Carolyn is a new NINJA CPA Blogger.

Hi everyone, I’m Carolyn and I’m taking REG for the first time on April 1. The date seemed appropriate.

I’m also registered for BEC on May 23. Honestly, I’m still not even sure what BEC is exactly. I’ll register for the other two parts after I pass REG, which I feel pretty good about.

So I’m likely one of the older test takers here. I’m going to be 43, give or take. I have two daughters, 19 and 26.

Also, I have four rescue dogs. I volunteered with some animal rescues, which is how I wound up with four dogs, but I’ve decided to take a break for 2013.

No fostering dogs until I’m done with the exam. It was not an easy decision to make. I love animals and I like to help people and animals; I’ve volunteered a lot … mentored teenage moms, volunteered in a locked Alzheimer’s unit. But this year has to be about ME.

So I plan to pass the exam in 2013. As much as I like to volunteer, these pursuits seem to become too easy distractions and I wind up putting them first. I’m really not used to putting myself first. I raised kids, took care of a dying husband, volunteered a lot, etc.

But I’m doing it now. No one is going to pass this exam for me. Everyone will have to understand. I feel empowered though – maybe for the first time ever.

My accounting experience: I started out in accounting in A/R, and A/P, junior accountant type work until I received my Masters in Accounting in 2002, when I went to work for a big pharma in the tax department. I did sales & use, corporate income, real property, whatever there was to do.

I left after about 8 years, when my husband died. Currently I do some billing for small business from home. Recently, I took another review for tax, but I don’t feel like it was enough. It was good (and expensive – I’m broke!) but I need more questions for one thing. I also recently also took a tax course for kind of a refresher. That was actually kind of fun.

Since my other pursuits include tutoring adults with learning disabilities and mental illness (I also have a masters in psych), working in a haunted attraction (I’m really scary) and Vampire Balls (don’t judge me) I don’t get to chat about tax or accounting a lot.

Not because people with mental illness, haunt folks or Vampyres don’t pay taxes. Of course they do. It just doesn’t come up that often in other circles. You understand.

Anyway, going forward I’ll keep you posted on my countdown to REG and BEC-both coming very soon, how NINJA Audio (psyched for Audio!) and Notes are going, why it took the state of NJ six months to process my application, my search for complete silence and the best headphones to block out barking, and whatever else I discover through trial and error.

Good luck to all of us!