AUD

I've posted a lot in the past about taking the CPA Exam.  I should have easily finished all of the exams by now, but between being sent to Minneapolis for 3 months to work, moving, getting pregnant: I still have one exam to go, auditing.  I believe I posted that I had been studying with B for REG, I passed with an 87, which is amazing. I took Audit, my last test, and decided I didn't really need to study that much for it, so I stretched it out over several months, barely paying attention, spent the two weeks prior to the exam reading 7 different books, for a bit of casual reading, and lo and behold: I got a 65.... Not really surprising.  So now that I have moved, I'm going to retake AUD at the end of May.  If I don't pass this time I will lose FAR.  I've done very well on all of my prior exams with the exception of audit, for which I clearly did not prepare, so I'm hopeful that I will be able to pass.  I was in the mid 80's for the other three exams on the first go 'round with an 84 in FAR, an 86 in REG, and an 87 in BEC (I could be mixing up REG and BEC, but I know my scores are 84, 86, and 87).  I'll be happy if I get the passing grade of 75, but it would be really neat if I got an 85, just so I'd have 84, 85, 86, 87.  If I pass this exam, I can apply for my CPA license.  I've already met the education and experience requirements, and I have all of my paperwork filled out and ready to send in. 

B has also finished all of his exams, but he still needs to finish up his education requirements. It seems, however, that with his new job, that may take a little longer than expected.  However, he is really liking his new job and he is excited to possibly also study and sit for the CISA exam and also to take some programming courses.  If he does that, he will really increase his earning potential.  There are not that many people who can speak both programming/IT and accounting, and those that can: can charge very well for their services.  It would be a dream job for B too, he gets big time nerd turned on about coding and setting up programs and formulas for various things.  He is like a little boy with a new video game... I would love if he continued to follow the path he is on, and he is very excited about it.  It would be great if we could, in the future, use both of our skills to start our own contracting business creating and implementing accounting programs for companies.

We're so excited about our future and about continuing to accomplish our goals.  I'm finding my focus that I had with the first three exams, and that I sorely lacked for my first AUD rodeo.  Hopefully, in June I will have some very good news!

Staying on Track

What a crazy week it has been.  Peak season is upon us once again.  Luckily, I was able to avoid weekend work, but I did log 50 hours this week.  In public accounting we have the equivalent to the "freshmen 15." I'm trying to stay active despite the workload and avoid the busy season weight gain that comes as a result of long sedentary days and the unhealthy dinners that the company orders when we work late.  I missed my run on one of my 10 hour days, mostly because I gave in and ate the BBQ pulled pork they brought in for dinner.  Something about BBQ, baked beans, and mac n' cheese just doesn't lend itself to running.  The next day I finished my work quickly and thought I would be able to get out early enough for a run, but we ended up getting a work request in at 5:30, so I ended up working 12.5 hours.  I had told myself I wasn't going to make excuses for not making healthy choices, so I changed into my running clothes in the parking garage and headed out for my run.  I didn't end up getting there until 10 PM, but my route is well lit and even at 10 PM there are other people out for walks/jogs/bike rides.  I could tell that I was covering the miles quickly (relative to me) and felt really good about it. 

I've also been getting excited about the lunches I've been packing in my Go Green Lunchbox, which I bought as part of a fundraiser for my nieces' school.  The new designs are decidely more childish than some of the old designs, but I guess I did buy a children's lunchbox.  The design of my lunchbox is a black and white houndstooth, which they no longer carry.  I've been using this lunchbox for a while, and lately I've been trying to eat healthier, so the lunch box is convenient and there is enough room for not only my lunch, but also for snacks throughout the day. 

Here is my lunch on Thursday, that is the first day I decided to start taking pictures of my lunch:

 The side salad compartment is actually where a stainless steel drink holder goes. 

My mom has been making chicken salad and keeping it in the fridge.  I love my mom's chicken salad and it is easy to throw into a pita with some romaine for lunch.  I got her to begin using plain greek yogurt in the chicken salad instead of mayo.  She adds a little bit of honey to the yogurt to sweeten it up. There is salad dressing at the cafeteria at work, so I can grab some honey mustard there.  This was the first time I brought a salad in my lunchbox.

I liked the salad so much that I made it my main course the following day:

Now I just need to think of more ideas for my lunches. 

In addition to making myself go for my runs and focusing on what I eat (trying to stay on track especially where snacking is concerned), I have set a running goal for myself.  Last year I was signed up for the Gasparilla half marathon which I didn't end up running because I hurt my knee shortly before the race.  The next race is coming up in February and I would really like to be able to run it this time.  Last year before the race I was up to 9 - 11 mile long runs, I'm currently at three and a half miles, so I've got some work ahead of me.  I also need to add strength work to my currently all cardio regime.  I've noticed that making these changes makes a huge difference in my energy level, my confidence level, and and my overall happiness.  I just get so down and slow when I make poor choices.  I need to remind myself of that when I'm feeling lazy or my work orders the delicious sugar cookies or cakes from Wright's.

How it Started

I realized at some point when I was young that people were right when they told me I could be anything I wanted.  Well, they were almost right...I am not a good singer and I don't have rhythm.  But I did recognize that I had the capacity to accomplish most of the things I set my mind to.  At 10, I was fairly certain that I would go into business law, because I didn't want to deal with criminals and I would never be an ambulance chaser (I read a lot of John Grisham at the time).  The only problem was that as I got older, I no longer knew what I wanted to do.  Circumstances with my family life had changed, negatively, and law school seemed out of reach.  I was admittedly lost for a while. 

However, I am extremely stubborn and contrary: I like to prove people wrong.  When I was a screw up in high school, and then afterwards as I sort of floated around and partied, people began to think that I wasn't going to amount to much more than a party girl.  So I dumped my friends and started college and I made sure that I had a 4.0 GPA.  The problem then was, I still didn't know what I wanted to be.  I was still interested in the idea of going into business, and teaching also seemed attractive because I would have summers off. 

I had started working in accounting after I got promoted from customer service.  My then boss and mentor, while acknowledging that I was adept at what I did, stated that he just didn't think I was cut-out to be an accountant. He even set up meetings between him and his lawyer friends to try and sway me away from accounting.

Because I read, "you wouldn't be a good accountant," when I should have read, "why would anyone want to be an accountant," I got my bachelor's and then my master's in accounting.  So now I'm working for a Big 4 accounting firm.  I'm getting ready to take the CPA exam, and all I can think is, "Why the eff am I an accountant?"  I still want summers off.  I'm more interested in having free time to do fun things, than in working 4 busy seasons a year and not having a weekend four months of the year, at least.  So that is where I am now, and this is how it started.