decisions, decisions

Where to live? Where to work? What to do? How long to do it?

With another milestone soon to be passing by, general planning for the time after it comes to mind. I only have a mere handful of classes remaining between me and my undergraduate graduation this December. After, I plan to intern for part or all of the spring of 2010 with an accounting firm in Birmingham. Summer 2010 is rather up in the air; there are opportunities for other types of internships and work out there, and I may also be preparing for a graduate MTA program somewhere in the southeast before possibly going back to work in tax accounting for a time.

Stephanie may be graduating next spring, but if an option changes, she may be graduating in December along with me. That is where the living arrangements' decision comes into play: our housing will no longer be covered after our joint graduation, so we will need to strike out and find our own apartment or small house to rent for a while. She will be working as an ESL tutor with the Tuscaloosa County school system for the next school year, so we will at least be staying in the general Tuscaloosa-Birmingham, AL area during that time. After that, our location will depend on the location of graduate-level programs and other job options.

Right now though, we are just plugging away and working with what we have. I am taking one class, Finance 302 (my second-to-last graduation requirement for my major), and continuing to work at the University Press. Stephanie is working her Mary Kay business and enjoying some more flex time than usual at home. This weekend we are planning on going camping. We have neighbors now, and we are hoping to have them over for dessert or dinner at some point soon. Since I will not be rowing competitively this fall, we are looking forward to having that practice and competition time to work out and spend time together.

It's 10:00pm though, and we have been shooting to get up around 6:00am each morning to go work out at the rec center, after which we come home to some quiet time/Bible study together. We are wrapping up our second week of this schedule format, and it has been wonderful starting the days together.