This is what my fridge looks like rolling into Monday mornings during tax season:
Grab and go, folks. grab.and.go.
Annnndddddd this is what my brother looked like at the ripe age of 3:
Mwahhhhhh hahahahahahahah 😀
Hello, Cat. Please exit the bag.
After months of secrets, I can finally breathe.
In through the nose, outtttttttt through the mouth.
Phewwwwww.
I am not one to make quick decisions. Nay, I meticulously calculate my options, play out multiple scenarios in my head, get outside (often competing) opinions, then get slightly defensive… then I go home, sit by myself for long hours on the couch staring off into nothingness and let my subconscious battle it out.
When I speak up about something, it’s usually because I’m about to make a move. Take for example the (admittedly) over-priced pair of yellow flats I had been secretly drooling over for weeks:
By the time I IMed a friend at work to express this longing desire, I already had the shoes in my Amazon shopping cart. What may have seemed like a knee-jerk purchase was actually a thoroughly pined over plan.
Anyway, back to the cat.
About four months ago, my BF picked up and moved to Charlotte, NC to pursue a job opportunity. I was a wreck, I’ll admit it. Months before the move we had toyed with the thought of living in the lovely city of Charlotte. I had an increasing itch to spread my wings, but relocating to a whole new state seemed impractical and unattainable.
When the BF first moved, everyone’s question for me was whether or not I too was moving. Those that know me well know that it would go against my nature to drop everything I had going for myself just for a guy. Even if that guy happened to be wildly attractive and uncannily good-natured, it just wasn’t “Mary.”
It was going to take something awesome. Some amazing opportunity to rip me from the rut I’d fallen into. Something I could be excited about with or without the BF nearby. Realistically, there is no guarantee he’ll be in Charlotte for an extended period of time. So, in my mind relocating had to be a decision I made non-contingent on the BF’s state of residence. A decision I would be happy with even if it meant being solo in the city.
Decisions, decisions.
It’s crazy to admit, but I think a lot of people look down on women who are career focused. For me, my career is what I have. It’s what I’m most passionate about (next to food of course). When push comes to shove, I have me and I have my career (and my veracious appetite). And I want to see both of these things be the very best that they can be.
So what about that pesky cat?
I had a gut feeling Charlotte could provide me with a lot of opportunities career-wise, but I wasn’t going to jump the Ohio ship until I had really processed everything.
So when I had not one but two amazing offers presented to me back in December, I had A LOT of analyzing to do. After pretty much frying my brain in this process, I got what I was looking for: an outstanding new job opportunity right smack dab in Charlotte, NC that I can honestly say I is an opportunity I am EXCITED about. I’m excited for the new challenges it will bring and for the immense opportunity for growth it will provide.
So what I’m saying (to officially let that darn cat out of the bag) is that in just 5 short weeks, I’ll be walking away (ok driving away) from Ohio and headed to Charlotte, baby!
Good thing these shoes look good from the backside 😉
So to recap for those of you who are allergic to cats as am I:
- Well it’s tax season, folks. I’m under a wee bit of stress.
- On top of all that craziness, I need to wrap up loose ends at old job (so I don’t leave my lovely coworkers hanging)
- Sell (or rent) my house
- Find new lodging… the moving trucks are reserved… but the final destination is still unknown. Eek!
- Pack up all my crap
- Find property management co to rent house (if it doesn’t sell)
- Keep house OOBER clean in case a potential buyers want to see it
- Move alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll of my crap.
- Move into new (yet-to-be-determined) lodging
- Start new job.
Whew!
I need a marg.
10 Tips for Tax Season
Those of you who are NOT tax accountants probably think of taxes on one of two days during the year:
a.) the day you get your w-2
b.) April 15th (AKA the day your tax return is due)
Ohhhhh how blissful that must be! Tax accountants, on the other hand, live and breathe taxes. We are number crunching, tax law massaging, carbo loading monsters this time of year. Understandably, this season puts crazy stress on us and leads to periods of extreme unhappiness followed by periods of extreme slap-happiness in rapid succession.
Up and down, up and down.
–> 
–> 
–> 
–> 
-> 
-> 
This is tax season #6 for moi and E.V.E.R.Y year I see myself and my coworkers fall into this instability.
Not this year, Uncle Sam. Not this year.
10 Tips for tax season.
- Find time for fun.
- Eat healthfully… Especially when it’s 10 pm, you’re still at the office, and that Krispy Kreme donut has been calllllllllllllling your name all.friggin.day.
- Breathe.
- Exercise woman! All that stuff about exercise and endorphins is true and don’t you forget it!
- Back.away.from.your.desk. BACK AWAY.
- Smile. Even it it hurts. (AKA fake it til you make it, baby)
- DO NOT project your stress on to your lovely coworkers. They’ve got enough poo on their shoulders without you flinging more at them.
- Go pee (you know you’ve been holding it for the last 2, possibly 3, hours)
- Dance. Bust out at least one dance move, at a minimum, each day. Work it…. workkkkkkk it.
- It’s just taxes.
Big Fat Lie.
The first time I did it, I told my self never again. Life lesson had been learned.
…
…..
But then there was that second time. I slipped. It happens. I swore to myself it was the last time. If I hadn’t learned my lesson the first time around, the second time surely was the final straw.
…
…….
Or so I thought.
……
Today, I went against my word. I broke that promise to myself.
…
……………………..
Today, for the third time in my life, I did the unthinkable.
………
Today, I signed up for a gym membership.
Oh dear.
Just call me Miss June
One of the great things about being in public accounting is that we are encouraged to network our little hiney’s off. When I came back to the Akron area, I started looking for a networking group to join. At first I attended the standard accounting networking groups, but I was feeling less than motivated. Oftentimes at these meetings you will exchange business cards with the attendees at your table and do a 30-second commercial on who you are and what you do in your career. At one of my first meetings, I did just this and as I turned to hand my business card to the old man in the blue suit sitting next to me he held up his hand to stop me and said “No thanks.”
Are you kidding me?
Needless to say, that was the LAST time I ever attended a meeting for that group. A couple months later, I stumbled on the Knowledgeable Network of Women (KNOW), which is a program of the Greater Akron Chamber. As I walked into the lobby for my first KNOW meeting I was immediately taken aback by the energy that exuberated from the room. Tons of women from all types of career backgrounds crammed into a lobby talking, laughing, and getting to know each other. THIS was the type of group I needed. No old men in blue suits to refuse my business cards, but rather a group of 300+ women all genuinely interested in getting to know you and helping you to achieve success in any way they could.
Women helping women. It doesn’t get any more awesome than that!
Over the years, I have become more and more involved in the KNOW in Akron, and I am very excited to say that I will serve as the chair of the group for 2011! As such, I was included in the 2011 calendar (on the centerfold, no less).
Just call me Miss June 😀
