I don't blame you if you laugh at me!

So I’ve always known that I was a little nerdy.  I love sci-fi novels, cheesy jokes, and numbers… whether I’m solving a Sudoku puzzle or manipulating numbers on a license plate.  I never knew how nerdy I was until tonight though.  During accounting class, my professor said something that made me remember a childhood game I used to play and when I looked it up later, guess where I found it…yup…at coolmath-games.com/lemonade/ (You should try it out)!  I asked my accounting friends if they had played it and all they could do was stare at me in disbelief.  I guess my love for that game should have told me, long ago, that I had a business mindset.  For the past few months now, every expense I incur or every bit of revenue that comes in, I place that into the income statement that is constantly in my head.  So, I thought it appropriate to continue this post as an income statement, tracking the good events as “revenues” and the not so good events as “expenses”. 

ERICA PALMER

Income Statement

For the month ended September 30, 2014

Revenues

                Current grade in Accounting                                                                                     99%

                Current grade in Business Math                                                                                98%

                Members in the Growth Group I am now leading                                                  avg.12

                Support from friends and family                                                                        unlimited

                Grasp on new barista job                                                                                            80%

                Love for tutoring                                                                                                     infinite

Expenses

                Stress from not having enough income to pay rent                A lot

                Loss of sleep from stress                                                        A lot

                Free time for friends, family, school work                                    0

                                Total Expenses                                                                                  (A lot x 2) + 0

Net Income                                                                                                                        Revenues far  outweighing expenses

               

In conclusion, this month has been stressful but I have way more than I could ask for!  Now you may have seen “Members in the Growth Group I am now leading” under revenue.  That was my challenge this month.  I had been asked to lead a few years back but had never wanted to.   While my life was in flux a few months ago, a friend asked me if I would like to co-lead a Growth Group with him and for some reason, I said yes. 

Yes, this Growth Group adds one more thing to my plate that I have to put time and effort into…a leader can’t go into a meeting unprepared…but I am so glad I committed.  We have only had two meetings but my group seems super legit.  The group consists of returnees and newbies but we all seem to fit.  I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for this group and for my personal growth. 

1 hour and 10 minutes before the end of the month…nerd out!

Two Weeks Down

I have just finished up my second week of classes and I am happy to say the excitement hasn’t died…well maybe in my business math class but at least it will be easy! 

Highlights of the past two weeks: -I know how many states there are.  Yup, some people in my class said t here were 52!  

-I got a 95% on my first Financial Accounting Quiz

-AND….my accounting professor knows my name!  In elementary school, that is probably not a good thing.  If a teacher knows your name right off the bat it’s probably because he/she is having to say it over and over again to get you to listen.  In college though, that means you are participating and I only participate when I am confident of my answer….which means I am actually understanding this stuff!  

Now some of you are probably reading this, thinking to yourself that I am way too excited.  Here is where I am coming from though…I went to school to become a teacher.  We don’t really take a lot of classes that incorporate the business world.  I know it’s just week two and I am well aware that what I am learning right now is foundational for the tougher stuff up ahead but the fact that I am gaining confidence early on, in a field that I never thought I would be dabbling in, makes me excited for what the rest of the semester holds.

Hooray for school!

First week of class is done and over and I am still alive!  I have even completed my business math homework…minus the reading.  Do you have to read if you know how to do the work? 

My accounting class is another story!  I am NOT business minded at all and dang, did my professor hit the ground running.  While I was a little intimidated, I am super psyched!  My professor is so passionate (yet awkward) about accounting that it makes it fun to learn.  Who knows how long I will be saying that, especially since class is 4 hours long but right now, I am excited to start this new adventure!

I am still looking for work, so if anyone knows of anything, let me know!

Philippians 4:6

Soooo this has been a rough two months and this blog is combining both months together.  I wasn’t able to blog last month because I didn’t want to raise alarm with coworkers or family until I had made an ultimate decision.

Last month, I had an interview for a full time teaching position.  I had gone over to my parents’ house to prepare when I had a freak out moment.  I literally sobbed for what seemed like hours.  There was something inside of me that was not passionate about it.  However, I had a grown up moment and decided that I needed to interview….1) for the experience and 2) because my principal, whom I respect greatly, had put my name in the pool of people to be interviewed.  I HAD to do the interview.  I didn’t end up getting a job offer, which I what I went in expecting so I wasn’t defeated.  I wasn’t going to be a full time teacher but I still had my math position.

This month, however, as school got closer, I wasn’t feeling at peace with taking the math position.  It’s not that anything went wrong last year.  Please don’t take it that way.  This decision was so difficult for me because my principal and coworkers have been nothing but supportive.   Unfortunately I ran out of time and today, I made the choice to take a step back.  Again, my principal was more than supportive about my choice.  In addition to taking a step back this month, I also made the decision to go back to school.  Starting next Monday, I will be taking classes two nights a week for accounting.  

Like I said at the beginning of this blog, these past two months have been rough.  There have many tears and fights and doubts.  I have contemplated and prayed and finally surrendered everything over to God.  I asked him to give me a peace about leaving my job and he has.  That doesn’t mean my stomach isn’t turning and thoughts of, “Are you stupid?” aren’t running through my mind but I have to have faith that God will be my provision.  Philipians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."  He knows where my heart has been and is now.  I am sure a job is not going to fall in my lap and it may not be my dream job, but I am trusting in His timing and promise.

And that is where you come in!  I need a job!  I know there was the option of moving back in with my parents….they have been clear about that…but I would obviously love to stay where I am at.  If there are any jobs you can refer me to, that would be awesome!  I am searching on my own but these days, it’s all about who you know.  I know that at least a few people read my blog so I am reaching out to you and asking for your connections.  If you don’t have any, then I am asking for your prayers.  

I will keep you all updated on the new adventures of life.  I am sure I will have to do some venting when school starts.  I can’t believe that after six years, I am going back to school.  Books have been bought and I have found my classroom.  All that’s left is getting the first day jitters over and done with!  Here’s to the next few months and the next two years (for the accounting program)!

Let's Keep In Touch

I haven’t written in a long time....as I said, I am bad at this!  A few updates on how my challenges have been going.

Last month, my challenge was to be content with what I have.  I never wrote about it but we had a sermon on what we can take with us.  Our pastors have said this on multiple occasions but it is always a great reminder....”Our value comes from whose we are, not what we have.”  Another point that was brought up was that we are to act like the manager, not the owner.  We are responsible for our lives but our lives are not our own if we are a follower of Christ.

The sermon ended with a video of a family who lost their house in the fire.  It took all I had not to cry!  The husband thought he had lost both of his children because the fire came right up to the school.  When trying to get to his son, the heat of the fire burnt the hair off of his back.  Luckily he and his family were ok but their house did burn down.  The church was so supportive that they had to ask people to stop giving them gift cards.  How amazing God was in that situation!

This month, my challenge is to keep in touch with friends.  I am NOT the best with keeping in touch with people but I have so many friends outside of the state and country that I miss to death and I have no clue what is going on in their lives.  I haven’t had much success but I have definitely tried!  If you don’t hear from me during this month, don’t worry, I am trying to reach out to all of you! 

As far as the non-dating/dating scene goes...well not much to report there. 

As for learning Vietnamese...hasn’t been going well either.  I might have incentive though because one of my best friends, Duy, is getting married in December.  If he plans to get married in late December, when I have my winter break, I might just be able to go!

Oh...running is going well though!  Kind of...but I am doing a cowboy run this weekend with one of my coworkers.  I even get a free cowboy hat!