Terrible Blogger

Well, I am a terrible blogger. I was talking to Jay the other day, and I realized part of what my problem is that I am more of a "thinker" and less of a "doer." I have these great ideas but then do not execute them. Thankfully the hubby definitely is a better executor when it comes to plans or we would never get anything done. Oh well. I guess this is my blog and I can do what I want with it (or lack thereof).

So, anyways onto the rest of my post. I decided that I may use this blog as a platform for what I REALLY, REALLY want . . . but am not quite able to get (or probably should not get) right now. My new "want" (though I could def change into a "need" given all the crummy weather lately) is . . . drum roll please . . .



Yep, a great pair of Hunter rain boots.

And you can't have a pair of Hunter boots without a pair of Welly socks to go with them . . .

The Welly socks fit into the Hunter boots to add a little warmth and color. I think these would look super cute with some skinny jeans tucked into them. I can afford the Welly socks ($30) but need to come up with $125 for the boots. I wonder if I can convince my loving husband that these are more of a "need" than a "want" . . .

Hope you are all staying warm and dry, and if not, I highly recommend you get a pair of Hunter rain boots. I will be definitely admiring them if you do. =) 

All pictures are courtesy of Zappos. 

So I Lied . . .

Okay, I didn't truly lie. Not in the sense of violating the Professional Rules of Conduct -- ABA Model Rule 8.4(c) violation.* Anyways, what I lied about is that I failed to write in this blog all semester, most likely losing all readers of this blog, and I never posted any pictures from the fun girls' night.

* Sorry, yes I am a nerd. But to my credit, I am studying for Professional Responsibility and need to know the various ethical rule. In case you are curious --- though you probably are not --- Rule 8.4(c) states that "[i]t is professional misconduct for a lawyer to . . . (c) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation . . . ." I am probably even a bigger nerd for including footnotes in a blog. Whatever.

Well, let's just say that this semester has lived up to the proverbial "as a second year they work you to death." The first year of law school, they scare you to death. Check -- that happened. This year, so far, I have had so many long nights, tons of work trying to balance, and as a result I seriously may have gray hair by the end of next spring. I am just hoping that come next year, it lives up to the "third year, they bore you to death." Seriously, I can handle boredom . . . lots of it.

My last classes of the semester will be Monday, then the study period, and finally my dreaded finals begin Monday, December 13. Uggh. I do have to say this semester has gone by unbelievably fast. Maybe I will post a recap of the semester over break . . . don't hold your breath though, my break looks like it will be as busy as the semester was.

Here is the line up for the next foreseeable weeks:
- Week of December 6 = studying for finals
- Week of December 13 = finals (definitely not looking forward to)
- Week of December 20 = last minute Christmas shopping (which I have a lot left to do)
- Week of December 27 = FLORIDA!!! (hopefully this year it will be actually warm while we are there)
- Week of January 3 = working on my note for the Journal (ick!)
- Week of January 10 = the plan is to be in St. Louis / Kansas City
- Week of January 17 = classes for spring semester begin

Yeah, I am a little over-scheduled. Oh well. At least I have four full weeks of no classes. Thank goodness.

Who knows, maybe I will be more tempted to blog as a distraction from studying (pretty much the reason for blogging now). But if I once again am "lying" well then, I hope all my dear few readers (or more likely extremely bored readers that actually check a blog that has not been written in since the end of September) have a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

Ciao!

Something is in the Water

One of the exciting things right now is that so many people are having babies right now! Seriously, it is crazy the number of people I know having a child, and also it being their first child. It seems to have started with my best friend having a baby this past January. Ever since then, the babies keep popping up. My two sister-in-laws are pregnant, my hubby's cousin just had a baby, one of our good friends just shared she is pregnant, and this week I learned that a friend at school is pregnant (she's a 3L with a job, so she is smooth sailing to have this child). I may have even missed one in there somewhere.

Anyways, while the hubby and I are not anywhere close to having a baby, yet. What all this baby-mania DOES mean is BABY SHOWERS! I love looking at baby clothes and can't wait to start buying all the baby things. It will be fun to have some more nieces and nephews to watch. I am really looking forward to all the babies once they start popping. Just so long as it is not mine. =) I will happily live vicariously through others at this time.

This weekend is my husband's cousin's baby shower. She already had the baby, but is having the shower now that we all know the sex of the baby. Sadly I had something going on this morning, so I won't be able to attend the shower.  

I hope everyone (i.e., my few dear readers) is having a great weekend! Now, I am back to doing homework. Aren't you envious? LOL!

I'm lovin' it!

Well, I remembered the camera for girls’ night. I just forgot to blog about it and post the pictures. I promise to do so in an upcoming blog post – maybe I will just do a compilation of all the things I have taken pictures of. It will be a random post, but oh well. The name of the blog says it all. 

Here are some random, and very superficial, things that I love right now:

• Fall TV line-ups. One of the few things I do love about fall is the start of new shows and new episodes of my favorite shows. My hubby is kindly compiling a list of all the shows we need to DVR. It is quite the list.
• DVR. We just  upgraded to get DVR this fall. Since I am in school, we really try to watch what we spend on superfluous things. It’s sometimes hard (I know my hubby would love that iPhone, and I would love a new blackberry with the internet but that extra $60 or so a month is a killer), but we have been doing fairly well. I am proud of us. However, I am working very part-time this school year, so we decided we could splurge a little. I hope to never go back to life without DVR.
• Nice fabrics. I was talking with a friend the other day, and she said it perfectly: we are fabric snobs.  I absolutely love the feel of cashmere and high quality wool. And don’t even get me started about lined pants – another obsession of mine. If a pair of pants or a skirt is lined, it usually is a sign of good quality. I sometimes am like a little kid always touching things, especially in the expensive clothes section. Or the towel section in Macys and Bloomingdales. I would love to own some of those towels, too bad they are what - $30 per towel. No thanks. I will keep the towels my grandma gave us and those we received from our wedding.
•  Lined dress pants. See the previous love.
• Sperry shoes. These shoes were the BEST thing I purchased all summer. They are a little pricey ($75), but WORTH IT! I purchased the tan leather angelfish style. I want another pair! They are extremely comfortable, and I think add a little sportiness (more yachting-esque) to a casual outfit. Love them!* 

*Okay, I realize I probably sound a little ditzy and  . . . I don’t know what . . . based on the last few loves, so please forgive me. I will come back to reality and try to sound a little less “Legally Blonde.” 

• Having control over my schedule. It is SO nice being able to choose classes that interest me and a schedule that works for me. I do not mind working a ton as long as I have a semblance of control over my schedule.
• Going Parade of Homing. I think it is extremely fun to go look at homes and go into expensive homes and just dream what it would be like to live there. So far the most expensive house we have toured was over $3M, I believe. It was gorgeous, but almost too much. Still it is fun to imagine and wonder what the people do who are able to own one of these puppies. It’s likely not a lawyer. Here’s a little secret: most lawyers will never be able to afford a home like that. Sure some partner at a huge law firm may be able to . . . someday, but the typical lawyer will never own a home like that.
• Dreaming of the future. I do this certainly every day – what the future will bring is always in the back of my mind. Definitely excited, but scared/nervous at the same time. Hopefully many goals will be accomplished and dreams reached. Only time will tell. =)

I guess that is plenty of “loves” to share for now. Would love to hear what you are loving right now.

~Amanda

- 

- 

Did you remember the camera?

Hi All,

So I am new to this whole blogging thing. There have been several times that I have thought of something I should blog about but later forget . . . or am just too lazy to do so later. From the blogs I have stalked read, I really like those that take pictures of what they were up to. It seems an easy way to make a post and keeps things more interesting. The problem is that I always forget my camera. This summer was really busy with trips to Long Prairie, KC, St. Louis, Lanesboro, biking trips around MPLS, and many other fun things in between. However, my hubby and I managed to only capture about two of the events/trips that occurred. Sad. Well, I am going to try to get better at that starting with this Saturday.

 Super excited for this Saturday! A bunch of my friends and I are having a girls' night at Toby Keith's Bar. This idea arose after about 10 of us got together to attend the Carrie Underwood concert at the State Fair (another time I forgot the camera), and realized how long it has been since a large group of us went out together. We (for the most part) were all sorority sisters, and we used to go out together all the time. I miss those days sometimes. Anyways, we will be hanging out as a group, and I am definitely going to really try to remember my camera. Then I can actually post something fun!

Speaking of fun posts, my biggest worry is that when I get really into the full-swing of school, I will no longer have anything of interest to share. I pretty much become a hermit buried amongst books for much of the school year.  I doubt anyone would find my lamentations about work, classes, or final exams anywhere close to interesting. I bore myself at times, so we'll see what the blogging future brings.

Speaking of school: I made it through my first week of classes! I would NOT repeat this time last year for anything. Good luck all you 1Ls - hope you freak out less than I did!

Also, I should forewarn you dear few readers that I do have, I tend to write novels. I am that person who tends to write full sentences in text messages and ends up sending two or more messages when one text would suffice. I do realize that the more interesting/better blogs tend to be shorter, so I will definitely try to do that . . . well, I guess after this post. Just consider yourself forewarned. =)

~ Amanda

First Day of School Tomorrow . . . It Came Too Quickly

Well, my first week's of homework is complete. The backpack is cleaned out from last year, loaded and ready-to-go this year. It's official, the first day of school is tomorrow. It is amazing that I still get that same feeling of dread/anxiousness even after what, 19 years of so of school.

Tomorrow, I am a 2L. So glad to be no longer a 1L. I would not go back to last year for ANYTHING. At least I now know what to expect. Though, they say that as a 2L you work the most. It is no longer scary or difficult so much as you just work ridiculously much. We'll see. I am working, taking a clinic, an officer of a club, and on a journal besides my normal classroom activities -- I have a feeling I will be super busy. Oh well, if it is anything like last year it will go ridiculously quickly.

Along with school starting, fall will soon be arriving. Actually, these last couple days in Minnesota have felt very much like fall. The mister and I went to the Twins game on Friday, and it was SO cold! We wore only sweatshirts when we should definitely have been wearing heavier jackets. It was a fun game, though. We have tix for tomorrow night's game and it is supposed to be a high of 61, so we are going to be smarter and wear warmer clothes this time.

Well, I am off to enjoy my last hours of summer vacation (even though I was off for over three months, it went WAY TOO quickly!). Those few readers I may have, I hope you all enjoy the remainder of your Labor Day weekend!

Giving This a Try

Well, I am giving this blogging thing a shot. I have a blog/journal over at Livejournal (LJ). While I like LJ, it is more of a personal way to update close friends. I am unsure in which direction I will take this blog (if any direction), but I may use it more as a way to write and share my thoughts generally.

We'll see how this goes. Hopefully my posts are not too boring. If you can no longer stand reading my drivel, please feel free to hit that red "x" button on the top right-side of the screen.

For those wanting to continue reading, I guess I can begin with "a little about me."

A Little About Me
My name is Amanda. I am happily married and have been for two years. I prefer not to reveal too many details on such a public domain, so I think I will just call my husband "The Mister" or maybe "my hubby." I will be starting my second year at law school. It has been quite an adventure. Or maybe a roller-coaster is a better way to describe it. I could go on-and-on about life as a 1L, but I am sure you will hear enough about law school through subsequent posts. Prior to law school I worked two years as a financial analyst. Law school was always the dream/goal. But I miss working. I am tired of school and the stress that comes with trying to find a job. One thing I keep trying to work on is having faith and believing that God knows the path. Things will work out fine if I just believe he will guide me. It is something for which I constantly striving.

Title of Blog
The title of this blog "An Eclectic Life" is very much subject to change. I have not yet decided if I really like that title. However, I guess I will stick with it for now, or at least until I think of a better name. I thought the name was apt in that eclectic seems to fit me. Not in the hippy, artsy, trendy way. But in the, I-don't-really-know-what-I-want sort of way. As a result, lots of things interest me. Some days I wish I was in a creative field and had the talent to sing, photograph, draw or just be crafty in general. However, my creativity is somewhat lacking. Other days, I am more preppy and want to be an amazing attorney who is very successful and works a lot. Weird goal (the working a lot part), I know. Sometimes I wish I worked as an archaeologist (used to want to be an Egyptologist) and at other times I wish I worked in agriculture. I just don't really know where I am heading or what I am doing. Maybe I have an issue of "the grass is always greener on the other side" syndrome. Who knows, I just know that I want to perform work that I love doing, so that it does not feel so much like work. We'll see if I ever get there, maybe this blog can help me figure everything out. I am just glad that I have an incredible family and extremely supportive husband. So, I don't know if Eclectic fits things so much, but I am sticking with the title for now. We'll see.

Well, that's about all I have for a first post. Thanks for sticking with it and reading to the end.

~Amanda