It in a nutshell

This is over $300 worth of stickers. And now it's time to scrape them off.

Yep, grades are posted, I'm officially done!!! Wahoo! A huge weight off me. And now that Geoff has found a job, it's a huge weight off him too. So, one marriage proposal and five years later, we are finally resting a little bit.

There has never been a time in our marriage when at least one of us wasn't in school. Things will probably be different for us now, but we are ready to start a new phase of life together - at least for a little while!

I don't plan on getting bored with all this new extra time on my hands! Here are some goals for the coming year:

-Lose the 30 lbs I've gained since starting the back-to-back schedule, by late June
I'm a little nervous to try since I've tried and failed so many times in the last three years, but there's so much more time now than there was before! Not to mention energy!

-Spend time with Geoff!

-Keep a clean house
no more once-a-month whirlwind clean

-Read!
I want to read all about American history; I want the nitty-gritty starting all the way back before Columbus ever sailed away. I'm not interested in conspiracy theories or political bias - a book with a point to prove. Just pure history, that's all I want. If any one knows any good ones, I'd appreciate suggestions! :) Also, I read a book by Pete Hammil called Forever, and it was fictional, but it touched lightly on ancient Celtic history and culture, and was really interesting, so that's the other thing I want to read about.

I've got at least another year at my job, according to the tuition-reimbursement contract which my amazing employer provided me. I actually think they're doing me a favor by keeping me in one spot for at least a year - it takes some of the pressure off. I'm going to start studying for the GMAT on January 1st, and then take it in late February/early March. And after all of that - I've decided to get a CPA license and do taxes. It's going to be a long road - at least a year left at my employer's, then at least another year of school, then two years working under a CPA. My CPA friend at work says it'll probably take me about a year to complete the test, but that can be done while working under the CPA. But, there's really nothing standing in my way, at this point. Taxes intimidate the crap out of me, but if other people can learn them, then I'm sure I can.

The only setback I see in all of this is that I'll be limiting my choice of schools to those that accept a bachelor's degree at face-value, as opposed to the ones that want specific prerequisites. I wasn't able to take all of the normal prerequisites at UVU since they are only offered during the day. But, as Scotty says, "setbacks are not debilitating to me." I'm sure there are still lots of good schools to choose from. I can go anywhere in the country I want, as long as I get accepted. Which I don't plan to have a problem with, just have to study up well for the GMAT.

Tonight though, we takin' it easy, brother!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, and Happy Hannakah!