CPA Celebration!

To celebrate the fact that I am DONE taking CPA Exam tests (because I finally passed them all! Woot!) we invited our families and friends over to our house to celebrate the wondrous occasion! 

My mom came on Friday night to help with some of the preparations (we were up quite late getting everything finished) and it was greatly appreciated! I was finishing stenciling the curtains when she got there (a post to come about those) and we got right to work getting everything cleaned and set up and decorated.

After getting to bed late, we got to it right away again on Saturday morning putting the finishing touches on the house and making food. And soon enough, it was time for people to start arriving!

Trent making some delicious burgers!

Mattie anxiously awaiting everyone's arrival!

 

Doreen and Nick gave me wine. AWE.SOME! =)

For a while, everyone hung out and chatted and a mad game of Phase 10 was started!

The younger girls watched a little TV, and I think they enjoyed that quite a bit!

Then, it was time for Trent to start grilling. Of course, it started raining soon after he went outside to grill, but he braved the rain and provided the meal for everyone! The food was wonderful. I ate way to much!

Mattie knew where to hang out to try and get some food.

After supper, everyone hung out a bit more.

Some slippers from Mel and Russ and the girls.
They are very nice when I "put my feet up and relax"
now that I'm not studying! I even put them on
that night after everyone left! They're getting lots of use!

 Then it was time for cake!

As the night went on, some people had to leave to make the trek home. Those that were left hung out for a while longer and also played a few games of Bananagrams.

It was intense =)

At the end of the day, I think we all felt like this:

It was an awesome party and an awesome day. I love having our house full of people, and it's even better when they're all people that love us! I am so thankful to everyone who came to celebrate! I am also thankful for those who brought food to share, chairs for people to sit on or tables to sit at, and I'm thankful to those who brought gifts (although they were unneccessary), as I am grateful for everyone's thoughtfulness!

I'm also sooo thankful to my wonderful, amazing husband who not only put this fabulous party together for me (and got me a delicious cake) but he also put up with me in the 2 weeks prior to this party as I left the house in shambles while crafting away up until the last minute. And well beyond those 2 weeks before the party, he put up with me for the past year and a half as I studied. It wasn't the easiest time, as I was constantly neglecting him and other household chores to study and then getting distracted with other things while attempting to study. I'm also sure I wasn't always the happiest camper as I was worn out from getting up early in the morning to study and being worried about the tests. This just shows me that we can get through anything. At times it seemed like I was never going to get through these tests and it was never going to be over, but not only did we get through this, we got through many other tough and busy days at the same time during the last year and a half. I'm now excited to "get on with our lives" and experience life with him as we build our home together! There's never a dull moment at the Fredericksen house!

Done, Done, AND DONE!!! Almost a CPA!

Yesterday was the day that I found out that I am DONE taking the CPA exams! After 17 long months of studying and 15 months of taking tests, I am finally done!! 

Waiting for this score was extra nerve wracking and horrifying because if I didn't pass my test this time, I would have lost the first test that I passed back in November 2011 because you have to pass all 4 tests within an 18 month period. 

I took my this last test back on April 29, but just because of the timing of the score releases, I had to wait until this week to find out whether I passed or not. I had been living the past three weeks like I was done studying and I REALLY didn't want to go back to having more tests hanging over my head. I was so nervous about actually finding out whether I passed or not, that I hadn't even been paying attention to the exact date of the score release (because I really didn't want to know).

It wasn't until yesterday when my mom texted me asking if today (Thursday) was the "big day" that I actually looked to check what the release day was. When I looked, I found out that I was actually only a few hours from my score being out there for me to see. I instantly got sick to my stomach because of the nerves! I decided not to tell my mom (or anyone really) that I found out that this would be the day because I decided it'd be cooler to surprise her with the news if I passed and also if I didn't pass, I'd have a buffer day to deal with it before I had to break that bad news to her.

I have the best mom! She always has faith in me and
is so supportive!! I love her a lot!

Throughout the afternoon, every time that I thought about it, I got nervous again, and the drive home was not fun at all. I was dreading the moment of truth!!

I walked in the door to the house and Trent was right there in the kitchen finishing up supper (because he's an AWESOME husband like that). I hadn't even told him that I knew it was THE DAY yet... So finally I let him in on it and when we sat down to supper, I got my computer out to just get it over with.

When I check my scores, I like to make the internet window really small first so I can look at the score on my own terms and it doesn't surprise me, so I entered my information and pushed the "Score" button. I freaked out a few times and put my face in my hands saying things like "I don't want to look" but finally I just did it... I scrolled down and saw THIS:

 AN 83!!!! YEEEE HAWWW!!!!

I instantly smiled and looked at Trent and said "I passed!!!"

I took a while for it to sink in but I was instantly relieved  I took a little bit for the sick feeling to leave my stomach, but that didn't matter because I was so happy. I only cried a little after it sunk in a bit just because it is all such a whirlwind of emotions. I wish I could explain exactly how I was feeling... I knew after I looked I would either be VERY happy or VERY sad. The thought of not passing and going back to only being half done instead of all of the way done was just an unbearable thought!! It was just such a weight off of me to see that passing score.

As soon as we got done eating, I called my mom and shocked her with the news. She was pretty excited! :) I was glad I got to give her some great news. I then called and sent out some texts to share the news and later in the evening called to tell Grandma and Grandpa Kock. It was also a great feeling to give Grandma some happy news to end her day!!

So now I have to find some long term plans to fill my free time since I don't EVER have to study again if I don't want to!! (And those long term plans aren't a baby at the moment either so don't get your hopes up!) I'm going to continue to work out (something I had been neglecting for the past year and a half) as I'm just wrapping up my 3rd week at Kosama, and we are going to get to work on a lot of little house projects that have been pushed off since we moved in a year ago. (We closed on our house a year ago today!) I am also going to enjoy spending some time with my husband because I've been studying for these tests ever since we got back from our honeymoon in September 2011! 

AHHHH I'M FREEE!!!!!!

Happy May Day!?!

It has been 2 days since my (hopefully) last test and they have been A.MAZING! It has been so nice to be able to think about other things for extended periods of time without feeling bad about not studying. And it's been great to actually start to plan to do some projects that I have been wanting to do at home. (AKA - Be able to start working on and doing all the things I've been pinning on Pinterest!)

It's hard to say how I think my test went... I feel pretty good, but then again I keep thinking about some questions that I didn't know 100% and then feel bad about it... So who knows. I got done with a half hour left at the end, which I don't think has happened with any of the tests I've taken, so I'll take that as a good sign even though it's impossible to tell! I'm just hoping that my little bit of confindence isn't just something that I'm making up to make myself feel good...

I won't find out for a few weeks yet if I passed or not, and when I think about it I already get super nervous. Seriously, the feeling before finding out is the WORST! If I don't pass, then I loose my first test that I passed back in November of 2011. And that would be so horrible to have to go back and revisit all that and be only half done as opposed to being done for good! Ugh! That would be so bad!

But let's not think about that... Happy, positive thoughts!

After my test, I went and walked around a few stores. I didn't buy anything, just looked! It was nice and relaxing, but I was starving, so I had to make myself go home. Trent had smoked a pork butt on the grill last weekend so I had left over pulled pork at home to eat and that was heavenly! I love having an abundance of that meat to eat when we want it! Trent got up at 6 on Saturday morning to get it all started and checked the grill and the meat every half hour until 10 pm when it was done. We had supper after 10 that night so we could have the meat right away for the first time. Definitely worth the wait!


Our big bowl of meat. I should have taken a picture
of it before I put it in the bowl so you could see it all,
but you get the point!

In the afternoon after my test I did a little much needed cleaning. The weather was soooo nice and it was great to have the shades and the windows open and just be able to be home and get stuff done. I love those days! (Even though it's 37 degrees and rainy now!)

Two friends and I are going to be hosting a baby shower for another one of our best friends in August at our house, so thinking about how we're going to decorate and all that has really got me excited to really get the house decorated and look lived in. We still have only about four things hung on the walls in our entire house since we moved in almost a year ago, so this is great motivation to actually get going on this!

I'm going to be making some DIY "Canvas" prints soon to hang up the stairs, so I can't wait to see how those turn out. I'll definitely share those when I'm done so I can document the project! For now, I've got some Observers up on the wall to mark where I think they'll be going to make sure that it'll look okay. :) Yet another use for the Observer!

I also started cleaning out "my room" in our house last night, which has just been a dumping ground for all things decorative and random... I'm boxing things up and moving them down to the basement to be stored (to later be sorted out again and reorganized) and trying to make it an actual usable space for me to do some projects and crafts and possibly even do my hair and makeup in there in the morning... We'll just see how the space evolves I guess.

Well, here we go again. My latest attempt at getting back to blogging. And hopefully this is permanent because I won't have to go back to the torture that is studying for the CPA Exam! I've still got lots of posts in my Drafts thave I have yet to complete... From Thanksgiving and Christmas and from when we repainted our living/dining room in August... wowsers. So I'd think I have a lot to write about and document!

Hope you all enjoyed this cold, rainy and snowy May Day!

I'm back! & CPA Exams

AAANNNDDD I'm back!

 

Now that my cram session for taking two CPA exams in two months while being super busy at work is in the past, I have the time to get caught up on all the things that I'd like to blog about! But now I've got such a list of things going that that I want to write about, I don't know where to start anymore!!! I have plans to go all the way back to September and actually finish all of the posts that I have in Draft mode right now and then go forward from there.

 

The past couple days it has been very nice to be able to be able to just relax and think about other things for a while… And hopefully I passed my test that I took last Thursday and this break from my tests is not really a break but it’s the end!

 

If I do pass my test I am just one ethics exam and an application away from being Kendra Fredericksen, C.P.A. Some days I thought that day would never come! But now, it's so close!

 

I took my first test of this year on the 28^th of January and found out that I passed a long three weeks and 4 days later. As I’ve said before, I vowed to never check to see if I passed a test at work after the first time I found out I didn’t pass one at work. Simply because that was a horrible experience! This time, however, I decided to look. I don’t know what possessed me to do that, but I did… and thankfully it turned out well!

 

I saw online that scores for the tests started coming out early afternoon on Friday the 22^rd of February and after a few hours I figured my score would be out there waiting for me to look at it. It was only about 2:30 or so and I wasn’t really getting anything done at work because I was so nervous about whether I passed or not. Trent had been telling me to just look and I kept refusing to. He told me to just have faith in myself and that really got me thinking. I really was actually pretty confident that I had passed, so that is partly what made me lean towards checking… That confidence, though, can be pretty scary because if I actually didn’t pass, it would be even more heartbreaking. Finally, I knew I had to stop going back and forth about it and just do it or stop thinking about it. I have a Bible app on my phone, so I told myself if I looked at the Bible verse of the day and it was something that I could interpret to be “a sign” that I should check my score, I would do it.

 

I opened the app and the verse was Joshua 1:9:

 

 

I just smiled because I knew I had to look. I needed to stop being so afraid and just do it! No matter what the outcome, I would be just fine...

 

I put my information into the website and made the browser really small so I couldn’t see the score right away. I didn’t want it to pop up and surprise me. I wanted to be able to slowly scroll down and look at my own pace!

 

So I pushed the “Submit” button and scrolled down and got a glimpse of my score. An 82!!!!!!!

 

YAYYYYYYY!!!!!

 

What a relief!

 

I immediately stood up and told my coworker and told Trent and my sister and my boss and called my mom and my aunt and texted my mother-in-law and my brother and my friends! I was so happy!! (So much for looking so I could get some work done because I spent the next hour sharing the good news!)

 

I think pretty much everyone was surprised that I looked because they all knew of my vow to not look… but that way they all got to be surprised too!

 

Less than a week after I found out that I was one passing score away from being done with this monster journey, I took another test. This test was Business Environments and Concepts (BEC). I am unsure about how I feel about how it went. There were some questions that I knew, but there were some that I should have known and just couldn’t remember how to figure out (those are the ones that stick in my mind and make me feel not-so-good about it), so I really hope that I guessed right on those ones…

 

I should find out how I did this Friday… so I’m hoping for the best news ever so I can just get on with my life and commit that brain capacity to something else!

A 74 on REG

Sometimes, I just hate it when I'm right. Especially this time!

After taking my last CPA Exam test last Monday, the 13th, I had very little confidence in the chances of me passing. The whole thing was a blur and they were asking me things that I really wasn't expecting... So my hopes weren't really up when it came to score release day earlier this week... But still, that didn't make it any easier to see my score and see that it just wasn't quite good enough...

To be honest, I had moments where I was hopeful and thought that maybe, just maybe, I would pass and be on to taking my last test... I tried my hardest to keep those thoughts away because I didn't want to be super let down like I was the last two times, but as prepared as I was to not pass, it still stinks!

One thing I learned from not passing my first test was that I should never check my score while at work. After I had passed my first one, the thought of me not passing the next one really didn't cross my mind all that much. But then, when I thought my score might be out there that day, at about 4:00, I checked my score at work. And there it was. A big, fat, non-passing score. I was shocked! How could that be right?!? For the next hour of work, I had to do my best not to break down in tears at my desk. I had to do what I could to keep my mind off of it and went for a walk around the floor below where my desk sits. It wasn't until I got home that I just let it out and cried. That sucked.

The second test that I didn't pass, I should have been a little more prepared, but, again, I didn't think that could happen to me AGAIN. But, sure enough, it did. This time, there was no way I was looking at my score at work, so when I got home, I found out the news. Again, I was just kind of in shock. I was mad, embarrassed, disappointed, all that good stuff.

This time, I was certain there was no way I could pass (but deep down wished for a miracle). As much as I wanted to pass and get this crap over with, I knew that my chances were very slim. I watched the score release boards at Another71.com all day while I was at work and saw that scores were being released starting around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, so I knew that my score was probably sitting out there waiting for me to look at it. After I got home from work, I waited about a half hour before getting the courage to turn on my computer to look. Part of me never wants to look at my score because then the wishful thinking is over, then it's certain, then it's back to reality and back to studying. I was sitting at the kitchen table when I entered in my information. I put my hand over the part of the screen where the score would show up so it wouldn't surprise me and I could reveal it at my own pace. I pushed the "Score" button and slowly moved my hand down to show what it was... And there it was... A 74! Just 1 little itsy bitsy point away from passing!!! I just put my head down on the table and had an "are you kidding me?!" moment before I got up to tell Trent the news.

I really handled this one a lot better than the other two... How sad is it when you get used to failing!?! Even though I could have broken down and just cried, I didn't. I was sad. I was disappointed. But it just wasn't as much of a shock this time.

I was upset because of how close I was. Just thinking about how many multiple choice questions made up that one point that I missed passing by makes me feel the worst. I quite possibly could have passed if I had answered 1, maybe 2, more questions correctly or if I had gotten 2 more numbers correct in my Simulation questions... But I didn't get that upset because a part of me was okay with that score... I had thought that I could have gotten a score in the 50s or something horrible like that. And to be 1 point away means that I had enough base knowledge to get real close. I really don't even know what I would have done differently in my studying last time. Going into the test, I felt confident, I felt like I could handle the questions that they were going to ask me and pass this test. I can't say that I didn't study hard enough, because I did study hard. I spent at least 115 hours studying and I thought that knew what I needed to know... Now I just have to build on what I already know and get more into the detailed information. Hopefully that will help me to answer all those detailed questions correctly that had me thinking "What the heck is this?!" during the test. And hopefully next time passing won't be a problem.

I am planning on retaking the test on the first day of October (which is the first day that I am eligible to retake it in the new testing window). And hopefully that will be the end of it. I will then hopefully retake the other test that I have left in the end of November, but I will see how my studying is going, as I want to be confident about it before I try again. I think part of my problem with these tests has been my lack of ability to focus on my studying with so much other stuff going on around me. I want to be able to enjoy my time in our new house. I want to visit our family and have them come visit us. I want to hang out with my friends. I want to decorate our house and work on projects. I want to pass these freaking tests and just get on with it! I guess you can say that I just want it all... But I've been told that's kind of how I am... So, as much as I want to be done with the tests, I probably need to take my time with studying so I can still try to enjoy all the other things that are going on right now. I guess we'll see how everything goes over the next few months.

I hate how not passing these tests makes me feel. I honestly don't think I've ever failed a test in my life before this and now to have failed 3 times makes me feel horrible. I know that these tests are hard. I know that there's only like a 45% passing rate. But it's hard to not be in that passing group... I know (and hope) that when I do pass them all, it won't matter that I didn't pass them all the first time. Once I have it, they can't take it away from me (unless I commit tax fraud or don't file my taxes or become a criminal or something). I just have to finish what I started and get on with it. Looking at the big picture, this will just be a little portion of my life, even though it feels like I've been working on this FOR.E.VER! I just don't want to miss anything because I had to study for tests that I should have and could have been done with 2 months ago... But anyways... I can do this!

CPA Exam - REG #1

Well, I just took my 5th CPA test this morning (I've passed 2 out of 4 of the tests so far). And as far as I can tell, it didn't go well....

Out of the 5 I have taken, this is the one that I have felt the worst about by far. With all the ones in the past, I at least had a glimmer of hope of passing in my head... This time, I was praying for the power to go out about half way through the test just so I would have to quit and start over (hopefully with a different version of the test). My dreams almost came true when there was 16 minutes left in the test, my test froze and then was soon followed by one of the staff members saying that their server was down. Unfortunately Fortunately they were able to get everything working again after about 5-10 minutes and everyone's tests started up again right where they left off.

There was just so many things on there that weren't stressed really at all in my studying material... I feel like I got all of the specific stuff and I had spent all my time learning and memorizing the general stuff... I really don't know what I could have or would have done differently in all my hours of studying that would have helped. Either I got a really specific test, I focused on the wrong things to learn, or I just didn't learn it right. Right now I am just so frustrated and exhausted from all of this. The thought of having to study all over again for this makes me very sad. I just want my life back and to be able to put this test stuff behind me!

So I guess my only hope now is that I am totally wrong about being so wrong about so many of the questions... We will find out soon enough.

For now I am just going to enjoy not studying for a while and figure out what my plan will be for taking my next test (probably two!). I am going to spend some time with my husband and do some stuff around the house and make supper every once in a while since it seems like I haven't done that in quite.a.while!! Starting with Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken tonight!! Let's hope it's good!

Another Test

Well, Monday's the day when I get to go take another exam for the CPA. This one is the Regulation (REG)test. It is a 3 hour test (one of the shorter ones) that covers ethics and professional responsibility, business law, Federal tax procedures and accounting issues, and Federal taxation of property transactions, individuals and entities. Sounds like fun, right?!

Like always, I am nervous about it, but more than anything, I'm looking forward to that feeling I'll have when I am done with the test on Monday. It's just such a relief... Of course, I then have to go through the agony of waiting to get my score and thinking about not passing AGAIN, but I'll worry about that later. Besides, I HAVE to pass. I am sooo sick and tired of this! Yes, I want to do this and I will be happy when I can say that I am all done, but I can't wait to get my life back and be able to enjoy living in our house and doing random little projects and just relaxing in the evenings (and pushing snooze a million times on my alarm) without feeling bad about it.

I am a little sad that my test is Monday and the Olympics are over on Sunday... Not to say that I haven't gotten to watch any (because I've watched quite a bit of good stuff) but pretty much all of the Olympics I've watched has been done with the computer on my lap while studying or with the TV on mute while I try to study and unmuting when a good part comes on. But like my Grandma Kock said to me last week, "There will be another Olympics." And unless something super crazy happens in the world before then, she's absolutely right! Just last night, I was thinking how it'll be in 4 years when I get to just watch the games rather than have to worry about studying... BUT then I got to thinking about how far off 4 years is and who knows what will be going on in our lives then and what will have changed... I'm sure we'll have something going on that we'll have to devote our attention to that will take precedence over watching TV - so I can't really say with certainty that I'd just be able to watch all the events that I wanted to but I can say I'm pretty certain that I won't be studying for any darn tests at that point! (It was at that moment in my train of thought that my mind wandered to the thought that maybe we'd have a baby by that time... what a crazy thought... it kind of makes me nervous just thinking about it... Wowsers!) But anyways... a little side tangent there!!

I have already passed two tests, and counting this one, I have two more. After this one, I will need to restudy for BEC (Business Environment and Concepts) and retake it. As of right now, I'm thinking I'll take it in November, but we'll see how this one goes and go from there. If I could get it done sooner, that'd be wonderful! If I take the test in November, it will have been one year from when I took my first test. I keep telling myself that's not so bad, but I hate to think that, with my original plan, if I would have passed them all the first time, I would have been done in May. BLAH! But whatever... when it's all done, that won't even matter! Right?!

We have a busy weekend planned (Trent's parents are coming to help us paint! Yay for getting house to-dos checked off the list!), so that makes me a little nervous about getting a lot of studying in, but it will be nice to give my mind a little bit of a break, too. I'm taking Friday off work, so I can spend all day just studying and cramming all that wonderful accounting and tax information into my head!! I can only do what I can and then hope that's enough to pass!

Well, wish me luck and think good thoughts on Monday morning - it'd be greatly appreciated! And hopefully I'll have good news that another test is behind me in a few weeks!!

Halfway there!

I am sooooo happy to say that I passed my second CPA exam test! I had to retake this one because I had failed it back in February, but this time I came out on top! Not without a lot of nerves first, though!!

I knew that, according to the score release schedule, my score would be released sometime between today and Monday. Originally, I was contemplating not looking to see whether or not I passed this test until after my next one that I'm taking next Friday, but when it came down to it, I had to know...

I knew that today was going to be the day when I saw on Facebook this morning that the site, Another71.com, has posted "The 'powers that be' are officially saying Monday ... so all signs point to Friday for Score Release." I then proceeded to watch online all day as other CPA Exam test-takers announced when they got their scores.  I took the Audit section this last test and by the end of the work day, I had concluded that pretty much all of the Audit test scores had been released. Therefore, I knew mine was most likely out there for me to see too. Although I had decided that I was going to look to see my score today, there was no way I was going to look at it while I was at work. I decided this based on my experience with this test the first go around. After seeing that I hadn't passed the first time, I couldn't help but cry. It was such a let down and I was so discouraged and sad that I had to go through that all again, and I didn't want to have to hold back my sadness all day at work if this didn't turn out well. Therefore, I waited...


I went all day knowing that today would be the day that I knew for sure whether or not I would have to retake this test. I was pretty nervous whenever I would think about it, but I didn't get REALLY nervous until it was time to go home. I almost didn't want to go home because I was fearing the worst...

After work, I went and grabbed something to eat for us for supper and then made my way home. After we sat down to eat, I got my laptop out and went to the NASBA site to check my score. At this point, I really felt like I was going to throw up because I was so nervous and worried. I put in my information but I couldn't push the button to allow my score to come up so Trent offered to do it for me. I handed the computer to him so he could do it but peeked around to see what it was. Then... he pushed the button and this is what we saw:

Now, that looks a lot like a 70 at the bottom of the screen, doesn't it??? Well, you need to get a 75 to pass. So when I saw that, my heart sank. I grabbed the computer from Trent so I could get a better look and really take it in because I was kind of in disbelief that this had happened AGAIN. So I scrolled down and saw this:

I yelled, "It's a 79! I passed!" What a relief!! I was still shaking afterwards while we continued to finish our supper and it really took a little while for it to sink in! I'm halfway done!! I can't wait to get this all over with and finally 'get my life back' as some would say. :)

I've got my next test this coming Friday and then we close on our house and get settled in a week and a half after that and then hopefully just one more to go in late July or early August! Bing bang boom, DONE! Right?! Let's just hope it's that easy!

Have a great weekend!

AUD, Take 2

I have been MIA for a few days, but about Wednesday of last week I got very nervous and felt like I was running out of time to study for my CPA test I took this morning, so I didn't really want to let myself do anything besides work (which was very busy towards the end of last week) and study as much as my brain would allow!

I did make time on Thursday to go a Francesca Battistelli and Jeremy Camp concert with Trent, my friend, Lauren, and her cousin. It was so amazing. We were a little late because I didn't get out of work until later, but we made it just in time to see Francesca sing. She was so great. I absolutely love her voice and she sings such amazing songs. She is currently about 6 months pregnant and I could kind of tell that she was acting kind of funny during the concert because she kept not singing all of the lyrics in the songs and kept either leaning over or sitting down the majority of the time. Sure enough, a little while into the concert, she said she was going to have to be done because she kept thinking she was going to pass out. It was kind of sad that she had to cut her singing short, but I am pretty sure that no one there wanted to her pass out on stage!

Then, it was time for Jeremy Camp to sing. He is so great. I love his voice and it was made 100 times better because we were there in person hearing him sing. One of the reasons that I love going to concerts is because you get so much more from the singer while watching them rather than listening to them on the radio. They can take the songs that you have heard many times over the years and add so much more to it through the emotion that they can share and the stories that they tell about how the songs came about and what they intended to be portrayed through the creation of that song.

One of the songs that I had heard a million times over the past few years that really struck a new cord with me what his song "Walk By Faith". In the song, he sings the lyrics, "I will walk by faith even when I cannot see because these broken roads prepare Your will for me." What a testament to how we should live?!? Something that I have struggled with at times. These things that happen to us that we see as so messed up or bad or inexplicable really are a part of God's plan and we need to have the faith to believe that He will take care of us.

Another song that I love is called "This Man" and with Easter coming up, it really hits a place in my heart and makes me think. In it, he sings:

In only a moment truth was seen, revealed this mystery. 

The crown that showed no dignity he wore.

And the King was placed for all the world to show disgrace, 

but only beauty flowed from this place.

I could go on and on with songs that I love and words that spoke to me, but I'll let you dig around more if you'd like :) Here we are at the concert (sorry, not very good quality pictures):

So, I spent most of the weekend studying for my test this morning. I was retaking the test that I had failed in February, so the fact that I feel like I can't fail again made it very nerve wracking for me. I, all of the sudden, felt like I didn't have enough time to prepare. By the time yesterday evening rolled around though, I was pretty sick of studying and didn't know what more to do. I felt like there was so much more that I needed to know but really didn't know where to start. I felt like I knew the things I was studying, so I kind of took that as a sign that I was prepared enough for what I was heading into...

This morning, I wasn't really that nervous until I pulled up to the building. I got there around 7:08, but didn't really wanna go in TOO early (my check in time was about 7:30), but I could only make myself sit in the car for 2 more minutes before heading inside. I had wanted to be the first on there anyways (and I was) so that worked out well. I was able to get right in there and get going on the test.

I don't really remember how I felt last time, but I do know that I feel a little better overall this time. I don't want to be over confident (because I thought that I had passed last time and look what happened) but I know there are some questions that I got 100% right and there are question that I absolutely remember seeing in my studying so I'm pretty positive that I got them right and I don't really remember feeling like that last time, so I hope these are all good things... 

I don't find out how I did on this on until around May 7 and I take my next test around the 11th of May... so I'm just going to get to the studying and not worry about this one anymore until I have to. 

I, along with some of my co-workers, got invited to go to a Creighton baseball game tomorrow night as a little recognition thing from work, so I'm taking tomorrow off from studying and then I'll get back to the routine on Wednesday. I don't have as long to study for the next one, so I've gotta really get to it!

Good News, Bad News

Yesterday started out to be an awesome day with some great news...

I got to work and was working away at my computer when Trent popped up on my Google Chat and said "Want to have some champagne tonight?" and with that I was instantly smiling ear to ear because I knew exactly what that meant. Since late November/early December, there has been a job change in the works for Trent. It is a promotion that will result in his department hiring two new employees who he will supervise. I'm super happy for him. I'm sad to say, though, that we didn't really didn't properly get to enjoy his good news for very long because of my own selfishness and being all wrapped up in my own bad feelings... I didn't realize that I had acted like that until this morning, so that makes me feel even worse about being so selfish...

And the bad news...

Yesterday also happened to be the day that my second CPA test scores were released. I was very nervous to find out what my score was, but I really was deep down kind of confident in what it would be. But when I went to check my score the score I saw was not what it needed to be. Thus, I will be retaking the test.

It really was a big let down and the thought of having to sit through that 4 hour test again just makes me want to cry (okay, so maybe I already did cry). It also is embarrassing to share that news with everyone because this wasn't supposed to happen to me. Although it does make me feel a little better that the overall passing rate for that test in 2011 was less than 45%. But, like I said, I wasn't supposed to be a part of the 55% that didn't pass. Ugh...

So my plans of being done with all this nonsense by May is pretty much shot. I am revamping my schedule to fit in this retake and pray that this is the only one that I have to redo. Instead of taking the test that I had started studying for on April 2, I am going to retake my Audit test then. And then I'll take BEC in May and take my hopefully last test in July because you can't take any of the tests in June. (That makes me so sad to say I won't be done until at least July.)

I have no one to blame buy myself for not passing and I guess I just have to cram that stuff into my head even more and get to know the information even better so I can definitely pass next time. I know I'm not the first one to have not passed one of these tests and will by no means be the last. But that doesn't really make me feel any better! =) Oh well, I guess...

I thought it was appropriate that this quote came up on my Twitter yesterday...

So, with that... Here we go again!

CPA Exam #2

This morning, I had the pleasure to take my second CPA Exam test. This test was the Auditing and Attestation one. It was a little bit of a different experience than my first test. I'm not sure if it was just because I had gone through the process before and so I knew a little bit of what to expect or because I felt better about the material I was going to be tested over. 

From when I started studying for this test in December, I immediately found the information for this test easier than the information in the Financial Accounting and Reporting test that I took in November. This was just based on the fact that I was instantly scoring higher on the practice tests right off the bat with the Auditing information than I really ever consistently did with the FAR info...

But as time went on, and I got a few days away from the tests, my confidence was dwindling. I just felt like there was so much information that I hadn't jammed into my permanent memory yet and that could very easily be jumbled up in my mind with one tricky multiple choice question. So in the few days before the test, I tried to jam as much information into my long term memory as I could.

This morning, I got up and went over a few of my notes and then did a few more practice questions before I had to get ready and out the door. I was supposed to be at my test by 7:30, but since I had arrived at my first test at 7:15 and was the first one there, I decided that I liked that, so I wanted to do the same thing this time. But silly me, I turned the "wrong way" out of the parking garage and went the way as if I was going to work out of habit instead of going the way that would have been quicker, in my opinion. So it took me a little longer to get there than I had expected because I had to go through more stop lights and was on a much busier street. I got there at 7:20 or so and was the third person there, so I had to wait for the two people in front of me to check in and get the full 'airport security' procedures done, which only made me even more nervous. 

I finally got in to the testing room and into my seat and I had 4 hours to complete the 90 multiple choice questions and 7 task based simulations (long hand, non-multiple choice questions). Going in, I had set a goal to get the 90 multiple choice questions done in 1 hour and 58 minutes so I would have a full 2 hours do to the last 7 questions. I met that goal and had approximately 2 hours and 11 minutes to do the last 7 simulations. I wasn't feeling so great about the multiple choice questions. There were a few that I knew that I got right but the amount of them that I wasn't so sure about was a little to high for my liking. After going through the simulations, though, I felt a little better just because I had so much time to finish them, I had time to go through the provided accounting literature to read up on the questions and be certain that I was getting the right answers. I even finished with 29 minutes left to spare!

So, all in all, I am feeling just OK about how the test went. It really could go either way, and I don't want to be too confident about passing just for the fear that I would not actually pass and then it would be an even bigger punch in the face. It is totally a real fear inside of me, that I didn't pass. That would be horrible and embarrassing and I wouldn't want anyone to know! (Not that I really could hide it) The scores are released in about 2 weeks, and that will be another nerve-wracking day. I dream of passing this exam so I can say I'm 50% of the way there and there will only be 2 more to go! (BLAH!!)

Only 53 days until test #3!

Here are some fun shirts that I just happened to come across on the internet. Some of them might not be funny if you're not super cool like us accountants though =) I hope you find as much enjoyment in them as I did.

Hopefully someday soon, I can say that!

Can you sense the sarcasm?

I told Trent that I'm going to get him this shirt :)

I am DEFINITELY getting this for our future child!!