then attending an Adrhana concert (a band that uses traditional Hindi style music with a sitar and tabla but with Christian lyrics and scripture). I felt the call from God to give my life fully to Him offering up my life to server Him. I am unsure as to what that will look like in my life but in the near term - I am continuing to disciple 2 high school girls and my little sister.

I will be going on my first international short term missions trip to Haiti in June 26 - July 7, 2013. I will be going with 12 members from my local church, Millcreek Community Church (MCC) to Cap Haitian, Haiti. MCC sponsors an orphanage and school in Cap Haitian. There are 90 orphans and 50 are of school age and attend the EBAC Christian Academy school that is part of the orphanage. I am really excited to see what God is already doing in the lives of the children and the Haitian people - and to let God use me as His hands and feet how ever He sees fit.