Undue Stress

As some of you may already know I have spent the past year and a half studying, sitting for, passing, failing, and re-taking the 4 painstakingly awful CPA exams that are required by my job. They have pretty much taken over every aspect of my life of which I am definitely not proud to admit :( Fortunately all of my hardwork has paid off and I have currently passed 3 out of the 4 nasty beasts.

I wish I could say - as of July 1st at 11 AM when I walked out of the testing center after taking the long and dreadful final section - that the CPA exam has no longer been a part of my daily life. I really, really do wish I could say that, but that my friends, would be a lie.

Whether or not I passed has been a burning question in my mind day in and day out and day in and day out and day in and day out....why?...you say. Well the biggest reason is because I have something a little more than pride riding on that score being 75 or higher and that something is a pretty spectacular bonus provided by EY.

You all know that feeling of expecting some important news online or in the mail...Everyday you have to talk yourself into walking to the mailbox and once you get there all of these thoughts come gushing into your mind and you sort of want to run away when that rush of adrenaline and intense panic comes across you and your heart feels like its going to beat of your chest. You know it...you know it well.

One of the many downfalls of the whole CPA exam experience is that they don't tell you when your score is coming. It can take prettymuch anywhere between 3 & 12 weeks give or take a few days. The VA Board of Accountancy, on a much larger scale, is following the cruel practice of the cable guy/delivery service/plumber when he gives you a timeframe for service anytime between the hours of 7 AM & 7 PM. And just like with the evil service guy you are given no warning of arrival, that score can be online at any time. So the moment I felt I had given the VA BOA a reasonable amount of time to calculate my score I found myself on their website multiple times a day in hopes to give my anxiety ridden being some relief. Since I have become unnaturally obsessed with knowing that score I had to limit myself to checking only on Fridays. Plus having that anxious feeling multiple times a day every single day is just not healthy.

I began to think that maybe something was wrong with the VA BOA website so yesterday I decided to pick up the phone and call them. Oh...no...here it comes....awful, anxious, want-to-crawl-out-of-my-skin feeling and the lady on the other line was so calm and collected when she told me she hadn't received my score. I told her that my friend took the exact same exam on the exact same date (July 1st) and she had already received her score. We are still waiting for another wave of scores, by the way we still haven't received our August scores, she said in a slow well thought out tone. At this point I wanted to climb through the phone and strangle her but before I did that I would say come on lady I've been waiting painfully since July 1st let's get a move on.

Here I am on day 75 starting to think that maybe something happened with my test and beginning to lose that positive attitude that believes that I passed. So, please everyone cross your fingers with me in hopes that tomorrow I will finally receive my score...oh ya, please also hope that I passed. Read more...

Breathe.

I'll be honest I basically had a meltdown yesterday after a meeting I had with one of my teams at work. I knew that June was going to be a pretty busy freaking month, which felt awful yet achievable in my own little mind. But the moment someone else actually said it out loud was the moment that made me want to run away screaming.

Somehow I must manage to fit in 55-60 hours of work, 20 hours of studying, precious relationship time, working out to offset the many hours I spend at my desk, summer activities, and not to mention sleep into each of the next few weeks of June...and this isn't even busy season? Yikes! Read more...

Happy 2009!

This past year has been a blur. I can't believe 2008 has come and gone. A lot has happened in our little lives: got my masters, CPA and MCAT punishments, moved twice (into Chris's and out of Chris's), left our home town, new experiences, new jobs, lots of blogging, and a new place to call home.

We rang in the new year at the Skye Lounge in D.C. Loud music, laughter, and excitement filled the air. It was a memorable experience in more ways than one. Cooley resolutions: Count to 10. Make Virginia home. Be more organized. Live life to the fullest. Read more...