And it begins...

... the moment we have all been waiting for, or was that dreading?

Today begins my adventures in preparing for the CPA exams. For those of you who aren't up speed with these exams, there are four exams that you must pass within a 18 month window. So that means if you pass one exam, but haven't passed the other 3 within 18 months then you lose that passing score and have to take it over again. So the name of the game is to pass and pass quickly!

My first exam is scheduled for Monday, February 14th. What a romantic way to spend Valentine's Day! The exam is Regulation, commonly referred to as REG, and covers tax, business law and ethics. Sounds exciting, right?

Because I'm the typical anal accountant, I've planned on my life for the next few months and here's what it looks like.

Yes, it is in a spreadsheet. Yes, it is incredibly blurry because I can crunch numbers much better than I can do technical things. Hopefully that means good things for passing these exams! But as you see my life is comprised of work and then 30 hours of studying a week! Yes, you read that right- 30 hours of studying a week. While I'm hoping that you don't really need to study that much to pass these suckers, I figured I might as well go all out and do everything I can to pass. That way hopefully I can pass every test on the first try and be done with this by early July. Oh how nice that sounds!

In order to make this adventure as "fun" and "exciting" as it can be (if that is possible), I've ordered some new accessories to help me through my journey. First, protection for my laptop who I'm going to spend way too much time with over the next months.
It is the Built Bumper Laptop Sleeve in Black Raspberry. Although one review called the "Pinot Noir", which I definitely prefer since I'll be missing more glasses of wine due to studying than I want to think about! I'm hoping the "bumpers" will give my computer a little extra loving when I'm too tired to remember to not throw my bag around. Speaking of bags, here is my next purchase.

I am so excited about this purchase. I was looking for a bag that looked more like a purse than briefcase to lug around my computer, notebook, calendar, review book, and all the usual purse stuff (wallet, sunglasses, etc.). I figure I need no excuse to not be carrying my CPA-ness with me every moment, so that on that rare occasion I can meet the girls for coffee they don't give me the side-eye for bringing my briefcase along. Because you know they'll probably be running late and then I'll be able to cram 15 more minutes of studying in instead of cursing myself for "wasting" precious study time. I'm also in love with this bag because it is made of denim! Super durable and will even allow Rudy to carry in my bag as he drags it along with sidewalk and up the steps inside the house. Finally, I love the stripes. They aren't boring black or seasonal, which is important because it is going to be attached to my hip 24-7 for at least the next 6 months.

I also bought some fun pens (purple and green) and a new binder! But I won't bore you with my complete nerdiness. You'll get plenty of nerd in the next coming months! Wish me luck with my first night of studying tonight!