*Sigh*

My favorite time of year is here! HOLIDAY SEASON! Too bad I am still stuck studying every free minute for that pesky CPA exam. Hoping to finish by the end of February. Anyway, I am feeling bummed in this moment because apparently, for the wedding they did right after ours, my wedding photographers started doing videos, too. For not only a wedding, but also for engagement sessions. And they are so cool. You can check them out here and here. HOW MUCH WOULD I HAVE LOVED ONE OF THEIR VIDEOS? A lot. That's how much. And I, too, love editing videos together like they are doing, so I could do the same thing myself. If I had the video footage. Of course, I can't film myself. So, I am sad about that.

The other reason being, of course, that I am busy studying. :( I cannot wait to be done with this stupid exam forever! I feel the need to create. Or decorate - but that is for another post. I want a cool, fancy camera so I can take really awesome photos, and I want to learn to use Photoshop, so I can edit them. And, I want to take movies and edit them into videos like Landon Jacob Productions is now doing.

And how Taylor Swift has been doing for a long time. :)

And, since I can't film myself, I'd need some willing subjects, too. I tend to think they are hard to come by. I feel like a lot of people hate being filmed or having their picture made. I love it, and I've always loved it. And I don't understand people that don't. At least Jake loves it, too. But, I can't just film him and take his picture all the time.

Anyway, back to the books.

Denver, here I come!

So, I took the Auditing portion of the CPA exam yesterday. Never can tell how I did... so I will just wait for the score. Now that the studying is out of the way, I should have some more time for blogging, but not this week, as I am shipping out for Denver, CO in the morning for the entire week for work. My plane gets back into Columbia on Friday around 5pm, but then I will be heading to Folly Beach with a whole group of friends for the weekend for our semi-annual weekend away! It is sure to be LOADS of fun. I cannot wait! From the mountains of Colorado to the beaches of South Carolina all in one day. Lots of traveling. Maybe I will get a chance to do some blogging from the hotel room. I have lots of updates to post. Til next time!

And happy late Halloween....

Sick of studying

So, I am studying. I have several blog updates that I need to post, but they will have to wait til after Halloween, as I am taking the Auditing part of the CPA exam on Saturday, October 31st. I have just over a week to get it all in my head. And, I am starting a new job with the Federal Highway Administration on Monday, October 26th. I have been off work this week and last week, and have had lots of things going on!!! Blog updates to come, I promise. Wish me luck as I finish studying for this exam over the next week. If I pass, I will be halfway there......

FINALLY!!!

I FINALLY found out my score on my first part of the CPA exam that I took back in August....

After a week of expecting my score, and it being delayed due to the website where they post the scores having IT issues, I found out tonight that I got an 81!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only needed 75 to pass, so yes, I passed!!!!!!!!!! I could not be happier.

However, this now means that the clock is ticking for me to pass the other three parts. I have 18 months from the date I passed this one (August 17th) to pass the rest. Next up, Auditing and Attestation. I hope to get this one taken by Thanksgiving. Here I go back into my study bubble.......

Wish me luck!!!!

Time for a study break!

I have not really been able to blog much lately due to my increased amount of study time. I was off work this past Friday, so I had three full days of study time right before my exam. Jake surprised me with some more orange roses and enough Diet Cokes to last me through the weekend, and he was nice enough to leave me alone most of the time so I could study. We did manage to have Dustin over for some good times on Friday night, and we were able to meet Mandy, Stephen, Nicole, and Jason for dinner last night before they head off on their cruise, but other than that, the weekend was mostly filled with studying. And whining about studying, I'm not gonna lie. But, I am happy to announce that today at 1:17 pm, I finished my first part of the CPA exam (Business Environment and Concepts)! Now, the rest of this week I can focus on helping Jake finish moving his stuff over here and get ready for our beach vacation! But first, we are going to a movie this afternoon! I am trying to decide between the following: The Hangover, Julie & Julia, The Proposal, The Time Traveler's Wife, and The Ugly Truth.

Here's to hoping I passed the exam!

Weekend update

This weekend was:

*helping Jake pack
*picking up my vacuum cleaner from the repair shop
*studying
*Saving Abel, Papa Roach, Hinder, and Nickelback concert in Charlotte with Jake, Crystal, Crystal's dad, and Crystal's friend, Julia
*hot tub with Jake and Crystal
*more studying
*helping Jake move
*lunch with Jake and his parents
*more studying
*phone calls catching up with Erin and Jenny
*trying a new wine
*knitting
*cleaning
*more studying
*updating my resume
*applying for a new job
*updating my blog

and finally,

MORE studying!

Unfortunately, there were no pictures taken of any of the above activities this weekend. Sorry for the lack of visual aids on this post.

Hope everyone's weekend was great, and here's to a great week ahead of studying!

Tornado Dreams

Twice now I have dreamt of tornadoes. The first time was a couple months ago maybe, and I dreamt one came and tore up my house. Yesterday afternoon, I was in the middle of an amaaaazing nap until I began dreaming of being stuck in the middle of a storm with about 30 tornadoes. The weird thing about both of these dreams was how well I was able to remember them. Even still.

You know how sometimes when you dream, you might be in your house, but it isn't really your house? That is what happened in the first tornado dream. In the dream, it was MY house that was being destructed by the tornado, but it wasn't MY real house in real life. Anyway, I survived that one unscathed, and that was pretty much the extent of it. It came and tore up my house, and then I woke up.

Yesterday's dream took place in Lake Wylie. And Beth Funderburk was in it. For those of you who don't know her, she is a girl I went to school with since elementary school. We were never really friends, but we were always in the same classes together all through high school. Anyway, she was driving me from my dad's house to my mom's, and as soon as we got out on the main road, there were no cars on the road. Instead, they were all in the ditch along the side of the road, bumper to bumper. I was so confused as to why the cars weren't driving on the road and naturally instructed her to just drive down the road, when she pointed out that there was a tornado behind us. Soon after that, we noticed one in front of us as well. It was then that I decided we better stop and get out. So we did. We pulled off the side of the road and laid on the ground. It soon became apparent that the only reason I wasn't blowing away was because Beth was holding me down. I then got the bright idea that we should roll across the ground and be blocked from the "wind" by an old Volkswagen Beetle which was nearby. So we did. Then, Beth started yelling about how she wished the car would be lifted up by one of the many tornadoes that kept coming up, all the while holding me down to keep ME from blowing away. Nice of her, I suppose. Now, I had a bag with us containing stuff belonging to both Beth and me. Of course it all got blown out of the bag, but naturally didn't blow away. So, at one point, we thought the storms were over, and Beth disappeared, leaving me to gather up our things and put them back in the bag. Then, I started walking down the road and realized that the tornadoes were still coming, so I ducked into a house, where lo and behold, there was Beth. With Lori Baird. For those of you who don't know her, she also went to high school with me. The three of us were "safe" and watching the tornadoes continue out a large window in the front room of this house when I woke up. So bizarre.

I don't know about any of you, but I am really fascinated by dreams. Most of the time, I don't remember mine.... but I definitely think they all have some kind of meaning. So, those of you who know me well know that I google EVERYTHING. Naturally, then, I looked up online dream dictionaries. See below for what I found about tornadoes.

From http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary:
To see a tornado in your dream suggests that you are experiencing some extreme emotional outbursts and temper tantrums. Is there a situation or relationship in your life that may be potentially destructive? To dream that you are in a tornado, signifies that you are feeling overwhelmed and out of control. You will be met with a series of disappointments for the next week or so. Your plans will be filled with complications. To see several tornadoes in your dream, represent people around you who are prone to violent outbursts and shifting mood swings. It may also symbolize a volatile situation or relationship.

From http://www.sleeps.com/dictionary:
If you dream that you are caught up in a tornado, or see other people in one, or you are in danger from a tornado, then you will find all your well laid business plans come to naught and failure will dog your footsteps until you do something to change your chances of success; more education, better training or so forth.

From http://www.thecuriousdreamer.com/dreamdictionary:
-An overwhelming or destructive situation in real life, most likely out of the dreamer's control.
-A feeling or fear of being taken advantage of or victimized, especially suddenly or in an unpredictable way.

From http://www.newagedirectory.com/dream/dictionary.htm:
Being overwhelmed by work or circumstances. You are stressed out. If you are overtaken: Things are out of control in your life. If you escape from or avoid it: You are stressed but can handle the situation.

From http://www.dreamloverinc.com/dictionary1.htm:
Tornado is a violent storm in nature, and it may represent violent emotional storms in your dreams. If you have reoccuring tornado dreams, consider the emotional changes in your life and also the amount of anger and rage that you may be currently experiencing. Tornadoes could also represent disruptions and upsets in your immediate environment and specific or current issues that may be overwhelming.


So, based on this research, I conclude that work is stressing me out and causing me to dream about tornadoes. That or the CPA exam.... but I think it is changes at work more likely.

Do you ever have crazy dreams? Ever dream about the same thing more than once? How often do you remember your dreams? Ever dreamt of tornadoes? Please comment. I am fascinated.

Study, study, study

Yesterday, I finally scheduled myself to take my first part of the CPA exam - Business Environment & Concepts (BEC). I signed up for Monday, August 17th at noon. I wanted to do it on a Monday so that I can study the entire weekend leading up to it, and I had the options of 8am, 11am, and noon that day. No brainer, right? Anyway, I had thought of scheduling it on the 24th or 31st of August to give myself a couple more weeks (since I can't take it in September), but Jake and his parents have invited me to the beach for a week from August 22nd - 29th, which I am soooo excited about, so that pushed the exam up to the 17th. That gives me 5 weeks from yesterday to study for this darn test. I think I can do it, though! I have been dabbling with studying for it a little ever since I mailed in my application back in May, but now I am in complete study mode. And I will definitely be glad when I finish on the 17th to have the rest of that week to get packed and ready for my beach trip! Wish me luck!