Design Thinking

Creativity Because Of Coffee
(Disclaimer: The beginning of this post may sound dramatic, but coffee is important, okay?)

Alright guys, I’m going to throw this out there: I can’t cook. There, I said it. They say the first step to recovery is acceptance, right? (Who is this “they” anyways?) But breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks aside, I’ll tell you what I can do: make a slammin’ good cup of coffee. I wonder where I acquired such talent, you know? I don’t live in some exotic coffee-bean-growing nation like Columbia, nor have I ever been a barista, nor have I a clue how a coffee pot works.

Don't mind if I do!

And then it hit me—Maybe I’m so good at making coffee because there have been countless times that I’ve brewed an awful cup.  I am always running out of sugar, cream, syrups, spices, or whatever and been too busy to buy more. Sometimes I really want to go to Starbucks and pay with cash, but I can’t afford a Mocha. So that forces me to innovate—what is a Mocha made of? A little coffee, a little milk, some little mocha pumps. What if I ordered a Café Au Lait (or a “Misto”, by Starbucks’ coined term) and added 3 pumps of mocha. BAM: I get a makeshift mocha for a little over half the price of the formulated recipe on the menu. So, where am I going with this?


What are my personal experiences with creativity?

Maybe the obstacles in creating the perfect cup of coffee have led me to create even better ways to improve my bi-daily cup. Creativity in designing espresso drinks was sparked by a need and a push out of the comfort zone (a rude unawakening, pun intended). I feel individually creative when 1) There is some kind of motivation or need to step out of the comfort zone, and 2) There is not a huge cost to messing up. With a bad cup of coffee, what do I lose? Probably five minutes or three bucks.

I am not creative when someone demands my creativity. When I’m stressed, I tend to put my imagination in a box because I’m worried about time efficiency. In contrast, I feel especially creative when I have time to separate myself from the stresses of the task at hand. Giving a problem time to marinate in my head usually generates the perfect “spice” to come in an unstructured environment. Personally, my most creative thoughts flow right before going to sleep, when giving a recount of the objective casually to a friend, or just thinking about the situation in a different setting.


What are my personal experiences with organizational creativity?

I have an ambitious, hard-working personality that is balanced by a lot of jokes. In a group setting, I like to be proactive. The intrinsic feeling I get from contributing successful ideas to a group project is unmatched by most other rewards, except gaining friendships through the process. I am organizationally creative when I am free to joke around with other group members, and (while remaining on task), let optimistic thoughts about even the most daunting projects flow through the group. Is this task a ridiculous challenge? COOL, now how can we make fun of it? Usually, this approach calms my nerves and allows the group to be more creative because intense pressure isn’t squashing creativity. One of the most creative ideas I had for a group project was creating a new TV show for Spike Network. I made a flippant “girls rule” joke and argued that girls are just as good as boys. The idea that turned into new reality TV show “Girly to Burly,” which places girls in boys’ careers and jokingly allows them to display how they can be just as successful. My group presented our case in class with a skit, won first place for most innovative idea, and you'd better bet we had a blast making the advertising trailer!

When I worked at Southwest Airlines, they were redesigning Headquarters to include “Culture Centers” equipped with unconventional tables and gathering areas. I found the centers especially attractive for group meetings because of the encouragement nailed on the walls. Pictures and designs voice Southwest success stories and highlight employees who acted on their ideas. The areas unconsciously whispered subtle encouragements in the minds of employees, empowering them to think out of the box. This environment enhanced organizational creativity in incredible ways! Giving employees value translated directly into fuel for new ideas and creativity.

So what now?

My mom always told me “smart people don’t get bored.” This was probably her way of not having to hire a babysitter, but I think there is truth to her statement. Whatever it is, this statement has motivated me to take a different perspective on life. Instead of mopping the floor, she would say “Lexi! Want to play Cinderella?” (cruel, or brilliant?)

Look at those creative eyes!

Innovation sparks from combining what I see every day in a way that’s never been done before. Some of the best ways to be creative is separate myself from the bustle and conversations with others and simply gaining knowledge through observation. Take a shopping mall, for instance, and listen to conversations: What are people excited about? Why are they complaining? How can I learn about different cultures by gaining observational insights? Ideas are all around, waiting to be discovered.  A personal tactic I have used in group settings is never discounting another’s idea, but rather saying “Yes, and…” to build upon the foundation set by my peer. There is no such thing a bad idea, or a failure, but rather just one less step to find the open window we’re looking for. Live life and look around—there’s a lot more than one way to innovate ideas. Maybe these thoughts manifest into developing a new solutions for corporations. Or maybe just another good cup of coffee. Either way, I’m pretty fond of what coffee taught me about creativity.

Visualizing Insights
A major challenge marketers and analysts face is finding the best way to represent complicated data. Visualizing insights in clear, memorable manner ensures that the audience understands the information discovered and can easily interpret recommendations. 

In my visualization design, I broke the information into 2 parts:  Issues and Insights.

Issues: The issue surrounding our research study is that prestige brands and high-end retailers are recording strong fragrance category sales growth, while retailers such as drug stores and supermarkets are experiencing a decline in sales and market share. I have illustrated this effect by representing the “rain” by abundance of sales and the “drought” with lack of sales. The red undertones in the drought visual symbolize fragrance sales heading “in the red” for lower-end retailers.

Insights: The insights from the study are meant to spray some “good-smelling” ideas into the future of fragrance sales to mass consumers. The visual displays three methods to increase consumption and prevent the market from “turning their noses” from fragrance sales: creative retailing, appeal to men, and expand selection of new forms. Simple picture models display the percentages to give the reader an easy understanding of study results and recommendations.

Data source:  Mintel. Issues in the Market: Fragrance. September 2013. https://courses.utexas.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-6079807-dt-content-rid-27649946_1/courses/2013_fall_05105_MKT_372/Report%20Fragrances%20Mintel%20Issues_and_Insights.pdf



Business Model Analysis Report: Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines: The Airline that LUV Built

Southwest Airlines is the airline that “LUV” built (a literal spin on their stock exchange ticker), and with that slogan, they mean business. As the world’s largest low-cost carrier, Southwest has been churning out profits 40 consecutive years. To top that, the company has never issued an Employee layoff. What’s the trick? Southwest keeps operations simple. Their business model originated as a rough sketch on a cocktail napkin, with a triangle of flights flying from Dallas --> Houston --> San Antonio. The company has grown to operate over 3,00 flights a day and 91 destinations, a scene that is rapidly expanding as they welcome more AirTran destinations in the coming months. In addition to being profitable in the notoriously competitive airline industry, Southwest Airlines operates with a swing in its step and a heart ready to serve the community.

Throwing a surprise in-flight concert!

Living the Southwest Way

The Company began with one simple notion: “If you get your passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares, and make darn sure they have a good time doing it, people will fly your airline!” And they were right. To this day, the mission of Southwest Airlines is “dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.” What strikes me about this statement is place is that the word “plane” is never mentioned. This is intentional—Southwest’s goal is to impact Customers for the better in every way they contact the Company, whether in a plane or a community service event. This notion peaked my interest in Southwest Airlines, and became the reason I was drawn toward them for an internship last summer.


What’s it to me?

Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas

My internship at Southwest Airlines in the Community Relations & Giving Department gave me a snapshot of how the LUV airline lives out their mission statement on a daily basis.  Knit deeply into the being of each Southwest Employee is a “fun-LUVing attitude, the heart of a servant, and the spirit of a warrior”. I was repeatedly struck by the way Employees across the nation manifested these values in both the work ethic and relationships with Customers. At Southwest, everyone is first-class. The Company’s energy is unmatched, and I am excited to study how the airline streamlines their mission into their business model, and especially their marketing strategy.

Southwest Business Model, in a Nutshell

Sometimes the simplest operations are the smartest. Here are some key operations strategies Southwest’s business model:
     • Flying only one plane type, Boeing 737, streamlines maintenance training and is extremely cost-efficient.
     • With unassigned seating, every Customer is treated like gold.
     • Bags fly free!
     • “Point-to-point” independent flight network planning system does not funnel planes through “hub” airports. Other airlines practice the “hub and spoke” network, which causes backups when multiple planes arrive without gates or bad weather hits a hub airport.
     • The “ten-minute turn” is famous plan for efficient gate boarding/deplaning processes.

Translating the Business Model to Customer Segmentation

Southwest Airlines translates this simple business model into an attractive marketing strategy for multiple customer segments. Southwest’s position as the low-cost airline is an appealing draw for flight seekers, and each customer segment provides significant value to the overall success of the Company. Four of Southwest’s primary customer segments are listed below:

1. Business Traveler – Marketing Corporate Sales Department within Southwest Airlines’ primary focus is to education business on the advantages of flying Southwest and promote Southwest as the company’s airline partnership. The value in this relationship provides Southwest with a reliable stream of business. Instead of marketing to customers on a trip-by-trip basis, Southwest can create strong relationships with these business travelers and their build loyalty through Rapid Rewards program.

2. Price-sensitive Travelers – Much of the market is simply looking to get “from point A to point B” as cheaply and efficiently as possible. Extra “bells and whistles” are not worth the increase in price for these customers. Southwest has created an environment that welcomes the efficient traveler who doesn’t care about first-class seating or getting a meal on a flight. This customer loves Southwest’s “ten-minute turn” gate efficiency system, low fares, and the complimentary peanuts! The price-sensitive customer will happily forego meals and assigned seating for low prices, convenience, and peanuts!

3. Travel Short Distances – Southwest Airlines offers a wide variety of flights between short distances for the traveler that needs to travel a short distance within a constrained period of time. For example, flights from Dallas Love Field to Houston Hobby run every 30 minutes to an hour. This short-distance traveler brings much value to Southwest because short-haul flights burn much less fuel and provide more turnover opportunities to gain revenue from more customers. Southwest can charge competitive prices and still make a profit on short-haul flights because the cost of fuel to travel a short distance is much less than a long-haul flight. For this reason, the short-haul customer brings much value to Southwest Airlines.  In contrast, most airlines follow the differentiated strategy, offering higher ticket prices to those who are inflexible (usually business travelers) who need to fly the “day-of”, and leave remaining seats to more price-sensitive customers who buy ahead of time.

4. High School “Mr. Personality” – This is a less-technical term to describe my perception of one of Southwest’s most valuable target segments. Because of the culture of Southwest Airlines, the humorous, outgoing traveler would naturally be drawn toward the Southwest flight experience. This customer may also be passionate about the environment or helping the community, basing their airline choice on Southwest’s prestigious social responsibility platform. Mr. Personality chooses Southwest not only for efficiency, but also the intrinsic value of being on a Southwest plane. I traveled over 40 flights this summer, and the flight attendants cracked a few jokes, sang songs, or announced a celebration on just about every flight. Southwest Airlines is perfect for the customer looking for their flight to become part of the vacation. Aside from revenue, this customer segment brings an incredible about of brand marketing for Southwest. “Mr. Personality” is likely to tweet their experience on a plane, or tell their friends about the joke told by the flight attendant. Southwest’s culture is spread to their Customers, and this is publicized naturally through “Mr. Personality.”

Sources:
1. http://www.advancebusinessconsulting.com/advance!/strategic-alignment/strategic-alignment-business-cases/the-rise-of-southwest-airlines.aspx 
2. http://swamedia.com/channels/Corporate-Fact-Sheet/pages/corporate-fact-sheet#about
3. http://www.slate.com/articles/business/operations/2012/06/southwest_airlines_profitability_how_the_company_uses_operations_theory_to_fuel_its_success_.html


Generative Research

1. Social Media – I have a love-hate relationship with social media, but I like it. (Makes perfect sense, right?) While social media channels have penetrated the market of the “Me” generation, I am a perfect example of one who would prefer to communicate personally with others but still chooses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. as primary channels. As a college student, I am constantly using Facebook to announce information about my student organization quickly. I love the instant exchange of information. I love the notifications and easy accessibility to changing information. I am ashamed to admit that I was initially informed of many pivotal national news events via social media. I typically scan Instagram to burn time. I like the interconnectedness of social media, and the ability to discover mutual friends. 

2. Web Search – I love learning and exploring new topics, and searching the web is my go-to resource for gathering data. Whether it’s in a playful disagreement with a friend or an intense problem that requires more context, “Googling” a keyword is the first stop for collecting information. If I hear a buzz about a certain topic, I am the first to click on the “News” tab to see what articles have recently been released about this topic. In my Digital Ecosystem diagram, I marked to occasionally use local websites, online video, national magazines online, and local TV broadcast websites. I usually find these websites using a general web search engine. 
(Side note: My personal search engine of choice is Bing because of the background picture…Yes, I’m a marketing major and marketing still works on me.)

3. Blogs and Forums – Blogs are like the cooking shows of the 21st century – and I don’t even have to write down the recipe! Looking at a document of another’s life and their accomplishments inspires me to set new goals and (sometimes) ambitions for myself…After all, reading about someone who worked out is totally the same as if I worked out with them, right? Okay maybe not, but informal blogs do provide a momentary escape from my life and a 2-minute getaway into who I’d like to become. 
To me, forums are filled with free information. I love to search the web about a certain topic (as discussed above), and this action often brings me to forums. Because people who write on forums are usually very opinionated, I can get advice on a prospective purchase, action, or even restaurant that will ultimately help me decide where to spend my time and energy to generate the most personal benefit. Forums are a quick resource to solve problems, often giving me step-by-step instructions and feedback on any topic I research.

7 AM – Immediately after waking up, I check the weather and social media outlets. I also like to scan the home pages of search engines and web browsers (generally Yahoo!) to catch a quick glimpse of the day’s breaking news. I then check my calendar/events for the day, which leads me back into study mode.

12:30 PM – I generally eat lunch with friends, and my friends tend to bring up current events. Curiosity often leads me to check local news, entertainment news, and sports updates to be informed in conversations.

4:30 – 8:30 PM – There isn’t much routine for me on a typical day during this time. If I go home right after class, I use this time to take a small break and distract myself from school. To do this, I look up my favorite blogs and websites that discuss cooking, fitness, movies, health, and my hobbies. Sometimes I’ll watch the television and hear reports about crime, state news, and national news. 

8:30-11 PM – In student organization meetings, I may look up resources to further the organization. I have a huge interest in non-profit work and community involvement, and my student organization revolves around these topics. I may look up shopping, restaurants, or even movie showtimes to plan our events.

1 AM – Right before going back to sleep, I check my calendar and the weather to prepare for the next day. It’s not uncommon to for me to get distracted reading an entertaining story found through a link on social media. 

I added the purple “friends” topic because I am frequently checking social media outlets during transition periods. Waiting to meet a friend, riding the bus, or walking to class presents opportunities to check notifications and recent uploads.

Journey Map

Meet Rebekah. 

Rebekah (left) and me (right)

We are both: 

•  Marketing majors at the McCombs School of Business
• Lived together at the same dorm, and later both became Resident Assistants
• Serve on the executive team of the same camp for incoming students at UT, Ignite Texas
• Attend the same church
• Live in the same apartment, and last year in the same room

On paper, we’re pretty alike.

                 This blog post revolves around creating a Journey Map, which allows us to understand how one navigates through a particular context in the decision-making process. If Rebekah and my decisions are so similar, why did I choose her for this blog post?

Although it’s common for us to come to the same conclusion, Rebekah and I take very different paths to make our decisions. In this post, I’ll use a journey map to analyze Rebekah’s path to choosing a major.

To frame the journey map, let’s start with Rebekah’s upbringing. She grew up in a suburb of Austin, Texas. Her mom has a background in medical writing and her dad works as a Network Development Engineer for Dell. She attended a small private high school where she quickly emerged as a leader in multiple organizations. Rebekah began thinking about her college major at the end of her junior year of high school. All of her friends were very confident in their career paths before applying to college, but Rebekah had not given the subject much thought. With a high GPA and an interest in many subjects, Rebekah had the world at her fingertips.

Journey Map - Rebekah's path to Choosing a Major

At the end of junior year in high school, Rebekah decided she wanted to pursue a pre-dental major track and become a dentist. She has always had the biggest heart for others, and when exploring her options for a career path, she saw the perfect opportunity to serve others through this degree track. She had a cool dentist growing up, and she could use her knowledge to bring value to people, so why not become a dentist?

Nearing the beginning of senior year in high school, Rebekah’s dad brought up the idea of pursuing a business degree. Knowing she had a good shot of getting into McCombs, Rebekah figured it would be easy to transfer out of McCombs if she ended up not liking the school. She didn’t have to be confident in this decision; McCombs was a “nothing to lose” situation. After her acceptance to the McCombs School of Business, Rebekah was excited to begin college with such a reputable school to guide her. Her primary influence for staying in this major was solely the fact that it was impressive to be in McCombs, and her family was very proud of her accomplishment. Rebekah always thought her fallback major would be something in math. After all, she excelled in her Calculus pre-requisite classes!

At the beginning of her sophomore year, Rebekah became increasingly influenced by her peers and classes in the business school. A bad experience with Accounting 311 really caused her confidence to drop. For the first time, Rebekah was not positive she would pass one of her classes, which made her question her ability to succeed in business at all.  She considered switching into the Communications School so she could still do marketing, but instead focus her career more on the personal relations aspects of business. Rebekah seriously considered switching her major to Advertising.

At the end of her fourth semester, Rebekah passed Accounting 311 and 312 (without much trouble, might I add), and she regained confirmation that a Marketing degree from McCombs was meant for her. She officially declared her major in Marketing after a good friend considered this path as well. Rebekah was relatively confident in this decision, and no other secondary majors were on the table anymore. She tasted what McCombs had to offer, and Marketing was consistently the path that stood out to her. Rebekah loves problem solving, and this path allowed her to creatively think of solutions to business problems while forming relationships with others in the workplace.  

Rebekah took her first “Principles of Marketing” class at the beginning of her junior year, and this class solidified her interest in the subject. She enjoyed going to class and gained a lot of personal enjoyment from the skills she gained in class. She thrived off of the challenge marketing presented, and in the spring of 2013, Rebekah translated her marketing skills into an internship raising thousands of dollars for cancer research with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Working at LLS and serving as a leader in Ignite Texas presented Rebekah with her next major milestone – what was she to do after graduation? Rebekah loved her marketing major, but lost confidence that she would want to have this job for the rest of her life. Rebekah describes this time as a “minor identity crisis.” After her experiences with non-profit organizations, Rebekah starting thinking about options for a career that would directly help people and make a difference. She never questioned her major choice, but rather the career path she would take to put her Marketing major into action.

Even though Rebekah just began her senior year, she has already had multiple factors solidify her career decision. She recently got engaged (CONGRATULATIONS!), and plans to get a full-time position in Dallas to be with her love. The Fall Career Expo introduced her to multiple opportunities in this area. She is very confident in her major at this time—she says it’s too late to change, anyway! As nervous as Rebekah is about finding a full-time position that fits her personality, she knows that finding a position in Dallas is more important the finding the “perfect” job. She is looking for a good work-life balance, and is excited to see what the next few months bring.

In conclusion, Rebekah is a very bright girl who has used multiple influences to guide her decision in choosing a Marketing major. Her journey through the business school began with an interest in being a dentist—who knew?  As a good friend of Rebekah’s, I am excited to see where she brings her bright personality and love for people. Her strong faith in God has brought her where she is today. However the path, I know that five years from now we’ll be able to analyze another journey map for Rebekah that reveals her path to making a huge difference in several people’s lives using her Marketing degree. Cheers!

Empathy Map

Empathy is a beautiful quality. It allows insight into thoughts and a gateway to uncover aspirations in another’s mind. In the marketing world, empathy can be used to discover the perspective of customers and strategically analyze their desires. An Empathy Map imposes structure on an abstract personality, giving marketers a resource for product development, segmentation, and positioning strategy. To put this skill to the test, I considered my Dad. We think, feel, see, act, hear, fear, and aspire quite differently, so diving into what motivates his individuality gives powerful insight to his decision-making process.

What does Dad think and feel?

Certain music tones spark snapshots back to my childhood. I’m in Dad’s truck, music blaring, windows down, singing “I Like It, I Love it” as my four-year-old self claps a tad out of line with the beat. He just laughs and sings out of tune, complimenting my sub-par percussion to make a melodious cacophony. Later, he waddles to the beat of The Little Mermaid Soundtrack so I’m distracted from the morning’s cereal spill. My hair is tangled. My shoes are untied. Dad doesn’t care. What really counts to him is the joy in my eyes; he doesn't mind making himself look silly to make sure I'm safe and happy.

Like daughter, like father?

Flash forward seventeen years, and I’ve learned why this time was so precious to Dad. Regardless of the stress at work, his heart is filled with other aspirations. He thinks about his family constantly. He feels our pain thicker than we do, and is encouraged by our achievements. Although stresses at work often preoccupy his thoughts, home has become a sanctuary from bidding roofs, managing employees, and analyzing finances. His ultimate goal is to selflessly serve my mom and guide my sister and me with grace and discipline. He lets us know that we're always on his mind. 

All family members WILL be present for the birthday picture.
                (Note my sister through the iPhone screen on the bottom left)

What does Dad see?

On a typical day, there are two things Dad will inevitably see: my family and a motorcycle. My family is easy to find, and the motorcycle... don’t worry, he’ll find one. His home environment is surrounded with an average-sized house in a typical small town neighborhood, complete with a fertilized lawn and dog in the backyard. 

His work environment is different. Dad walks into white-walled rooms with coffee brewing and roofing plans awaiting hours of tedious work. To combat this monotony, he enjoys joking with other employees and poking fun at tough situations. 

Dad is hyper-aware of whatever new car is on the market, or anything with an engine for that matter. Automobile websites pepper the "saved tabs" on his iPad. His favorite term is "Google it!" He’ll never know about a good sale price on a cantaloupe, but he’d know the second a promotion hits on a new Chevrolet.

 

What does Dad say and do?

Dad carries himself well in public. He walks with confidence and greets others with a friendly nod. He is constantly cracking jokes. He occasionally straightens up to answer his work cell phone, but everyone knows that buried behind his “professional voice” is a total softie. Typical work attire consists of a starched button-down and pressed slacks. He sports tennis shoes, pressed jeans, and a Longhorn pullover on Saturdays. He is adventurous and loves to be outside. His favorite attire is a life jacket and swim trunks. 

My cousin, Thomas (left) and Dad (right)

I’ve heard that boys are supposed to be smelly, but my dad always smells good. His inviting demeanor makes others feel welcome. His ball cap relays his fun-loving personality. Dad also loves making a stranger into a new friend. He often does this by sneaking an encouraging compliment to someone where only him and the recipient can hear. And this includes to our puppy, Tucker, who is truly this man’s best friend.

Typical shenanigans with my sister and Dad

What does Dad hear?

The Eagles

At any given time, Dad is hearing whispers from many different sources. At work, his boss barks commands into his ears. Our family combats this with constant words of encouragement at home. Dad’s choice of music will always be along the lines of the Eagles and ZZ Top. Sunday NFL sports advertisements let him know that he’s not the young athlete he used to be, but drinking Dr. Pepper surely gives him that “23 flavor” energy jolt. 

At the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, TX

Dad hears inspiration from his influencers. He hears the echo of his dad, my grandpa, and works every day to make sure Pa is smiling down on him from heaven. Dad hears the anxieties of his daughters and responds with compassion and exhortation. He is a great listener. Sometimes my mom jokes that he’s losing his hearing, especially when it comes time to do the dishes.

What are Dad’s pain points?

He is frustrated when the alarm clock rings in the mornings, and especially his grill runs out of propane. Dad’s greatest fear is failure; his heart can bear everything but the idea of disappointing his family. He works overtime, and still is burdened with pressing deadlines. I get my perfectionist personality from him. Dad strives to consider every detail in every project. 


Dad’s job is a source of constant anxiety. He loves his coworkers and the salary supports our family well. On the flip side, one employee constantly demeans everyone in the company and their precious work. Although Dad is interested in other industries, his age presents a huge obstacle for starting at a new company. And this one pays the bills.

What does Dad hope to gain? What does he want and need?

On a shallow note, he wants a 370z sports car. 

Dream car

             And even more shallow, he needs a Dr. Pepper. 

Dream beverage

But honestly, Dad wants nothing more than to provide for his family and protect his daughters. He measures success by the safety of his loved ones and the accomplishments of his daughters. Personally, I’d like to say he’s done very well by this standard of measurement. 

UT Longhorn, just like Dad

He has learned to measure success at work by the amount of money he generates for the company instead of encouragement from management. Dad also hopes to become physically healthy. With a permanently torn ACL, Dad’s knee prevents him from exercising in they way he could years before the ski accident. And of course, that love of Dr. Pepper doesn't help his case. Overall, Dad hopes to gain many more years of joy with his family.