accomplishment.

something big happened in my life today. obviously, my first thought was to blog about it. 

i completed and turned in my first internal memo to a REAL Judge (the one that i am clerking for this summer in Austin). it was a hard case. multiple issues...really long briefs- and reply briefs and cross-claims and reply briefs to those cross claims...all about issues/laws that i didnt really know anything about before i showed up to work for my first day last week. but i did it. and in my (humble) opinion, i think it turned out to be a pretty good memo! Of course, I wont know if the judge thought so unless she says something or her staff attorney gives it back to me for revisions, but the sense of accomplishment i felt as i walked down the hall and handed it over was truly overwhelming. I am beginning to feel, for the first time really, that I am finally DOING what God has called me to do. I knew I was in the right place to LEARN how to practice law at Regent, but in this job- writing and researching issues and drafting opinions about how the law should be decided/interpreted.....THIS is what I love! this is why I busted my butt all year to get good grades. this is why I took out a ton of money to go to a school that i LOVE. to teach me how to be an effective lawyer. I know, I know...I am not a lawyer yet. but to be in an internship where I am given responsibilities that other attorneys are given on a daily basis--puts the pressure on, but in the best way possible. Needless to say, I know God brought me to Austin for this internship for this reason...to show me that i AM on the right path and he WILL help me figure this stuff out so that I can be an effective intern (and soon an attorney) and that it can be FUN along the way. 

i have been hanging out alot with the Davidsons and some of James's friends since I have been in Austin. They are awesome....I feel like I just automatically became a part of the group when I got here, and they have been so great to me. As much as I want to be back in Mississippi....or the South in general...to hang out with certain people that I MISS and never get to see it seems, I am trying really hard to just live EACH DAY to the fullest while I am in Texas and just enjoy what God is blessing me with here. He is so good to me, and I am so thankful that He ALWAYS wants the best for His children and delights when we see and realize what His best looks like! 

VA to MS to TN to MS to TX

what an amazingly crazy last couple of months it has been. finals came and went before i really even had a chance to stress out like i normally do...but as fast as they went, there were definitely some great memories made along the way. From a random road trip to Williamsburg to study negligence and proximate cause, to multiple BEACH TRIPS to study federal rules of civil procedure, to hitting up every coffee shop in Virginia Beach and Norfolk for a "change of scenery" while trying to cram every minority and majority approach to real property into our heads...it was an intense two weeks spent with some wonderful (and super smart) friends. All but one of my grades have come in, and all the glory belongs to GOD for the successful semester I had!

Finals were just one aspect of the craziness though...the day after finals ended my parents drove up to Virginia to help me move out of my apartment (so long, commons!)-- by moving half of

my stuff into James' house for the summer (which will have to be

moved again in August to my new BEACH HOUSE! details coming in later post) and the other half into mine and my parents car to take home/to Texas for the summer. Talk about a task. In between packing and moving, I got to spend some

much needed time hanging out and catching up with mom and dad and eating VERY good meals on the beach. After making the 14-hr drive back to MS (which we did in one day....and were very impressed with ourselves), I spent the next week and a half unpacking, re-packing for Texas, visiting old friends who were still in town, PAINTING MY ROOM, and trying to catch up on some much needed sleep! busy weeks to say the least.

Then the fun part started. A couple of days before I was supposed to leave for Texas (for my summer internship in Austin with a Judge on the TX Court of Appeals!), i drove to Tennessee to pick up a friend who i had met through a mutual friend of mine in law school a couple of months earlier who would be driving with me to Texas that week. The next day, we both drove back to Starkville to spend the night with my parents and hang out before we left the next day. After nine hours in the car together the first day--talking about life....pasts, futures, passions, interests, etc....I definitely got to know that friend a lot better. After spending the night in Ft. Worth with one of my BEST friends, Erica Wilson, me and the friend spent the next day walking around the old stockyards in downtown Ft. Worth (it looked like an old western movie...cobblestone streets, saloons, horses...everything!) and then we took a random detour to SIX FLAGS over Texas! We stayed all afternoon....and rode every good ride at least twice! The next day we FINALLY arrived in Austin after a rainy 4-hr. drive full of good talks and music. After moving all of mystuff into my new house, we met all of my best [law school] friends (the Davidsons- who are from Austin) for dinner and then went dancing (two-stepping of course) all night. so fun.

This past week was my first week of my internship--and it has been AMAZING! I love working for the Judge and my boss (her senior staff attorney) is possibly the coolest and most chill person I've ever worked for. I got to sit in on and hear Oral Arguments during the past week--something that I practiced so much during school (for moot court) and am finally getting to see in real life! God has truly blessed me with this opportunity and I cannot wait to see what all He has in store for the rest of the summer. On top of having a great job, i am LOVING being in Austin---so many amazing restaurants with awesome rooftop patios, so many random friends being in town, living with super cool roommates, and tons and tons of fun things to do!

I'm going to try to update alot more this summer since I will hopefully have a little more time to blog...so much has already happened, and I cant wait to share my Austin summer with everyone!