finally... my christmas break!

Yahoo!

Last Friday, I completed my first semester of law school. I am still high! I can't believe I finished. Now I have a few weeks of heavenly bliss before it all starts again.

The studying was intense, all the way up to the very last minute. My study group is amazing. I am glad to have found such a dedicated group. When I went into take the test, I read the problem twice and just attacked it with my brain. Halfway through the test I began to feel the biggest migraine just crack my head into two splitting pieces, but I plowed right through it.



 By the time we were on the multiple choice questions, I was dying, but luckily I had some prescription strength ibuprofen pills so I was ok by the time it was all over.
When it was done, I drove home, ran into the house, dropped all my bags, stood there, and then began laughing with big, wet tears in my eyes. God, it was so hard! But I did it! And man, christmas break has never been so joyous and wonderful. I feel like I can finally breathe again!


In case you're wondering what my impression is of law school so far- all I can say is, they really are training me to be a "lawyer." And every single day through all of the difficulty, I really had to tell myself that I am doing this for my future clients. If I want to help them, I have to learn this. I can think of 10 other things I would rather do with my life besides law school, and it is nothing like undergrad where I absolutely adored each and every one of my classes, but I know that I am learning important things that I will need to know in order to become an attorney. So it's that focus that kept me going, and will keep me going for the next 2-3 more years. And at least I know now what it's all about. I know how to study for the exams, and I know what to expect. I must say, though, all the case-briefing we do for class is a huge waste of time. But the laws are important to know, and it's given me a brand new perspective in looking at a situation with a new pair of eyes to see things in a way I never saw before. I really hope that after first year, I get really good at this. While taking that last exam, I thought to myself, I might just be within the realm of getting an A on this. Boy, it would be SO nice to get an A again. I used to get nothing but As. The pride, the thrill, the satisfaction of getting As. I hope I get to experience that again in law school. Don't get me wrong, it's about learning, not the letter grade. But an "A" represents a full understanding of what was taught, and shows that I was able to master it. I want to know that I mastered what I was taught.

Anyway, it was a great first semester, and as one of my study mates put it, it's "the start of something big." I couldn't agree more.

One of the first things I did after finishing was put all the books I want to read in a row. I started reading a few pages of each book, just to get my feet wet and make a decision on which book I want to dig into. But I'm like a kid with ADD right now. My attention is flying out of control and there is so much I want to do!


I began cooking again and devoured a home cooked meal- cooked just the way I like. Curries, eggplant parmesans, brussels sprouts with garlic and olive oil. Farmer's Market, thrift shops, putting up christmas decorations and decorating the tree, doing the dishes, cleaning the house, running on the bike trail and taking pictures of me jumping and running happily, man I tried to do it all.

 


Paul and I caught a play on Saturday night at the B Street Theatre- "Watching Wynter." It was really good- an oddball, romantic comedy. It was nice to walk over the eight blocks in the nippy, night air and feel the cold on my cheeks. On Sunday, after lying around in bed and running errands and paying a quick visit at my parents' place, I got to watch a DVD on my laptop before going to bed- we saw The Great Debaters- that was a great movie, I highly recommend it if you haven't already seen it. It's just nice to have a life again! Now I can finally start thinking about holiday shopping and what gifts to get my family, and just be normal.

This coming Wednesday, I'm going with my brother and his friends to the Jay Z/ Kanye West concert in HP Pavilion! That should be a lot of fun. My brother has been Jay Z's number one fan for pretty much his whole life so it will be incredibly meaningful to go to the concert with him, even though I despise Kanye.

This coming weekend, Paul and I are hitting up a few holiday parties hosted by our friends and I will get to cook some more. And then, it'll be Christmas in no time. Just a few days after that, we are leaving for Honduras. I haven't even started really planning for that. Lots to do, but all happy fun stuff :) I just feel like jumping up and down and doing twirls and back flips and stuff. It's just so nice to be free. My biggest worries now consist of getting the right gifts for my loved ones, trying to decide what to make for dinner, wondering when I can fit in a hike before we leave the country, and planning happy hours with friends, etc. This very moment, I'm trying to figure out what I am going to make for dinner tonight. Whatever I decide, it's going to be fun cooking it, and it will taste delicious. Another thing I love about the holidays is listening to vintage Mariah before she went nuts...




Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.


Henry David Thoreau