No matter how many times I intend to sit down and blog this year, it seems that life just escapes me. Part of the problem is that, on a day-to-day basis, there are not a whole lot of "blog-worthy" things happening in my life. Honestly, this year has been quite different than last year. The "newness" of law school has worn off, and I find myself aching for this part of my life to just hurry up and be over. It's not even the coursework that's killing me. The only way I know how to describe is that I feel as though I am slowly being suffocated. Law school is sucking the life right out of my veins, and I'm slowly turning into someone whose constant refrain is, "When is my next break?" "When can I go home?" "How can I get out of the law building as often as possible?" It's not been pretty...

Well, that's more than I intended to say on that subject. I don't want my blog to turn into a series of depressing posts...so, here are some of the highlights from the past couple of weeks:

Two weeks ago, Jocelyn had her junior recital (so hard to believe that she's already a junior!). Not only was she amazing, but it also meant that my parents, both sets of grandparents, and AnnaGrace came into town. I made sure to work ahead, and took lots of time off that weekend. It was glorious.

On Saturday evening, we went to the Baylor/Iowa State game. Baylor got off to a rough start in the first quarter (two turnovers!!), but came back strong in the second quarter and won the game. Sic 'em Bears!!

Two weeks ago, I discovered one of the best CDs of ALL time (thanks AnnaGrace!). It's entitled "Music Inspired By the Story," and it has songs representing 18 different Bible stories, including Creation, Naomi & Ruth, Esther, and the thief on the cross. I have been listening to this CD almost exclusively for the past two weeks. It's hard to pick a favorite song on the album because they are all THAT good. Steven Curtis Chapman's song (This Is How Love Wins) is particularly excellent, though he is a favorite of mine in general, so I suppose I'm a little partial. I highly recommend this album - go buy it now!! :)

Last weekend, I carved a pumpkin for the very first time. I carved Pluto into mine. :) I'll have to get my hands on the picture of the finished product...

After carving, we used the insides to make sweet and salty carmelized pumpkin seeds (which were okay, but not great) and a second batch of pumpkin butter. I am addicted to this stuff!! So, here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Butter
Yield: 3.5 cups

1 (29 ounce) Can Pumpkin Puree,approx. 3 ½ cups or fresh
¾ cup Apple Juice (I Made Fresh But You Can Used Pre-Made)
1.5 tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Ground Cloves
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
Juice Of Half A Lemon


Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Cover with lid and stir frequently. Remove from heat. Adjust spices to taste. Stir in lemon juice, or more to taste. Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes enough to fill one large mason jar or about 3.5 cups.

Running Outside

Oh, how I have missed you, dear runs that occur outside. Trust me, my absence is not due to any lack of affection on my part. It is due to the heat to which I have been subject for the past four (five? six?) months. However, you will pleased to know that I am making a return, thanks to the beautiful weather we are now experiencing. You may join me in hoping that it is here to stay.

On Monday morning, I experienced the joy of an early morning run. After 6 weeks of trying to figure out when to fit running into my schedule (before my 9:15am class? at 3:30pm when I finish? some other time that remained undetermined?), and a couple weeks of rolling back my bedtime/waking time, I finally managed to get up early enough to go for a run at 7am. (Sorry for that extremely long sentence.)

It was glorious.

I only ran 2 miles, but I came back in a wonderful mood - ready to tackle a new week. Hurray for endorphins! Maybe I should start off every week like this...

You Don't Know What You've Got Til It's Gone...

Ahh, the beauty of leaves changing colors. Besides cold weather, this is what I miss the most about South Carolina. The weather is starting to cool off now (highs in the mid-80s this weekend), but it feels like spring because there are no orange, red, or yellow leaves. I've been pretending like it's fall by eating lots of pumpkin things, but it's just not quite the same when it doesn't look like fall.

So, here is my list of preferences for where I live after school (wherever that might be): (1) Cold weather.  Preferably snow at least once a year; and (2) Cooler temps and leaves that change color in the fall.

Basically, I want four distinct seasons. :)

Despite my pining about the weather, this week has been very good. On Tuesday night, I attended the first symphony concert of the season!! It's SO good to be able to inject myself with a little bit of culture every once in a while. It's ironic - by the end of college, I only went to concerts if I had to, and even then not always willingly. Now, I'm dying for the opportunity to attend a concert!

This weekend I've been buried in my Trusts & Estates outline, trying to compartmentalize everything we've learned into nice little boxes for easy recall. It's amazing all of the little details that go into estate planning (or, even more complicated, a divorce!!). I came to the realization yesterday that, no matter how hard you plan, there is still the possibility that someone will completely squander their inheritance (your money) after you've died. Kind of depressing, isn't it? Here you've worked your whole life to save money, and then your irresponsible kid (or spouse, or grandchild) goes and wastes it! It sure puts the value of money into perspective, doesn't it?

In other news, I have another interview on Tuesday!!! It's a tiny firm (6 attorneys) in Dallas, and I am SUPER EXCITED! One of their sections is "Probate and Breach of Fiduciary Duty." AKA - Helping people walk through the probate process - just what I want to do! Fingers crossed that this one will turn out better than the five interviews I did during OCI, especially since has been my favorite firm all along. I will keep you posted! And with that, I am going to go do some interview prep!