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Happy Birthday Little Dictator

21 Feb

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole” ~ Roger Caras

Caesar, the little dictator, turns 4 today.  Or 28 in dog years, which is disconcerting because this now makes him the wisest oldest one in the house.  I’m assuming he’s known this for a long time and has just been waiting for this day when us humans would be forced to resign to the fact that Caesar knows best.

As he grows older, I often wonder if C$ is a little too smart for his own good.  I swear that every time I ask him to sit, stay, or lay down, the wheels in his little canine head start turning as he ponders, “if I do, what will I get out of this.”  However, if cheese, onion, peanut butter or salami is involved, his little butt is glued to the ground just waiting for a piece to come over his way. I’m not sure whether I’m more concerned about what this says about my eating habits or about his listening skills.  So if Caes was asked to impart some of his wisdom, now that he’s the eldest of the pack, I’m convinced he’d have this to say:

1.  Help out with homework, specifically, when your human is highlighting for law school.  The best thing to do is try to take the highlighter out of their hands and run with them.

2.  Fetch is much more fun if you have the humans throw it and then you just look at them so they go get the ball.  So much less work when they bring it back for you.

3.  The Dog Whisperer is the best show ever.  When its on, drop everything else to watch and listen.  It’s like dog yoga…calm submissive state.

4.  When running your human, keep them on their toes. And above all, if you see a squirrel, chase it.

5.  Take over the couch, humans like that.

6.  Take over the bed, they like that even more.

7.  Eat the same thing everyday.  No surprises.

8.  Don’t wear clothes, and don’t ever wear halloween costumes. A simple yet stylish collar will do just fine.

9.  Only listen enough to let the humans believe they call the shots.

10.  Eat more peanut butter, it’s good for your health.

Happy Birthday Monkey.

Engagement Pictures YEAH!

14 Oct

“Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like.”  ~Author Unknown

I’ve made a huge mistake.

I’ve never been one to cry in my room after a bad haircut, or a bad color. Hair is hair.  It will grow back.  Don’t like the color, eh, you can live with it for 8 weeks.  And truth be told, I’ve never really had a BAD experience.  Well…except when I was in the 4th grade and Dad took me to get my haircut.  It was basically a bowl cut, and it wasn’t pretty.  But even then I didn’t cry, although I’m pretty sure my mom did.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, 4 days before our engagement pictures in Nashville with the beautiful and talented Kristine Neeley, I got my first bad color.  Normally, this wouldn’t bother me.  Like I said, hair is hair.  But, I’m a little nervous that people will look at the engagement pictures and say, “Well that’s odd, who is that girl The Boy is dating?”

It all started out so innocently, and with a conversation I’m sure many other women (and possibly men) have around this time of year.  There you are, sitting in the chair, wearing that ridiculous smock that reminds you of the bibs you had when you were a toddler, and the stylist asks, “So what are we doing today?”  And that’s where it gets tricky.  ”Well,” you say.  ”I think I’d like to go a little darker.”  It’s fall right, time to trade in the beachy blonde for a warm chocolate brown.

Maybe it is the moving around a lot, because you can’t really get used to having one person doing your hair, but I’ve learned to just trust the stylist.  I’ll normally say a little bit about what I’d like and then just let them work their magic.  However, this time, being that it was a couple days before the engagement session, I wanted to be extra careful.  I brought a picture.  And not a celebrity picture, you know the kind, when someone brings in a picture of Jennifer Aniston or Rhianna if you’re bold, and wants their hair to look just like theirs.  It was a picture of me, from when I really loved how my hair was done.

One thing you learn in law school is to be to the point, short, concise and say no more than you need too.  That just confuses people.  But even with my short and sweet request, complete with Exhibit A, there must have been a miscommunication.

I gave her:

Exhibit A

And after being cut, colored, and washed…I came out looking like this:

Without the tan of course...

We’re talking jet black hair people.  And as much as I like Jersey Shore…didn’t really plan on fist pumping in our engagement photos.  Maybe God is punishing me for watching the Jersey Shore.  That makes more sense, I deserve it ;)

While I didn’t cry when I left, I may or may not have had a minor freakout in the car after I kept catching glimpses of myself in the rearview. Suddenly I found myself wondering what outfit would go best with an Ed Hardy hat. The color must have been slowly seeping into my head.

So friends, the bad news is…I have jet black hair that will not be toned down no matter how many time I scrub and shampoo it.

Good news is…My hair has never been cleaner, and I’m considering talking with The Boy to see if we can do a Jersey Shore theme for our photos.  Plus, now you all can expect to see the Jersey Turnpike at the reception.

Happy Friday and fist pumps all around.

Love, your blast in a glass.

An Unexpected Visitor, Mace, and an Engagement Ring

13 Oct
“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”  ~Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally

Why, Hello Fiance

Just a typical Thursday night in July, I had come home from my summer clerkship, gone on a run with the pup, and made some dinner.  I was at court with one of the attorneys that day so I couldn’t wait to kick off my heels, and just relax.

I was planning to go to Nashville the next day after work, so I took the suitcase out of the closet and began the familiar routine of getting everything together.  After all the weekend trips, and the miles traveled, I could practically pack in my sleep.  But, as I was packing, I couldn’t help but get excited that  this would be one of the last times I’d make this trip before The Boy moved up to Cincy.

I just finished packing when one of my dearest friends from law school called saying she wanted to get together.  She had been in Africa all summer for her internship, and I could not wait to see her!  I hung up the phone and decided that I should probably pull myself together and get out of my old high school basketball shorts and my favorite t-shirt.  I knew she’d thank me :)

While I was getting ready, The Boy texted me and said he was finishing up dinner with his Dad (who was in Nashville for the week) and would call me in a bit.  I set the phone down and noticed that Caesar the Wonder Dog wasn’t sitting outside of the bathroom like he normally does when I get ready.  I looked around the apartment to make sure he wasn’t getting into trouble, and found him sitting right in front of the door with his head cocked to one side.  What a strange little dog.

I went back and continued getting ready, and was trying to figure out what to wear when I heard Caesar start barking.  At this point it was about 9pm, I wasn’t expecting anyone,  so I just assumed he was barking at the neighbors that had just moved in across the hall. I didn’t think much of it and went to find something to wear.  But then I heard a knock at my door…

OK, so again, it’s around 9pm.  I wasn’t expecting anyone and now I was a little unsure of what was going on.  I went to my room, and grabbed my phone and my keys (with my pepper spray compliments of The Boy’s Dad, since I go to school in downtown Cincy).  Looking back, I’m not real sure why it didn’t cross my mind to just not open the door if I didn’t know the person.  Instead I guess I was planning on opening it and macing them?!

Yes, I'm marrying him even though he's a Bengals fan. We all have flaws ;)

I went to the door and looked to see who it was.  Through the peep hole, I saw The Boy.  Wait…what?!?  I could not figure out why he was here.  I was going to Nashville the next day. He just texted me saying he was in Nashville with his dad…

Needless to say, I was at this point thoroughly confused, and I’m pretty sure I blacked out for a bit, ha. I slowly opened the door, paying no attention to the fact that I had just released the wild beast who was now jumping all over The Boy because he was so excited to see him.

“What are you doing here?!” I asked, still in my basketball shorts and ratty T-shirt.

He then got down on one knee, as he was trying to palm Caesar to keep him out of the way, and asked me to marry him.  Cue second blackout of the night.

I started smiling, and laughing excitedly and The Boy said that I asked, “Are you serious?!” about 4 or 5 times.  HA. I’m a little slow on the pick up some times apparently :)

And I of course said yes!

I gave him a huge hug, and could not stop smiling.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was completely surprised!  He’s way too good at surprises.  If I had to propose, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my  big mouth shut.

I finally put my keys and phone down (he had no idea I was about to mace him, ha), and looked at him and said, “But I’m all packed for Nashville.”

“Jack, we can go to Nashville this weekend if you want,” he said.  Which made us both start laughing.

I started asking questions about when he knew, how he planned it, etc. and then it dawned on me I hadn’t even looked at the ring?!

When I asked if I could see the ring, he laughed and said, “Of course you can, it’s yours you know.”

Come to find out, he had known for awhile that he wanted to ask me to marry him but waited to ask until he could go to Atlanta to ask my parents, and had gotten the ring, all without me knowing a single thing.  It meant so much to me that he took the time to talk with my parents and the ring was absolutely gorgeous.  I mean, I would’ve married him if he gave me a paperclip people, but The Boy does good work.  And it is so special since he picked it out.  Boy’s got taste.  He’s a keeper.

I texted my friend, who was at this point probably wondering what had happened to me, and we headed to meet her.  I ran into the place she was at where he boyfriend (now fiance) told me she had just gone to the bathroom.  I ran in, and The Boy still makes fun of me for the girlish shrieks he heard from the bathroom when we both saw each other.  He said everyone in the place turned to look in our direction.  Ha.

I lived out of my suitcase that weekend, but I didn’t mind one bit.

In the months since, The Boy has moved up to Cincy, we’ve both started school, and tried to work on wedding planning in between.  We’re still figuring out catering, the honeymoon destination and colors, but I do know that one year from today, I get to marry my best friend. October 13, 2012 can’t come soon enough.

Don’t be a Stranger

7 Oct

Photo from We Heart It

As anyone in law school knows, and anyone who is thinking about law school will find out, fall of your 2L year feels like a tornado. A cyclone of class, interviews, applications, and job hunting. We are merely two days away from fall break and I already feel like I have a full semester behind me.

In the midst of this storm, you are preparing for interviews, updating your resume and combing your writing samples for mistakes. You get to know your resume like the back of your hand, and are ready to answer any question that might come your way. Let’s just put it this way…you definitely want to be candid, but you don’t want to be surprised in an interview.

This is why it was odd that while I was going through the interview process this fall, I suddenly found myself going off script.

I was sitting in an interview one Friday afternoon when I was asked about my previous summer experience. Softball right. OK. I told them about my writing, about going to court with the attorneys, and the special projects I was a part of. But then, I was asked, “What was the most important thing you learned from that experience.”

Before I could think about it, I said, “How to see people.” Immediately, in my head, I panicked. What was I saying?! How to see people, come on. That’s not a concrete answer. They are probably wondering what’s wrong with me. Not surprisingly, I was asked to explain.

Click here to read the rest.

Old Haunts and New Favorites

28 Jun

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” ~ Lin Yutang

To be honest, I’m not really sure where my old, familiar pillow is at this point in time.  Recently, I feel like my bags are constantly packed and ready by the door.   However, I have realized the beauty in not only traveling and finding new places, but also seeing old places, with new eyes.

The Boy and I have been having a blast together exploring his hometown here in Cinci and seeking out new favorites when I’m in Nashville amidst visiting our go-to’s.  This past weekend in Nashville was no different.

After a morning run and taking Caesar to his yearly vet appointment (always an adventure) we decided to head to The Flying Saucer, one of our favorite spots, to try a new Dogfish Head they had in.

Then it was off to East Nashville.  I was really excited to head across the river to try some new spots and hopefully visit one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in Nashville.

One of the places on our list to try was Cooper’s on Porter, a place we heard about at the East Nashville Beer Festival this Spring.  We ended up getting there a little earlier than the 4pm open time which was fine by me because that meant there was time for a late lunch at Rosepepper.  Perfect planning in my book!

After a steamed vegetable quesadilla and one of the best margs in town, we ended up walking around my old stomping ground for a bit and then headed back to Porter to check out Cooper’s.

We heard about Cooper’s as it relates to beer but it turns out as we learned from the bartender, owner and chef Cooper Brunk, places much of the emphasis on food.  However, since we had already taken care of the food side of things, we just decided to check out the beer.  They have 25 rotating taps and plenty more in bottles and cans.  Although you won’t find anything crazy on tap at Cooper’s, what they do offer is a killer line up of solid craft brews including Schlafly, Brooklyn, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and of course, local favorites like Blackstone and Yazoo.  The best part, at least in this law student’s book, is that every Tuesday-Saturday from 4-7pm, all drafts are only $3.

After that we decided to check out another new kid on the block, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream.  This just might be one of my new favorite places. This should not surprise you since I’m pretty sure ice cream was my first solid food as a child.

But this is like no other ice cream you’ve ever tasted before.  I mean, come on.  Check out this flavor list.  Cherry Lambic Sorbet, Queen City Cayenne, Brown Butter Almond Brittle and what I ended up going with: Salty Caramel.  Salty and Sweet.  Again, this should not surprise you seeing as I probably single handedly bought out all of Starbucks Salted Hot Chocolate drinks while they were available this past winter.  The Starbucks that I consumed during finals was just downright frightening.

Anyway, the Boy tried the Cherry Lambic Sorbet and although I tend to be very skeptical when it comes to sorbet…that too was delicious!  We decided to get two pints to-go and I’m sure they will not be our last this summer.

The great thing is that although they only have shops in Northern Ohio and now Nashville, you don’t have to go there to get Jeni’s truly splendid ice cream.  Luckily, you can find them in Whole Foods, Jungle Jims and other markets across the US.  You have to try this stuff.  I promise, you’ll thank me later.

Even though, like all other weekend trips, my time in Nashville seemed too short…it was a blast.  It was the first trip where I felt like I had shaken off law school for the summer and didn’t have to worry about deadlines, briefs, or homework to be done when I got back.  I enjoyed and loved every minute of it.  After a jam packed 1L year, the summer is a welcome break and the relaxation it brings is intoxicating.

To me, there’s just something about summer that whispers adventure.  It’s time to go see things you’ve been wanting to all winter long, it’s reading those books that your friends can’t stop talking about while lounging on the porch enjoying a warm summer night.  It’s catching up with old friends over delicious food and relaxing with family.  It’s indulging in your old favorites while finding the time to seek out new ones.

So here’s to ice cream, a cheap pint of beer, good company, lazy summer nights, and adventures, both new and old.

What will you be doing this summer?  What’s your adventure? Where are some places you want to go and are they old favorites or new?

Going Back Down South Now

24 Jun

 

This song makes my heart happy.  Oh Nashville how I’ve missed you.

Going back down South for the weekend.

Happy Friday!

An Officer, a Lawyer…Dad

20 Jun

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.  ~Clarence Budington Kelland

A Day for Dad. From We Heart It.

Last weekend, the Boy came to town and it was such a great weekend.  Well, more than a weekend.  He came in Tuesday night, we went on a roadtrip to Chicago to see family, a great concert, and best of all was that he didn’t have to go home the very next day.

Friday afternoon, when I got back from my internship, the Boy and his family met me at my apartment and we made our way up to his family’s house for the weekend.  I know I’ve mentioned it before but I count it as such a blessing that I not only have met an amazing man but bonus…his family is fantastic and I love them to pieces.

We had a blast with them this past weekend.  We hung out, laughed, lounged on the porch, went to the farmers market…but one of the coolest things to me was an event we went to Saturday night…

You see, Saturday night, we went to a benefit at the fairgrounds for Sargent Dulle, a Warren County officer who was killed in the line of duty.  It was one of those events where you know you should be sad but you simply can’t because you look around and are amazed at the immense and intense outpouring of love and support from everyone in the room.

It was at the fairgrounds, and it was a beautiful night. Officers and their families, firefighters, and hundreds from the community came to show their support.  It was truly beautiful to see a community come together.

What was really interesting for me was to watch the Boy’s family.  The Boy’s dad is on the force and has been for a number of years in many capacities.  When we walked in, familiar faces came up to shake his hand and marvel at how his Boy had grown, because you see they remember when he was a little boy playing around the office and coming to see dad.  There were smiles, hugs, new stories to be shared, and old stories to be remembered.

Mom and Dad Last Father's Day

As all of this was going on around me, I kept thinking about how the Boy’s dad would always say that he’s always wanted better for his boys.  He wants them to go on to do better and be better than what he was.  And I think all parents want that for their kids.

But you see, as I was standing there watching what was going on around me, and thinking about all the things I’ve learned from and about my dad, I’m not sure if there is better success.

These men set the bar high.  Success, as I am beginning to understand it from these men, is measured in relationships.  It is measured in experience and in giving of yourself.

When I think of dad I think of Haagen-Dazs ice cream as likely one of my first solid foods. I think of rolling in the leaves at Jonquil and sitting in his grip by the window looking at the stars and listening to Pirates games.  I think of laughing till my belly hurts, more John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart movies than I could ever try to remember and drawing on legal pads in his office.  I think of Bruce Springsteen music being played in the basement and rocking me to sleep while he sang Brown Eyed Girl.  I think of card games, ok, him beating me at card games, late night road trips to Michigan and him falling asleep with a book in his hands.

But beyond those memories, I think of the example he’s set.  Always forgive.  Never be to proud to say you’re sorry.  Love unconditionally.  Be generous and help whoever comes your way.  Listen. Be patient.  Always be curious and never stop learning. Sometimes what needs to be said is not what is easiest to be heard.  Say your please and thank you’s.  Believe in and support those around you. Family comes first.  Always work hard and do your best.  And find your passion.

Dad

The thing is, your parents always want you to do better than they did. But the older I get and the more I learn about and from my parents, in this case my dad, the more I am so proud to be their daughter and think that if I could simply be half the amazing person my dad is…I will have done alright!

I love you dad.  Thank you for leading by example, for always loving me and supporting me no matter what. Thank you for encouraging me to be the best person I can.

Dad, you are my hero and I am so glad you are in my life.  Thank you for your wisdom, and thank you for being the best example a girl can have of a loving man, father and husband.

Happy Father’s Day!

Go Ahead and Judge…I would

27 Jan

“Open confession is good for the soul.” ~Scottish Proverb

If it is as Miss Chatterbox says, and imitation is the greatest form of flattery, well ladies…consider yourself flattered.

These two insanely funny ladies have thrown caution to the wind and have in one of their first (but I am confident not the last) bold moves of 2011, bared it all and shared their 11 confessions of 2011.  I was intrigued.  And on a day that I was really excited to share some great news with you only to find out it has to wait…well, perfect time to confess right.

Alright, here we go.

1. I am a repeat offender apartment eavesdropper. Sorry but I am.  If you are loud, I’m going to hear it and probably take sides.  Recently the neighbor beside me and his girlfriend have been fighting about law school.  He never spends time with her apparently.  Poor thing.  Oh wait.  He’s in law school!  Oh, I see.  Side switched.  I am considering going down there and practicing my meditating skills. But until then I’ll just judge to myself behind the wall.

2. I may have gone outside to build a snow man by myself. Oh fine, this is confessions right.  I DID go outside with my trusty dog Caesar and build a snowman by myself.  I’m not used to the snow so I got excited.  Caesar loved it too.  And in the interest of full disclosure, there may have been a snow angel. FINE. There was a snow angel.

3. I will still eat Taco Bell, “beef filling” or “taco meat filling.” Amanda Obney, on behalf of all those similarly situated in the general public, is bringing a class action suit against Taco Bell for fraud and for falsely advertising their “meat” filling.  We were reading this complaint yesterday before class and all I kept thinking was 1.) who REALLY thought that was legit meat in there? Come on. And 2.) I am craving Taco Bell.  Call it what you will but I like it and have since been craving it.

4. I watch the Bachelor. Ugh, I know.  I.just.can’t.stop.

5. I may have to spray tan this year. I know.  How vain.  I know, I know. But here’s the deal…Remember this little thing called Barrister’s Ball.  Well it is cocktail dress attire which means little black dress.  This also means, shockingly white legs.  It has to be done.

6. I make a character judgment about you if you read the last page of the book first.

7. I cannot watch a TV series on TV. I just don’t have the patience for it I guess.  When we watched 24 in college.  We got the DVD’s, enough food for a weekend and sat there for the whole weekend going straight through each time we got a new season.  Office, same thing.  It’s like I can’t hear the credit music without immediately hearing the opening music.  It’s like Pavlov’s dog.  I hear closing credits and immediately hit next.  It’s a problem.

8. Caesar has a new pair of shoes. I hate clothes on dogs.  I don’t understand it at all.  Who does that to a dog.  You know the dog doesn’t like it.  When Caesar and I walk in the morning you can see it in their eyes.  Caesar even gets uncomfortable.  But here’s the deal, my poor little guy was messing up his feet on walks since it’s been so dang cold out.  So we’re going to try it.  Booties.  That’s what they are called.  It hurts my heart to do it.  Trust me Caesar, this is going to hurt me way more than it’s going to hurt you.

9. I am a Southerner. This is big for me people.  Born in raised in Pittsburgh, when my family moved us to Atlanta, I NEVER thought I’d consider myself a Southerner and align myself with “y’all” sayers and Coke drinkers even though it’s truly Sprite. And although I still don’t say y’all, I’m still a Pepsi girl and I still love my hometown, now that I’m away from Nashville and Atlanta, I miss it. Not that I’m going to start flying  a flag out of the back of my truck or anything, but I am starting to see different aspects of the South that I’ve brought up with me for law school and I love that.  Yes Sweet Tea counts. I am a huge proponent of being proud of what and where made you who you are.  For me, it will always be Pittsburgh and now the South.  I love it and miss it terribly.

10. I lie when I tell people where I live. I know, I know, after #9 this may not make sense but this is a slow process for me people.  You can’t expect to throw me into Kentucky and own up to it right away.  Plus, it’s so close to the river so The Boy, who is from the fine city of Cincinnati (look how far I’ve come) has given me his blessing to say, “The greater Cincinnati area.”  Seriously though, who am I kidding?  It’s Kentucky.  My car bears the evidence.

11. I no longer look like a 12-year-old. I went to go get 10+ inches cut off of my mane right before Christmas and the hairdresser looked at me in the mirror after it was done and said, “I really like this on you. You don’t look like a 12-year-old anymore.” To which I then took my Hello Kitty purse and stormed out of the door to call my friends on my pink cell phone.  Or I just said thank you ;)  I like the Hello Kitty story better.

What is one of your 2011 confessions?

With a Black and Yellow Coffee Stirrer

25 Jan

Given enough coffee, I could rule the world.  ~Author Unknown

I have never been one of those people who brings their mug to a coffee establishment but today, if we were meeting for coffee, I’d bring my Steelers mug.
For those of you who do not know, my boys in black and gold are headed to the Superbowl in two weeks and this girl from Pittsburgh who grew up going over to her grandparents house with the whole family to watch the games and knows there no other royalty other than the Rooneys…is thrilled.  And is for the first time bringing a mug to a coffee shop.

But I would tell you that that is not the only exciting thing happening in two weeks.  Oh no, Superbowl  weekend is going to be jam packed with football, great food, yelling, screaming, excitement, amazing beer, friends, nerves and a dance.  Now which of those doesn’t fit.

Yes.  A dance.  A Barrister’s Ball to be exact.  And I would tell you that I need your help my dear friends because I haven’t been to a dance in ahskdfowks years.  Lets just say a lot and leave it at that.  I’m nervous not just because of that but because the dance is at Paul Brown stadium, and I’m concerned that if I go to the Bengals stadium the weekend my boys are in the Superbowl, bad things will happen.  The Boy is helping me work through that though.

I’m thinking instead of a rabbit’s foot maybe I will figure out how to make a dress out of the Terrible Towel. But yellow has never been my color so actually, I would tell you, I need some help with the dress. I’m doing this kind of backwards because I know where I’m getting the shoes (thanks sis for getting me hooked on DSW) but the dress is posing a problem.  Natasha, the ever fun and fashionable blogess over at A Day in the Life, who always has the most adorable dresses, gave me some great ideas but now I would ask you, where do you look when you need to find that perfect dress?

I would probably tell you about my first week of law school and how I feel like I am going to love this semester even more than the last. I’d share my harrowing tales of escapades driving in the snow…or is it ice-capades.  I’d tell you about my new fabulous reading group I’ve joined to ensure that red case books are not all I’ll read this semester. We’d laugh about searching for summer internships and how weird it will be to be an intern again when I used to hire them.  And I’d tell you how I’m about to start going to spin classes, ab classes, and strength classes at the gym this week as I start the uphill battle of getting back in shape and am nervous because…

a.) my limbs will fall off.
b.) I’ll be the girl who is gasping for air in the back.
c.) won’t have the strength to lift my law books after strength class.  or
d.) all of the above.

And that even though my answer would probably be d, I can’t wait to get back to working out.

I would tell you I have so much more to tell you and so much more to hear about you but that will have to wait for another day.

Then as we  headed out the door, energized in the way only a great conversation over coffee can, I would tell you how great it was to sit down, talk and laugh with you over coffee.

In Tomlin we trust.

This New Year’s Present

5 Jan

“Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That’s why we call it the present.”  ~Babatunde Olatunji

Photo from We Heart It.

I have learned a lot this past semester.  Not just about torts or civil procedure but more importantly and in my eyes, more beneficial, I’ve learned about who I am.    It’s all seemed to hit me this winter break.  Maybe it’s because my mind has room in it for things other than case names and briefs, or the spare time and extra sleep, or maybe it’s the fact that I’m reading and writing again. But regardless of the reason, this break has been full of learning in its own right.

Apparently I was slow on the pick up for one of these life lessons until it came along and slapped me in the face while catching up on my google reader.  For the life of me I don’t know why I can’t ease into these things.

These three lovely ladies could not have said it better.  The other night when I read these words I  realized what I had been doing all semester and had yet to put a finger on.

For the past year and a half, I have been living in the future instead of truly enjoying and embracing the today, which for a goal driven gal shouldn’t be that surprising. However, it was realizing what that was doing to me and those around me that really stopped me in my tracks.

First it was looking forward to being done with the LSAT, then it was getting accepted into the school of my choice, then it was moving, then getting through the semester and conquering finals.  I have been so ahead of myself.  Goals and dreams are a wonderful thing, something I will always have but I can’t let it be a blinder to the present.  I have been living with the “hurry up and wait” attitude.  Hurrying through law school so I can take the bar, get a job and become an attorney.  Hurrying through the moving from year to year to a different place and time in another state with distance between me and those I love so I can be in the same state as my best friend, be back in the city I love, stay in one place for while, be with friends again, and so many more.

That ends today.

This semester and this year, I want to really focus on the present each day brings.  I have no idea what is in store for this year but I have resolved to enjoy and live every single minute of it.  I can’t control what happens but I can control who I am and who I become and in the words of Dawn Joy, one of the lovely ladies mentioned above, “I want to see today.  I want to see all the beauties of the here and now.”  I want to see the beauty in the in between.

I’m going to stop seeing life as a finish line.  I’m going to enjoy the journey and the path along the way because from what I’ve been thinking, and what I’ve learned, that’s what you remember about races, not so much the finish line but the people, the triumphs and the struggles along the way.

I’m going to enjoy how distance strengthens relationships, shows us new things about the people we love, its late night phone calls and weekends that can’t be beat.  I am not going to let busyness get in the way of keeping up with friends and family who are far away but find that sweet spot amidst the craziness to stay connected to those I miss.  I’m  going to learn my new city and find places to call my own.  I’m going to open myself up, meet new people and build relationships with those I am around.  I’m going to every day be thankful for the beautiful life I have today instead of constantly looking forward to the dreams of tomorrow.

I’m going to embrace and enjoy every step of 2011.

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