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!

semester update...

yeah, you may need to sit down for this one. I cannot even begin to describe the CRAZINESS of this semester--i thought last semester was intense....now here  i am, begging for those "good ole' days" back!! Spring Break was a great success---I went to the Rodeo THREE TIMES in one week: once with Bo and his friends on his Birthday, second time with all of my law school friends (and Caitlin)--in a limo--where we made a scene of course, and the last time with my family (and Erica). I had never really been to a serious rodeo before...and i LOVED everything about it. I never appreciated the talent it takes to compete in those events until I got to see it (3 times, remember) up close and personal. My favorite event: 3 and 4 yr. olds RIDING SHEEP--as in, holding on for dear life until they fell off as the sheep were running across the arena about 50 mph. it was awesome. But enough about Texas. Back to Virginia...where the real craziness occurs. 

Right after I got back to school, I got hit hard with tons of reading (as usual) and on top of that, my Appellate Brief (biggest paper of the 1L year) was due in a couple of weeks....and I hadnt even started the research for it. **For anyone who has been in/is in/knows someone in law school--you can feel my stress level at this point.** So...the weekend before the paper was due, I was finally getting into a groove and was working away and about to start typing the paper...and what do ya know....I suddenly got appendicitis! The story: After throwing up profusely (sorry, it's just part of the story) and having an incredibly sharp pain all over my stomach for an entire day, my friend Sarah finally took me to the ER late that night. The Dr. kept me overnight (after pumping me with anti-nausea and pain medicine through an IV) and ran a CT-scan the next morning...they saw my appendix all right....it was so infected that it had almost ruptured at that point! I quickly got wisked away to the operating room and I dont really remember much after that until I came out of the anethesia in my hospital room---surrounded by ALL of my friends from school with balloons, flowers, magazines, etc. My mom flew in that night to stay with me in recovery and ended up staying the rest of the week/weekend to take care of me. I got back on my feet pretty quickly---I am back to running, working out, etc. now and the only reminder of it now is the three little scars on my stomach from the surgery. battle scars from law school. oh and I got an extension on my paper, but i still managed to get it in a week after my surgery. I have to testify: GOD WROTE THAT PAPER FOR ME, because there was no way i should have gotten that thing done so quickly!!

Since then, I have been swamped with more reading, starting to prepare for finals (coming in a couple of weeks--yikes), and we had MOOT COURT [fake oral arguments before real judges--a competition] all last week/weekend. All of that, and I managed to make it to Barrister's Ball [basically, law school prom] somewhere in between! I had the CUTEST date in the world for the night...but that deserves a whole other post for another time! Like I said, this has been the craziest semester of my life, and but i have strangely loved every minute of it. I can't believe I am almost done with 1L year! YAY!

SBK '09

two posts in one week...can you tell i am giving class my full attention this week?! I can't help it...Spring Break starts this afternoon! The best part about still being in school is definitely still getting spring/fall break, Christmas break, and summers off. I had a wonderful fall and Christmas break in Mississippi...but I will be spending my other two breaks (spring and summer) in TEXAS! I am going to my church's Women's Conference this weekend- it is going to be awesome, I can't wait...and then on Monday, I am packing up and flying to Houston to stay with Bo for the rest of the week/weekend. I cant wait to spend some time with him AND see all of my camp friends at the same time. Emily (Bo's fiance) flies in on Wednesday night and will be there the rest of the weekend, and Mom, Dad, and Jack are driving in on Friday to spend the weekend with us. I also get to spend some time with my two BEST Texas friends, Caitlin and Erica who are coming to Houston for the weekend as well! Me and Caitlin are planning on going to the Houston Rodeo to see Clay Walker with some of my law school buddies (Texans) who are renting a limo for the night...should be eventful, to say the least. I have already pulled out every outfit in my closet that could be worn with a pair of cowboy boots and I am going to attempt to get it all in my suitcase over the weekend.  I.CANT.WAIT.

lent. round 2.

so this year i am going to attempt to give up soft drinks for lent. i tried last year, and i cheated quite a few times. (my reasoning? i'm not catholic.) BUT this year, in honor of my good friends Caitlin and Ryan, who ARE catholic....I have decided to try again. I mean, I AM a year older and definitely more disciplined (i guess law school will do that to you) so maybe this lent will be successful...I'll let you know. I attempted to indulge in one last treat last night- a Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper from Sonic...but I was so sick I couldn't even enjoy it. boo. But I am feeling a little better today- so does that mean I can re-do my Fat Tuesday? Okay, okay....I'll let it go I guess.

"brief" update: this semester is going by in fast-forward...i have a huge trial brief due this friday that i have been working on all semester, and harris flies in that afternoon for the weekend to hang out. i cant wait to have a semi-free weekend for the first time this semester. only one more week after that and then i am flying to TEXAS for the week for Spring Break to see all of my best friends, my big brother Bo, and my parents who are flying in for the weekend to see us. (yeah, i still get a SB...probably one of the only high points of still being in school!) i will update more this weekend, hopefully. until then...

my professor just gave a devotion on this quote. i loved and it wanted to share. 

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -unknown (to me)

the small stuff

**i posted this on facebook as a note, but i thought i would add it to my blog as well since everyone who reads this (mom) is not on facebook. enjoy.**

i totally should be asleep right now. but i just had an amazing experience (well, you may not classify it as "amazing" but then again you aren't writing this note, now are you) and i felt the need to share it with whomever may happen to stumble upon this little section on facebook. so here we go.

first let me preface why i classify my "experience" as amazing. so i have been spending alot of time in the gospels lately-doing a little studying on the life of Jesus. (I am also reading "Just like Jesus" by Max Lucado- i highly recommend it and any other book by him) but anyway, I was reading the other day about a man who came to Jesus (well, there are several of these stories in the bible) and asked Him to heal his servant-without Jesus actually having to come to his house and personally see or touch the man- and Jesus was glad to heal the servant because of that master's faith- HIS TRUE BELIEF THAT JESUS COULD AND WOULD DO IT JUST BY VERBALLY PROCLAIMING THE HEALING. Also, there is another passage that really supplements stories like this (and the one i am about to explain)- It is in Mark, and Jesus is talking to the disciples about having faith about the things they can do with the power of God...like telling a mountain to move for example. He tells them that if they truly believe that they can do it (or have received whatever they have asked for in prayer) then it will be done for them. Ok, so that is powerful. As I was driving home tonight- super late and in the COLD and RAIN, i remembered that I didn't have my access card to get into my apartment building. (I lost it-again. responsibility is definitely not my best quality) I also had 3 big laundry bags full of clothes that I needed to get into my apartment asap- and there are never ANY spots after like 9pm in my parking lot...which means i was going to have to park across the street and walk the whole way back (with the previously mentioned conditions still in effect). So remembering what I have been reading in the Word, I just started asking God if he would not only provide a parking spot for me in the good lot, but that someone would be around to let me in to the building. (At like 1 am on a Sunday night- my chances didn't look good...at all). But I chose to believe in what God COULD do for me and not what seemed likely. Well what do you know, I pulled up and BAM- parking spot right outside my door. Might as well have had my name on it. Once I got all of my bags out of my car, I walked up to the door and just stood there- having complete faith that someone was going to come out. And sure enough, not 1 minute later, two girls walked out of the door on their way to wherever people go at 1 am on a Sunday night. I just grinned and walked right on in. 

All that to say...if God cares that much about me getting a good parking spot and literally opening doors for me to get inside my apartment, how much more does he care about things like internship opportunities for the summer, who I am going to marry, where I am going to live after law school, how I am going to pay off my loans, etc. etc. The main thing I feel like God is trying to teach me right now is what authentic faith should look like in my life- and any other Christian's life for that matter. It's not only knowing that God wants the best for us (which He does- and that is very important to know), but also believing that those good things ARE FOR SURE GOING TO HAPPEN FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IT! I guess my point in making this an open note and not just one for the journal is to encourage anyone who may be struggling with what God can/wants to do in your life. God loves each of us the same (thank goodness, because I can think of ALOT of people who "deserve" His love more than I do) and if he loves all of us the same, he wants to give YOU that good parking spot (or whatever you are praying and believing Him for) just as much as he wanted to provide it for me. That's my favorite thing about God- he isn't limited in His resources of what He can do for us-heck, he created all of this. Of course it's His to give away! 

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED IT, and it will be yours." -Mark 11:24 

I hope you smell what I'm steppin' in here. It just made my night and I couldn't help but share. I hope this encourages someone out there who may be pondering what God is all about like it did for me.