If you've got children, especially older children, then this post won't mean much to you. However, if you are child-less like me, then you've probably never considered these questions. As part of our preparation for hosting a foreign exchange student, we were asked to fill out an Expectations worksheet. After reading through the whole thing, I’ve come to the conclusion that either 1) We are incredibly laid-back people or 2) Normal host parents are somewhat uptight. Or maybe it’s both. Or maybe something in-between! I’d like you to ponder how you would answer the following questions:
1) What chores are students expected to do?
2) Does student need permission to stay after school?
3) Is there a curfew?
4) Who pays for the student when the family goes out to dinner?
5) Who pays for the student for school activities and sports, when there is a fee?
6) Is the student allowed to have friends visit the home?
7) Will the student be expected to participate in the family's holiday plans?
8) Who sets table, clears table, does dishes, cooks, meals?
9) Are there set days when laundry is to be done?
10) What are the appropriate times for phone calls?
11) Is there a time limit on the computer?
12) Can the student put pictures on their wall?
13) Is there a limit on showers?
I need all of you to stop what you're doing and listen.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
It's a Small World!
We received an email today from our German foreign exchange student's parents. It was very nice to make contact with them for the first time! They expressed how pleased they were with the fact that Jeremiah and I would be hosting their daughter for a semester in America. They sent us a couple of pictures of their family. One of them was from a trip they took to a beach in Holland. I wrote back and told them how neat it was to see a picture from Holland since that's where my dad was born. After a few more exchanges, we discovered that our student's mom was born in a town (Geleen) just 20 miles from where my dad was born (Maastricht) in Holland. How neat is that? She still has family in Geleen, and my dad believes we do as well. I can't wait to learn more about their family, and welcome their daughter into ours. It is, indeed, a small world.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
I Heart Jon Stewart
If you've never watched an episode of The Daily Show, you are missing out. Jon Stewart is an incredibly funny, witty broadcaster. He has very intriguing guests on his show, and isn't afraid to ask them tough questions. (If you don't believe me, just get up to speed on the Jim Cramer interviews). He's also not afraid to poke fun at the stupid things going on in the world. If this is where your cynical side comes out ("He's such a Liberal and all he does is make fun of Bush") - you're wrong. He is equally critical of anything and everything, if the situation calls for it. Still don't believe me? Watch this clip. It's well worth 5 minutes of your time.
The initial motivation behind writing this post came after reading an interview he did with Sojourner's Magazine. The transcript can be found here. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from that interview:
"One of the things that’s very important to everybody here is to write jokes about the subjects you actually care about, because it makes going to work worthwhile....there are very strong emotions that fuel the comedy for us, and that’s what makes it exciting for us—and hopefully makes it interesting for the audience."
"Religion makes sense to me. I have trouble with dogma more than I have trouble with religion. I think the best thing religion does is give people a sense of place, purpose, and compassion. My quibble with it is when it’s described as the only way to have those things instilled. You can be moral and not be religious, you can be compassionate, you can be empathetic—you can have all those wonderful qualities. When it begins to be judged as purely based on religion, then you’re suggesting a world where Star Jones goes to heaven but Gandhi doesn’t."
"Like anything else that’s that powerful—that is touching that deep into the epicenter of the human psyche and our fears, it can be misused. I’m probably much more responsive in a bad way to dogma and to extremism than to religion. When people say things like, “I found God and that helped me stop drinking,” I say, “Great! More power to you. Just know that some people stop drinking without it.” It’s when it gets into the realm of “This is the only way to salvation”—that’s when I think, “Okay, now we’re getting into a problem.”"
All in all I think Jon Stewart is a very insightful, intelligent person who has found a way to get me interested in politics, and national and world-wide issues. If you can educate me and make me laugh at the same time, then you're pretty kick-ass. Just sayin'.
The initial motivation behind writing this post came after reading an interview he did with Sojourner's Magazine. The transcript can be found here. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from that interview:
"One of the things that’s very important to everybody here is to write jokes about the subjects you actually care about, because it makes going to work worthwhile....there are very strong emotions that fuel the comedy for us, and that’s what makes it exciting for us—and hopefully makes it interesting for the audience."
"Religion makes sense to me. I have trouble with dogma more than I have trouble with religion. I think the best thing religion does is give people a sense of place, purpose, and compassion. My quibble with it is when it’s described as the only way to have those things instilled. You can be moral and not be religious, you can be compassionate, you can be empathetic—you can have all those wonderful qualities. When it begins to be judged as purely based on religion, then you’re suggesting a world where Star Jones goes to heaven but Gandhi doesn’t."
"Like anything else that’s that powerful—that is touching that deep into the epicenter of the human psyche and our fears, it can be misused. I’m probably much more responsive in a bad way to dogma and to extremism than to religion. When people say things like, “I found God and that helped me stop drinking,” I say, “Great! More power to you. Just know that some people stop drinking without it.” It’s when it gets into the realm of “This is the only way to salvation”—that’s when I think, “Okay, now we’re getting into a problem.”"
All in all I think Jon Stewart is a very insightful, intelligent person who has found a way to get me interested in politics, and national and world-wide issues. If you can educate me and make me laugh at the same time, then you're pretty kick-ass. Just sayin'.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Those Three Little Letters Are Expensive!
Someone was telling me recently how much money they had spent on the CPA exam. It's reached the thousands for them because they have had to take a couple sections multiple times. It got me thinking about how much I've spent over the past couple of years on gaining my certification and keeping it. The process starts with an Application of Intent, $50. Then there's an Eligibility Application for each section at $15 a pop, or $60. Then there's an exam fee per Section, as follows:
AUD - $226.28
BEC - $178.58
FAR - $214.35
REG - $190.50
If you passed every section on the first try, you've now invested $919.71. That assumes you didn't use any study materials along the way. The likelihood of that is slim! At a minimum, you can buy self-study books from Gleim for $45/each. This is the route I took, so I invested about $180 in preparatory materials. Most people prefer to also use audio CDs, online resources, and/or classroom instruction due to the level of difficulty of the exam. You can buy a packaged set of written, audio, and online materials from Gleim for $989.95, or use the popular Becker program for $2,825. That's quite a bit of dough. Depending on your choice, your total investment now ranges from $1100 to $3700.
I passed each section on the first try, so my investment is probably pretty close to the minimum mandatory amount it takes. If you consider passing rates for each section, there aren't many folks who got off as "easy" as I did. In 2008, the passing rates were LESS THAN 50% on each section. So now add again the cost of the Eligibility Application and exam fee for each part that you failed and must re-take. Yes, you have to pay those fees again for every attempt. There's really no limit to the potential cost now! In addition, this whole process has to be completed in 18 months or less, or you start losing credit for parts you've already passed.
When you finally receive word that you've passed all four parts and can officially put the worry of the exam behind you, there's still more to do! You next have to submit an Application for Issuance of the CPA Certificate ($55). Once that's approved, and you're certified, your licensing fee is $240 (and has to be paid yearly). If only that were the end of it! In order to keep your license, you have to complete 40 hours of CPE a year. Of course, each CPE credit costs something. Expect to spend anywhere between $200 and $1000 each year to fulfill this requirement. And don't forget to join a professional organization! Membership in the AICPA costs about $200/year.
As you can tell, becoming and staying a CPA requires a very large monetary (and time) commitment. In most cases, if you are currently employed during this process, your employer will reimburse these costs. But, that's usually only after you're completely finished, and usually only for one attempt at everything. It makes me wonder if any potential CPAs shy away from the process for strictly monetary reasons.
AUD - $226.28
BEC - $178.58
FAR - $214.35
REG - $190.50
If you passed every section on the first try, you've now invested $919.71. That assumes you didn't use any study materials along the way. The likelihood of that is slim! At a minimum, you can buy self-study books from Gleim for $45/each. This is the route I took, so I invested about $180 in preparatory materials. Most people prefer to also use audio CDs, online resources, and/or classroom instruction due to the level of difficulty of the exam. You can buy a packaged set of written, audio, and online materials from Gleim for $989.95, or use the popular Becker program for $2,825. That's quite a bit of dough. Depending on your choice, your total investment now ranges from $1100 to $3700.
I passed each section on the first try, so my investment is probably pretty close to the minimum mandatory amount it takes. If you consider passing rates for each section, there aren't many folks who got off as "easy" as I did. In 2008, the passing rates were LESS THAN 50% on each section. So now add again the cost of the Eligibility Application and exam fee for each part that you failed and must re-take. Yes, you have to pay those fees again for every attempt. There's really no limit to the potential cost now! In addition, this whole process has to be completed in 18 months or less, or you start losing credit for parts you've already passed.
When you finally receive word that you've passed all four parts and can officially put the worry of the exam behind you, there's still more to do! You next have to submit an Application for Issuance of the CPA Certificate ($55). Once that's approved, and you're certified, your licensing fee is $240 (and has to be paid yearly). If only that were the end of it! In order to keep your license, you have to complete 40 hours of CPE a year. Of course, each CPE credit costs something. Expect to spend anywhere between $200 and $1000 each year to fulfill this requirement. And don't forget to join a professional organization! Membership in the AICPA costs about $200/year.
As you can tell, becoming and staying a CPA requires a very large monetary (and time) commitment. In most cases, if you are currently employed during this process, your employer will reimburse these costs. But, that's usually only after you're completely finished, and usually only for one attempt at everything. It makes me wonder if any potential CPAs shy away from the process for strictly monetary reasons.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Komen 5K Weekend Wrap-up
This past weekend was fantabulous! I participated in the Komen 5K in Plano on Saturday morning. If you've never participated in a Susan G Komen race, I highly recommend you do so. Being around tens of thousands of excited, positive people with a common purpose is a wonderful experience. In past races, I've completed the 5K through a combination of running and walking. This time around, I ran the entire way with my best friend Jenn by my side! She kept me motivated and I'm sure I wouldn't have done it without her. Her mom is a survivor (Yes!) and we ran in celebration of her.
A lot more of my family and friends participated in this race as well. Our group consisted of my mom Peggy, my dad Jack, my sister Jo, her husband Trey, their daughter Livy, and our friends Emily, Sarah, David, Ryan, Rachel, Audrey, and Becca. What a great group!
I can't wait for the next race! It'll be in Dallas in October. I'll be there, and I'd love for you to join me!
After the race, we grabbed some lunch at Paradise Bakery and headed over to Jo's house for some relaxation by the pool. The kiddos loved the water and provided us with some great entertainment!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Silence is Acceptance
I read an article in the New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof. It can be found here. It relays the tragic reality of mass rape being used as an element of warfare. For instance, it's estimated that during the civil war in Liberia (1989-2003), as many as 75% of women were raped. The real point of the article, though, is the fact that mass rape persists even after wars end.
Kristof shares statistics about the incidence of rape in Liberia since the end of the war - a survey in 2007 showed that 12% of girls 17 and under had been sexually assaulted sometime over the previous 18 months. He also introduces us to a 7-year old girl, who is living in a shelter for survivors of sexual violence. She was raped by a security guard at her school. Her situation is alarmingly common. Between January and April, Doctors Without Borders in Liberia treated 275 new sexual violence cases. About 60% of these women were under age 13 (28% were under age 5). This disgusts me.
I'm not alone in these feelings. Discover Magazine blogger Sheril Kirshenbaum read the article and was moved enough to take action. She's starting an initiative called "Silence is the Enemy." Her goals are to raise funds and raise awareness, in hopes of bringing an end to the rape and abuse of women around the world. Read her story here. She's asking for donations to be made to Doctors Without Borders. She starts by sharing her very personal story of being sexually assaulted. She never expected to blog about it, but she realized the power of her words and influence. She wanted to speak for those who couldn't. In summary, her campaign's purpose is to say "1) this is happening 2) it’s completely monstrous, and 3) we want change."
I'd like to join her cause. So here goes....One night when I was in high school, I was sexually assaulted. I was waiting for my mom to pick me up from the dry cleaner's where I worked. I sat in a chair behind the counter, chatting with the owner. He asked when my mom would be coming, and I told him she'd be there shortly. He came up behind me and put his arms on my shoulders. I immediately felt uncomfortable, but didn't know what to do. He started squeezing my shoulders, in what I felt was a sorta creepy manner. But, he was foreign, so my first thought was maybe he just didn't understand the "American taboo" of invading someone's personal space. Plus, he was my boss, so I didn't want to react harshly. I kept hoping and hoping I'd see my mom's headlights in the window so I could just avoid this awkward situation altogether. And that's when it happened. The owner stuck his hand down the front of my shirt. I jumped up and yelled, "No!" I headed towards the front door as quickly as I could, and my mom was just pulling up. I got in the car in silence. I was in shock. We drove home and I went straight to my room. I didn't know if I should tell someone, or keep it to myself. I was embarrassed. Did I display some sort of behavior that warranted his action? Was it my fault? Replaying the feeling of his hand on my breast almost made me throw up. I started crying and called my boyfriend. I told him what happened and he immediately made me tell my parents. It wasn't an easy conversation to have. They decided the best plan of action was to call the police and file a report. When an officer arrived, I had to relay the uncomfortable story again. I don't know why, but I felt shame. Why was I the one feeling this way? I didn't do anything wrong. I never returned to that job, and I tried to forget the whole situation. When the officer called me in the subsequent weeks, I didn't return his calls. Somehow I thought my best response would be to just pretend it didn't happen. I'm not going to lie, there have definitely been long periods of time where I haven't thought about this experience, and had successfully "forgotten" about it, albeit temporarily. But there have also been too many times where the memory has entered my head and brought that sick feeling back to my stomach. I guess I was "lucky" that my experience wasn't worse though. I can't even imagine the emotional and physical trauma that some women have experienced as a result of their sexual abuse.
I fear there are an enormous amount of unreported sexual assaults in this country, and in the rest of the world. I fear stories like mine, and stories much harsher than mine, are more common than we realize. But that's because we keep quiet. Silence is indeed the enemy. So, I'm fighting back. I'm following Sheril Kirshenbaum's lead. I'm no longer silent. I urge you to get motivated and act. I'll be donating to Doctors Without Borders, and visiting Sheril's page often to keep my thoughts on the goal.
Kristof shares statistics about the incidence of rape in Liberia since the end of the war - a survey in 2007 showed that 12% of girls 17 and under had been sexually assaulted sometime over the previous 18 months. He also introduces us to a 7-year old girl, who is living in a shelter for survivors of sexual violence. She was raped by a security guard at her school. Her situation is alarmingly common. Between January and April, Doctors Without Borders in Liberia treated 275 new sexual violence cases. About 60% of these women were under age 13 (28% were under age 5). This disgusts me.
I'm not alone in these feelings. Discover Magazine blogger Sheril Kirshenbaum read the article and was moved enough to take action. She's starting an initiative called "Silence is the Enemy." Her goals are to raise funds and raise awareness, in hopes of bringing an end to the rape and abuse of women around the world. Read her story here. She's asking for donations to be made to Doctors Without Borders. She starts by sharing her very personal story of being sexually assaulted. She never expected to blog about it, but she realized the power of her words and influence. She wanted to speak for those who couldn't. In summary, her campaign's purpose is to say "1) this is happening 2) it’s completely monstrous, and 3) we want change."
I'd like to join her cause. So here goes....One night when I was in high school, I was sexually assaulted. I was waiting for my mom to pick me up from the dry cleaner's where I worked. I sat in a chair behind the counter, chatting with the owner. He asked when my mom would be coming, and I told him she'd be there shortly. He came up behind me and put his arms on my shoulders. I immediately felt uncomfortable, but didn't know what to do. He started squeezing my shoulders, in what I felt was a sorta creepy manner. But, he was foreign, so my first thought was maybe he just didn't understand the "American taboo" of invading someone's personal space. Plus, he was my boss, so I didn't want to react harshly. I kept hoping and hoping I'd see my mom's headlights in the window so I could just avoid this awkward situation altogether. And that's when it happened. The owner stuck his hand down the front of my shirt. I jumped up and yelled, "No!" I headed towards the front door as quickly as I could, and my mom was just pulling up. I got in the car in silence. I was in shock. We drove home and I went straight to my room. I didn't know if I should tell someone, or keep it to myself. I was embarrassed. Did I display some sort of behavior that warranted his action? Was it my fault? Replaying the feeling of his hand on my breast almost made me throw up. I started crying and called my boyfriend. I told him what happened and he immediately made me tell my parents. It wasn't an easy conversation to have. They decided the best plan of action was to call the police and file a report. When an officer arrived, I had to relay the uncomfortable story again. I don't know why, but I felt shame. Why was I the one feeling this way? I didn't do anything wrong. I never returned to that job, and I tried to forget the whole situation. When the officer called me in the subsequent weeks, I didn't return his calls. Somehow I thought my best response would be to just pretend it didn't happen. I'm not going to lie, there have definitely been long periods of time where I haven't thought about this experience, and had successfully "forgotten" about it, albeit temporarily. But there have also been too many times where the memory has entered my head and brought that sick feeling back to my stomach. I guess I was "lucky" that my experience wasn't worse though. I can't even imagine the emotional and physical trauma that some women have experienced as a result of their sexual abuse.
I fear there are an enormous amount of unreported sexual assaults in this country, and in the rest of the world. I fear stories like mine, and stories much harsher than mine, are more common than we realize. But that's because we keep quiet. Silence is indeed the enemy. So, I'm fighting back. I'm following Sheril Kirshenbaum's lead. I'm no longer silent. I urge you to get motivated and act. I'll be donating to Doctors Without Borders, and visiting Sheril's page often to keep my thoughts on the goal.
Friday, April 3, 2009
A Little Too Much Excitement for Me
I'm not sure why this event popped up in my memory recently, but I figured it was an interesting enough story to share, even this far after the fact. While I was attending Texas Tech in Lubbock, I worked at a mortgage company. It was located on the outskirts of town, near 82nd & Ave F. It was a pretty industrial area, so each building was like a mini-warehouse. Next door to us was a paging/answering service company, and next door to them was Wylie Propane. My coworkers and I always joked about how it probably wasn't safe working near a propane plant. Boy, were we right!
I was sitting in my office one day, when my boss came charging through the back door of the building. He flew down the hallway, and as he passed by my office he yelled, "Get out now! The propane plant is on fire!" I remember sitting there for one second, as his words sunk in, and then the rush of panic I felt when I realized what he said. As I started to get up, I saw my coworker Amanda running after him. I grabbed my purse and followed suit.
As I ran out the front door of the building, I immediately felt the heat of the fire. The sound was pretty deafening too. I, along with my coworkers and other people from the buildings nearby, sprinted as fast as we could through the vacant field that was across from our offices. Everytime we stopped to look back, someone would yell that we were still too close. When we got to a distance that we felt was safe, all we could do was sit and watch.
Wylie is a propane distributor, so this location had pallet after pallet of personal sized 5 gallon propane tanks. There had to be thousands of them. They also had two enormous 18,000 gallon tanks on-site that stored propane. Their entire building was engulfed in flames, along with everything else on their property. The small canisters would catch fire and explode, and become dangerous projectiles. We could see them flying through the air, hitting neighborhood businesses, with some landing in the field not too far from us. We all just sat there in disbelief, as the fire became massive. It was incredible.
Considering how large and dangerous the fire was, we didn't hold out much hope that the fire fighters could extinguish it before it spread to nearby buildings. We just really hoped the huge storage tanks wouldn't explode, or the damage would've been exponentially greater. To get an idea of how massive this fire was, check out this video. The fire reached this magnitude very quickly. The building adjacent to the fire is the communications company (with the red roof), and I was in the building next to that one. Here's another video that shows the vantage point I had as I ran from the building. The center building in the shot is the one I was in, and parked out front you can see a Gray Ford Escape (next to the white truck). That was my car! I thought for sure it was dunzo! haha.
After my coworkers and I sat there in disbelief for a while, we figured we might as well head home. They had already battled the blaze for about an hour, and evacuated the nearby residents. So we got friends to take us home (since our cars were being held hostage!) and watched the news and waited. Firefighters battled the blaze for almost 3 hours before finally getting it under control. The wind was blowing strongly towards the east during the fire, so the businesses behind Wylie were in the path of it. Since our building was to the south of the fire, we were untouched. When all was said and done, we were incredibly lucky. It's hard to believe we didn't suffer any damage considering our proximity to the fire. Some other folks weren't so fortunate. The Wylie plant was completely destroyed and 23 cars and 7 other businesses were damaged. While I was able to return to my car and building unscathed, it was a little too much excitement for me.
I was sitting in my office one day, when my boss came charging through the back door of the building. He flew down the hallway, and as he passed by my office he yelled, "Get out now! The propane plant is on fire!" I remember sitting there for one second, as his words sunk in, and then the rush of panic I felt when I realized what he said. As I started to get up, I saw my coworker Amanda running after him. I grabbed my purse and followed suit.
As I ran out the front door of the building, I immediately felt the heat of the fire. The sound was pretty deafening too. I, along with my coworkers and other people from the buildings nearby, sprinted as fast as we could through the vacant field that was across from our offices. Everytime we stopped to look back, someone would yell that we were still too close. When we got to a distance that we felt was safe, all we could do was sit and watch.
Wylie is a propane distributor, so this location had pallet after pallet of personal sized 5 gallon propane tanks. There had to be thousands of them. They also had two enormous 18,000 gallon tanks on-site that stored propane. Their entire building was engulfed in flames, along with everything else on their property. The small canisters would catch fire and explode, and become dangerous projectiles. We could see them flying through the air, hitting neighborhood businesses, with some landing in the field not too far from us. We all just sat there in disbelief, as the fire became massive. It was incredible.
Considering how large and dangerous the fire was, we didn't hold out much hope that the fire fighters could extinguish it before it spread to nearby buildings. We just really hoped the huge storage tanks wouldn't explode, or the damage would've been exponentially greater. To get an idea of how massive this fire was, check out this video. The fire reached this magnitude very quickly. The building adjacent to the fire is the communications company (with the red roof), and I was in the building next to that one. Here's another video that shows the vantage point I had as I ran from the building. The center building in the shot is the one I was in, and parked out front you can see a Gray Ford Escape (next to the white truck). That was my car! I thought for sure it was dunzo! haha.
After my coworkers and I sat there in disbelief for a while, we figured we might as well head home. They had already battled the blaze for about an hour, and evacuated the nearby residents. So we got friends to take us home (since our cars were being held hostage!) and watched the news and waited. Firefighters battled the blaze for almost 3 hours before finally getting it under control. The wind was blowing strongly towards the east during the fire, so the businesses behind Wylie were in the path of it. Since our building was to the south of the fire, we were untouched. When all was said and done, we were incredibly lucky. It's hard to believe we didn't suffer any damage considering our proximity to the fire. Some other folks weren't so fortunate. The Wylie plant was completely destroyed and 23 cars and 7 other businesses were damaged. While I was able to return to my car and building unscathed, it was a little too much excitement for me.
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