So, my LSAT results came in on Monday night. That was like a week earlier than I was expecting them so it was a nice surprise. The magic number was 154. I will get to how that number makes me feel, but I thought first I should tell the story of seeing the results…
On my handy, dandy little pink phone, I can check my email with just the touch of a button. So, as I grabbed my phone on Monday evening with the purpose of checking out what football games were going on (Nick and I had just made the decision to spend our Monday night having buffalo wings and beer), I quickly hit the magic e-mail button and scrolled through the new messages. There it was, between an email from the Improv Comedy Club telling me about their weekly schedule and Victoria Secrets offering me end of the year savings on their entire line… the subject “LSAT SCORE”. My heart stopped for a second as I touched the subject to open the email.
Nick was laying on the couch in the dimly lit living room. I don’t think my expression could be clearly read in the light provided so he continued to wait for me to give him the football schedule. I opened the email and slowly read through it. Now, what I want to explain here is that everything law school related is handled through one website (the Law School Admission Council). So the email is from this council and I am fully expecting the email to say that I need to log into the LSAC website to see my results. So I scrolled down and there, out of the blue, with no warning – not even a bold font – was the sentence…
“Your score is 154 and you are ranked in the 60th percentile.”
I am not kidding when I tell you that I almost threw my phone across the room! Not because the score was bad, but because I wasn’t prepared to see it. I was prepared to pull out my computer, log onto the website and take a deep breath before clicking the link that revealed the scores. But no… it was as if someone had come by and ripped the bandaid off before I had a chance to know what was happening. I believe I said something like, “I was NOT ready to see that!!” to which Nick, who if you remember was lying on the couch, anxiously asked, “WHAT?”. “My LSAT score is in!” He said he thought I had just got an email telling me someone had died… a response I found humorous because it tells something about my initial reaction to seeing it. I was stunned that was for sure. But there it was, a 154. All the anxiety, all the preparation, all the waiting… there it was.
So now, you are probably wanting to know what exactly a 154 means. So here is the breakdown. The lowest you can get is a 120, the highest is 180. I had sincerely hoped I would get at least a 155 or higher… but, that being said, all of the practice tests I had taken had landed somewhere around 153-155 so in a way, I hit the consistent number I had been hitting. I guess the most important thing is that I didn’t choke and bomb it. A 154 is not going to get me in to Harvard, but I wasn’t planning on applying there anyway. My cumulative GPA for all my undergraduate experience is a 3.91, so when you combine that with my LSAT score and my life/work experience, I think the whole package puts me into a pretty competative market for the schools in this area.
From here, what happens? I am waiting on my letters of recommendation to be received by LSAC and then the entire package will be ready for delivery to the law school and then I wait for the accpetance letter. THAT is the day I really celebrate. The thing about the LSAT is this… it is simply a test to get me in the door. I am an overachiever (I know – you all are shocked, right?) and so it is in my nature to have wanted more… to wish that I had scored a 157 or a 160. But I know that my score is good enough… because once that acceptance letter comes, the score will not matter anymore… the slate is wiped clean and I start fresh, busting my butt in law school. Woohoo!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Ahh.... the holidays :)
So, I have done it! I have survived another Christmas! Amazing, right? Okay, so maybe "amazing" isn't the right word... but I am glad it is over. All that buildup, all the waiting, the trying to find just the right presents... all of that and then in a day, its all over. I never really felt the Christmas spirit this year. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that December was so full of other thoughts. For one, I had the LSAT and all the subsequent law school application stuff to get through. Then, I had the trip to Louisiana to see my little brother graduate college. Just trying to plan that weekend was enough to distract from most of my Christmas plans. But, I would have gladly skipped Christmas to see him walk across that stage. All in all, it has been a really busy month.
Now it is the weekend after Christmas, the weather (which was snow-worthy five days ago) has now warmed up to the point of needing the air-conditioning to be turned on, and I am sitting in my slightly cluttered apartment trying to figure out how to enjoy the last 2 days of my extended weekend. Santa brought Breighton the Active Outdoor Challenge for the Wii and so he and I played that last night and again today... we worked up a sweat and I am really hoping my downstairs neighbors are out of town for the holidays because I think they will hate me and this horribly addicting game! You have to run, jump, lean, row, and much more as you go through various outdoor adventures. It is truly a workout!! I believe Nick and I are going to take both boys and go to see the ICE exhibition at the Gaylord Texan tonight. It is this amazing indoor ice sculpture exhibit where they keep it at 9 degrees throughout and they have gigantic ice sculptures of just about everything. If we go, I will get pictures and upload them to share. It will be a nice way of having the "wintery" cold feeling despite the 75 degree temps outside!!
Other than that, I suppose it is business as usual. Just getting through the end of 2008. What a year!! Every year, as the end approaches and the new year is on the horizon it seems I reflect back and think about all the things I have experienced and I am always so excited to see what the year will bring. 2008 was not a year of a lot of changes (which is fine since 2007 was FULL of them), it was more a year of getting a steady flow in life again. 2009 will be monumental, that is for sure... especially if I get accepted into law school... it will be the beginning of yet another turning point. I can't wait!!!!!
Now it is the weekend after Christmas, the weather (which was snow-worthy five days ago) has now warmed up to the point of needing the air-conditioning to be turned on, and I am sitting in my slightly cluttered apartment trying to figure out how to enjoy the last 2 days of my extended weekend. Santa brought Breighton the Active Outdoor Challenge for the Wii and so he and I played that last night and again today... we worked up a sweat and I am really hoping my downstairs neighbors are out of town for the holidays because I think they will hate me and this horribly addicting game! You have to run, jump, lean, row, and much more as you go through various outdoor adventures. It is truly a workout!! I believe Nick and I are going to take both boys and go to see the ICE exhibition at the Gaylord Texan tonight. It is this amazing indoor ice sculpture exhibit where they keep it at 9 degrees throughout and they have gigantic ice sculptures of just about everything. If we go, I will get pictures and upload them to share. It will be a nice way of having the "wintery" cold feeling despite the 75 degree temps outside!!
Other than that, I suppose it is business as usual. Just getting through the end of 2008. What a year!! Every year, as the end approaches and the new year is on the horizon it seems I reflect back and think about all the things I have experienced and I am always so excited to see what the year will bring. 2008 was not a year of a lot of changes (which is fine since 2007 was FULL of them), it was more a year of getting a steady flow in life again. 2009 will be monumental, that is for sure... especially if I get accepted into law school... it will be the beginning of yet another turning point. I can't wait!!!!!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
The LSAT
Sorry it has been forever since I posted... again... but I just wanted to post a quick message to let everyone know that I FINALLY took the LSAT today! I waited a little to long to register for my test (because I was trying to decide if I was going to take it here or if I was going to try to make it to Louisiana for my little brother's art show and take it there) so by the time I registered, all the DFW testing sites were full so I had to register for a test at Texas A&M-Commerce which meant I had a small road trip to get to my testing site. Nick was nice enough to drive me out there on Friday night and we spent the night at a hotel in a town that literally has nothing more than a Wal-Mart, McDonald's and Pizza Hut. The lady at the front desk informed me that of the 300 rooms at the hotel, all but 5 were booked with people taking the LSAT! She said they had driven from Houston, Austin, Dallas and more because they missed their test registration at their local centers (so I wasn't the only one!).
So, we got there about 10pm on Friday and went straight to the hotel to try to go to bed at a decent hour. Unfortunately, my mind was reeling so I don't think I went to bed until close to midnight only to wake up at 5am unable to sleep any longer. So, we crawled out of bed, got ready and made our way to... you guessed it... McDonald's. After a "well rounded" breakfast and a couple of vitamins, Nick dropped me off at the test site and I entered a room where I would spend the next 5 hours.
Here I am walking into the test!!
The good news?? I fell pretty confident about how I did... The scary part??? I have felt pretty good in the past on practice tests and didn't do any better than "median". Of course, the logical side of me says that "median" is still good enough with my GPA. But since most of you know me, you know that I just don't feel great settling for median. So, just so you all know, I will not know the results until January 5th. And yes, I PROMISE to post immediately... even if it is just one sentence!
Okay, my computer (and brain) battery is dying... so I am cutting this short. I will TRY to write slightly more frequently. :) Thanks for all the support!
So, we got there about 10pm on Friday and went straight to the hotel to try to go to bed at a decent hour. Unfortunately, my mind was reeling so I don't think I went to bed until close to midnight only to wake up at 5am unable to sleep any longer. So, we crawled out of bed, got ready and made our way to... you guessed it... McDonald's. After a "well rounded" breakfast and a couple of vitamins, Nick dropped me off at the test site and I entered a room where I would spend the next 5 hours.
Here I am walking into the test!!
The good news?? I fell pretty confident about how I did... The scary part??? I have felt pretty good in the past on practice tests and didn't do any better than "median". Of course, the logical side of me says that "median" is still good enough with my GPA. But since most of you know me, you know that I just don't feel great settling for median. So, just so you all know, I will not know the results until January 5th. And yes, I PROMISE to post immediately... even if it is just one sentence!
Okay, my computer (and brain) battery is dying... so I am cutting this short. I will TRY to write slightly more frequently. :) Thanks for all the support!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Fall Festivities
*You will notice that this is coming a little late... but I did figure out how to put an older date on it so at least it will hopefully put it in the right order at least on the actual blog. :)
Breighton and I had a really good fall season as we prepared for Halloween this year. We made a trip out to Cleburne, Texas to Mainstay Farms to visit the Pumpkin Patch there. There is one closer to where I live, but I thought it would be fun to make a little road trip. It took a little more than an hour to get there but once we found it, we had a great time looking around, climbing on the hay bales and sliding down the giant pipe slide. We took a hayride that was filled with humor and good messages for the kids and then we picked a pumpkin to take home with us.
Now, carving the pumpkin was a new experience for me. I have NEVER done this before in my life... Breighton and I went to the grocery store on our way home and found a carving kit that seemed like it would work. The kit included several carving designs to choose from as well. Breighton was very understanding when it came to picking out the design that we were going to use. He was fully capable of understanding the fact that his mother had no carving experience and so he chose a "scary" face that was not so difficult. We sat out on the patio and went to work. He was the official "seed scooper" and I was the official scraper and carver. We worked together as quite a team, got nice and sticky and finally sat back to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
I have included an album of pictures from our day at the pumpkin patch and the final results of our pumpkin as well as a video that I made of the pumpkin. When you watch the video, make sure you listen to Breighton in the background. He is rambling on about the size of the video my cameral would allow, the difficulty we had getting the LED light to work, and also providing some spooky halloween noises.
Enjoy!
Breighton and I had a really good fall season as we prepared for Halloween this year. We made a trip out to Cleburne, Texas to Mainstay Farms to visit the Pumpkin Patch there. There is one closer to where I live, but I thought it would be fun to make a little road trip. It took a little more than an hour to get there but once we found it, we had a great time looking around, climbing on the hay bales and sliding down the giant pipe slide. We took a hayride that was filled with humor and good messages for the kids and then we picked a pumpkin to take home with us.
Now, carving the pumpkin was a new experience for me. I have NEVER done this before in my life... Breighton and I went to the grocery store on our way home and found a carving kit that seemed like it would work. The kit included several carving designs to choose from as well. Breighton was very understanding when it came to picking out the design that we were going to use. He was fully capable of understanding the fact that his mother had no carving experience and so he chose a "scary" face that was not so difficult. We sat out on the patio and went to work. He was the official "seed scooper" and I was the official scraper and carver. We worked together as quite a team, got nice and sticky and finally sat back to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
I have included an album of pictures from our day at the pumpkin patch and the final results of our pumpkin as well as a video that I made of the pumpkin. When you watch the video, make sure you listen to Breighton in the background. He is rambling on about the size of the video my cameral would allow, the difficulty we had getting the LED light to work, and also providing some spooky halloween noises.
Enjoy!
 |
| 2008 - Pumpkin Patch |
Saturday, August 2, 2008
What single moms do on Friday Nights...
I just had to share this story....
Last night, Breighton and I tackled some gigantic unidentified bug that was in my room and was trying to camp out under my bed. Not sure if you ever really realized it... but I - tough, karate kid, speak your mind Jen - will run screaming at the sight of big ugly creepy bugs. However, in this situation, it's me and Breighton and no one or nowhere for me to run to. SO... the solution??? You will love this... I put Breighton on guard duty... assigned to watching the bug to make sure it didn't run off into some unknown place, because if it did... I would never be able to sleep in my bed again. While he did that, I went into my coat closet, retrieved my vacuum cleaner and slowly rolled it into my bedroom where I attached the longest attachment hose I could, slowly slid the hose under my bed and then fired up the vacuum!!! So there it is... the bug... tangled in with all the hair and other stuff that is in my bagless vac. I am pretty sure if I looked closely enough, I could see the bug, but I don't really want to. I am also not brave enough to open the vac and empty the thing for fear that the bug is still alive. Now, I am not sure if there is anyway that bug could climb its way out of my vacuum, but just in case... I have the vacuum sitting on my porch. I figure if the sucker can get free, it can return to nature where it belongs.
So, this morning (Saturday) I go out on my patio with the intention of inspecting the vacuum and seeing if I can muster up the courage to empty the bagless compartment into a trash can. Well, as I step out there, I look up because sometimes my patio likes to be visited by dirt daubers (those big ugly wasp looking things) and frankly I don't like those guys either. When I look towards the corner where they usually are, I instead see three wasp looking creatures. Now, for those of you who don't know the difference... wasps sting because they are mean... bees sting because they feel threatened... and dirt daubers hardly ever sting. But that being said... I will pretty much run from all of them. So... I slowly backed BACK into my apartment, leaving my vacuum cleaner on the patio (bug still inside of it).
So now, I have asked my apartments to come and spray for wasps - but pest control doesn't come until Friday. In the meantime, I am REALLY hoping I can sweet talk my lovely, "I'm not afraid of bugs", manly boyfriend in to coming over to empty my vacuum cleaner and knock down this nest that is being built on my patio. Sometimes, I am SUCH a girl.... UGH.
Last night, Breighton and I tackled some gigantic unidentified bug that was in my room and was trying to camp out under my bed. Not sure if you ever really realized it... but I - tough, karate kid, speak your mind Jen - will run screaming at the sight of big ugly creepy bugs. However, in this situation, it's me and Breighton and no one or nowhere for me to run to. SO... the solution??? You will love this... I put Breighton on guard duty... assigned to watching the bug to make sure it didn't run off into some unknown place, because if it did... I would never be able to sleep in my bed again. While he did that, I went into my coat closet, retrieved my vacuum cleaner and slowly rolled it into my bedroom where I attached the longest attachment hose I could, slowly slid the hose under my bed and then fired up the vacuum!!! So there it is... the bug... tangled in with all the hair and other stuff that is in my bagless vac. I am pretty sure if I looked closely enough, I could see the bug, but I don't really want to. I am also not brave enough to open the vac and empty the thing for fear that the bug is still alive. Now, I am not sure if there is anyway that bug could climb its way out of my vacuum, but just in case... I have the vacuum sitting on my porch. I figure if the sucker can get free, it can return to nature where it belongs.
So, this morning (Saturday) I go out on my patio with the intention of inspecting the vacuum and seeing if I can muster up the courage to empty the bagless compartment into a trash can. Well, as I step out there, I look up because sometimes my patio likes to be visited by dirt daubers (those big ugly wasp looking things) and frankly I don't like those guys either. When I look towards the corner where they usually are, I instead see three wasp looking creatures. Now, for those of you who don't know the difference... wasps sting because they are mean... bees sting because they feel threatened... and dirt daubers hardly ever sting. But that being said... I will pretty much run from all of them. So... I slowly backed BACK into my apartment, leaving my vacuum cleaner on the patio (bug still inside of it).
So now, I have asked my apartments to come and spray for wasps - but pest control doesn't come until Friday. In the meantime, I am REALLY hoping I can sweet talk my lovely, "I'm not afraid of bugs", manly boyfriend in to coming over to empty my vacuum cleaner and knock down this nest that is being built on my patio. Sometimes, I am SUCH a girl.... UGH.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Late Nights On My Patio...
I have a great patio. It's sort of plain... just two simple chairs and a very small table, but it is big and it doesn't get soaking wet when it rains... which it did earlier this evening. I am sitting outside now, watching lightening flash in the distance, enjoying the unseasonably cool breeze that the storm brought in and having a late night cup of coffee. This is writing weather, I thought. So I brought my computer out and here I am.
June has been a pretty eventful month. I started the month off going to see Natasha Bedingfield perform at the House of Blues - a great concert at a great venue. She has such an amazing voice and sings some songs that have touched me very deeply over the past year or so. The House of Blues has quickly become my favorite place to see concerts because it is a very small and intimate setting that really has no bad seats. I don't think I have seen one show there yet that the tickets were more than $25 each (before all the stupid taxes and fees were added on that is) which makes it even better. The idea of spending $75 and more on tickets in a building where you need binoculars to see the performers has quickly become insane to me. Of course, the performers are limited there so I still have to give in to the larger arenas every now and then.
The month continued with a renewed spike in job opportunities. I have been contacted by a few different people in the last month - none of which has turned into an actual offer yet, but I do believe that the offer(s) will begin very soon. I feel that the tide is about to change as it relates to my career. I am so excited to see where it will take me.
But probably the most impactful things this month have been surrounding my friends. I have a small group of friends that I care very deeply for and a lot has been happening with them. My first real "Texas" friend Sharon is moving into her home next week. After doing some very careful house hunting, she has found a place for her and her daughter and they will begin moving this week. She is so excited to finally be leaving the apartment life which she has been dealing with since she moved to Texas close to 7 years ago and I am so excited for her. Being a single mother, doing this on her own, I can feel the sense of forward movement - positive energy - that she is getting right now. I am so excited to help her get settled in and be there for the first gathering at her new abode. Brandi, my other dear friend, has finally reached a point in her life of contentment with who she is. Her and I have been best friends for 12 years now, and I have seen her grow so much, and struggle so much, that it fills my heart with joy to see her in the place she is now. Now Kim, on the other hand... my Kim... that girl that has been by my side since we were 9 years old... she hasn't had the best of times recently. Her father passed away last week and I was six hours away. My heart ached so badly knowing that she was hurting and I wasn't there. I made a whirlwind trip to my hometown last weekend to see her. If nothing more than to hug her and let her know that I will always be there for her. We had a great time, all things considered, and I was once more filled with an overwhelming need to be thankful that I at least have the ability to be there for those who I love and who love me when they need me. Because after all, that is what friends are for. Last night, I was there for yet another friend... this is a newer friend, one that I have not always been that close to... but she was struggling and needed someone to be there... and I was. And we had dinner and a couple of drinks so she could talk about it all... and then... we went rollar skating... that's right. Friday night, two grown women... at the skating rink. But you know what? We laughed... we had fun... and she was able to forget about her problems for awhile. So once again, I got to be a good friend. In life, what I have learned is that you need to make sure you are good to those people who are important to you. Because when you need someone... you want someone to be there... and you should always give what you hope to receive.
One last thing... I want to say thank you to my family who crammed together their lives last weekend to accomodate my very short visit with them. They were all so understanding about my need to be there for Kim which only left me a few hours to visit with them. It was so fantastic to see everyone... to hug my nieces... to see my newest nephew... to see my sister's new place... to visit with my dad... and to eat some of my mom's delicious cooking... it was a fast visit, but great nonetheless. Thank you to everyone.
I am so blessed in my life... In the whole scheme of things... my life is pretty damn good.
June has been a pretty eventful month. I started the month off going to see Natasha Bedingfield perform at the House of Blues - a great concert at a great venue. She has such an amazing voice and sings some songs that have touched me very deeply over the past year or so. The House of Blues has quickly become my favorite place to see concerts because it is a very small and intimate setting that really has no bad seats. I don't think I have seen one show there yet that the tickets were more than $25 each (before all the stupid taxes and fees were added on that is) which makes it even better. The idea of spending $75 and more on tickets in a building where you need binoculars to see the performers has quickly become insane to me. Of course, the performers are limited there so I still have to give in to the larger arenas every now and then.
The month continued with a renewed spike in job opportunities. I have been contacted by a few different people in the last month - none of which has turned into an actual offer yet, but I do believe that the offer(s) will begin very soon. I feel that the tide is about to change as it relates to my career. I am so excited to see where it will take me.
But probably the most impactful things this month have been surrounding my friends. I have a small group of friends that I care very deeply for and a lot has been happening with them. My first real "Texas" friend Sharon is moving into her home next week. After doing some very careful house hunting, she has found a place for her and her daughter and they will begin moving this week. She is so excited to finally be leaving the apartment life which she has been dealing with since she moved to Texas close to 7 years ago and I am so excited for her. Being a single mother, doing this on her own, I can feel the sense of forward movement - positive energy - that she is getting right now. I am so excited to help her get settled in and be there for the first gathering at her new abode. Brandi, my other dear friend, has finally reached a point in her life of contentment with who she is. Her and I have been best friends for 12 years now, and I have seen her grow so much, and struggle so much, that it fills my heart with joy to see her in the place she is now. Now Kim, on the other hand... my Kim... that girl that has been by my side since we were 9 years old... she hasn't had the best of times recently. Her father passed away last week and I was six hours away. My heart ached so badly knowing that she was hurting and I wasn't there. I made a whirlwind trip to my hometown last weekend to see her. If nothing more than to hug her and let her know that I will always be there for her. We had a great time, all things considered, and I was once more filled with an overwhelming need to be thankful that I at least have the ability to be there for those who I love and who love me when they need me. Because after all, that is what friends are for. Last night, I was there for yet another friend... this is a newer friend, one that I have not always been that close to... but she was struggling and needed someone to be there... and I was. And we had dinner and a couple of drinks so she could talk about it all... and then... we went rollar skating... that's right. Friday night, two grown women... at the skating rink. But you know what? We laughed... we had fun... and she was able to forget about her problems for awhile. So once again, I got to be a good friend. In life, what I have learned is that you need to make sure you are good to those people who are important to you. Because when you need someone... you want someone to be there... and you should always give what you hope to receive.
One last thing... I want to say thank you to my family who crammed together their lives last weekend to accomodate my very short visit with them. They were all so understanding about my need to be there for Kim which only left me a few hours to visit with them. It was so fantastic to see everyone... to hug my nieces... to see my newest nephew... to see my sister's new place... to visit with my dad... and to eat some of my mom's delicious cooking... it was a fast visit, but great nonetheless. Thank you to everyone.
I am so blessed in my life... In the whole scheme of things... my life is pretty damn good.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Summer is Here!
Okay, I am the first to admit that when it comes to updating everyone... even in writing... I am not so great. I would like to say that this time, I have a small excuse. In April, Breighton and I went to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival. I originally planned on blogging that same weekend about outing, complete with pictures. However, when I went to upload the pictures using the software that I always use, the pictures would not upload. Momentarily deterred, I thought I was just a problem with the web application. A couple of weeks later (ADD a little?), I tried again. Still nothing. Then, I started writing by hand the blog with the idea that I would post it with a "pictures coming soon" note. Well, then I got distracted again. Now, the excuses could go on and on... but you would get tired of them. So, I happy to say that I finally got my program working and I am ready to post complete with pictures. Of course, there is more to write about now because it has been practically two months since the last posting.
Scarborough Festival
Okay, for those of you who don't know what it is, it is a month-long festival that happens in a little town called Waxahachie, TX which is about 30 miles south of Dallas. It's like walking right through a medieval village. Everywhere, people are dressed in medieval costume and speaking with an old world accent. There are human-powered festival rides for the kids - literally kids sitting in big boats hung by ropes and pushed by men. Amazing! So, Breighton and I wandered through the festival, watching some of the funniest shows - the humor is definitely not lacking - and learning some really cool things about medieval life. We watched jousting, saw a falconer and his birds, a magic show, a guy who juggled all sorts of cool things, knife throwing, and even TURTLE races! That's right... turtle races... It was a lot more entertaining then you would think.
So, here are some pictures from our day. There are a lot and I am still working on putting captions on them so for now you will just have to sort of guess at what is what.
Working Life
I know in my last blog that I mentioned another job opportunity. That is still out there, but not moving forward just yet. My work is going well - the usual crazy chaos of a call center. It wears me out, but somehow I seem to do pretty well at it. I am still looking for something else... something that will use my brain a little more, because it feels a little under challenged some days... Someday maybe I will write more about what a day in the life of the call center is like... so that you may get a better grasp on what it is I actually experience on a daily basis.
Summer Life
So, the one thing in life guaranteed to get my son off of the video games is water! Swimming and water parks is a definite way to get him off the TV and outdoors... So, I have a really great pool at my apartment but I also bought us season passes to a water park that is only about 15 minutes away from us. We went last weekend for the first time and that little sucker rode EVERY single slide. He is now tall enough to get on every one of them and boy did he enjoy them. Of course, that meant that "I" had to get on every single one of them as well... including the ones that just dropped straight down. There is nothing scarier then pushing your own child down a slide that drops him 60 feet!! Of course, once I went down and finished pulling my swimsuit out of places I had not idea it could go, he was right there waiting to say, "Wasn't that AWESOME!!". So, I think these passes are a good investment. We went again yesterday just for a few hours and had some more fun... We are going to turn into fish by the end of the summer, no doubt!
Making Some Decisions...
So, I have been tossing around in my head what my next step would be career wise. I always knew that I would return to school - I have known that I would not stop with a Bachelor's degree since the first day I entered college 13 years ago... man that is depressing... 13 years... I could be so much further!! Oh well... I took a longer path... So anyway, the two things I have tossed around are returning for my teaching certification or going to law school. Two ends of the spectrum you think?? Just slightly. However, when I look back... I have always been told I would be a good teacher but I have always dreamed of being a lawyer. That was my entire motivation behind going to school for my paralegal degree so many years ago. Now granted, that wasn't necessarily a proactive step towards law school... but I didn't know that at the time. But what I did learn was that I loved every moment of that schooling. I loved every topic, I loved the research, I was completely enthralled with talking to everyone of the teachers who were lawyers themselves. Till this day, I still love the chance to get to talk to attorneys about their work, I love to read law novels, about the courtroom, about the pretrial work and research... one of my favorite authors is Gerry Spence, a lawyer who writes in his strong southern way about some of the amazing cases he has tried. Life and circumstances and the belief that I couldn't afford law school led me to sweep that vision under a rug. Well, now here I am, finally finished with my undergraduate degree and trying to make a decision what my next step will be. Most people tell me to go for my MBA... every time I say those words out loud, I simply cringe. Nothing about that sounds exciting to me. I don't want to take a path because it is the "typical". I am nothing if not passionate. I am nothing if not a dreamer. I seem a little lost because of the time frame... I mean, I am 30 and still trying to figure out what my "career" will be. But, that is the deck life has dealt me. When I weigh my options, the only true appeal to teaching is the hours. I like the idea that I could impact kids, possibly be that person that gives them vision as so many of my teachers did for me. But I also know me and I think that I may find myself smothered by the beaurocracy of it all. I mean now, you can't even give a student a hug... how different my life would have been if my teachers were forced to follow the guidelines put forth now. I had teachers who I visited 15 years after they were my teacher simply to sit and talk with them. These were teachers who saw my potential and saw my fears as a child and hugged me. Literally hugged me. And now, its not allowed. I don't know... I just don't want to be stifled like that. But when I think about law school... about actually being a lawyer, my heart races, my energy goes up and I feel like I could conquer the world. I don't know what specialty I would fall in to... I imagine that would bring itself to fruition as my education continued. So, I think this is the path I am going to take. There is an LSAT test on October 4th. The LSAT is a required test to get into law school. I am going to start studying for it. With my undergraduate GPA being so high... if I could really ace the LSAT there is a good chance I could be eligible for some scholarships (which would be FANTASTIC). I will need a few letters of recommendation and I will be on my way to entering law school. Now the soonest I can start is Fall 2009 so I have a little over a year to prepare. That will include finding a job closer to campus so I can take classes at night and getting my finances in order so that I may be able to take a pay cut and work less to allow more time for school and studying. But in the end, I think it will pay off. It's going to be a big jump, and a big commitment, but I think this is what I was made for. So, wish me luck!!
Scarborough Festival
Okay, for those of you who don't know what it is, it is a month-long festival that happens in a little town called Waxahachie, TX which is about 30 miles south of Dallas. It's like walking right through a medieval village. Everywhere, people are dressed in medieval costume and speaking with an old world accent. There are human-powered festival rides for the kids - literally kids sitting in big boats hung by ropes and pushed by men. Amazing! So, Breighton and I wandered through the festival, watching some of the funniest shows - the humor is definitely not lacking - and learning some really cool things about medieval life. We watched jousting, saw a falconer and his birds, a magic show, a guy who juggled all sorts of cool things, knife throwing, and even TURTLE races! That's right... turtle races... It was a lot more entertaining then you would think.
So, here are some pictures from our day. There are a lot and I am still working on putting captions on them so for now you will just have to sort of guess at what is what.
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| 2008 - Scarboroug |
Working Life
I know in my last blog that I mentioned another job opportunity. That is still out there, but not moving forward just yet. My work is going well - the usual crazy chaos of a call center. It wears me out, but somehow I seem to do pretty well at it. I am still looking for something else... something that will use my brain a little more, because it feels a little under challenged some days... Someday maybe I will write more about what a day in the life of the call center is like... so that you may get a better grasp on what it is I actually experience on a daily basis.
Summer Life
So, the one thing in life guaranteed to get my son off of the video games is water! Swimming and water parks is a definite way to get him off the TV and outdoors... So, I have a really great pool at my apartment but I also bought us season passes to a water park that is only about 15 minutes away from us. We went last weekend for the first time and that little sucker rode EVERY single slide. He is now tall enough to get on every one of them and boy did he enjoy them. Of course, that meant that "I" had to get on every single one of them as well... including the ones that just dropped straight down. There is nothing scarier then pushing your own child down a slide that drops him 60 feet!! Of course, once I went down and finished pulling my swimsuit out of places I had not idea it could go, he was right there waiting to say, "Wasn't that AWESOME!!". So, I think these passes are a good investment. We went again yesterday just for a few hours and had some more fun... We are going to turn into fish by the end of the summer, no doubt!
Making Some Decisions...
So, I have been tossing around in my head what my next step would be career wise. I always knew that I would return to school - I have known that I would not stop with a Bachelor's degree since the first day I entered college 13 years ago... man that is depressing... 13 years... I could be so much further!! Oh well... I took a longer path... So anyway, the two things I have tossed around are returning for my teaching certification or going to law school. Two ends of the spectrum you think?? Just slightly. However, when I look back... I have always been told I would be a good teacher but I have always dreamed of being a lawyer. That was my entire motivation behind going to school for my paralegal degree so many years ago. Now granted, that wasn't necessarily a proactive step towards law school... but I didn't know that at the time. But what I did learn was that I loved every moment of that schooling. I loved every topic, I loved the research, I was completely enthralled with talking to everyone of the teachers who were lawyers themselves. Till this day, I still love the chance to get to talk to attorneys about their work, I love to read law novels, about the courtroom, about the pretrial work and research... one of my favorite authors is Gerry Spence, a lawyer who writes in his strong southern way about some of the amazing cases he has tried. Life and circumstances and the belief that I couldn't afford law school led me to sweep that vision under a rug. Well, now here I am, finally finished with my undergraduate degree and trying to make a decision what my next step will be. Most people tell me to go for my MBA... every time I say those words out loud, I simply cringe. Nothing about that sounds exciting to me. I don't want to take a path because it is the "typical". I am nothing if not passionate. I am nothing if not a dreamer. I seem a little lost because of the time frame... I mean, I am 30 and still trying to figure out what my "career" will be. But, that is the deck life has dealt me. When I weigh my options, the only true appeal to teaching is the hours. I like the idea that I could impact kids, possibly be that person that gives them vision as so many of my teachers did for me. But I also know me and I think that I may find myself smothered by the beaurocracy of it all. I mean now, you can't even give a student a hug... how different my life would have been if my teachers were forced to follow the guidelines put forth now. I had teachers who I visited 15 years after they were my teacher simply to sit and talk with them. These were teachers who saw my potential and saw my fears as a child and hugged me. Literally hugged me. And now, its not allowed. I don't know... I just don't want to be stifled like that. But when I think about law school... about actually being a lawyer, my heart races, my energy goes up and I feel like I could conquer the world. I don't know what specialty I would fall in to... I imagine that would bring itself to fruition as my education continued. So, I think this is the path I am going to take. There is an LSAT test on October 4th. The LSAT is a required test to get into law school. I am going to start studying for it. With my undergraduate GPA being so high... if I could really ace the LSAT there is a good chance I could be eligible for some scholarships (which would be FANTASTIC). I will need a few letters of recommendation and I will be on my way to entering law school. Now the soonest I can start is Fall 2009 so I have a little over a year to prepare. That will include finding a job closer to campus so I can take classes at night and getting my finances in order so that I may be able to take a pay cut and work less to allow more time for school and studying. But in the end, I think it will pay off. It's going to be a big jump, and a big commitment, but I think this is what I was made for. So, wish me luck!!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Job Shopping and Reading :)
It has been a busy two weeks! A couple of weeks ago I met with someone I used to work with at the PD (a vendor that we did business with) and talked about the possibility of working with their company as a sales rep. The potential of a job opening is very good - but it may not be for another few months. He seemed pretty excited about me coming to work with them so I think if the position comes available, I will most likely get the offer. The job will require some travel, but when I am not traveling, I would get to work from home - which is a pretty nice perk. Seeing how I was disciplined enough to do 85% of my college education online, I think I can do a good job of time management with a job like that. The great thing about that is that it will allow me to spend more time with Breighton during the week. So... we will see!
Other than that, it has been a lot of the same old things. I have been doing a lot of reading for pleasure lately. I think I have read 4 or 5 books in the last two weeks. Reading for pleasure is one of those things I did not do nearly enough of during my college time and I have really enjoyed getting back to it. I made a trip to my favorite bookstore - Half Price Books - today and picked up three more books. I spent most of this afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather we had today sitting on my patio finishing the book I started yesterday. Tonight I am going to crawl into bed with a Nicholas Sparks book (Message in a Bottle) and read until my eyes won't stay open any longer! So - if anyone has any good book recommendations, send them my way!
Other than that, it has been a lot of the same old things. I have been doing a lot of reading for pleasure lately. I think I have read 4 or 5 books in the last two weeks. Reading for pleasure is one of those things I did not do nearly enough of during my college time and I have really enjoyed getting back to it. I made a trip to my favorite bookstore - Half Price Books - today and picked up three more books. I spent most of this afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather we had today sitting on my patio finishing the book I started yesterday. Tonight I am going to crawl into bed with a Nicholas Sparks book (Message in a Bottle) and read until my eyes won't stay open any longer! So - if anyone has any good book recommendations, send them my way!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Welcome to my world :)
So, I love to write. I do it everywhere. With my new job, I sometimes feel like not everyone knows what is going on with me because I don't see people as much as I once did. I do a horrible job of calling everyone I should and I do an even worse job of actually seeing people face to face. So I am going to try this. Everyone is invited.... friends and family... no account is required to view it, no passwords needed to leave a comment on a post... nothing. Just stop by and read away. At least this way, you all can know that I am still alive and what I am up to. Then, when I finally stop to call or manage to stop by and see you guys face to face it won't "feel" like forever since you have heard from me. Is it cheating? Maybe... But hey, I enjoy writing and I will feel better about communicating with everyone.
So for now, let me say this... I am alive... I am working like crazy... I am still trying to keep up with my karate although I have not been going as regularly as I should purely as a result of the distance required to drive from work to the studio. Between gas prices and pure exhaustion from work, I just don't make it as regularly as I should. I spend most of my weekday nights - what is left of them after work - spending time with Nick (for those of you who I really have not talked to in forever... he is this really wonderful guy I have been dating for about 8 months now... I am sure you will hear more about him in the future), and my weekends are usually spent with Breighton.
Since I finished school in December, I really don't feel like I have more "time"... I simply feel like my brain is under-utilized. I am still contemplating going back to graduate school, though I must say that the impending bill for my current student loans is enough to convince me to never go back to school because I already owe so much money. I have been contemplating applying for the new UNT Law School that is supposed to open in 2010 in Dallas. It's one of those dreams I had from the time I was very young and somewhere along the way I convinced myself it was out of my reach. Then suddenly its back in my reach - mostly as a result of this public law school opening right here near me. I don't know if it is really feasible for me to do that - cost and time being a big factor - but it is definitely something for me to consider. Otherwise, it is the stereotypical MBA program.
Breighton is now 3/4 of the way through 2nd grade and continues to grow smarter and smarter everyday. Oh, and he continues to turn more into a BOY everyday! He is still a video game junkie and I still can't seem to drag him outdoors to ride a bike or play a sport but he is definitely FULL of knowledge. He has decided he doesn't like reading - something I am fighting tooth and nail - and so I have resorted to buying joke books and question and answer books about nature, the body, etc because he will sit and read those for awhile. The Q&A books are nice because he shares info with me - which in turn makes me smarter. The joke book... well I am consumed with silly little knock-knock jokes... He especially loves jokes that have to do with burping, farting, falling on your face, etc. I just try to find ways to harness as much of his talents as I can. Right now it seems we both have the most fun simply being in the same room with each other. He doesn't really seem to care if we actually "DO" anything. Ugh...
Well, check back often... Click on the link below each post that says "comments" and leave me a comment. If you don't have a blogger account, comment as "anonymous" but make sure to sign your name (first name is fine) on the comment so I know who you are!! I will NOT be emailing out when I update because I don't want to be all "look at me, look at me!" so you will just have to bookmark this site and check back every so often. If you go for awhile without checking, make sure you scroll through them all and catch up on what you missed. I am going to make a commitment to post at LEAST once a week. But maybe you will luck out and and I will write more often. I don't know how interesting the post will be every week, but I will try to at least say something. My life can not POSSIBLY be so boring that I can't find something to write about!
So for now, let me say this... I am alive... I am working like crazy... I am still trying to keep up with my karate although I have not been going as regularly as I should purely as a result of the distance required to drive from work to the studio. Between gas prices and pure exhaustion from work, I just don't make it as regularly as I should. I spend most of my weekday nights - what is left of them after work - spending time with Nick (for those of you who I really have not talked to in forever... he is this really wonderful guy I have been dating for about 8 months now... I am sure you will hear more about him in the future), and my weekends are usually spent with Breighton.
Since I finished school in December, I really don't feel like I have more "time"... I simply feel like my brain is under-utilized. I am still contemplating going back to graduate school, though I must say that the impending bill for my current student loans is enough to convince me to never go back to school because I already owe so much money. I have been contemplating applying for the new UNT Law School that is supposed to open in 2010 in Dallas. It's one of those dreams I had from the time I was very young and somewhere along the way I convinced myself it was out of my reach. Then suddenly its back in my reach - mostly as a result of this public law school opening right here near me. I don't know if it is really feasible for me to do that - cost and time being a big factor - but it is definitely something for me to consider. Otherwise, it is the stereotypical MBA program.
Breighton is now 3/4 of the way through 2nd grade and continues to grow smarter and smarter everyday. Oh, and he continues to turn more into a BOY everyday! He is still a video game junkie and I still can't seem to drag him outdoors to ride a bike or play a sport but he is definitely FULL of knowledge. He has decided he doesn't like reading - something I am fighting tooth and nail - and so I have resorted to buying joke books and question and answer books about nature, the body, etc because he will sit and read those for awhile. The Q&A books are nice because he shares info with me - which in turn makes me smarter. The joke book... well I am consumed with silly little knock-knock jokes... He especially loves jokes that have to do with burping, farting, falling on your face, etc. I just try to find ways to harness as much of his talents as I can. Right now it seems we both have the most fun simply being in the same room with each other. He doesn't really seem to care if we actually "DO" anything. Ugh...
Well, check back often... Click on the link below each post that says "comments" and leave me a comment. If you don't have a blogger account, comment as "anonymous" but make sure to sign your name (first name is fine) on the comment so I know who you are!! I will NOT be emailing out when I update because I don't want to be all "look at me, look at me!" so you will just have to bookmark this site and check back every so often. If you go for awhile without checking, make sure you scroll through them all and catch up on what you missed. I am going to make a commitment to post at LEAST once a week. But maybe you will luck out and and I will write more often. I don't know how interesting the post will be every week, but I will try to at least say something. My life can not POSSIBLY be so boring that I can't find something to write about!
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