Christmas Traditions...

One of my very favorite Christmas traditions is watching White Christmas and Holiday Inn with my mother. She used to tell me the story of how she and my Aunt Janey would

sing "Sisters" in their kitchen when they were washing

dishes. This image always made me giggle. AND, I always

wanted to be this little ballerina from the final scene

in the movie

This year I decided to add a humorous tradition and force my family to watch the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episode, "The One With the Holiday Armadillo." It always makes me laugh, and my parents thoroughly enjoyed it. I think we'll have to do it every year from now on. :o)

Finals Frenzy...

Well, I've been gone for quite awhile because, since the day after Thanksgiving, I have been living in a little place called Exam Land. I have have yet to actually emerge fully from Exam Land, but my two hardest tests are over, with one more on Tuesday and a paper that I (shockingly) procrastinated on due Thursday. This leaves me approximately one day to prepare for the holiday madness that is my 2 week break from school. My in-laws come down on Friday, which I'm so excited about it. Is it weird that I love my in-laws? I've been blessed with great ones, which I know is pretty rare, so I won't rub that in too much. Then, on the 22nd, the in-laws fly home in the morning and my parents arrives in the afternoon. It's crazy, but I'm excited for all the family bonding and relaxing after all the solitary studying and stressing of the last few weeks.

Next week, I'm going to blog all my favorite holiday traditions, so get excited. I can't wait to finally get in the holiday spirit!

Natalee Claire

Every year at Thanksgiving I spend some time remembering a dear friend who died in 2003. Natalee Claire was a fabulous and free-spirited friend I made almost immediately after starting college. We lived on the same hall and spent our first semester in a small, tightly knit group of friends. Unfortunately (for her loved ones) Natalee went to be with Jesus over the Thanksgiving holiday our sophomore year. Her amazing, though short, life continues to encourage me and many others, as her love for the Lord and for others left a legacy large enough to last as if she had lived to be 100. This picture is representative of how Natalee lived, but it also makes me thinking of how she must be living now in heaven. So this year, as every year, I am thankful to have known this beautiful girl!

DeBloom Designs...

Remember the gorgeous Pamela who hosted the fun and fabulous pie-baking contest in Nashville two weekends ago? Well I forgot to mention that she is a phenomenally talented crafter. Seriously, check out her blog and online shop here: DeBloom Designs and pic out some fun goodies for yourself or to bless someone with at Christmas!

Jamie Brant...

Would you look at this gorgeous couple?

Back in college I interned at First Presbyterian Church, North Palm Beach. I was blessed to meet these fabulous girls, Jamie and Morgan (here they are with me and bestie, Emily). I got the pleasure of being their small group leader and, after the graduated high school and I graduated college, we remained friends. They were both in my wedding party as well. See Morgan (far left front) and Jamie (far right front) along with me and my other gorgeous girl friends.

It's hard to believe that these gorgeous girls are now college graduates. Morgan is in medical school at NYU (she's a smartie), and Jamie just got marriage and bought a house in Charlotte with her hubbie, Trae. They had an absolutely gorgeous wedding on the roof of a hotel in downtown Charlotte on October 30. I was so blessed that Jamie asked me to be a part of her special day and never minded that I was seven months pregnant and barely able to cram my belly into the dress. Thank god for the other bridesmaids who helped zip it up!

Annaleigh Jane's Domain...

Adam and I were blessed today by baby shower #2, thrown by my darling friends at Emory Law. I, being my usual slacker self, failed to take any pictures, but hopefully some will be coming my way soon. Either way, unpacking all the beautiful gifts we received into the nursery made me realize that it is high time I post some pictures of the progress we've made in there. It's certainly not done, but it's getting close. This big guy is the literally GIANT panda bear from Aunt Ellie and Uncle Dave saving Annaleigh's place in her crib. We were at Zoo Atlanta admiring the baby pandas chow down on some yummy green bamboo the day we found out I was pregnant, so the nursery is black, white, and green as a special way for us to remember when we found out our baby bear was coming! Adam's parents bought us this beautiful cherry crib as our first baby gift. It was the exact one I wanted and will convert to a toddler bed and then full bed as our little one grows up. Here I am at 30 weeks and counting!

Another project I'm tremendously proud of is our changing table/dresser, which I found for a whopping $65 on craiglist, though it retailed for over $500 at BabiesrUs just a year ago. Originally it was dingy and white. With some help from my darling husband, we we able to paint it this fabulous leafy green color, add new iron hardware, and line the drawers with black and white drawer liner. I just recently added the bows to the draw pulls with some ribbon left over from baby shower #1 (thanks Aunt Emily!). For $40 worth of materials, I think it looks pretty Anthrolicious, don't you? As you can see, the drawers and shelves are quickly filling with the gifts that all of our dear friends have been blessing us with. Our little girl is going to end up having more clothes and shoes than her momma if our friends have anything to do with it!

Since our nursery will also function as a guest room when we have out of town visitors, we've kept the double bed in it. My friend Sarah helped me create a more "grown-up" friendly side of the room using some accessories I'd spent the summer acquiring. The print on the shelves above the bed is one we purchased from a street vendor in Rome when we were in Italy for Emily and Nick's wedding last May. It's of the Trevi Fountain. where Adam wished for a baby girl. To the left of the bed will go the antique rocker my mother used with me and my brother, which she is lovingly refinishing for us in addition to making custom bedding for the crib. (She is amazing, I know). Until the rocker is done, Annaleigh's stuffed animals (gifts from too many special people to list) are marking the spot. The bookshelves to the right of the bed are leftover from college, but I sprayed them white and Sarah helped me arrange some special photos and bins to hold books and toys. I think they looks really sweet without screaming to our guests "a baby lives here"!

My goal was to create a space that would be soothing a tranquil for guests, but still fun for baby. I knew for sure that I didn't want a nursery that was anything you'd

traditionally think of for a baby girl- nothing pink, so baby animals parading across the walls. Adam lovingly painted the walls a very soft grey that has just a slight lavender undertone, and I've accented the black, white, and green with a few touches of plum (throw on the bed, a couple accessories, etc...) All in all, I'm really pleased and can't wait for our little girl to arrive and check it out!

Babies, bellies, mustaches and pies...

What could these four things possibly have in common? Leave it to the Monaghans to work that out! Adam and I were thrilled when our dear friends, Ryan and Pam, invited us up to their Nashville home to have a long awaited reunion with them, their baby girl, Wyndham, and two other college friends, Brendan and Lisamarie. A little backstory- all six of us graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic back in the day, and all six of us got engaged and married the same year. In fact, Ryan and Pam's anniversary is just one week before ours. Ryan, Pam, Brendan, and Lisa were all in mine and Adam's bridal party, circa June 2007.

~~~~~Newlyweds~~~~~~

Fast forward three years, and Ry and Pam are proud parents of this beautiful girl, and Lisa and I are both expecting. It was so much fun to compare baby bumps and get some great mommy advice from Pam. Ryan and Pam are amazing, laid-back parents a great example of how Adam and I hope to be with Annaleigh.

We're really looking forward to the spring when we can reconvene plus two extra additions, Annaleigh Jane, and Brendan and Lisa's little boy, Mason James, who is due just two and a half weeks after Annaleigh! Here Lisa and I are flaunting our baby bumps. Mason and Annaleigh already love each other.

Now what do pies and mustaches have to do with all of this? Well, it's a Monaghan tradition to host a pie baking contest in the fall. The women bake pies and the men judge. The men are given very special disguises (i.e. mustaches) so they can discreetly choose to vote as they please and not feel obligated to vote for their wife's pie. As you can see, our husbands all took the judging process very seriously.

Coming up next... the gorgeous Jamie McCluskey gets married and I am a prego bridesmaid for Halloween!

Baby Shower...

Back in October I was blessed to have some of my dearest friends throw me a baby shower. It felt more like a flood than a shower- there was so much love and so many lovely gifts for little Annaleigh, and she's not even here yet! Three of my friends (Emmy, Kiki, and Jamie) even came in from out of town to join the fun. Em brought her new hubby, Nick, so Adam would have a friend while we were occupied with girly shower activities. It was a fabulous weekend. (Photo: Jamie, Susanna, Kiki, Me, Melody, Emily)

Kristin (Aunt Kiki) is headed to India this spring, so she decorated a sweet onesie for Annaleigh to wear when we Skype to keep in touch. If you can't tell, it says "Someone in India Loves Me!"

On Sunday we all went out for a chilly ride on Susanna's family boat. Even my mom joined in the fun and we snuggled to keep warm. She's excited to be a grandma soon!

Adam, Nick, Kenny, Susanna, and Melody even braved the cold water for some wake boarding. I (wisely, I think) chose to refrain- that water was coooooold! Even so, it was great to get out with so many good friends and enjoy some gorgeous fall weather.

We also got to try Flip Burger on Saturday night, which I had been dying to check out. The chef is a former Top Chef contestant, and these burgers were AMAZING. Nothing like a burger and fries to make a prego happy, right? If you're ever in Atlanta I highly suggest you try. Doesn't everything sound delicious? http://www.flipburgerboutique.com It was!

Until next time...

Ooops...

So... I kind of forgot that I had a blog. Well, I knew I had it, but, per my last post, I'm a terrible procrastinator and just kept putting the updates off. Since the last post my life has settled into a general routine of work and school and work and school. Thrilling, I know. However, I was blessed last month to have many of my dearest friends come celebrate Annaleigh's impending arrival by throwing a baby shower for me. (Pictures to follows soon- promise). I'm in full nesting mode, unpacking all these tiny, frilly outfits into the nursery, washing crib sheets and blankets, and trying to teach the kitties not to sleep in the crib!

Meanwhile, final exams are looming just around the corner, and it's officially time for me to lock it down in the library for the next month and half- I'm sooooooo excited, can you tell? Thus, I will break up my long study days by blogging, so be looking forward to the upcoming posts:

1. My baby shower and reunion with college besties

2. McCluskey Brant wedding extravaganza

3. Trip to Nashville to meet baby Wyn and see the Downing baby bump

4. Pictures of Annaleigh's newly redecorated nursery

Lessons I Should Have Learned

1. Not to procrastinate. But, since I didn't learn this, I'll be spending the rest of my Friday and all day Saturday in the library writing the brief I've had since August 1 to write- go me. I'm awesome.

2. Pack a lunch- it will be far superior to anything purchased at school. And yet, again I'm eating soup bought from the café in the law school. Yummmmm.

3. Facebook and blogging are a huge time-suck. Well, I actually did learn that one, but I continue to do both anyways! (Hence, the procrastination problem).

So maybe this year I'll learn and next semester will start off in a less hectic manner. Oh wait, I'm having a baby at the beginning of next semester- never mind!

2L

Today was the first day of my second year of law school! It felt insanely good not to be a confused 1L, which was quite possibly worse than my first day of college. Today was a breeze- a little reading, and little research, one class and lots of reunions with friends I haven't seen all summer. This year is going to be slammed, no doubt, since I'm taking 15 credit hours, working at the firm, doing Moot Court, and co-chairing fundraising for the International Law Society. Not to mention getting ready to add a baby girl to the mix come January! The difference between this year and last year is that these are all things I chose for myself. Granted, some of the classes I'm taking because I have to (or feel that I should), but still, it's a vast improvement over hours spent slaving over a 2 credit hour legal writing assignment! I'm very excited about my Public International Law class and the Pursuit of Happiness lecture series I'm taking. I get to meet the Dali Llama in October- how cool is that? Not to mention my law school girlfriends have already been making noises about throwing me a baby shower. I really do have the sweetest group of girls in my class who have become so dear and been so supportive. It means a lot to have such accomplished and driven women support me as I attempt to balance career and family. Their well-wishes have been a bright spot among the many people who think what I'm doing is impossible and that, in fact, I'm going to end up dropping out of school because I can't hack it. The best advice I've gotten so far (from my childhood bestie's little sister who just became a momma herself): prove all the naysayers wrong!

I am very excited to become a mom and ecstatic that I'm having a daughter, but the joy I feel about my little girl has not eclipsed my desire to pursue a career in law. Maybe I'm selfish, but I want it all, and I believe there is room for it all in my life! This year is going to be a lot of work, but also a lot of fun and most definitely an adventure. I'm going to try to be diligent about blogging throughout so my far away friends can enjoy the ride with me. So until next time...

Sweet Summer Time...

This may sound crazy, but I'm kind of ready for the summer to be over. I miss my law school friends, and I kind of miss the structure of classes. Remind me I said that in November when I'm 7 months pregnant, knee deep in studying for finals and want to kill myself. But for now, I am feeling ready to get back to it.

Meanwhile, I am rapidly compiling a list of things I would like to get done before school starts, including cleaning out my closet. This is actually one of my favorite past-times, because I love creating room for new purchases! Still little to no sign of a baby bump, which keeps me craving regular clothes, but I feel hesitant to shop lest I never fit in the clothes again. Friends who have already had babies- how do I lose ALL the baby weight? I like my clothes and want to wear them post baby!

Now, before signing off, I have to write about my new fave thing- Goody Spin Pins! I love these things! I have A LOT of hair, and years of doing classical ballet has caused me to amassed a large quantity of hair pins, which I chase around the house after my kitties steal them. But the spin pins? Two of them and I can make the cutest, easiest up-dos. Friends with thick, long, or curly hair- you MUST purchase these. Best $6 I've spent in a long time!

Bun in the Oven

So here's Bunny, coming in January. I thought I'd go ahead and blog about our little one, since I know there are scores of questions I'm going to get (because I've been asked the same ones basically ever since we told the very first person). Bunny is not entirely a surprise- Adam and I have been talking about a baby for awhile now, and I've been feeling the "mommy" vibe for the last few months for sure! He/she/it is due to arrive on January 23, 2011. No, I'm not showing yet, in fact, I've been so sick that I've lost 8 lbs. since getting pregnant, so keep praying for me to get fat and happy sooner rather than later! Oh, and I'm NOT dropping out or taking time off from law school except to give birth and recover. I'll have more time with Bunny now than I ever would as a first year associate, so we're confident that we can make law school and parenthood mesh. And we're very excited!

Warning, Extreme Laughter May Follow

I've been reflecting back on some of the fun moments of 1L (yes, there was some fun), and I recollected an early morning laugh fest with my good friend Rachel Gordon. One of her friends sent her the following link in early October and we managed to laugh so loud and so long that I nearly peed my pants. Profanity warning for the faint of heart (my mother reads my blog, so I have to say that). This is entirely out of season, but maybe you'll revisit it come fall and have a good laugh again: It's Decorative Gourd Season!

The Beasts

I LOVE summer. Granted, I wish I didn't have to work at all, but I LOVE not having to go to class, read for hours on end, and deal with a crazy schedule. I also love that my husband is a teacher, so he's around all summer long. It is so nice to come home from work and hit the pool with Adam or snuggle up on the couch with the animals. And speaking of the Clevenstine beasts, to the right is Zooey, our newest addition and my Christmas present from Adam. She is a ferocious beast who eats ANYTHING and bosses the other animals around. Below is our whole crew, which we are so grateful for. Lesson of the month? "Whatever you do," DO NOT put cheapo supermarket flea medicine for dogs of your cat. He WILL start having seizures and nearly die, and you WILL feel like a horrible human being! Luckily, after many baths and hours of forced snuggling, Mr. Nemo is just fine. I knew he was fine when he spent three hours trying to get the hair on the back of his head to lay down flat. (It was sticking up funny after his bath). When your cat's diva tendencies come back, his health is no longer a concern.

Foxy, Nemo, and Zooey dominate our couch... so much for our new furniture staying animal free and beautiful!

It's Been Awhile

Well, I finally figured out how to get my blog to stop showing up as a pile of html code. I am NOT technologically savvy, so this took waaaaay too many tries, but now I'm back. In recent news, we had a fabulous trip to Italy. The amazingly talented Jess Cornett took some beautiful photographs- check them out HERE.

Isn't my best friend the most beautiful bride? Seriously, I have been to a lot of weddings in the last few years- in fact, the year we got married Adam was in 6 weddings! And every bride has been stunning, but I'm going to have to give Em the gold. Maybe it was the simple lace sheath, maybe it was the Tuscan sunset, maybe it was the fact that everything in Lucca has a golden glow, but she was radiant. And Nick didn't look half bad either! No seriously, it was like watching movie stars get married. Not to mention our whole trip was unbelievably fun. "Whatever you do," take amazing vacations with amazing people. You'll never regret it!

In other news, one of my other best friends (yes, I am 25 and allowed to have more than one best friend) is heading to Haiti. Please send out good thoughts and prayers for Melody Rogers over the next 3 weeks. She is being incredibly brave and heading to Haiti to help with relief efforts. It is hot, rainy, and there are still rubble and bodies everywhere. NOT an easy trip, but a tremendously important one that anyone who knows her should support in prayer! Melody is not exactly an outdoorsy type (we bond over this mutual love of the indoors and general laziness), but what she IS is compassionate. Mel has a heart for the hurting that I've rarely seen, and I have so much respect for her willingness to be uncomfortable in order to help where it is really needed. So many "mission trips" are simply manufactured, cushy experiences intended to benefit the people on them and not really serving anyone at any great depth. Not so, in this case. I truly believe that Mel and her travel companions can have a great impact in the lives of people with very broken lives.

Now that I've blogged about 2 of my friends, I guess I should blog something about what I've been up to. I have been spending my summer interning at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, a large law firm in midtown Atlanta. As a rising 2L, there's not much I know how to do, but I'm learning a lot. I will say, however, that I really just want to take the summer off! Law school year 1 has left me utterly exhausted and wanting only to float around my pool on a raft all day. If only... what I am going to do is go take a nap right now. Yes, at 4:00 in the afternoon. Next blog post: how I almost killed my cat.

So... I finally finished finals! Praise the lord- I am done with 1L. And I got a summer job, which is another prayer answered for sure. Now I get one blissful week off to RELAX. I fully plan to spend at least half of it laying by my pool. In just a few weeks Adam and I leave for Italy, which will be during our 3 year anniversary. Thinking about that got me thinking about our honeymoon in Costa Rica and I found this funny video from our trip- I am such a scaredy cat!

More pictures from 1L year to follow!

Rainy Days...

I have to say that it has been extremely difficult for myself and many of my friends to stay inside and focus on studying when the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. The past 2 weeks have basically been full of the most fabulous spring days you could dream of, so having to study has been less than blissful. Well, God must have seen my frustration, because I woke up this morning to a gray, rainy day. Obviously my first choice would have been to stay home, curl up under a blanket with my hubs, and watch movies all day (or teleport myself to Chicago to watch the Hills marathon with Em), but the library is not so bad either. At least I'm not glaring at everyone outside in pure envy.

In 4 days I will be done 4 days! Which means in 5 days, I'll be laying by the pool getting tan. At some point I will hopefully find a legal job, but you know what? I just can't worry about that quite yet. For now finals, and after that- well, I think I've earned a little relaxation time and a chance to catch up with all my non-ELS friends. So PBA girlies- expect your phone to ring next week, because it has been too long! And just to bring back some REALLY old school college memories, look what I found among my thousands of photos:

Italia on my mind...

So, for all my non-ELS friends who haven't heard from me recently (i.e. anyone besides Em), I am smack dab in the thick of final exams. One week from today and I will be a 2L- assuming of course that I pass, but I'm going to assume that! I've been studying for my property final for almost 48 hours straight now (save the 8 hours I've been home in the last two days). Talk about a bunch of nit-picky rules that I won't bore you with! I'm now seriously having to question my "gunner" status, as I'm pretty sure that I'm one of about a dozen people remaining in the law library. Hmm... I'm determined to make it to 2:00 a.m. though. Got to get in those last few practice questions!

In other, much more exciting news, Adam and I leave for Italy in just a little over a month to see my bestie get married! So, for anyone who has spent any time in Italy or London, hit me up with your fave places!

Fired Up!

Man, I have just become a blogging machine today. I guess I have a lot to say because everyone around me has a lot to say, and it has gotten me thinking and gotten me fired up. I've been thinking about the comments that have been swirling around Emory Law, Facebook, CNN, you name it, everyone's talking. I've heard a lot of intelligent comments, but a lot of ignorant ones too. So I just thought I'd throw out my two sense on this whole debacle, for whatever its worth. Here's my disclaimer, though: I'm not claiming to understand the ins and outs of healthcare reform. My instinct as a Christian says that it is simply that compassionate thing to support healthcare for all, but my understanding of the financial repercussions is basically zero beyond what common sense can tell me, and I don't have time to philosophize over all the possible outcomes. The sliver of knowledge I do have comes strictly from my 1L law classes, and let's face it, even at a top 20 law school, we're the tadpoles in the legal ocean. So seriously, before anyone flips out, these are just my personal naive ramblings and nothing more.

As previously stated, I don't purport to know much about the U.S. Constitution (just more than the average high schooler, really), but I will say that regardless of what side of the universal healthcare issue you stand on, you should be able to see that one could interpret parts of the Constitution to authorize the recent bill. I'm not saying you have to agree, just that any reasonable person should be able to see that it is a possible interpretation of the text.

Please note Article I: Congress shall have power to lay tax... to provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States. Furthermore, we know that the healthcare industry is actively involved in interstate commerce, so any kind of healthcare reform involving regulation of the companies themselves could be seen as explicitly authorized under the commerce clause. Just a thought.

I get it, though. People think that if Congress can now tell people that they have to purchase a certain good or service that Congress is basically claiming limitless power. But I personally don't believe that. The text of the Constitution explicitly reserves certain authority to the Executive, the Judiciary, to the States, and most importantly, to the people. Furthermore, we cannot forget that it is the people who have the power to elect our own representatives. It is not a perfect system. Believe me, I know it is flawed in many ways. But I, for one, am grateful that I have a voice (however small it may be), and that I live in a country where we decide things by a majority vote and where healthcare is something that is available at all. I feel this way because I have been to places where the people have no voice and where people die of stupid diseases because, not only is there no health insurance, there is no medical care at all.

All that to say, I think it is important to remember, as we get all hot and bothered about U.S. politics, that what we have going on here in the U.S.- like or not- is a lot better than what much of the rest of the world is dealing with.

and further more...

A little soap box- I am all for people sharing their opinions anywhere they want, including on Facebook. However, I find it really amusing that high schoolers are starting Facebook groups claiming that the recent passage of the universal healthcare program has left the U.S. "6 feet under." No matter what you believe about healthcare or how this bill got passed, no one has taken away your right to vote, right to due process, etc... And I personally find it hard to believe that myself and all my classmates are having to study days on end just to be able to grapple with the Constitution in some small way, but a HIGH SCHOOLER understands it well enough to declare that the Constitution is in fact dead. If he or she does, I'd like that person to tutor me for my Con Law exam.

Why I hate the Constitution...

Ok, not really, but in all seriousness, studying SCOTUS opinions resolving Constitutional issues over the last 200 years or so really makes you want to ask the Framer's "why didn't you anticipate any of these issues??" That is admittedly an unfair question, because so many things have changed since it's adoption, but still... Furthermore, I find it interesting that the SCOTUS justices are free to use whatever method they want to interpret the Constitution and they ping-pong back and forth all the time (perhaps in a desperate attempt to maintain some consistency in their opinions). I mean really, it seems to me that it make sense to either be strictly formalist and decide cases based on a strict interpretation of the text, or allow a more functionalist perspective and take modern needs regarding efficiency within our government and consistency among court decisions to play some role. What seems entirely inconsistent is to say that some issues deserve consideration of current needs and trends to play a role in deciding related suits, while others must be subjected to a strictly textual analysis with not regard for the potential absurd result this might produce. With my limited knowledge as a 1L, I can honestly say I don't know which theory of interpretation is "better," but it does seem strange to jump between the two with no apparent reasoning behind which method is used other than which justice happens to be writing and who is in the majority. I guess I'm making the old "can't we all just get along?" argument, to which the answer is obviously NO, or we wouldn't have a judiciary to decide conflicts in the first place. That's enough pointless ramblings for today... back to law school for me.

Taking on too much...

I am officially taking on too much. I have to prepare an appellate argument for my writing class, a closing argument for Mock Trial try-outs, study over 80 cases for my Con Law class, AND keep up with my reading for all my classes. I'm very close to losing my mind. Some of you may think I've already lost it, but trust me- that rabbit hole can get deeper!

I really love law school, but for some reason this semester just feels like I'm constantly trying to tread water, and its getting exhausting. Last semester went by so slowly, with things heating up really only toward the last month or so of the semester. This semester we have had assignments thrown on top of reading from week one... I CANNOT wait for summer. BUT, I need you all to send up good thoughts and prayers, as I have yet to find a summer internship. It is not panic time yet, but I've got to find something soon.

In other news, spring has finally descended upon Atlanta- it will be 70 tomorrow!

Here Comes the Bride...

So my one of my nearest and dearest friends has decided to tie the knot this May. To celebrate, 7 of our friends from college are having a girls weekend, bridal shower, etc... I am so excited! It has literally been years since I have seen some of these girls. I'm feeling a lot of champagne, laughing, catching up, and possibly some marathon SATC playing in the background. It is especially special (redundant or what?) for me to get to host this shower because the bride was my maid of honor for my wedding and my roomie for a year after we graduated from college. Now that she's in medical school, I'm in law school, and all of our friends are scattered across the country pursuing their careers as well, we don't get to see each other that often. Thus, this should be an amazingly fun weekend. Now if only I can focus on Constitutional Law for a few more hours so I don't have to live in the library next week! Hmm... Marbury v. Madision anyone?

You know you're avoiding when...

My avoidance of LWRAP has reached an all-time high. For those of you who don't know, LWRAP stands for Legal Writing Research and Advocacy Program and is a mandatory course that all Emory J.D. candidates have to take both semesters of 1L year. And, as I write, I am 2 days away from our big deadline for a 30+ page legal brief, which, it just so happens, is on sexual harassment. Anyone ever read a Supreme Court or appellate court opinion on sexual harassment? Google if you need a good laugh. I never thought I'd read a legal document stating, and I quote: "the phrase 'sick bitch' is not necessarily offensive to women." But lo and behold, I am actually going to get academic credit to use such language... law school is ridiculous. Not to mention I have to put up with skeezy library guy- the 40+ year-old man that lurks around the library and is occasionally found making out with random girls (who are not law students, by the by) in the stacks. Talk about distractions. So, instead of editing my 18th draft, I'm starting a blog, something I've always said I would never do. Which is why I'm saying that my avoidance level is exploding. But I digress...