So, I am "off" today! I guess I'm not really "off" as I am studying all day, but at least I get to stay in my PJ's all day if I want to! The kids are so hyper and ready to head to the beach. We leave Saturday for Myrtle Beach (my favorite beach on earth). My mom and nephew and Dave and his kids are going. He-he...my mom will be "chaperoning." It should be interesting to share a room with mom. Love you MOMMY! We are staying in a 2-bedroom condo with 2 full baths and a pull-out couch so there should be plenty of room for all of us. But, with 5 kids and three adults, I am sure I will need to escape somewhere for peace and quiet to study. I am excited to study on the beach at least. I took my third exam this past Saturday and it DID NOT go well. I still have not found anything out on my second exam (a month ago today) and am now studying for my fourth part. I love this part. All math and formulas and calculations. That is what I love about accounting :-)! My best grade in school (97%) was in Financial Accounting and the professor made me come stand in front of the room (prego and all) to congratulate me! It wasn't hard for me but rather - FUN FUN FUN!
The kids are having a blast right now playing WII. I am really excited to say that I have found a sitter for the kids while I work full-time this fall. I was really upset and nervous about putting the kids in daycare. I tried talking to them about it and they both started crying. They are used to Mommy getting them off the bus everyday. Well, now they will ride the bus to Nana's house in the afternoons. I am going to pay her to watch them. So, she can have some extra spending money :-)! In the summers, I will still be part-time and am really looking forward to spending a summer not studying next year. I am going to play with them and garden the whole summer. Needless to say, we are all burned out from my studying here in this household. I only have 2 1/2 more weeks to go until the last one is taken. Then, I may have to take a part or two but I am crossing my fingers that I don't.
I also, am running a marathon again next year -April 24, 2010- the tenth anniversary of Nathan's death. I want to do the Marathon here in Roanoke. It is comprised of miles and miles of MOUNTAIN. And, when I say mountains, I mean you ascend to 6,000 feet. When you are running 26.2 miles, a little hill hurts. I can't imagine what going up the mountain here in Roanoke is going to feel like. But, the view will be breathtaking. The marathon is run mostly on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Check it out: www.blueridgeparkwaymarathon.com The kids are excited to come and cheer me on and my family can actually come to this one.
Well, I had better get back to studying. I am sure the kids are getting hungry as well!
Steph (Em and Andrew)
Well, I used to think that going to two schools and having two kids in college was hard. I have changed my mind a bit on that. This studying, being a single mom, working and attempting (notice attempting here) to have a personal/dating life is just not working as of late. The kids are unhappy with Mommy's constant sitting on her butt in her room on her bed and not doing anything else. Mommy is sick of this and most others around me are sick of it too! I will be so glad for August 31st. The CPA exam is 4 parts (plus one part - Ethics- which is open book...). The first part I took at the beginning of May (Business) I passed - woohoo!!!! The second part (Audit) I took at the beginning of July. I still have no score on that one. The third part (Tax and Law) I take tomorrow (8/8). The last part (Financial Accounting) will be on August 31st. I know that this part tomorrow has been my hardest yet. Law has always been a challenge for me because I just can't remember all of the exceptions to the exceptions to the exceptions...yada yada yada... To make this exam even more stressful add on that the cost has increased over the years to over $200 per part. You don't want to fail and have to retake a part because you have to repay every time!
So, I sat my kids dow and tried to explain to them what I am doing. CPA exam = more money = keep our house = buy some toys for Christmas this year...Yeah they just weren't getting it. Definitely money is not everything. I think that if they had to choose, I would be playing in the pool with them over a new toys ANYDAY. But, this is the challenge I have selected for this half of the year (my marathon being my challenge at the first half). I am positive that my next challenge I choose to undertake will involve the kids. :-)
Having said all of this, I am going to bed so I can be ready for this exam tomorrow. We will see how I do when the scores come in but I am pretty sure I am going to be out of pocket another $200 to retake this one. Oh Well, only 10% of people pass the first time. So, with kids, being a TOTAL single mom with very little help, and working on top of it, I am pretty sure I will not be part of that 10%. But, it was worth a try!!!
"The Lord never gives us challenges in life that he doesn't think we can handle."
Goodnight all!
