Jamie's Great Day Part 2: A life lesson and what the e-mail should have said

So, in the middle of July I mentioned in this post and this post that I was interviewing for a position I really wanted to get. It met all of the qualities I considered for my ideal position. It was with a major St. Louis manufacturer. It was a rotational development program where I would get to learn about several accounting areas during my first few years. And I could ultimately end up in cost accounting (where my greatest accounting interests are) relatively easily. My interview went great and I thought I had made a great connection in my conversation with the guy in charge of the department I was interviewing with. As with other jobs I had interviewed for that I wanted, I began praying that it was not only my opinion, but God's will that I get this position. This time, though, I probably prayed more than I ever had.

Well at the end of July I got the dreaded "we've gone with someone else" e-mail. One sentence that crushed me then and had crushed me several times before. But this time was a bit different. Instead of my usual mopey response, I accepted it and moved on. I told God that I understood the position wasn't where I was supposed to be and even began pursuing another position that, while sufficient, wasn't where my heart was. And I'm guessing that new response to an unanswered prayer made all the difference.

Friday afternoon I got an e-mail and a voice mail from the department head that I had had the great connection with. Was I still interested in the position? Apparently, my one-sentence rejection e-mail should have told me that I was one of the top candidates they interviewed. They had been instructed to try to hire from within first and they would still like to hire me if they got a chance in the near future. Not exactly the message I got from the first e-mail, but as I told the department head, I certainly was happy to get it now!

And what have I gained from this experience? Sure, I was told to expect a job offer on Monday and that's freaking spectacular. But more importantly I've also gotten a nice reminder from God that when I put my trust in him, he will provide me with exactly what I need, whether it's what I think I need or not.

Up next, part 3 of my great day!

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.

Registry Stalking Intervention

While responding earlier this evening to a message from my MOH about my bridal shower, I went and checked to see if Doug and I had registered for enough items that would fit a particular "theme" (term used loosely) being considered.

And so I was innocently counting these items when I stumbled upon that dangerous little phrase "Still need: zero" and I about fell out of my chair. Doug and I had registered for two items that we honestly didn't expect to get. To not jinx us, I will just hint that they are 1) a cleaning appliance and 2) a baking tool coveted by almost all the fab brides on the wedding board I frequent.

I can see how this registry checking thing is going to get me into trouble. First, very few people, to my knowledge, know where we are registered. After all, our wedding is still not for another 250+ days. We have not even sent save-the-dates (post about that to come soon) yet and as I mentioned earlier in this post, a shower is just in the most beginning of thought processes! Second, we didn't even entertain the idea of actually receiving either of these items! So, armed with all of this knowledge my mind is too busy wondering about this mystery item and its possible purchasers to study the module on Audit and Attestation Evidence that needs to get in my brain as I prepare for CPA section 2 on August 29th.

I need a registry stalking intervention! Past brides, those currently dealing with this issue, and anyone else with thoughts, please help!

To puppeh or not to puppeh?

see more dog and puppy pictures

I have mentioned at least once here how much I want to have a dog. While there were a few years of my life that there wasn't a dog in my house growing up, they are too far back for me to remember. Over the last few weeks, many people in my life have been getting themselves adorable puppehs (or in the case of Stephanie, an adorable and extremely comical rescue) and it has reignited my pining for one of my own. The weekly-ish visits with my "parents" dog just aren't cutting it anymore.

So, Doug and I have been discussing it and have come to the decision that it might be a good time to get a dog. I currently have my eye on both a cute beagle mix puppeh or a 3 year old Westie (the breed I grew up with) girl that is being retired from breeding. However, I can't seem to commit to this decision.

What is holding me back you ask? I have no idea but one minute I am gung ho and excited about getting a dog and the next I'm worried about the cat's reaction and how it will change our routine. My good friend Sarah told me that it is as simple as one question: "Will this puppeh enhance your quality of life?" But is it that simple? And so, dear internets, I ask you to please give me both your pros and cons on this issue so I can add to my confusion. :)

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.

Help, please!

In honor of my two different interviews this week, what's the toughest question you have been asked?


P.S. Any other interview advice is welcome.


P.S.S. Any good thoughts thrown my way would be appreciated too! :)

Doug loves cake...

but I could care less. I mean, I love to look at them and definitely will enjoy having a pretty one at our wedding. I love to watch them being made and could probably watch a combo of Ace of Cakes, Food Network Cake Challenges, and Cake Boss for an entire day. However, I may not have more than the "ceremonial" bite on our day. What can I say? I hate buttercream icing and have barely any more interest in the cake part. Doug and my's typical routine at any cake having functions is for me to eat as much of the cake without eating icing and then he finishes it or I skip the cake altogether. Weird, I know. Therefore, the cake flavors will be one decision that I will probably have little input on. Doug, on the other hand, can't wait for our cake tasting.

I do, though, know what it will look like. For this one, my inspiration comes from Lauren and Mike's gorgeous cake (photo by the Browers.) This cake is so pretty that it almost makes me think that I would actually like to eat some of it. I'm guessing this one feeds quite a few more than we will need to feed, so it will be a scaled down version of this one with pink ribbon instead of green. I bought the perfect pink ribbon a few weeks ago and am at least very excited that we will have a beautiful cake even if I don't eat much of it.

Montréal anyone?

In case you haven't noticed, my blog title is not in English. "À toi, pour toujours" is French for "Yours forever." I spent almost four years in school (a high school and college combo) studying French and I love to read about French culture.

Unfortunately, a European honeymoon is not in the budget. My dream of walking the streets of Paris and seeing real life versions of the pictures in my French books is on hold. And I'm ok with that, but then where to go?

The other day I was reading an issue of Modern Bride and it made suggestions for destinations that are similar to popular-but-more-pricey locations such as my Paris dream. And that is where Montréal comes in. I'll be the first to admit that Canada isn't exactly in the forefront of most couples' honeymoon discussions, but it just might be the answer.

French-speaking? Yes.

Historical? Yes.

Less expensive? You bet.

And it is closer too, meaning no suffering through an 8 hour flight. (I'm not an air travel fan, to say the least.)

So, anyone been? I've never been to any part of Canada. Would love to hear your thoughts on this alternative and especially any Canada experiences-good or bad!