After an extremely pleasant and lengthy break between fall and spring semesters, we’re back in school. Before I explain how happy I am to be back, I thought I’d share a few pictures of the break.

Here’s one of me at the Master in Professional Accounting Council (MPAC) December party at the end of fall semester. My wife, Janssen, and I played some good doubles billiards against a couple of fellow MPA students. I honestly can’t remember who won the game, but Janssen for sure took the MVP spot for our team.

From MPA Student Life Blog Pictures

During finals, we somehow found time to decorate our house a bit for the holidays (Janssen did the overwhelming majority of it).

From MPA Student Life Blog Pictures

And we had a great time visiting our families in Las Vegas and Utah. Here we are at the Bellagio in Vegas. The photographer skipped “1, 2, 3” and caught me before I had a chance to smile. I promise I was just as happy to be there as Janssen was.

From MPA Student Life Blog Pictures

I know. You’re wondering how I could express excitement about returning to school after such a great break, and whether or not I recognize that it was probably the longest vacation (five weeks!) from school or work that I’ll get until I retire at the ripe old age of 82. Believe me when I say I do recognize that. And FYI, I made the most of it and never got bored for a second. I even started to moan a tad at dinner the night before last when I realized the end of the break had arrived.

But in all reality, I’m excited for the new semester! Seriously. How could I not be excited after reading a fascinating 29 pages yesterday about tax systems? That sounds like a joke, but I’m absolutely sincere–it was fascinating! As were the ten pages I just finished about using information technology to make business processes more efficient and accurate.

So the truth is out. I’m a nerd (don’t say you ALWAYS knew that). Ever since I decided to pursue a career path in accounting, starting with an MPA, I’ve been genuinely interested in all things accounting. Going to class is a pleasure, not a burden. And reading my textbooks, which are proving excellent so far this semester, is what I choose to spend my time doing for the sake of my own understanding and future success.

Unlike some previous educational experiences, as an MPA student I find that I don’t rejoice when classes are shortened or canceled. Of course, it’s always nice to have some unexpected free time. But it’d be just as nice to be in class, learning from UT’s really great faculty, for whose wisdom and educational guidance I’m willingly paying tens of thousands of dollars (again, many thanks to my future self) in tuition and a boatload in opportunity costs. I’m here to get the best accounting education available! I’d surely regret not making the absolute most of my time here.

So I repeat that it’s good to be back for spring semester, plugging along at my degree and learning everything I can. It’s crazy amazing that (1) I only have spring and summer semesters left, (2) I have my job of choice waiting for me when I graduate, and (3) I already need to be gearing up and preparing to take the CPA exam this summer. Scary! Good times!