Goodbye, SIUE

This past Monday was my LAST CLASS of my Master's Degree. That's right, I'm done....finally done. After four and a half LONG years, I have met my goal of completing my Master's Degree. Sure, I had a couple semesters off along the way, but they were for good reasons. I had to drop my class one semester because of the car accident I was in. For that prof, apparently being in surgery wasn't a good enough excuse to miss class. Dropping that class seemed like the logical decision. I also took two semesters off when Ella was born. My due date was around the time of finals for the first semester and I didn't want to leave my two week old baby to go back to class.

Now it seems odd to know that I don't have a mountain of homework waiting for me at home. I don't have to spend my lunch hour working on homework. I don't have to tote a book bag with me everywhere I go. I'm done being away from Ella and Rob on Monday nights. I'm done asking people to help watch Ella so I can work on homework or go to class. I'm done writing checks for thousands of dollars for the purpose of a piece of paper to hang on the wall and three small letters to go behind my name. No more papers. No more books. (Wait, that seems like a song...)

One of the main reasons behind getting this degree was so I would have enough hours to sit for the CPA exam. So, even though I'm done studying temporarily, that study time is going to come back with a vengeance very, very soon as I prepare for the exam. I've been told that studying for the CPA exam will be the most intense studying I've ever done in my life. Frankly, right now, it scares the crap out of me. I don't want to be away from my family more than I already have been! I don't want to have to spend hours every day studying to pass the exam. But, given my profession, passing the CPA exam is a necessary evil. I just hope that I pass it quickly. I have several friends who have taken and passed the exam and numerous co-workers to encourage me and sympathize with me during this next step.

But, enough of the depressing CPA-exam-study-talk...for now, I will celebrate this accomplishment in my life. To each of you who have encouraged and supported me during this time, thank you. To those who helped with Ella during this last year and a half while I was at school or studying, thank you. To those of you who I will rely on while I study for and take the CPA exam, thank you, in advance.

Stay tuned for graduation pictures, coming December 19th (or a few days after)...