Surprises

I am two months into my job and there have been quite a few surprises

• I am surprised at how frustrating it is to only work 40 hours a week
• I am surprised at how easy it is to work 80 hours
• I am surprised at how much people at work care about my mental health and make me take a day off
• I am surprised at how easy-going many people are in the office
• I am surprised at how many people come in late because they went surfing or leave early to go golfing
• I am surprised at how much laughter can be in an engagement team working around the clock to meet a deadline

These are more or less lifestyle or perspective surprises. The surprises that have really convicted me are:

• I am surprised at how many people bow their heads before they eat a meal
• I am surprised at how many people talk about God making his will clear through provision and open doors
• I am surprised at how many people talk about church groups and bible studies

It's almost like I was expecting and preparing myself to be a lone ranger Christian at work; that I don't think the body of Christ exists outside of church or Biola. Maybe I was used to the lip-service Christianity of high school or I had heard too many horror stories about the debauchery of the business world. But either way, I have realized that I guess I don't expect much from the body of Christ in terms of support outside a church environment.

But even in this convicting realization of how I view my fellow believers, it is evident that God has answered prayers of making his presence known and providing people at work to encourage me and watch out for me.

You know you stay late at work when...

• You get locked IN the building
• You eat more at your desk than you do at your dinner table
• When you leave, the calendar on your phone says a different day than when you got to the office
• The days have blended together
• You have no idea what the weather was actually like that day
• You enjoy the Disneyland fireworks...from the freeway
• You call leaving at 8pm early

Two weeks ago, I was sitting at my desk counting ceiling tiles...now, I am experiencing fall busy season and have not been at my apartment for more than sleeping for the last two weeks. It is nice to have work...but man, this is getting interesting...September 15th can't come fast enough and yet it is coming a little too fast.

The Adventures of a Tax Consultant

Well, after my first full month of working at Deloitte, I am beginning to adjust to life as a working adult. I get up early, I go to bed early, I drink five cups of coffee a day, and I haven't worn jeans in three weeks...I do sometimes have to remind myself to learn to look forward to work and not just getting home from work or the weekends. Living for the times that make up a minority percentage of my life would be a unsatisfying existence.

Work has been a mixed bag so far, but I have learned some useful things:

• I know how to print duplex-sided
• I know how to make text changes in a pdf
• I know how to scan to email
  
• I know how to prepare workpapers
• I know how to process check a 300 page tax return
• I know how to prepare a budget for a potential new client
• I know how to avoid the traffic on the 55 and the 405...
  

Nothing too exciting so far, but I did give myself a small heart attack when I dropped a 500 page tax return on the floor...thank goodness for numbered pages though!

I also have Deloitte paraphernalia spread around my apartment...anyone want a visor?

The soundtrack of a roadtrip

The (musical) journey from here:to here:
Hello Seattle - Owl City
On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
California - Hawk Nelson
California - Phantom Planet
California Girls - The Beach Boys
California Gurls - Katy Perry
Home - Daughtry
and of course...Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - as read by Jim Dale

Nike: Write Your Future

This is a commercial for Nike that highlights the atmosphere of the World Cup.

I think it is fantastic.

It does say a lot about our culture and our belief that we have complete control over our lives.

But it is also an inspiration to not give into helplessness and defeat.

He is still good

Almost two weeks ago I graduated from Biola University. Thinking about finishing almost automatically makes me think of where I began.

As freshmen you are generally asked 3 questions:

What is your name?
What are you studying?
Where are you from?

Here are my answers:
Amanda Gayle Wheeler
Accounting and International Business
Sammamish, WA (Seattle)

Freshmen year, everything and everyone is new. When meeting new people you try to find something in common. What are you studying would hopefully mean that you will have classes together. You will need these people to help you study for exams or give you notes when you decided you would rather go to Disneyland than sit through a lecture. If you are not in the same classes, where are you from would give you a chance to talk about home. You can reminisce about landmarks or the local drama. The last option is what is your name. If all else fails at finding a commonality, you can share in the childhood trauma that you experienced because of nicknames you were given. I have heard Mandio (after Mario), the endearing Amanda-Panda, and my personal favorite, A-Man-Da!

Back in freshmen year on the first day on campus, all business majors had to take a Calculus placement test. I was sitting in the room with two thoughts running through my head: "He's cute, Ooo, him too, I hope I have a class with that one", and "why is it so hot in California?!?!" when all of a sudden I hear "Hi, my name is Amanda." I perk up like a meerkat. Name? Someone with my Name? It's almost like an instant bond to share a name. I did not meet that Amanda until Sophomore year, but we made the best of three years of friendship and will hopefully have many more.

Now as a Senior, you are asked 3 similar, yet very different questions:

What is your name?
Because let's be honest, we still don't know each other. At the Business major senior banquet, I sat next to someone I had never seen in my time at Biola.
Who are you studying?
I lived in a house with 6 other girls and it took one of them a good month and a half to figure out that this boy liked her because he would come over to study and then he wouldn't leave...
Where are you going?
College is about results and what you are going to do with you $120,000 education.

Again here are my answers:
Still Amanda Gayle Wheeler
I lack the ring by spring
I am going to Deloitte in Costa Mesa, CA

Many times when we talk about where we are going after college, it seems like the token graduation advice is to say "just trust that God will provide you with the right job to glorify him." I don't feel like I can offer this encouragement because that would be too easy for me to say and fairly obnoxious because I have had a job since November. However there is something else that I feel like I can contribute to this post-grad conversation about uncertainty.

From the outside my job looks perfect, but I want to share a little more about that story.

The theme of my time at Biola has been about learning to submit areas of my life to God. Last year it was about submitting my singleness and still being willing to worship God as the great planner. This year it has appropriately been about submitting my life after college.

You see I am from Washington, I love the rain, I miss the mountains, and I could care less about the beach.

But 4 years ago God called me to California and back in November He said "stay." Yes I have a job, yes it's at the firm I wanted, and yes it's in the field I wanted. But something about that "stay" was so heartbreaking despite the clarity that I was praying for. So by all accounts, my future looks like a 9.5 out of 10. But I still have to trust that in the 0.5 part God planed it as a perfect 10. And despite what I think would be a awesome plan, He knows what's best.

So while I don't feel like I can encourage you to keep your chin up and keep looking for a job, I do feel like I can say that even though you may not be where you want to be, maybe you don't have a job or a significant other, or you are moving back in with your parents or not going home at all, God is still God and He is good, and He is sovereign, and He is a better navigator of our lives than we could ever be.

Graduation

Tomorrow I am graduating from Biola University.
Tomorrow I am finishing my undergraduate journey.
Tomorrow I am finishing my time in the world of education.
Tomorrow I am walking across a stage, shaking a hand, and receiving a diploma.

Tomorrow is a big day!

Tomorrow is Graduation!