CPA

Today Matthew officially becomes a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and I am SO proud of him! 

If you remember during the summer of 2014 Matthew was among the first class at Tennessee Tech to take the "fast pass" and studied and sat for all four parts, and passed every one of them on the first try. He ended up being the only one from that class to pass all four parts that summer. It didn't come easy, and he sacrificed a lot of events that summer to study for them. He was studying anywhere from 8 to 10 hours a day, 6 to 7 days a week. We had many library date nights, celebrated with ice cream each time he passed a part and celebrated big when he got his last score in. It was a crazy, busy summer but it was worth it and I know he is SO relieved to have that behind him. If you aren't familiar with how intense the CPA exams are, most people have compared them to sitting for the bar.

So yes, we will CELEBRATE today! We started with breakfast this morning and will continue for dinner tonight before church. I ran by Panera yesterday morning and got his favorite bagel and kept it in a sealed zip lock bag to keep it fresh until this morning, because I knew if I tried to leave the apartment early this morning he would have known exactly what I was doing lol. 

I printed these off yesterday and taped them to some books this morning while he was getting ready for work...so creative, I know ;) 

Cinnamon crunch bagels toasted from Panera with plain cream cheese is his absolute favorite! And starting today he gets to add CPA to his title! We will be needing to get him some updated business cards!

Today is a big day full of celebrations in the Coats' apartment, and I am one proud wife!!

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CPA

Graduation round two

Whew! What a weekend it was. I took Friday off to spend the day with Matthew before graduation. It was so nice and I really enjoyed our day together. We had a small party for him last year but we decided this year to celebrate just the two of us. We went to one of our favorite local spots here in Cookeville, Char. We also had a fancy little giftcard. You spend $50 and get $25 off. It was so good to just sit down and eat together. We are always on the go and I feel like we never get to just slow down. Unfortunately it was too cold to eat outside but is this not the cutest little setup outside?? We have one more of those giftcards so I'm hoping to go back when it's warm enough to sit out here!

 

Matthew's older brother came in and we all played laser tag later

We got a sweet student discount, 3 games for $12. It was my first time to ever play laser tag so it took the first two games for me to get the hang of it lol

 

Saturday morning came very quickly. Graduation was at 10. My family was able to make it up here for this graduation!   Matthew was in the back right.

Matthew's twin brother also graduated!! He as an interview in Memphis in February for PT school!!

Johnson Hall is where all of his classes were and where he worked for awhile. 

Cookeville is small so we knew every restaurant would be very crowded and we had three families there. We decided to have a party back at the SOC house. We had pizza and cake!



The three grads!

It was a good day with lots of celebrating going on. Thank goodness it wasn't raining!! It was very cold though.     I am so so proud of Matthew. He has worked SO incredibly hard these past four and a half years and has done it all with unwavering persistence and a good attitude. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am truly honored and humbled to stand by his side as he accomplishes all his goals. He starts work in early January! Y'all, I am dating the best lookin' masters grad that there ever was ;)

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Graduation round two

NASHVILLE

If you are following along on Instagram then you saw last night where I announced that Matthew has accepted a position with a CPA firm in Nashville! A LOT of prayers, spreadsheets and decisions were made last week. He graduates in 59 days (WHAA) with his MBA and then starts work shortly after that! His hard work is finally paying off and I am so very proud of him! I can't wait to see how God is going to use him there and in Nashville. I also can't wait to call Nashville our home once we get married!!

Yesterday was an exciting day! It's fall break and I was able to take off from work.

So we spent the day in Nashville looking at apartments/town homes! Matthew will move to Nashville first and I'll stay in Cookeville until we get married. Once we get married I will move to Nashville with him! So, the place we rent or buy is a decision that will be made by the both of us since, Lord willing, that we be the place I move into, after we are married of course.

Talk about exciting!!!!

I still can't believe everything is coming together so quickly! We have talked about where we were going to end up for a long time. If we are being honest we were a little disappointed it wasn't Chattanooga. Matthew's older brother is there, we love the town and he really liked the accounting firm there. We really thought we would end up in Chattanooga, but that just goes to prove that God has a plan that's bigger than our own, and honestly that is so comforting to know.

We are very excited about Nashville and the opportunities we will have there. The company Matthew will be working for is GREAT, and we have heard only good things about them. He is SO excited.

We are so blessed.

We looked up places online this past weekend so we would know where to look and where to avoid. I am so glad we actually were able to see them in person. The first set of apartments were just nasty and didn't look safe. On top of that the prices for a one bedroom literally double what I pay for my one bedroom now. We knew prices would be higher in Nashville, but that definitely caught us of guard. Especially for all the extras that aren't optional.

We did tour a town home that we just fell in love with. The area it's in is nice an quiet off the main road, it looked safe and friendly. We just aren't sure if it will fit in our budget starting out.

If anything, touring it gave us plenty of motivation to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE and SAVE some more!

Please keep Matthew in your prayers as he wraps up this semester and starts this new season of life!

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NASHVILLE

Recruiting Season

Not for me but for Matthew. If your haven't been around in awhile or are new around here, let me catch you up! Matthew will be graduating in December (74 days to be exact) with his MBA in accounting. So the search has been on for a job and the interviews started a couple of weeks ago! He is doing great so far and interviewing with a lot of potential companies. It's SO exciting but SO nerve-wracking.   The other day we were talking and he told me we were going to have to sit down at the end of the interview process and talk about all of the companies and what all they have to offer. To be honest, I was a little shocked I was going to be included in the decision making process. Not that he doesn't include me in everything, but I just assumed he would make the decision. Now, he will make the final decision, obviously because this is HIS career, but he wants my opinion and I really appreciated that! He never ceases to amaze me with his thoughtfulness.   His/our decision is a huge deal! It's where he will work, where we will live (after we are married, it's not a secret that we want to get married y'all ;) ), what opportunities he will have to climb the ladder, etc. So, I am excited but also really nervous! The firms that look like they have potential so far have offices in Chattanooga, Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, and Atlanta. He is still on the front end of this process so it's pretty surreal knowing that in a month or so we could know where we will end up!   It's also a little bittersweet knowing that Matthew is graduating in December and moving to where ever he gets a job. My plan is to stay in Cookeville until we get married but I honestly don't want to think about us not living in Cookeville. Just thinking about moving from here gets me all kinds of emotional. This town hold SO much. So many people and things that are near and dear to us. It is going to break my heart moving away from here and leaving everyone/everything, but who knows we may end up back in good ole Cookeville when we retire ;)   I am SO proud of Matthew. He has handled himself very well throughout his stressful process and I know he will continue to do so. I have so much respect for that good lookin' man and not to mention love ;) I know he is going to make the right decision in whichever firm he chooses. If you don't mind saying a prayer for him through this stressful process, we'd appreciate it :)                                                      

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Recruiting Season

3 down, 1 to go!

You may have read before when I mentioned Matthew is studying and sitting for all four parts of the CPA exam this summer. He has easily put in over 200+ hours of studying so far and still has probably another 100+ to go before he is finished. Can I also add that it is VERY rare that someone even starts studying for the CPA exams before they graduate with their masters, let alone sit for them? He graduates with his master of Accounting this December and Lord willing he will be able to tell companies that he has already taken and passed all four parts of the CPA exam. There really are no words to describe how proud of him I am and all his hard work he has put in this summer. I have hated seeing him spend his last summer before he gets a big boy job stuck in the library and studying for 8+ hours a day but he knows and I do as well that it will ALL be worth it in the long run.   He took the first exam and we found out pretty soon after his scores but for some reason the second and third scores took over six weeks to come out. Talk about frustrating!!  Well, this past Saturday morning he got them and he passed the second and third parts!! He has already been studying for the last and final (hallelujah) part, and he will take it at the end of this month.   I told him with each one he passes we will celebrate small and then when he passes all four of them we will do something a little bigger. With the first one we celebrated by making ice cream sundaes at my apartment. We celebrated the second and third one with Mexican last night!!

Matthew had plans to go to munch yesterday (lunch with guy friends = munch) and they had just arrived at the Mexican restaurant and he got a call from his brother. He needed Matthew to come pick him up because his truck wouldn't start. So long story short Matthew missed out on getting to eat at his favorite Mexican restaurant. He told me while I was still at work, so I called and ordered it to go for dinner! We had planned to have chicken pot pie for dinner but why not push it back a night so we can celebrate?!?!   I told him to stay at his apartment and study until I let him know dinner is ready and that I needed to stop by the store to get some things. I told him I found a new dessert recipe that I wanted to try lol to throw him off and it worked! He was surprised and we had some delicious Mexican before his first two softballs games of the season! :)     Also, we were A LOT slower at work than we have been all year. Seriously, I took half the calls I have been since January. Praying it stays that way!!!! Monday wasn't so bad after all ;)

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3 down, 1 to go!

Study basket

I mentioned the other day that Matthew is taking a very intense class this summer. This is what his days are like:    -Wakes up at 6:00 and start reviewing/studying -Get to the library on campus when it opens (8:00 am) -4 hour lecture -1 hour lunch break (he takes a 15 min break sometime before lunch and another 15 min break sometime after lunch) -Goes back to the library after lunch to review and start on problems he is assigned. -4:00 he leaves the library (when it closes) -Goes back to his apartment and continues working on problems that are due the next day -Takes an hour for dinner -Goes back to working on problems/studying -8:30-9:00 pm he completes all his assigned work for the day  

 panorama view of the study room he reserves everyday   By the time 9:00 rolls around he is exhausted and ready for bed so he isn't dragging the next morning at 6:00 am. I hate he is having to spend his last summer of college cooped up in the library studying all day but he knows and I know it will be definitely worth it for him in his career and future.   He sits for the first part of the CPA exam on EXACTLY 14 days!!!! He is already nervous but I KNOW he is going to pass with flying colors. Matthew is a really good test taker, I personally am a little jealous of that (I am horrible at taking tests). I thought about making him a "study basket" last week, I made a list of possible things he would need/would like and went with it!   -A notebook -Red pens -Yellow highlighters -His favorite gum -Mints -Grape flavored drink mix (supposed to help boost energy) -Cookie dough bites -Fudge brownie bites -Sticky notes -Post it strips

  I bought a small black canvas tote, $4 at Wal Mart to put his study treats in so he could actually use the tote after he empties it and it matches the maroon and black color scheme he has going on in his room!

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Study basket

6 ways to encourage & support your significant other




Today starts a big day for Matthew. Well the beginning of this year did actually. Matthew starts the MBA program at Tech today.Not only is he starting the MBA program and taking a FULL load but has been and will continue to study and sit for all four parts of the CPA exam. I am so proud of him and can't wait to see him reach all his goals and Lord willing I will be able to do so by his side. With that being said I want to make sure I encourage him and support him in every way I can and not just in this next year but always. Sometimes I worry about this, maybe I'm not doing enough or maybe I am adding to his already stressed days. So with all that being said I have been thinking of some ways to help support and encourage him. No we are not married and no we are not engaged but I think it is important for people to encourage and support their boyfriend/girlfriend even before engagement and marriage. Many people just want to be in a relationship but they don't understand what all a relationship involves. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my relationship with Matthew for a single thing in this world but it takes work and commitment. I know marriage takes a lot more and there is a lot more involved with marriage but I believe relationships take work and effort as well. It prepares you for marriage in some ways. Just like I believe you can't REALLY know someone in just a year or two and then decide to get married without running into complications, this coming May will mark 4 years with Matthew and to this day I am still learning different things about him, but that's for another post and day! After thinking about all of this I have decided that I want to do something small for Matthew at least once a week. I don't really want to put a limit on this but I know that some weeks will be busier than others so I might not get the chance to do more than one thing a week.   Here are just a few different ways to encourage/support/show that you care or are thinking of him without breaking the bank.   1.Pray for them Prayer is huge.The first thing I do when my alarm goes off is pray for Matthew. I pray for his day, I pray he doesn't get too stressed out and I pray he feels encouraged not only by me but by others and I pray for his studies and tests if he has any that day.   2. Notes.  If you don't want to spend money this is probably the easiest and cheapest thing you can do to encourage your significant other and it doesn't take but maybe 5-10 minutes! Just write a small note to encourage them, thank them for being a great example, tell them that you appreciate them and love them, etc. I left Matthew a note in his book he was studying out of a couple of weeks ago and just let him find it when he was studying and he really appreciated it. Of course I was DYING for him to hurry and find it and when he did I was just about as happy as a kid in a candy store.   3. Listen. Sometimes I just need to sit there and listen about his day without interrupting or waiting for him to finish his sentence so I can tell him about mine. So just sit there and listen, REALLY listen. No phones, no computer and no TV distracting you and respond back at the appropriate time with heartfelt responses.   4.Tell them you appreciate them. You could write this in their note but nothing says I love you more than telling them in person that you appreciate them and all the hard work they are doing.   5. Take care of dinner Matthew will be spending his days this year 1.) In class 2.) Working on campus 3.) Studying for classes + the CPA exam's so he's not going to have much free time. I have been working on meal planning for the up coming week on Saturday or Sunday nights. We usually eat dinner together every night either at my apt or his apt. So I need to focus on what we are going to have for dinner more instead of relying on him to do it. No, I'm not his mom or wife and yes, he is very capable of fixing his own meals but it will take some stress away if I can help in that department more.   6. Be their biggest fan Let them know that you support them and their goals. Celebrate different milestones/accomplishments together. Whether it be passing a test or the class or getting a GA position. When Matthew found out he had been offered a Graduate Assistantship position at Tech we celebrated with dinner and a movie but you don't always have to do dinner and a movie to celebrate. There are plenty of things to do such as getting frozen yogurt, movie night at you apt/house, making their favorite dessert, etc.   I am so proud of Matthew and I can't wait to be able to continue encouraging/supporting him in the future for all of the milestones he will come to. I am always looking for new ways to encourage/support him so if you have any ideas let me know!! :) Happy Thursday friends! 

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6 ways to encourage & support your significant other

HE DID IT

Matthew graduated!!!! This post is WAY overdue but I still wanted to share with y'all about Matthew's big day.    Friday night I threw a small graduation party for him at my apartment and my two best friends came up for the party and spent the night. After everyone left that night we ran to Big O's to get donuts for breakfast the next morning. Matthew's loves donuts just about as much as I love them so I got him some because I knew he wouldn't eat anything the morning of his graduation because he would be too nervous. We drove over to his apartment and had donuts and milk :) and of course I had to snap a picture!!

 

and off to graduation we went! (Kathleen did my hair for my and I loved it!)

  Matthew's parents got there earlier than we did and saved seats. Graduation started at 10 and by time we got there at 8:45 a lot of seats were already saved!! Matthew had to go check in and get lined up and we sat and waited and then found him in line and made a couple of pictures...   Nathan will be graduating next December!

 

 

 

 

and then 10:00 rolled around :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew's family

 

Matthew with his brothers.

 

So stinkin good looking :)

Matthew is a member of Beta Alpha Psi at Tech.

 

 

 

After graduation we snapped a few pictures and then headed to lunch to celebrate!

We went to a delicious Italian restaurant here in Cookeville.

 

 

 

On December 14, 2013 Matthew became a Tennessee Tech alumnus after three and a half short years. Words can't describe how proud I am of him. Seeing him walk across the stage in his cap and gown is something I'll always remember. You might say I'm his biggest fan, and I am truly honored and humbled to stand by him as he reaches all his goals. Lord willing we will be back there again as he is receiving his masters degree. I sure do love my accountant!! 

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HE DID IT