(A)Part

I've been lucky enough to find great groups of friends in every stage of life. High school, college, and law school have blessed me with friendships that have proved to grow stronger with time. This past week, I got to spend a few days with my high school, college, and law school friends and it was absolutely wonderful. It was the perfect antidote to months of holed-up studying and a perfect distraction for my tendency to stress. But each time we said goodbye, we were faced with the reality that we didn't know when or where we'd see each other again. And here's another pro and con. Pro: we don't know where we'll meet again. We could meet anywhere. Maybe another wedding. Maybe a city we've always wanted to visit. Con: We don't know when we'll meet again. Maybe in a few weeks or maybe in a few years. It's difficult to tell.

I found this quote that perfectly sums up the experience that I'm sure is not unique to me.

One of the greatest blessings of being young is that everyone you loved tended to live in a pretty small, geographical radius. Friends were either at school every day or 10 minutes away. Hanging out was a natural consequence of receiving an education. In college, it was a little harder. Some people went out of state but for me, most of my friends stayed close. They were either on my campus or an hour away which, when you're in college, feels like nothing when you're itching for an excuse to road trip.

Each step of my schooling has gone similarly until now, when the schooling is (mercifully) over. While my bar exam-taking, job-searching self has plenty of things to do, living close to old friends is not one of them. Hanging out now takes time. Requesting time off work or driving a few hours. Prepping pups or children for roadtrips or finding alternate care. It's definitely possible but it's not as easy.

And in the grand scheme of thing, this uncertainty is a small price to pay for the privilege of knowing these amazing women. Still, it'd be nice if for a few weeks at least, everyone could live in the same small town again, sharing gossip over caramel macchiatos and occasionally skipping class.

The Wait Begins

A little less than 4 months, this detour started. For four months, I worked. I stressed and read until it was finally time to take the test. Like last time, there was lots of stress, lots of reading, lots of neglecting TV shows I wanted to watch. Now it's the waiting part. Sitting. Looking for a job and trying not to replay the exam over and over and dwell on what went right and what went wrong.

That's the problem with a lot of time. It can either be a good time or a bad time, depending on your mood and what you make of it. This morning, I read this on Humans of New York:

"Time off is a space where you allow things to happen other than the known.”

I think that's the perfect way to look at the next few days, weeks, or however long this time off lasts.

Happy New Year!

I know it's a few days late but I wanted to pop in and say- Happy New Year! The past few months have been hectic and there's still 2 more until the February Bar rolls around. The only good part is that I know what the next two months will hold: sitting, studying, occasional trips to the dog park, and more studying. Not exactly the most glamorous life but this needs to be the last time I take it so it's all systems go!

Luckily though, the past few months have been plenty exciting enough to keep me sated for a while.

My family and I went to go see my sister's school play in the Peach Bowl (in an RV):

I did some recurring background work for American Crime (catch it January 6, 9 pm CST on ABC!):

I saw a disturbingly large chicken fried steak:

We celebrated Christmas:

And of course, the new Star Wars:

I'm thankful for the unexpected break that the past few months have been. Sometimes you don't get what you want so that you can get what you need. For me, it's Study Central until February and I hope I'll have good news to report to you all! I hope everyone's had a good 2016 so far!

A Brief Weekly Recap

Sorry for the radio silence the past week! I took some time off to spend with family and friends and to regroup. Sometimes, a brain break is just what the doctor ordered. I do want to say thank you for all of the words of encouragement you guys sent last week! I feel about a million times better this week which is just as well since things are about to get busy. With interviews, studying, a return to consistent posting and the holidays coming up,  I need to bring my A game. 

I haven't really focused on taking pictures past week, but I got some good ones to recap the week. I got to spend some time with my pups and J. Here's Keller in his new orthopedic bed: 

I got to go to a tailgate with my family and stuff my face with way too much food. (Side note- they won! My team, not so much)

celebrated a belated birthday lunch

Spent even more time eating outdoors

And generally, just tried to focus on the beauty of fall since it's my favorite season and I feel like it's already halfway over.  How is Thanksgiving already next week?? I hope everyone had a great weekend! 

The Other Side of Failure

As you can probably guess from the title, I didn't pass. Even typing it out now, it doesn't fully feel real. There's a whirlwind of emotions going through my head but a stand out among them is the heady realization that I don't know what comes next.

My whole life, I've been a planner. I've always gone from Point A to Point B knowing exactly how I'm going to get there and exactly what I'm going to do there. Up until now, my plans have never suffered a major setback. Up until now, I've been lucky enough to never have been derailed so completely. I'm no longer qualified for my job, the one I had the interview for. I can't do many law-related things but clerk and volunteer until the second bite at the apple comes in February.

I've never not had a plan. I've never started from scratch. There is so much freedom, it's a bit overwhelming. This is a brand new experience and in a very strange, very tiny way, I'm kind of thankful. I haven't stopped going since the 10th grade. Not for a single season. It's been school, study, work, volunteer every day leading up until now. And now, I'm (and I know it sounds strange to say) blessed with plan-free time. Everything from this point on is unknowable and I am excited and frightened at the thought.

The only things I know for sure are:

• This is surviveable and
• I will have to be ready come February

Beyond that, everything is a blank page. And I'm not completely sure that's the worst thing.

"The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won."

Halloween Recap

J and I take Halloween costumes very seriously. We start brainstorming months in advance and he uses the time to put together the perfect costume (while I usually end up waiting until the last minute. Oops). Last year, we did Gamora and Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy. It was awesome but it took about 3 days for the green to wash off completely, so my only requirement was that body paint would not be required this year.

Luckily, Star Wars came to the rescue! We bounced between characters for a while but we ultimately decided on Luke and Darth Vader!

J ordered a full costume weeks in advance. He tricked himself out with a lightsaber attached to his equipment belt via carabiner. I like to put together costumes with pieces of regular clothes and Forever 21 stepped in with a leather dress with chunky pockets and a thick, lined belt. I found gauntlets, knee high socks. The only 'costumey' things were the mask and cloak.

We went to a friend's party where we found more of our posse...

... various villains, a skunk, and a ghost!

Halloween was a blast and I guess sometime in the next few weeks, J's going to start with the Halloween brainstorm for next year. First though, I have to deal with this monster of a week. Bar results come out on Thursday and I'm already a mess, so if you don't hear from me between now and then, you know why! At this point, my life feels like it's sort of divided between now and after Thursday. My job prospects, my apartment situation all depend on that one day. It's kind of a lot to take in. But I'm taking it one day at a time, because what else can you do?

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

How to Work When You're Sick

So this past weekend, one of two things happened. Either the rain blew in some unbelievably awful allergen or J gave me his disease but either way, I ended Sunday night with a sore throat and by Monday, I was a mess. Sneezing, coughing, stuffy (and also somehow runny?) nose, the whole shebang. I was in denial for most of Monday but by Tuesday morning, it was undeniable: I was sick.

I'm pretty sure it was allergies but that didn't give me a while lot of confidence that I was capable of reading, much less higher level thinking. I also had my interview, which was somewhat time sensitive, which I really wanted to ace. During my lunch break, I took to the Internet and searched through no less than fifty columns about how to work while sick. I polled co-workers. I asked strangers in the hall. Here's the best advice I found:


1. Ginger root tea. It sounds (and tastes) pretty awful but it makes you sound infinitely less congested. I added grated fresh ginger, honey, and lemon to boiling hot water and I drank it. I almost stopped but the thought of sounding like a walking sinus infection kept me pushing through to the bottom of the glass and you know what? I not only sounded less congested but I felt like it too!

2. Or any tea, really. The caffeine is a welcome boost and the hot water is so soothing on the throat. Plus, I read just about everywhere that breathing in steam opens up your sinuses.

3. Pack your meds. If you take medicine, pack it. Especially if it's the kind you take every 4 hours. You'll want it every 4 hours. Trust me.

4. Hydrate. This one may seem obvious since just about every website out there says it, but I went through 3 Camelbaks full of water a day when I was feeling terrible. Plus, everyone kept telling me to drink water so there must be truth to that statement.

5. Eat, even if you don't want to. When I'm sick, I tend to lose my appetite but low blood sugar isn't going to do my any favors. I usually stick to mild to bland flavors (like warm soup or a grilled cheese).

6. Concealer and blush are your best friends. When I told my sister I was going to have to go to an interview with high octane allergies, her response was, "Make sure you wear a lot of makeup." And it's truly amazing the difference good makeup application can make. Tinted moisturizer, concealer, and blush took my pale, sunken cheeks and the dark circles into my eye into the picture of health. Plus people stopped asking me if I was sick, so that was nice.

7. Use Vaseline generously. My work doesn't have the softest tissues (like, they don't spring for the ones with aloe. I don't usually either, so I don't blame them) which meant that after a day of blowing my nose consistently, I'd chafed it red. It wasn't a good look. Ever since I was little, my mom taught me that the best quick-fix for ultra dry skin was vaseline. Before bed, I put some under my nose and on my lips and woke up chafed-skin-free!

I hope you guys have immune systems of steel and never have to deal with things as annoying as allergies or cold, but if you do, I hope these tips help!