2 Down & 2 To Go

I just wanted to officially announce that I have passed 2 of the four CPA exams. I feel GREAT!

Crazy Saturday

This last Saturday was one of the craziest days I have had in quite a while. First, Elizabeth, Jon and I went to the Wild Animal Park with Elizabeth's twin Kathryn, her husband Ben, and their daughter Kelly. Then, after enduring a few hours in the cold rain at the Animal Park we all decided that we would go over to Julian to eat dinner and buy some apple pie.

So we left the Park and started on our way. When we arrived to Julian the entire town was covered with dense fog. It was also very windy and very very cold. Because we all had just come from a climate that was about 25 degrees cooler, we were not quite equipped for the cold. So we all put on whatever warm clothes we could find in our cars and made due. Elizabeth had a harder time than the rest of us because she was the only one in sandals. So while the rest of us were trying to find a restaurant she was trying to find some shoes to buy. Luckily she found some warm shoes and was able to join us in time to order dinner. After dinner we bought some pies and went on our merry way. By the time we left the misty air turned to ice cold rain. We were glad to be back in our warm car. On the way home we had to travel through thick fog, strong wind and rain. At one point we had to stop because a tree fell on the road and crews had to clear a way for traffic to pass. We soon made it home safely, only to get ready for my work Christmas party.

A couple hours later we arrived to the cocktail party and mingled with my coworkers. The party was held at Epizotes in Del Mar. We had a lot of fun. We chatted, tried some crazy looking food and danced. We left at about 10:40pm and drove up to Encinitas to pick up Jon. We finally arrived home at about 11:30pm. At that time I had to begin my Gospel Doctrine Lesson for the next morning. Eventually I made it to bed. I am not sure on the time but let me just say that I had an awesome nap Sunday afternoon.

There's a First Time for Everything

Yesterday was quite eventful. In my office, just before our office gift exchange/party started I was asked if I would run down to the store and get a gift for someone who had not yet been able to. I then agreed (as its a 1st years duty to basically run all the erands of my superiors). I then went to her cube to await my instructions. She gave me her debit card and told me to buy 25$ worth of alchohal. I turned pale. Then I said that I had never purchased alchohal in my life and that I would have no idea what to buy. She let out a small chuckle before realizing that I was serious. I guess she was one of the few in the office that was not aware of the fact that I do not drink. Luckily there was another 1st year was able to go with me to make sure that I got the good stuff. When we arrived at the store he pointed out to buy. It was "golden schlatter", which is a type of alchohal with flakes of gold that float around in the bottle. I guess the gold cuts your throught as you drink allowing the alchohal to get into your blood stream quicker. The first thought that I had when picking up the bottle was "maybe I can buy another one for myself, filter out the gold and dump the alchohal." It was a very temping thought given the rise in the price of gold over the last few months. I know what you might be thinking; only an accountnat would think of that. But I resisted the temptation and only purchased the one. When I approached the register I swiped the card and the cashier asked to see my ID. I immediately turned pale once again before remembering, "oh yeah, they're asking for my ID for the alchohal, not the debit card." Then I paid for the alchohal and went back to the office.

A few minutes later the party started and it was a lot of fun. The best part was seeing about 50 people get drunk during work hours. It was very entertaining. I am looking forward to the official Christmas Party next weekend.

Life as a Newbie at a CPA Firm

Life the last few months has been exhausting, yet rewarding. I have now been with McGladrey for about two months and it has been great. On my first day I went to Costa Mesa for a new hire orientation. The following week I went to Ontario for New Hire Training. After training I reported back to the San Diego Office were I spent my time studying before being assigned to a client. A couple of weeks later I took my first CPA Exam which was the most difficult exam I had ever taken. Of course it doesn't help that I took the most difficult one first. After I took my exam I was assigned to my first client. It was a publicly traded technology company that has operations in both Switzerland and China. So on my first day at the client I had to talk to the Controller about something I found in my audit. I would never have thought that I would be talking to a corporate executive on my first day. After two 60 hour weeks we finished the Quarterly Review and their financials were released to their investors and creditors. It was so cool to be a part of. I guess I did ok because my In-Charge requested for me to be on the engagement for the Year-End audit of the company. So I could very well work on this client for a very long time. Now I am preparing for my next CPA Exam that I will take next week. But that's not all that I do. I also play beach volleyball during work hours. I mean how hard of a life is that. Last Friday one of my managers got a bunch of us together to play beach volleyball downstairs (from 3:30 to 5 pm). That is just how cool my firm is. Choosing to work for this firm is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Cabrillo National Monument

Today we decided to do something fun in San Diego fo a change. Elizabeth and I thought that it was time to take advantage of our expensive San Diego rent by seeing the sites. Today we visited Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma.

Jon and I are on the top of the point overlooking downtown San Diego and Coronado Island.

Here Jon is enjoying the ocean breeze. He likes the way it makes his hair look.

Jon and I infront of the haunted Point Loma Light House. Ooo! Scary!

Elizabeth and Jon infront of the Cabrillo Monument.

Now its Elizabeth's turn to take the picture.

We also went to see the tide pools but we forgot our camera. Elizabeth was being her same old adventurous self by standing on a rock waiting to get splashed by the periodic crashing wave. She was so cute to watch and I wish I could have documented it.

Jon's 1st Birthday!

A few weeks ago we had a party to celebrate Jon's first birthday. He was so cute. It was funny to see him love all the attention. Here are some pictures of the milestone event:

This was the train cake that Elizabeth made. It tasted as good as it looked. Jon loved it (especially the candy).

Can you believe he was able to blow out that candle?

He devoured the cake. But first he had to eat the candy, of course!

The cake was good until he discovered a new big blue ball.

Jon loved all of the gifts he received. It was a memorable day and he loved it! For Elizabeth and I, the most memorable part of the day, was the reaction on Jon's face when he opened a present, tasted candy covered cake for the first time, and blew out his fist birthday candle.

Good Old Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Elizabeth, Jon, and I just got back from our trip to Oklahoma. I have to be honest; I love that place. In the 6 days we were there I had all sorts of crazy experiences. I saw a snake on someones driveway, I went out on a paddle boat on a one acre pond in someones backyard, I spent part of one evening with my family in a bathroom taking refuge from what was supposed to be the largest tornado producing storm in twenty years, and I had great food that cannot be found in California. The people there are also the nicest people you could ever find and the land is dirt cheap. I am sorry but as you can see, part of me is tempted to pack up and move there right now. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is a little unknown paradise.

Graduation

Well I am now officially a college graduate. A couple of weeks ago I had my honors reception where I was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma. The following morning at 8 am I had the College of Business Administration comencement ceremony in COX Arena followed by a reception for the School of Accountancy in the Aztec Athletic Hall of Fame. It was really neat to introduce many of my professors to Jon and others in my family. Afterwards all of us went to my apartment where we had lunch. During lunch we received a visit from Elizabeth's great uncle who happens to be a world champion yo yo man. He gave all of us a free show that lasted about 45 minutes. It was really world class entertainment and it made that lunch a trully memorable experience. It was a great weekend but exausting at the same time. Although it was nice to have a day dedicated to me, I am glad it is all over and I can move on with my life.

Going to Oklahoma.

We leave for Oklahoma today. We are all so excited. Rick is nervous though. He doesn't know if he'll fit in. He wants to see a real redneck...:) He is just joking but its cute to hear him say it. Jon got his Third tooth on Sunday. Now Jon is sitting up all the time on his own and if there is something to grab onto he is always trying to stand up.
Rick Graduated From College on May 24. We are all so proud of him and so excited. Well I will write more later. Jon has gotten to the computer and he will destoy it, so its time to shut it down before he does.

Jon Crawled!!

Jon crawled for the first time today!! It's so fun to watch him grow up. He has two teeth now on the bottom. He is also talking now. He says words like Hi, Yay, Bath, Ball, Baba, and others that I don't want to try to remember. He sure understands everything we say too. He is a smart baby. He is 9 and a half months now and just as big as can be.

Goodbye Undergrad Accounting!

I had my last accounting final on Saturday and now I am DONE! It is sort of a bitter sweet feeling. I will miss many of my fellow accounting students along with the whole university atmosphere. However, I will never miss the 900 page weekend reading assignments, or the three hour exams on consolidations, deferred taxes, and pensions. I will also never miss the professors who, for some odd reason, believe that their class is your only class. I have to say that although college was a struggle, I am a better person because of it. I found my limits and learned to push myself to accomplish my goals. I also learned that I am nothing without my wife Elizabeth. I wouldnt have been able to do as good as I did, without her support, help, and encouragement.

Now I have the entire summer to rest before I face the real business world and apply what I have learned. A few CPA firms offered me jobs. They were of all different sizes and offered different amounts of money. However, when the time came to make my decision, I chose to work for a firm that I feel will be best for my long term career goals as well as allow me to have enough time to be a good father and husband. I will be working for McGladrey & Pullen and I start in September. It sure feels good to know that my dream job has become a reality. It would not have been possible without the great education I received from SDSU. GO AZTECS!

Spring Break

Elizabeth, Jon and I are on our way back to La Quinta to stay with my parents for spring break. We are so excited to get away. Jon is almost 8 months old and he is becoming quite a character. I am trying to finish up my last 5 weeks of school and cannot wait to be done. After graduation Elizabeth and I will enjoy our summer without the stresses that come with school and work. We will try and get all the vacationing we need out of our system before September when I start my new job (at McGladrey & Pullen). I will also most likely start to study for the CPA Exam this summer.

Oh...we found our dog (Zeke). We hope and pray that after this week is over we will still have him.