December 2008 Archives

It just hit me the other day that, for the first time in a very long time, I DON'T HAVE TO STUDY!!  Even though I had a sizeable break (15 years) between classes, I have been studying pretty much non-stop since August 2000.  I finished by undergrad in December 2003, then started my graduate degree in January 2004.  I completed that degree in August 2006.  You would think I would be done.  Nope!  Now I have to start preparing for the CPA exam.

To be honest, I did take September 2006 off, but I started hitting the CPA review books in October to prepare for a January test date.  For those of you who do not know much about CPA prep, it is a fulltime job.  I would get home from work, eat dinner with my family, then hit the books until 11pm.  I did this 6 days per week up until the night before I sat for each section.  But it paid off.

I did not pass the first section, but I passed the next two (talk about a confidence booster!)  Unfortunately, I did not pass the last section.  But that was okay--I was shooting for 50% anyway.  I studied all summer and retook my last two sections again.  I was once more hoping for 50%, then finish in January.  I took Auditing in October and FARE in November (before I had the results from Auditing.)  I found out I passed Auditing at the end of November.  Then about 3 weeks after I took FARE, I started checking for the score every day.  When I checked on December 23rd and found that they had not yet reported my score, I was disappointed.  I figured they would wait until after the holidays.  On Christmas Eve, I was answering some emails and I thought I would check for the score one more time.  And lo and behold, I passed FARE as well!  My husband called to ask me what I wanted for Christmas and I said; "I'm good!"

So, now I don't have to study--until CPE begins next year

It is hard to believe that the holiday season has approached as quickly as it has!  We say this every year but I really think that that time has just flown by!  I think that this is my favorite time of the year.  I love seeing the snow (only for a couple of days) and just the thought of getting bundled up to go outside or lighting a fire in the fireplace.  This will be our first winter in our new house.   My wife and I enjoy watching all of the kids play in the street and we can only imagine what the winter season will bring!  I have to admit that I am looking forward to seeing all of the little kids dressed up in their snow suits.  I enjoy the snow suits because I think that it is cute to see little kids in snow suits that do not allow them to put their arms down (they just stick straight out of the sides).  It makes is hard for them to throw snow balls but I just get a kick out of watching them.  In our house, we do celebrate Christmas and I cannot wait to put up all of the decorations.  I am trying to convince my wife to let me put up Christmas lights on our gutters but she did not seem too excited because I am not the most graceful person.  But we will have to see who wins that battle! ☺  Enjoy the holiday season and stay warm!  

I can tell that Thanksgiving is quickly approaching!  The campus is starting to thin out and some of my colleagues are planning on taking next week off.  As I walk down the hallways I hear students talking about their Thanksgiving plans and what they are looking forward to.  I remember in my undgrad my dad found out about deep fried turkey.  I thought he was crazy in the beginning, but I was wrong!!  That is now the way that I prefer to eat my turkey!  You can find all kinds of flavors to inject it with to see what the flavors are going to be!!  A deep fried turkey is moist and juicy!!

As the semester comes to an end, I reflect upon my first time teaching an X103 (Business Learning Community) class.  It was fun to have some of the first year students learning about the business world and seeing their reaction to some of the homework loads.  A Learning Community does not have a lot of work, but it does keep you busy throughout the semester.  I like the smaller class sizes because students really get to know the others and can really make some friends in the classroom.  One thing I have noticed is that I have some students who take the class VERY seriously, while some others do not take it seriously enough.  I think you need to have a balance.  You should take all of your classes seriously but have fun!  College is hard work, but you have got to have fun with it as well!!  So I am glad that the students get a nice break before the semester ends.  So take some time to relax and eat lots of food because when you come back, it will be FINALS!