If only it were this easy...

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Taking the Audit section of the CPA exam two weeks from today.  After narrowly missing a passing score last time, I have broken out the big guns this time.  It also helps that I now work for an awesome company who will finance these big guns, of course. :)

I went the self study route the first time because there was no way that these ($3,000) big guns were in my budget at that time.  Do I feel in anyway more prepared?  I'm not sure.  I think that anyone who has experienced this CPA exam challenge would agree with me that it's impossible to ever really feel prepared.

I do know three things though.
1) I've already studied a ridiculous amount and am extremely tired of all topics audit but..
2) Starting tomorrow, you will find me studying at least 3 hours of each day between now and the 20th and..
3) I would love to try this osmosis kitten's method of study.

Priorities

I spent today home sick and pinned to our couch by two cats who with a human present to nap on could find no piece of furniture suitable to them. Therefore, while I should have used this extra time to study for my upcoming cpa exam or graduate class, I was hardly in a physical (by both definitions) position to do so. Instead I spent the day cuddling with my kitties and having a bit of a long overdue conversation with myself.

Lately I have been in a very "Hey world, I see you passing me by, but there's nothing I can do about it because I'm too busy" kind of mood. My daily routine begins with getting up for work after not getting enough sleep, working, and then coming home and either studying or falling asleep on the couch because I'm too tired to do the studying I need to be doing. I feel like I am never catching up on things that need to be done. I feel guilty when I fall asleep and should be studying or when I choose not to study and instead do something I want to do. And I'm tired of it. I've decided that I need to prioritize and simplify.

While it's still a work in progress, I think these are what I've decided to focus on:
1) Work - pretty obvious
2) The remainder of my CPA exam sections - Credit for my first passed one will only last so long, but I'm not going to rush myself either
3) Wedding planning - our countdown stands at 229 days and there are so many things left to take care of
4) Getting healthy - I haven't worked out in at least a month and let me tell you it does not feel good. My eating habits are in a similar state of disarray. I'm not necessarily concerned with losing weight but definitely getting toned and just overly more healthy.
5) And certainly not last, Doug, family and friends - I'm sick of not having enough time for them and/or feeling guilty for spending time with them instead of other commitments. There are also some people who I haven't been making time for at all and that's going to change.

And what's going to go:
1) My master's degree - The class I am currently in ends the end of this month. I will definitely be taking time off until the middle of February and am considering waiting until May or later to begin another class. I just don't feel that I need to immediately get this degree. It certainly isn't immediately necessary in my current position and it will be a while before it will be needed for me to move up. I definitely want to pursue it and I don't want to wait forever to do so, but I think a break is justified. So it's going for now.
2) The lack of a positive schedule - My current routine sucks. I want to wake up well rested. Go to work. Come home, work out and eat dinner. Followed by an hour or two of studying comprised of a specific study plan. Not studying all night and not studying whatever I can tolerate that night. Then I want to do stuff I want to do- recreational reading, tv, time with friends and family, blogging!, and working on wedding stuff. And I don't want to study and catch up on household chores all weekend either.
3) Dealing with other people's random drama that seems to be forcing itself into my life and wasting precious time that could be devoted to other things

So, what do we think? Anyone have to do something similar to get their life back under control? Anyone see something I'm missing or not thinking properly about? Thoughts, please!

A nice contrast

What I should have been working on tonight & what I actually did.


Save the dates ready to mail! More details on this fab paper product I've worked so hard on to come. Not promising when though because I am finding it very hard to let my beautiful babies go!

Jamie's Great Day Part 1: How it Started

I passed my first CPA exam part! One down, and three more to go!

This was only the beginning of the best day I have had in a long time and thus at least two more posts are to come.

One exam down and 300 days to go

In non-wedding news, I am one less exam away from my CPA certificate, provided I passed the section I took this afternoon. No rest for the weary though, my corporate tax class final is Wednesday and then one month from now is my second CPA section.

In wedding related news, we are officially 300 days out from getting married! Considering the fact that our engagement will be close to 2.5 years long, this is exciting! In honor of this, here are some pictures of us by Seelen Photography. The purpose of this shoot was to get the perfect picture to solve my Save the Date problem I discussed a while ago, so look for a post soliciting more opinions on that topic after I get all the pictures. Since I will be entrenched in the aforementioned CPA studying until November, I wanted to get them out during September because it is the only month I am only studying and not testing.

Random bits of advice I could use right now

Wedding related

1)What is the best way for one to get a hard to reach chaplain at a private university to return one's call in a timely manner? This dude must have a ridiculously leisurely job because every time Stephanie calls he is "on vacation." Seriously, the guy has been on vacation for like three months and it is driving both Stephanie and I crazy. One time that she did get through to him, he said "I guess you two are anxious about this?" she said yes and apparently that has not changed his behavior.

Not wedding related

2)Is last minute pre-exam cramming of information ever effective? I am taking my first CPA exam on Saturday and I honestly feel as if any studying between now and then wont help me. I've been studying for a month, isn't that enough? Any CPA exam tips are welcome too, as I know a large portion of my audience is in the accounting field. :)

3)What are the best ways to keep your mind off of the fact that you are waiting to hear back from your dream employer about an interview you had for your dream position? You would think this whole CPA studying thing would be enough to do it, but it's not. I would so trade a failure of my CPA exam section as well as give up on the chapel in order to get this job.

I will be back to posts about the wedding after July 29 (summer class final exam), I promise.

Is it bad...

when even the prospect of determining a study schedule for the CPA exam terrifies me?

Seriously, I'm going to be spending a few hours hunkering down and making task lists. Thank you God for Google Tasks. Here's to hoping that crossing things off my virtual list will be enough of a reward and keep me accountable. Can it be as satisfying as crossing things off a paper list? Probably not, but I will be sure to report back on that one.

If virtual lists aren't enough, maybe the CPA Pass bonus at my new job will work! Yep, in two weeks I will begin my first real job at an accounting firm in South County! I will be THE tax department (it's a small firm).

And if that isn't enough, I have multiple developments on the wedding front. But we wouldn't want too much excitement at one time, would we? Check back in the next few days for those exciting topics.

What was I thinking?

As of five minutes ago, I am officially registered for all four parts of the CPA exam before the end of the year.

I am also officially terrified.

July 25th - Business Environment
August 29th - Audit
October 17th - Financial
November 28th - Regulation

While doing this I will definitely still be wedding planning, and will either continue to be a grad student or working full-time at some yet to be determined job.

What was I thinking?

Dear crazy out-of-control subconsious,

I know that I am working you overtime in this insane try to graduate, find a job, plan a wedding, and deal with real life plan I've got going right now, but I just can't keep having so many nightmares. It is unacceptable for you to continue.

I promise to give you a little break after April 15th and an even bigger break after May 8th. (that is, of course, until operation study for the CPA exam commences shortly after, but let's just not think about that, ok?)

So, ya... no more nightmares, ok? Because the lack of sleep is only hurting the both of us.

Thanks, Jamie