treading water

by wednesday of the past two weeks, I have been exhausted. that 5 am alarm clock call makes me want to cuss, and halfway through the day I'm almost falling asleep during class. I realize that it's only the first two weeks, and they say it's tough in the beginning because you are basically learning a new language... BUT there's no way I'm supposed to feel like this already, right?? it's like that moment when you've jumped into the deep end of the pool and begin to tread water. it's not so tough in the beginning. you feel good. you feel like you can handle this, and then it hits the one minute mark. you start to see that it's not quite as easy to handle and maintain. all my work is done before class, but not nearly in enough time to have a good handle on the material for when I get called on in class **def happened this week... insert wide-eyed emoji here** 

things that are keeping me afloat: running, yoga (even if it's just a few stretches at the end of the day), flavored green tea, great conversations with sweet peoples & acoustic evening playlist on spotify. here's to the long weekend & getting crap DONE!

dear long distance...

dear long distance relationship,

there are a few reasons to actually be thankful for you: (1) you gave me an appreciation for slow Sunday mornings & going to church together for the second time ever, (2) you made us TALK and learn how to communicate, & (3) you make me thankful for even getting just one hour of face-to-face time together. don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're gone, but I'm also thankful for the time you spent in my life. **I'm still ok if you never come back tho** learning how to communicate proves to be especially helpful since he has a crazy work schedule and well, then there's law school. Michael & I are pretty similar, but if we hadn't learned how to communicate with each other early, this season would be rough! yesterday we got one hour together before I had to return to my studying zone. thanks for making me appreciate those short moments. 

while I am so thankful for you, let's get this straight... you are not missed. see ya never.
love,
same-city dating chick

weekend update

this weekend though... Michael & I got to spend most of Saturday with his dad, exploring Virginia Beach & the surrounding areas. this place is stunning... and it just got better :) over the past two days we:

a. went to the local's beach for a walk
b. ate pretty awesome fish tacos
c. went to church together for the second time since we started dating
d. **hopefully** found him an apartment
e. all of the above

so thankful this guy would move to Virginia to be close to me while I go through the craziness of law school! he even spent a few hours in the library with me yesterday **keeper? yes.** he is a servant, cheerful heart, and cheese-ball, and I am so so SO thankful for this next phase of same-city dating!!! 

now, week #2 of law school in 3...2....1. go.

today is the day

here is my first day of school pic... #selfie while walking to the library **where I spent almost all of my hours this past week** I would be lying if I said this past week wasn't hard. wednesday night, I finished reading Aquinas **really, really, REALLY hard to understand philosopher** for a class, & I'm not sure that I've ever felt like my brain had been completely fried until that moment. the progression from last Sunday to today went something like this: ok, we can do this! this reading isn't so bad, & I'm actually enjoying it! oh crap, don't call on me. wait, yes, call on me because I actually know the answer... ok, maybe I didn't know it. umm not understanding anything I just read. why am I still at the library? scatter-brained wednesday. conquering my fears Thursday. & then there's today. reasons why today is great:

1. it's the last day of my first week of law school. I made it.
2. Michael is beginning the drive from Louisville to Virginia Beach **fist pumps for same-city dating!!! hence the walmart love**
3. I only have one class today
4. I get to do a full hour yoga class today for the first time in forevs **namaste**
5. did I mention that my boyfriend is moving to the same city as me today?!?!?!?!? 

happy weekend, peoples! I'm out.

letters from the library {undergrads}

dear regent undergrads,

let this post be somewhat of a "public service announcement"... if you have regular conversations in the library that are not about studies & they are loud enough for me to hear them, you have opened yourself up to my inner monologue & commentary on your conversations. however, don't let that scare you from reading the rest of this because this is not one of the sassy attacks that have wandered through my head over the past few days. no, this is about your future. ok, breathe. in & out. too many of y'all have been freaking out to each other about the future in the library. freshmen, it is ok to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life. a lot of people, if not most, don't even have that figured out when the graduate! seniors, when you don't know what you want to do, the answer is NOT to go to grad school. let me tell you why... when you sign up for graduate school, it costs a LOT of money. if you aren't really sure this graduate degree will be what you end up doing, it's probably not the best idea to go into a large amount of debt over it. then what do you do? go get a job! apply to a bunch of them & get tons of practice interviewing... eventually you will find one. what if you're not passionate about it & don't love it right away?? THAT'S OK! I'd actually say that's better than ok because you'll learn so much about yourself, about the world, & about life by just getting a job & paying the bills for a few years. then if you decide what you want to do later down the road needs a graduate degree, pursue that goal. only when you are sure does it become a wise investment for you to spend that kind of money for furthering your education. 

after speaking with quite a few of my friends, I've discovered a crazy phenomenon. the first year after college is really hard for almost everyone. I had no idea what I was doing after I graduated, nor did I have any idea what a "career path" looked like for me. what I did know is that I had an internship that would teach me a ton, put me outside of my comfort zone, & pay some bills. I wouldn't trade that year or the 2 years after that of working for anything! I would argue that it makes me appreciate my continuing education in the legal field even more! please please PLEASE remember that God has a plan for your life, & He will show you what it is in His perfect timing. what are you supposed to do right now? be faithful where you have been planted. honor & glorify the Lord right now with what He has given you, and then wait on His timing. He works it out in crazy, awesome ways... He writes a way better story than we ever could! trust it.

sincerely,
library soap-box

weekend update {this is real}

well, I guess today it's officially official. my first day of law school. as one of the profs shared at orientation, "1,000 days to the bar, but the practice of law begins now." #nopressure ...thoughts going into today: 1. so thankful for this opportunity & excited to learn more, 2. I don't think I've ever been more intimidated in my life, & 3. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made know in to God, & the PEACE of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts & minds in Christ Jesus." can I get an amen??

buckle up, kids. it's go-time!

ready or not

#selfie because we are officially done with orientation week **please disregard the phantom of the opera look caused by the sun & me being bad at selfies** a few thoughts: 1. I am overwhelmed with how much the faculty cares about each of the students & is fighting for our success, 2. I am incredibly thankful for this week's academic sessions which took away a lot of the ambiguity surrounding "good" briefs & "good" outlines. 3. I cannot even imagine beginning law school without this past week. monday begins real classes, but yesterday began the 3-hours of prep for every 1-hour of class. even though it is a lot of work, I am excited to begin this 3-year journey! it has become even more evident over this past week that this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. praise the Lord for His faithfulness & His timing!

that being said, there are still a whole lot of unknowns... Michael's move may or may not happen next weekend (still moving here, it just might not be as soon as I'd hoped), I'm apparently supposed to know where I want to take the bar exam (which means knowing where I'll be living after law school), and there's the factor of looking into internships for the summer. that seems to be a theme over the past few years since undergrad because God knows if He gives me the answers in advance I'll skip ahead instead of going through the necessary steps He needs me to go through before. here's to all the letters in between A & Z, trusting God with the unknowns, and embracing what He has given me today!

being faithful

yesterday was a little rough. there are so many different things to balance, & I can so easily begin to rely on my own strength. people told me leading up to law school that they wished they'd had more balance during law school, instead of spending all their time in the library. **no thank you** their suggestions have been to get involved in a Bible study, eat right, continue exercising, etc. the things that they listed are more non-negotiables in my life to continue to have. I am not one that can just do one thing for that long of a period of time. BUT over the past few months, I have been praying that these three years would not be a waste, that they would count for something, that I would be able to look back on these three years the way I have the past three years. 

that sounds really great, until about the second day of orientation (yesterday), when I began to become a little overwhelmed at all that I will have to do for school. it would be easy to default into study mode & become a hermit. it would be easy to keep people at an arm's length away instead of really diving in & building deep relationships with people. but real, full life is never in the easy. it's tempting in a way, but I've also tasted of what real, full life is & there is nothing like it! so, here's to taking the time to building deep relationships, not relying on my own strength, & keeping balance throughout all of life.

thankfulness {orientation edition}

well, this morning begins a three year journey. it kicks-off with a week-long orientation where I will {apparently} learn to live through hell... just kidding :) but I do get to learn keys to success in law school, meet the people who will become good friends, & do the whole student ID/parking pass thing for yet another school. **this makes 4. I'm a pro** yesterday as I prepared my mind for this new chapter, I made a list of things I am thankful for:

1. I am not in control.
2. God is sovereign.
3. I can cling to His promises {like phil 4:6-7}
4. amazing family who will drive cross-country to help you move.
5. memories & encouraging notes to overflow a bulletin board.
6. time to sit.
7. super productive, yet completely restful days.
8. cute new homes with sweet roommates.
9. long runs that clear your mind.
10. fresh nail polish & a conquer the world attitude.

I'm off to orientation, folks! here's to remembering God's incredible faithfulness, even when we are in the middle of the crazy.

makin it

well, ladies & gents, after two 13ish hour driving days (which should have been 11 & 10), tons of construction, a moving truck with a max at 75mph, tons of AMAZING views, & an underwater tunnel we finally made it to Virginia Beach! as of right this minute, we have unpacked all the boxes **disclaimer: unpacked but NOT organized... like at all** I am so incredibly thankful for my moving crew: mom, dad, tiff, & andrew. y'all are seriously the best ever! y'all killed it the past few days of packing, driving, unloading, & unpacking. I'm out, homies. gotta get this all together & organized **because otherwise I'll go crazy** before Monday! 

countdown to law school: 3 days

countdown to Michael's move: 15 days

**change is apparently my thing these days... prayers & encouraging notes appreciated**

#virginiabound

today is the day we start the crazy drive from Dallas to Virginia Beach... with an overnight stop in Louisville to see Michael!! there are so many mixed feeling happening right now. people keep asking me how I feel & this is how I explain it: that feeling I used to get right before warm-ups of a basketball game, when you're waiting for the court to clear from the game before... there's a nervous energy that runs through you partly because of adrenaline & partly because of how long you have prepared for that moment. the only thing that helps is when warm-ups begin, & you are finally able to get some of that nervous energy out. that's me right now, and honestly for the past few months. new chapters are so fun to navigate, but they are also tough... especially if you loved the last chapter or will miss people in the last chapter. I've got my diva shoes on, 4 hours of sleep, & coffee...let's do this, peoples! finally, I am #virginiabound 

countdown to seeing Michael: 11 hours 

countdown to move-in day: 2 days

countdown to law school: 5 days

short & sweet

today is our last day in Maui. it has been absolutely beautiful & relaxing here... just what I needed right before all the crazy hits! this is real, people. as you'll see below in the countdowns, there is a whole lot that is about to change. some of it is exciting, some of it causes a little nervousness, but it all is going to be an adventure! 

countdown to seeing Michael: 2 days

countdown to move-in: 4 days

countdown to law school: 7 days

countdown to no more long distance: within the next 14 days!!!!!! 

oh yeah, within the last few days Michael landed a job in Virginia Beach!! he will move there in the next week & a half-ish, & we will get to live in the same city!!! **insert excited, happy dance here** praise The Lord for His faithfulness, His plan, & His perfect {and crazy} timing! here's to same-city dating, new adventures, & embracing change! 

august has arrived

Dear August,

in some ways I can & can't believe you are already here. for so long I've been anticipating your arrival & all the craziness you'll bring. we get back from Maui early morning on the 5th, only to leave 24 hours later to begin this move to Virginia Beach. you probably don't know this, but you've caused me some anxiousness, excitement, nervousness, hope & all things in between. you're bringing about so much change: moving halfway across the country, moving in with new people, beginning law school, starting over in a new city (& all that entails), & being able to date in the same city **see ya later, long distance. you haven't been fun & it hasn't been real**... don't get me wrong, I am so excited for all of this change, but during those times I become anxious I am so thankful for views like these & quiet mornings & coffee. 

here's to you, august. bring on the crazy!

sincerely,

the adventurer side of me

countdown to see Michael: 6 days

countdown to move-in day: 8 days

countdown to law school: 11 days 

**insert wide eyed emoji here**