In less than one month I will be done with law school and have my J.D. degree. The reality hasn't fully hit me yet, but I have been starting to realize it in bits and pieces. For instance, tomorrow begins the last full week of classes and today was my last day of Legal Bowling.
Overall I'm really excited to be graduating and starting the next phase of my life. It will be nice to once again be a full-time worker and not carry around a ton of books in a backpack. No matter how old you are, people don't quite take you seriously when you have a backpack.
But there admittedly are quite a few things I'm going to miss about law school.
The people. I've made some amazing friends and acquaintances over these three years. While a number of them will be staying in the area, many are moving to other parts of the country. Even with those remaining local, proximity does not necessarily mean actual time spent together. It's sad to think that many of these relationships will dwindle to simple updates through Facebook posts.
The varied opportunities to learn something new. I have no doubt that a career in law will be a continuing learning experience. However, the learning opportunities in law school came from so many different avenues. There were numerous course offerings available, and not just limited to law classes. Several of my friends took a Reiki Healing class - something I had never even heard of before. There were also the blackboards continually filled with postings of all the speakers, presentations, debates, and seminars being hosted by the various student groups. And then there were simply the conversations going on within and outside the classrooms. Every student at the school is special and unique, providing their own perspective on things and introducing others to something they didn't know before. The things I've learned through talking with and listening to my fellow students and the professors have been invaluable.
Spring/Summer breaks. Really, who doesn't love vacations?
There are tons of other things I'll miss, but I wasn't really intending this to be a sentimental/reflective post. There are still too many fun things planned between now and graduation to start the grieving process already. Plus whenever I think of "graduation countdown," I end up with the chorus of Europe's "The Final Countdown" song in my head.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Springtime!
With my final "Spring Break" being next week and the weather (which, despite rumored forecasts of a blizzard for today, is markedly feeling like springtime - with the sun shining and snow melting), I am suddenly feeling very ready for spring and getting back into the outdoors.
While I finally managed to appreciate the winter by learning to ski, I am now in the mindset for spring to begin. I've started breaking out my dresses and skirts without the fear of my legs going numb from the windchill. Today I went shopping for more bike shorts and have been doing research to purchase a road bike online. I'm starting to think about what endurance events I might train for and participate in. And I'm definitely looking forward to bonfires and pool parties.
Steve, the boys, and I have also started more seriously talking about what breed of dog we'd like to get in the next couple months. Mostly we're looking at Poodle-mixes because of their low-shedding coat and temperament.
I will admit that I'm a bit disappointed right now though that I don't actually have any travel plans for Spring Break. For the past couple years I've been fortunate enough to join my mom on some amazing trips to Italy and Australia during Break. I realize that I just spent 4 months abroad in Ireland, but I guess I have the "travel bug" like my mother.
While I finally managed to appreciate the winter by learning to ski, I am now in the mindset for spring to begin. I've started breaking out my dresses and skirts without the fear of my legs going numb from the windchill. Today I went shopping for more bike shorts and have been doing research to purchase a road bike online. I'm starting to think about what endurance events I might train for and participate in. And I'm definitely looking forward to bonfires and pool parties.
Steve, the boys, and I have also started more seriously talking about what breed of dog we'd like to get in the next couple months. Mostly we're looking at Poodle-mixes because of their low-shedding coat and temperament.
I will admit that I'm a bit disappointed right now though that I don't actually have any travel plans for Spring Break. For the past couple years I've been fortunate enough to join my mom on some amazing trips to Italy and Australia during Break. I realize that I just spent 4 months abroad in Ireland, but I guess I have the "travel bug" like my mother.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Just can't escape the snow storms
My law school has a "Winter Break" and so I didn't have any classes last Friday or yesterday. Steve and I decided to take advantage of the long weekend by flying out to Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday night and visiting his parents in Sun City West.
Our days were filled with activities like visiting estate sales, going to the 2011 Arizona Wheels of Italy, driving around the streets in a golf cart, consuming yummy food and drinks, playing the slug-bug game, and a lot of hiking (White Tank and McDowell Sonoran Preserve).
Steve was the camera master, so unfortunately I don't have any photos to post yet. But there were some amazing views from the hiking trails.
We originally planned on going up to the Grand Canyon on Sunday, but turns out Minnesota wasn't the only state having a snow storm. We got to around Sedona and the highway troopers closed the roads. The drivers out there really did not know how to deal with snow on the road and there were a couple times when I worried we were going to be hit by some out-of-control car. Finally we decided to just turn around and save the Grand Canyon experience for another trip.
On Monday evening we flew back and arrived home at about 12:30 a.m. It was a great surprise to discover that one of our neighbors had snow plowed the driveway! Though we had to deal with the Arizona snow storm, it was clearly nothing compared to what had happened back home.
Our days were filled with activities like visiting estate sales, going to the 2011 Arizona Wheels of Italy, driving around the streets in a golf cart, consuming yummy food and drinks, playing the slug-bug game, and a lot of hiking (White Tank and McDowell Sonoran Preserve).
Steve was the camera master, so unfortunately I don't have any photos to post yet. But there were some amazing views from the hiking trails.
We originally planned on going up to the Grand Canyon on Sunday, but turns out Minnesota wasn't the only state having a snow storm. We got to around Sedona and the highway troopers closed the roads. The drivers out there really did not know how to deal with snow on the road and there were a couple times when I worried we were going to be hit by some out-of-control car. Finally we decided to just turn around and save the Grand Canyon experience for another trip.
On Monday evening we flew back and arrived home at about 12:30 a.m. It was a great surprise to discover that one of our neighbors had snow plowed the driveway! Though we had to deal with the Arizona snow storm, it was clearly nothing compared to what had happened back home.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Pizza and Fries in skiing?
Last weekend I went skiing with Steve and the boys. Just to give some perspective, I've skied probably a total of three or four times in my life - two of these instances were in middle school and the last time was about three years ago. So to say the least, I was a bit nervous about my ability to stay upright and return home without any broken bones. However, I am happy to report that it all went really well and was a great trip!
Both Saturday and Sunday we went skiing in the morning for a couple hours, took a lunch break, and then skied a couple more hours in the afternoon. I'll fully admit that the boys and I spent the entire time on the same hill, which had various green and blue runs. It was nice though because I was able to spend time developing my stopping skills and moved past the "pizza"/snow plow technique to the "fries"/parallel turn style.
Hopefully we'll get to go again before the skiing season ends!
Both Saturday and Sunday we went skiing in the morning for a couple hours, took a lunch break, and then skied a couple more hours in the afternoon. I'll fully admit that the boys and I spent the entire time on the same hill, which had various green and blue runs. It was nice though because I was able to spend time developing my stopping skills and moved past the "pizza"/snow plow technique to the "fries"/parallel turn style.
Hopefully we'll get to go again before the skiing season ends!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A Christmas miracle!
I am officially back home and law school classes have started up again. The holidays went really well and I've been fortunate enough to see most of the people I had been missing during my time abroad.
Getting back to the U.S. from Ireland was quite a feat, due to all the bad weather in Europe. I really believe it was a Christmas miracle that I actually made it back in time to spend the holidays with my family and friends.
On Tuesday, December 21st I was scheduled on the 1:00 p.m. flight from Dublin to Chicago, where I would then get a connecting flight home. I had made it all the way through security, customs, and immigration and was waiting at the terminal gate. Just as we were getting ready to board the airplane, they said the flight was being delayed because it had started snowing faster than they could clear the runways, etc.
After several hours of being "delayed", we suddenly heard announcements over the speakers that passengers on canceled flights should leave the airport and re-book their flights online. It was only then that we saw on the departures board that they decided to cancel our flight.
On my way to reclaiming my luggage, I called Steve and asked for his help in getting my flight re-booked. At the same time, a couple suggested to me that I go and try talking to an agent in person, even though they were telling us we should leave. As I waited in line, Steve called to tell me that the earliest flights he could get me out on (without having to pay at least $2000) was on Sunday, December 26th -- meaning I would be spending Christmas alone in Ireland. I decided to wait in the line anyways to talk with an agent in person and see if there was any other possible solution.
I finally saw an agent after 4 hours in line and there was essentially nothing else they could do for me. He even said I was lucky at that point to be on the Sunday flight because other people were already getting pushed to flights that didn't leave until January 1st! He did say that I could try coming to get on standby though - but that if I took any flight to the U.S. other than the one to Chicago, I would be responsible for getting my own connecting ticket home.
I waited another hour in the line where they were giving out rooms at nearby hotels. When I spoke to that agent, she saw how upset I was by the idea that I wouldn't get home until after Christmas. She suggested that I come back to the airport at 6:00 a.m. the next morning and beg/plead/cry/etc. to try and get on standby.
The silver lining of the ordeal was that they put me up in a really swank hotel and even gave us free dinner and breakfast. I missed the free breakfast, however, because I had a taxi pick me up at 5:15 a.m. to head back to the airport.
The woman who put me down on the standby list said I had a good chance of getting on the flight to Chicago because of all the other passengers who wouldn't make their connecting flights in from many other parts of Europe. However, I later found out I was number 26 on the list!
Trying to make a long story shorter, with only thirty minutes before the plane was scheduled to take-off for Chicago, my name finally got called off the stand-by list. I was so excited that I literally ran through the airport to make sure I didn't get left behind.
When I arrived in Chicago there were a number of other problems that cropped up and almost forced me to spend the night there, but ultimately I arrived home that night around 9:30 p.m. It was a good thing I got out of Dublin when I did too, because the airport was closed again the next day due to weather.
Getting back to the U.S. from Ireland was quite a feat, due to all the bad weather in Europe. I really believe it was a Christmas miracle that I actually made it back in time to spend the holidays with my family and friends.
On Tuesday, December 21st I was scheduled on the 1:00 p.m. flight from Dublin to Chicago, where I would then get a connecting flight home. I had made it all the way through security, customs, and immigration and was waiting at the terminal gate. Just as we were getting ready to board the airplane, they said the flight was being delayed because it had started snowing faster than they could clear the runways, etc.
After several hours of being "delayed", we suddenly heard announcements over the speakers that passengers on canceled flights should leave the airport and re-book their flights online. It was only then that we saw on the departures board that they decided to cancel our flight.
On my way to reclaiming my luggage, I called Steve and asked for his help in getting my flight re-booked. At the same time, a couple suggested to me that I go and try talking to an agent in person, even though they were telling us we should leave. As I waited in line, Steve called to tell me that the earliest flights he could get me out on (without having to pay at least $2000) was on Sunday, December 26th -- meaning I would be spending Christmas alone in Ireland. I decided to wait in the line anyways to talk with an agent in person and see if there was any other possible solution.
I finally saw an agent after 4 hours in line and there was essentially nothing else they could do for me. He even said I was lucky at that point to be on the Sunday flight because other people were already getting pushed to flights that didn't leave until January 1st! He did say that I could try coming to get on standby though - but that if I took any flight to the U.S. other than the one to Chicago, I would be responsible for getting my own connecting ticket home.
I waited another hour in the line where they were giving out rooms at nearby hotels. When I spoke to that agent, she saw how upset I was by the idea that I wouldn't get home until after Christmas. She suggested that I come back to the airport at 6:00 a.m. the next morning and beg/plead/cry/etc. to try and get on standby.
The silver lining of the ordeal was that they put me up in a really swank hotel and even gave us free dinner and breakfast. I missed the free breakfast, however, because I had a taxi pick me up at 5:15 a.m. to head back to the airport.
The woman who put me down on the standby list said I had a good chance of getting on the flight to Chicago because of all the other passengers who wouldn't make their connecting flights in from many other parts of Europe. However, I later found out I was number 26 on the list!
Trying to make a long story shorter, with only thirty minutes before the plane was scheduled to take-off for Chicago, my name finally got called off the stand-by list. I was so excited that I literally ran through the airport to make sure I didn't get left behind.
When I arrived in Chicago there were a number of other problems that cropped up and almost forced me to spend the night there, but ultimately I arrived home that night around 9:30 p.m. It was a good thing I got out of Dublin when I did too, because the airport was closed again the next day due to weather.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)