An Announcement regarding Busy Season

So friends, here we go.  I’ve been putting this announcement off for a while.  Part of me thought that I wouldn’t do it justice.  The other part of me felt bad.  I mean, I started this blog to help myself (and you guys!) get through the typical Big 4 Busy Season… and now?  Well you’ve probably noted an increase in wedding posts, and a decrease in “Surviving Busy Season” posts.  (deemed reasonable.  wfp.  audit jokes anyone??)  Anyway…

…I’m not working for the Big 4 anymore.

Yes, friends, it’s true.  In November I made the decision to leave my job as a public accountant, and have since joined with a large public cable company headquartered in Philadelphia.  (You may have heard of it…)

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I got a job at “Kabletown”in their Internal Reporting group.  It’s a great job, as I loved the financial reporting period during our audits.  And while I’m not quite working for Jack Donaghy, I’m still so happy here in Kabletown.  Everyone is so nice (my manager allowed me to take time off around the holidays, even though I didn’t have any vacation time accrued!), the benefits are amazing, and my work-life balance is vastly improved.

Speaking of work-life balance…  I know that of the like 5 visitors I get to my blog, most of them are looking for posts regarding Busy Season.  For now, you all can visit the posts I’ve written about Surviving Busy Season, here.  And I promise that I’ll add more healthy recipes and other tips for surviving.  Regular Corporate America is n0t much different than Public Accounting, we just don’t have to bring dinner.   I’m still struggling to work out in the morning, and bring my lunch – and eat healthy dinners for that matter!  (In fact I think I took better care of myself last busy season than I did for the rest of the year!)

And I know there are a lot of you out there going “But you were barely a senior!  You should have stayed until Manager!”  Trust me, you weren’t alone in thinking that.  Or saying it to me.  But guys, I just wasn’t happy.  Busy season turned into an almost year-round event for me, and I didn’t have any time to live.  I needed to make a change, so I did. 

I want to go into more detail about how and when and why to quit a job, but I’ll work that into another post.  For now, just know that you can make a change in your life without spontaneously combusting.  (This is something that I struggled with for a long time.)  And if you’re looking for inspiration, check this out.  I saw this post from Carrots n Cake highlighting the Holstee Manifesto when I was still thinking about quitting, and it really spoke to me.  I hope it speaks to you too

If all the snowflakes were candy bars and milkshakes…

…maybe I wouldn’t hate the snow so much.

Guys.  It’s snowing.  Again.

I used to love living in Pennsylvania (and before that, I loved living right across the river in New Jersey).  While it gets humid in the summer, it’s never completely unbearable like humidity in Florida.  And while it would get cold in the winter, it was never like living in Syracuse.

In fact, while I fell in love with Chicago when we visited in 2009, I refused to move there because it was just too darn cold.

(Chicago isn’t cold in September though.  I miss it!  I also miss my short hair.  *sigh*)

I thought we were in the perfect Mid-Atlantic Climate.  Until last winter.  And then this happened:

It started snowing.  And it snowed all winter.  And then this winter it started snowing again.  And it hasn’t really stopped since.

(and that’s just what accumulated on my walk home!)

So I wanted to share with you what’s helped me get through it, in case any of you are in the same boat [errr... snowstorm].

1) Dreaming of warmth: Robert and I recently booked our honeymoon for Antigua!  (I’m trying to get him to write a Wedding Wednesday post about how we booked it!  Encourage him!) Looking at pictures like this make me feel warmer inside.

2)  Drinking in warmth: you guys know that I love a good cup of tea.  This week I’ve been feeling under the weather and all I want to do is drink warm things.  To avoid overdosing on tea, I’ve also been drinking hot water with a lemon slice soaked in it.  It’s been so warm and comforting!  I have to give Mama Pea credit for inspiring this idea.

3) Speaking of Lemons: Robert and I have been OBSESSED with 30 Rock lately.  We’ve worked our way through the whole series once, and we’re now going back through it.  It seemed dumb at first (I mean really dumb!) but now you see that it’s just goofy fun.  And the show is actually fairly nuanced, in that we’re picking up on hilarious things now that we totally missed the first time through.  Plus the inside jokes they weave throughout all the episodes and seasons give the show great continuity.  30 Rock is best enjoyed while under a warm blanket with a cup of tea.

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4) Getting lost in a book: I can’t remember if I mentioned that I got the Nook for Christmas?  Well, I did.  Thanks, Santa!  This baby is amazing.  We got snowed in while visiting Robert’s family after Christmas, and it was so nice to have books at my fingertips, since I hadn’t brought any other form of entertainment.  There’s nothing like getting lost in a book to take your mind off of the reality of the Arctic Tundra forming outside!  So far I’ve read The Book Thief, Heaven is for Real, a few popcorn/chick-lit books, and now I’m mid-way through Shanghai Girls.  I strongly suggest reading The Book Thief (I’m serious, this is my new favorite book), and Shanghai Girls seems to be really good so far!  Clearly I have a thing for historical fiction.

And I know (I know!) people have issues with e-Readers.  I was one of those people for a while.  But being able to have all of these books at my fingertips has been clutch while I’ve been either snowed in, or just too darn cold to go to the book store!   Plus, look how pretty it is

What do you do to stay warm in the winter?  Any suggestions are appreciated!

Wedding Wednesday–Keeping it real

I have a confession to make.  And while I try not to sugar coat things around here, I’m sure you noticed that sometimes I don’t post as often as usual, or I skate around certain things that go on in my life (yes, I still owe you all an announcement…)  But now, I gotta keep it real.

Lately, wedding planning just hasn’t been fun anymore.

Ever since the first of the year, I’ve felt this pressure on my shoulders about the wedding.  “Oh my gosh, it’s 4 months away. We must do this-and-this-and-this.”  And since the invitations are going out, it’s been a mess of determining the guest list, nitpicking about the color of the paper, and whether to hire a calligrapher or get the envelopes printed.  And I’m trying to be nice.  But gosh, guys, it’s so hard to please everybody all the time!  (yes, yes, DUH cass)

And YES I know that these things are not important in the grand scheme of things.  Whether the invitation is on ivory paper or white paper does not dictate whether or not Robert and I will have a great marriage. 

But lately I’ve been consumed with wedding planning.  All I can think of is the wedding.  When I’m not thinking about the invitations, I’m thinking about the place cards.  And when I’m not thinking about the place cards, I’m thinking about my bridesmaids’ accessories.  And when I’m not thinking about my bridesmaids’ accessories… well you get the idea. 

And… well, I had this lovely vision of all my closest friends and my mom and my future sister and mother in law all joining hands and singing lovely songs about my lovely wedding.  But they all have their own lives, and their own weddings, and their own thoughts in their head that might not always revolve around my wedding.  And that’s ok.  But sometimes I feel a little lonely.  And it’s hard sometimes to elaborate how I picture certain aspects of the wedding, so I end up bickering with some of the closest women in my life.  And really… the place cards aren’t worth it. 

Anyway what I’m trying to say is that while a lot of people warned me of burning out on wedding planning, I never expected it to happen to me.  I just keep wishing that it was over already – and I hate that I have been thinking that.  I need to step back for a little while, and focus on what this is all about – our marriage.  I know that regardless of what my head is thinking, my heart feels the love that’s all around me, and I know that I am blessed.  I only plan on doing this once, so I need to focus on the present and enjoy this special time.

So I hope that you all understand if I’m not constantly providing wedding updates.  I’m really excited to share all the details with you, but I need a breather.   I hope you can forgive me

Have you ever gotten burned out by planning an event?  Any tips for surviving would be appreciated!

p.s. thank God for a practical wedding.  I can’t write as well as meg or alyssa or lauren, but they know how to get me through this mess.  I highly recommend stopping by this amazing site for answers to… everything.  I might not be feeling so sane right now, but I can only imagine how I’d feel had I never found APW.