I bought a new planner!

I have a love-hate relationship with my planners.

Sometimes, they are fine and I just use them for what they are meant for, jotting down to-do's.

But then sometimes they take on more meaning for me. Sometimes, they affect my mood. Crazy, right?

Here is my issue, when life gets stressful and full of "to-do's", I just can't handle having that stinkin rec planner. I mean most of the time, thats what I use and I'm fine with it.

But when I am busy and it is BLACK AND WHITE (dreary) and telling me that I need to work out 3 times a week, I just want to punch myself in the face. It makes me so depressed.

Okay, Okay you guys, I know I should be working out 3 times a week, but what if I just filled out my next two weeks of studying and I don't know when I'll have time to breathe? It's not so easy.

Anyways, all of this to say that yesterday I realized that my "final review week" for the CPA (the first of four sections of the exam) starts SATURDAY!! So I had to kind of get a game-plan going for the two weeks before my test.

A lot of times I just get sad looking at my old planner, because its just dreary (explained above) so because I was planning out my studying for the next two weeks, I decided it was NEW planner time! My planner kind of looks like the one pictured above...except cuter :)

It really does make me feel better....don't ask me why....it just does.

So I bought this super cute (super expensive...ouch) planner from target. It was worth it though, because I was able to just sit and kind of plan out how I was going to "attack" this exam.

I think I can do it :) I may drop of the face of the earth for 2 weeks (unless of course you want to come sit next to me at Starbucks!), but all-in-all, I think I can get it done.

Just a quick little fact...I have scheduled 56 hours of studying from this Saturday to next Friday night, with the plan to take the exam on Saturday morning. Okay I know that sounds crazy, but that is only giving myself like 3 hours to review each of the 9 sections, it gives me time to take 2 practice exams that are built just like the exam (so 4 hours long each) and it gives me time to go back over any memorization of rules that I may have forgotten over the month. After all of that, I'm just going to work problems over and over and over...just to get them nailed it.

I am determined to pass.

The one thing cool about all this is that last night, at praise and worship in our small group, I just sat there praising God by thinking of how AWESOME He is...how BIG He is. He is a healing and redeeming God. He is ALMIGHTY AND POWERFUL.

All this studying doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me anymore. Is it a lot of time? Yeah...but it's necessary to do well. And even though I'm busy, I carry my love Jesus with me everywhere. He is my rock and strength, even when I can't find any of my own.

It kind of makes the CPA exam seem like nothing.

Oh that's right....it is nothing compared to my Abba, Jesus.

good :)

One more disclaimer....just because I know and am desiring to be faithful in this whole journey, I know I will break down. I just pray that when I do, I turn to Jesus.

This verse has blown my mind and I really feel like the Lord is teaching me SO much about it with regards to how I walk through this exam "season" of my life:

22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Romans 14:22-23

It's that last part that gets me.

It is SIN to do anything without faith.

I don't know that I completely understand, but pray that over me and this exam.

I love you guys who read this and pray for me...it is such a blessing.

Until next time :)