Original post from: Curated by Kirsten
I did it. Grad school is over. It feels a bit surreal – I can’t believe this long road of education is finally over!
I took a few days off from the blog during this time so I could finish the semester strong and enjoy the time with my family at my graduation. Clearly, my method worked! I finished off my semester with a 3.6 GPA, which I’m really proud of, and spent some much needed time sleeping, relaxing by the pool, and trying to de-stress.
Now that I’m coming back around to post-graduation reality, I’m planning out how I am going to have my most productive summer possible. After all, I’ve got a lot to finish in this last summer of freedom.
I start work for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Phoenix in September. One of the perks of studying accounting is definitely having that job offer well in advance. (Feel free to message me with any questions about my studies!) For those of you who don’t know, PwC is one of the big 4 public accounting firms and we provide a variety of services to large clients like Ping and Disney! The Big 4 Accounting Firms are notoriously known for having hectic busy seasons that can last months after year-end. Maybe I’m a bit anxious for work to start and nervous that I won’t be able to keep up with my blog. So, I’m coming up with a plan, starting with this summer.
What’s the game plan, you ask?
STUDY FOR THE CPA EXAM
The first thing I need to accomplish this summer is finishing (or getting as close as possible to finishing) my four sections of the CPA exam. Notoriously known for being one of the hardest professional exams to pass, I start my review courses in less than two weeks (yikes!). If everything goes well, I’ll be done by the end of August. Wish me luck and send snacks.
With this out of the way, I can spend my weekends creating more content and traveling back and forth to Tucson, since my boyfriend will be staying here for a bit.
GET BACK IN SHAPE
Lately, I’ve been going to Orangetheory Fitness classes twice a week and trying to get two other workouts in during the week. Catch my Instagram stories for more info on Orangetheory and stay tuned for a review soon! I really let my workout routine slide in grad school, so I’m working really hard to get back into shape. I’m hoping I can establish a good routine before I start work. I think a good workout is key to self-care, since working out can lead to less stress, better sleep, and overall better health.
FINISH MY TUCSON FOODIE BUCKET LIST
I love eating and I really love eating in Tucson. We have amazing restaurants and I want to make sure I can get to those last few places on my list before I leave!
FINISH MY BLOG EDITORIAL CALENDAR
In order to keep this blog up and running while I’m working, I’m spending a lot of time planning out the blog as far as I can in advance. I may have to post a little less, but the plan is to do a lot of the grunt work this summer. If you want to have a say in my content, definitely follow me on Twitter and Instagram to vote in my content polls!
RELAX
Since this is my last summer before I start working full time, it’s definitely time to celebrate and relax. If there is any way to celebrate this occassion: it’s with wine.
Getting six bottles of delicious wine delivered to my apartment front door was really a good way to kick off the celebrations. I’m no wine connoisseur, but I know good wine when I taste it. Cameron Hughes Wine is perfect for those out there like me; it’s all about what’s inside the bottle.
It’s just high quality wine at affordable prices. If you’ve heard of companies like Warby Parker or Everlane, Cameron Hughes is doing the same for the wine industry. It’s one of the few Direct-To-Consumer wine brands, meaning they source and sell direct to the customer. That’s how they’re able to provide great wine at such a reasonable price!
Personally, the Riesling was my favorite. It wasn’t too sweet and was the perfect wine to enjoy in the summer heat. The Chardonnays were also nice to enjoy with a light summer dinner. I do love red wines, but in the Arizona heat, white wines are perfect!
Want to try it for yourself? You can get free shipping when you purchase 3 bottles of wine with the code INEEDWINE18 on their website!
To celebrate the end of the semester, I got together with two local Tucson blogger babes to enjoy some wine and take some photos by the pool. After all, is there a better way to relax than with sunshine and wine?
