Probably not, because, as is typical with me, I have not been updating this blog! Last semester got incredibly overwhelming beginning in about mid- to late October. I had a cite source to do for Law Review, Chad and I got started on our trial (which was November 16), I was doing work for two professors, helping the Academic Excellence Program out with Civil Procedure, desperately trying to think of a topic for my student note for Law Review, got called in for jury duty (and got in a car wreck--not my fault--on the way there!), and to top all that off, I got so sick I ended up at MedExpress where they had to put me through two IV bags before they'd let me leave because I'd gotten so dehydrated. Whew! Like I said: OVERWHELMING.
That being said, I am incredibly thankful for the people in my life who helped me during all of the above. Both my parents were incredibly supportive. My dad gave me advice on an evidence question Chad and I had about our trial and called me and texted me with encouragement while I was sick. My mom brought me her homemade chicken noodle soup (which is somehow ALWAYS better than when I try to replicate it), tons of other food, and a pillow pal, which I'd really been wanting (yes, it's a stuffed animal and I'm 23, but they're adorable). Even though John was gone for the semester, he was always in touch. Even when I'm feeling at my worst, he always finds a way to make me laugh. Chad was understanding through everything, and I know there were several times when he rearranged his schedule to accommodate my being sick while we were getting ready for trial. One of my best friends, Rob, came over to bring me medicine when I ran out and couldn't even think about going to get more. That same day, he took me to MedExpress and stayed with me the whole two and a half hours I was there on the IV, for which I'm especially grateful.
Of course, after the trial was Thanksgiving break (much needed), and then came finals. Luckily I only had three because Trial Ad was already over. At the time, I felt VERY worried about them. They seemed a lot different than last year's somehow. The time limits were brutal, and in Admin, the word limit seemed impossible. Oh, and here's another reason to be thankful: I had written down the date for the Evidence final as Tuesday of the second week of finals week. That final was actually on MONDAY of that week. Thank God that Sunday night I told Chad what I was planning to study the next day, and he pointed out that the final was the next day, or I truly would have missed it. Having one less day to study for that final was stressful to say the least.
Christmas break couldn't have come at a better time. I got to see so many people I've missed for a long time. Emily was in town, of course, and we got a chance to shop for bridesmaids' dresses (and we found one!). Ryan and Katie were in, and the two of them and I went and spent an evening at Emily's just hanging out and catching up. Sarah Bell and I had a huge marathon shopping day. We went to the mall to pick up last minute gifts, bought dresses for the Country Club's Cheer Party at Elizabeth Michaels, I got my eyebrows waxed, and we grabbed sushi. The next night, my Dad and I met Sarah and her family at the Cheer Party and we all had a great time. I also got to see Sam, Ryan, and Tabitha at a new(ish) Mexican restaurant in town for lunch. Tabs is growing up into the prettiest little girl ever.
Not only did I get to see some of my oldest and best friends, I also spent a lot of time hanging out with my family. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. My Dad made an awesome roast one night for dinner. My Mom and I watched Christmas movies, wrapped presents, and caught up. Jimmy and I went to Kroger on Christmas Eve and miraculously found a seven pound standing rib roast (on Christmas Eve!!!). We brought it and a bunch of other goodies home with us, and my mom found her favorite prime rib recipe. Jimmy's girlfriend Cassie came over a bit later. We ended up having one of the best meals I've had in a long long time. Pat came over after spending some time at an annual Christmas party he goes to, and we all ate rosemary prime rib (horseradish on the side, of course) and roasted new potatoes, citrus green beans, and cheesecake for dessert. On Christmas morning, my mom and I met everyone at my Dad's house to unwrap presents. Everyone had obviously put a lot of effort into their gifts, and I know I got some of the best presents I've ever received. Pat got me the Misto, which aerates olive oil so you can mist it like Pam; a wine stopper that seals the bottle (which I definitely needed); and a wonderful cookbook called Around My French Table (which I'll discuss in a separate post). Jimmy got me a lovely bottle of white wine and a really nice champagne for New Years. And I got a much-needed vacuum cleaner specially designed to pick up pet hair.
I spent New Years in Jackson (MI) with John and his family, which is kind of the tradition now. I took Newton with me and he behaved wonderfully. He and Bandit (John's family's dog) got along great. On New Year's Eve, we went out to a local sports bar with some of John's friends from high school and then went to his friend Phil's house. The night was a lot of fun.
When school started back up, I had a lot of anxiety about coming back. Fall semester really seemed to knock the wind out of me. It's taken some time to get back into the swing of things, but I think I'm slowly but surely getting there. Grades came back and they were better than I expected, so that relieved a lot of the worry I'd been feeling. I also decided against participating in Lugar this year. I love litigation and definitely want to join next year, but after last semester I've realized the dangers of taking on too many obligations. I made the decision not to run for Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review so that next year I have a better chance at being able to do Lugar. I do have a pretty tough class schedule (Appellate Advocacy, Business Organizations, Sales and Secured Transactions, Jurisprudence, and Criminal Procedure), but I think it will be manageable as long as I don't overbook myself on non-school-related activities.
Well, there's the rundown on everything that's been going on since I last posted. Now that I'm caught up to the present, I hope to post more often on here. Believe it or not, I haven't been totally remiss in the goals I talked about in my last posts, and I'm planning to update about that soon enough. Until then, adieu!
