Would you like some moth larvea with your Apple Jacks?

The first week of law school, almost everyone who is anyone gives you "the talk." This talk basically lets you know that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong - and usually right around the time a huge project is due or finals are rolling around. Going by that theory, I figured the week of the bar exam would be pretty bad, with plenty of things going wrong. Nothing prepared me for the first week of bar prep - and if it is any indication on how this summer is going to go - someone get me out NOW.

Because I need to vent, here's what happened this week alone:

1. I backed my new camaro into a vehicle that was driving behind me while I was backing out of a parking space. No one was hurt, thank goodness! But dealing with insurance and trying to figure out how to rent a car when I am not yet 25 so that I can get my car fixed has been fun!

2. Billa's eye went from bad to worse and she had surgery on Tuesday. This also meant going to the vet on Monday, twice on Tuesday, and lots of sleep being lost to a poor crying puppy whose eye just freaking hurts.

3. I take medicine to control the pain from one of my health problems. I called to have this medicine refilled on Monday. I called to remind them to refill it on Thursday and twice on Friday. Despite this, I ended up not having medicine going into the weekend. (this issue was thankfully resolved in time for it not to be too much of a problem)

4. When I adopted Tug last year, he had a terrible skin condition. This week, likely triggered by seasonal allergies, this condition returned, which means more fun visits to the vet, and a puppy who can't stop scratching his skin - to the point of scratching it off entirely and bleeding everywhere.

5. Someone knocked on my door at 1:30am a few nights ago. Instead of answering it (who does that?) I loaded my gun and hid under the covers. Don't judge me. I still don't know who stopped by in the middle of the night.

6. This morning I woke up, planning on visiting a new church. But I was hungry so I went to get a bowl of cereal. When I opened the box, I noticed some small worms inside the box. Upon further inspection of my pantry, it came to light that my entire pantry had been infested with moths that decided to lay their eggs in my food, which meant there were baby larvae crawling all over everything and making little homes to turn into moths in. Basically this whole situation just gives me the heebie jeebies and makes me want to crawl under the covers and hide (yes, I realize I should probably grow up and learn to act my age at some point). So, that took a good 5 hour chunk out of my day to sort through, clean out, and throw away everything that was ruined - and then head to Walmart to get a nice bug bomb to kill those shitty nasty little bastards.

In addition to the above problems, this was the first week of bar prep - which meant lots of studying, headaches, and the painful realization that I learned very little in law school. Likely I actually learned a lot, just not a lot that is tested on the bar, or I haven't remembered that I learned it yet. Either way, this week was rough and I have a lot of work to do going forward - both in life and in the study of law. 

Sometimes things don't work out

I have put off writing this post, because it is never easy to admit that something you want to work out is not the best thing for you.

I was disqualified last week from being a potential donor for Michelle. Basically, after reviewing all my OBGYN records, the doctors at the donor clinic told me that in order to go forward I would need to be okay with and waive any and all potential pregnancy problems. I would have had to sign something saying I was okay with not having kids, having kids with disabilities, and having multiple miscarriages. This was all because I am already a high-risk for potential pregnancy issues, so donating a kidney would inflate that risk even more.

This was a very difficult decision to make, especially since it wasn't like the doctor said that I was medically unfit to donate - I just wanted something to be medically possible later on and knowing that, I had to withdraw my application as a donor candidate.

While I really struggled through this decision - I am confident in the reality that sometimes things just don't work out - and that's okay. Because even when things don't work out, there is a bigger plan, a bigger picture at work, and there is a reason for everything that happens.

Situation Evaluation

If you are new to the kidney donation situation - start reading here and work your way up from there. :)

First, I want to start this post off with a warning - if you are uncomfortable with reading about medical procedures, bodily functions, or just personal information about me in general, you should probably skip this post altogether. That being said, I want to share my experience over the past few days as I was evaluated to be a kidney donor for my Aunt Michelle. 

I need coffee!

 So Monday morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, I set off from Fort Worth at 6:30 in the morning for UT Southwestern in Dallas. Its about 45 miles away, but traffic in DFW is sometimes unpredictable, so I wanted to give myself plenty of time to make it to my 8am appointment. My first appointment was for lab work and X-rays, so I wasn't able to eat or drink anything and I wasn't able to go to the bathroom until I got to the hospital. For those who know me, I am not the most pleasant person without my Venti Caramel Macchiatto from Starbucks in the morning. I am also a fairly normal human being (in my opinion) and like to empty my bladder first thing when I get out of bed. Nevertheless, I was able to make it all the way to the hospital without falling asleep, having a rage blackout on anyone in traffic, or wetting the beautiful interior of my car.

Now, I am not the most fond person of waking up early (I far prefer staying up late than getting up early), but I truly love watching the sun rise. And being up and on the road at 6:30 - I got to experience an amazing sun rise! What a perfect way to start the long day!

Sunrise over traffic (very unsafe to click pictures while driving, I am aware, but I'm only going 17mph!)

I got to the hospital a little early, but only had to wait about 10 minutes before I was taken back for my chest X-ray. The male technician awkwardly asked me if I was wearing a bra (um, duh?) and then made me change into a gown for the X-ray. After that, I got to change back into my normal, supportive, clothing, and waited for blood work. At this point I decided to text Michelle and tell her how full my bladder was, just in time for the lab tech to come get me for my blood work. 

Now, it should be pointed out that I am not the best blood giver in the world - I have good veins, they just like to hide sometimes or just not give anything. So, I am typically and understandably a little nervous about giving blood. The lab technician had a printed-off list of labels about 2 feet long in her hand, which had labels about an inch thick all the way down it. So I figured from the looks of it, and her comment "DANG GIRL, WE ARE TAKING A LOT OF BLOOD FROM YOU" that I was about to have a whole lot of fun. Then, to make things even better, she handed me the urinalysis cup and said that she would get organized to draw the blood while I gave my urine sample. Of course, she had freaked me out with her ridiculous list of blood tests, and there was no way my nervous bladder was cooperating. So I sat like a child, waiting for her to take my blood instead. 

Not too bad - considering the last person who took my blood left a bruise the size of a golf ball.

 Instead of "a lot of blood" she took 6 viles. I have no idea what the other labels were for, but that is not a lot of blood to me. Easy as pie. Since my restrictions on eating and drinking were primarily for the blood work, she gave me some water, I was able to take care of the aforementioned bladder emptying, and I was on my way to my next test. 

I next headed up to the 6th floor of the hospital for my EKG. I checked in, and then sat around in a room full of people wearing masks which made my heart hurt because they all looked at me like I was clearly healthy and therefore out of place. I waited for over an hour, and then finally got taken back for the EKG. Which took all of 10 seconds. And was totally normal. 

Normal EKG :)

 So on I went to the 7th floor, where I would spend the rest of the day. I got to meet my donor coordinator, Sandy, who I had talked to several times on the phone, as well as my nephrologist and a social worker. 

Sandy led me through the entire donation process, as well as the risks, benefits, surgery day, healing process, and then answered my list of questions. 

As part of my orientation with Sandy I got to watch a movie...

 The nephrologist was a different ball game. Even though I had submitted a 10 page application with complete medical history, and even though they had gathered all of my medical records from all of my doctors, he talked with me about each and every medical condition I have ever experienced, including the possible effects they might have on kidney donation as well as the effect kidney donation could have on each of my health problems that are still present. This was an overwhelming session, but I was so glad for all the information. At the end of our conversation, he informed me that all my lab work from earlier in the day was looking very good - and pending the committee review of my file, he saw no reason to require further testing. This for me, was a huge relief. Because of my previous Crohn's diagnosis, I was very worried they were going to require me to have an updated colonoscopy which is about as fun as eating slugs. Probably less fun, actually.

overwhelmed, but still trucking!

By this point, I was in dire need of a break, and it was time for lunch - which Michelle was kind enough to drive up to the hospital and join me for! We got some sandwiches in the hospital deli, and then sat and talked about our day - and the fact that at this point in the day, many of her previous donor candidates had already been disqualified. By the time we both looked up, it was already time for me to head by up for my meeting with the social worker. We always get carried away and lose track of time. 

Michelle and I at lunch :)

 My visit with the social worker was awkward, but I can understand the importance of that step in this process. That being said, it is strange to talk to someone you have known for 5 minutes about intimate details of your life. For those who don't know me, I have a sarcastic streak in me (more than a streak, some would say) and I have a tendency to respond sarcastically to questions that I think are not very intelligent or just because I feel like giving someone a hard time. It was all I could do to hold my sarcasm at bay talking to the social worker about how I am not crazy, not on drugs, not being paid for my organ, etc. I realize these are legit concerns. But for me, knowing myself and the situation, these questions were obviously unnecessary and I struggled to keep a straight face. 

My very medical view from where I sat all day...

 After I met with the social worker, I talked to Sandy one more time, who said that everything was looking very promising and she thought it would be wise to go ahead and start looking at possible days to do the next set of tests, as well as look at possible surgery dates (because I am on such a strict schedule with law school, finals, graduation, and then bar exam prep). So with that in mind, we called it a day. 

I thought this was a cool picture - my tattoo says "love" and this is my medical information bracelet

The next day after work, I headed back to the hospital to meet with the surgeon, the only part of the first step of testing that they were unable to schedule on Monday. Mind you, this was the day that all the tornadoes came through DFW, and I got to the hospital just in time to put my car in the parking garage and head in before the weather got bad. Right before my appointment, we were evacuated to the lobby due to a tornado warning. In the lobby, I was then told to go back upstairs and that the doctor was there and ready to meet with me so that we wouldn't have to reschedule. So, I was able to meet with him for a good hour without any weather interruptions as we were being thunderstorm cells.

As I was getting ready to leave the lobby of the hospital and head home for the day, I was very abruptly herded down a hallway and told we were under a "code black" and that everyone was being directed to the hospital's shelters. I spent about an hour in the hallway, waiting for the bad weather to pass. Finally, I was able to leave and head home. 

Tornado Drill! Waiting in the hallway with all the other hospital people for the tornadoes to pass

 At the end of my appointment on Tuesday, Sandy again told me that things are looking very positive - and Michelle has been told as much from her doctors as well. I have a few more hurdles before everything is a for-sure go. First, I have a CT Scan with contrast on Thursday Morning. I have a 24 monitoring test over the weekend at some point. Finally, I have a meeting with an outside donor advocate (psychological evaluation) on Tuesday of next week. Additionally, Michelle now has to go through several tests to ensure she is also in prime condition for the transplant - which after my Monday, I know can't be any fun!

On Thursday morning, Sandy will present me to the donor committee, and Michelle's doctors will present her as the recipient. The donor committee will then either approve or deny our match, or decide they want to see more testing of one kind or another. 

Right now, we have a tentative surgery date of May 8. I will have to move a final around - as well as the possibility that I won't be well enough to walk the stage at graduation on the 12th. Additionally, I have to stop taking birth control for the next month before the surgery - which I haven't been off in 9 years, so I have no idea how my body and mind will react to those hormonal changes. However, I can't express how excited and thrilled I am that we are moving forward! I have felt more at peace throughout this entire process than ever before in my life - and I know that is only because of the grace of God and the many people praying for both Michelle and I through this journey. Keep the thoughts and prayers coming - we are both going to need them in the coming weeks! :)

Moving Forward!

GREAT NEWS!

I heard from my Donor Coordinator this morning. She informed me that I have been cleared through finance and at least the preliminary review of my medical records have okay-ed me through the next step of this exciting process!

Apparently I will be getting a call today or tomorrow to set up a time to go in and meet with my coordinator in person, talk to a counselor, talk to a nephrologist, and meet with the doctors on the donor team to decide what tests need to be run based on my medical history and the transplant process. These meetings will take around 4 hours and can be done all on the same day - which will likely take place sometime next week.

So, as long as they decide I'm not to whacky to take out my kidney, after that meeting I will get all the tests scheduled. Then, obviously, comes the testing (I think that's the only part of the process I am not excited about - only because I know how not fun medical testing is).

So that's where we are at right now - I will update when I know what day the meetings will take place so that people can be praying - as well as once I know what the testing process will look like.

<3 S

I might be a little crazy....

My best friend called me crazy yesterday. I think she might be right, but I'll let you be the judge. Here's what I told her:

"I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping. I'm not sure if its the dog that sleeps next to me who snores and kicks me and cries because she is sick and in pain, or if it is because I am a little stressed out right now. Either way, I can't sleep. However, when I do sleep, I have crazy dreams.

For example, last night I had a dream that I was in court, arguing against a temporary restraining order for our client. Our client was on the stand, and she was showing all the same symptoms of my sick dog, Billa. Somehow, during my argument, I decided I needed to talk about and consider the ethical considerations of donating my kidney to the client."

And that friends is what happens when you work on a case like crazy, the same week that you decide to donate a kidney to your aunt, while your dog is sicker than hell, all while studying for the attorney ethics exam. Yes, there is a chance a might be a little crazy this week :)

Not my will, but Yours...

Today I am tired, which means I am in a mood. Not a good one, or a bad one, just "a mood."

I couldn't sleep last night, and I'm not sure what it was. Billa is sick, and I'm not sure why she isn't getting better, and it had me uneasy last night - which usually results in me pondering all the things that could be wrong, and then all the things that could go wrong in life in general - and then ends with me repeating "Not my will, but Yours" over and over until I fall asleep. I'm pretty sure I said it over and over about 1000 times last night before I finally fell asleep. I heard JB's phone beep at one point, so I know it was after midnight.

Today I am anxious, because I know I may not hear anything from the hospital for a while, but I also know I might get a phone call at any time, so I am anxious and waiting and patience has never been a strong suit of mine.  

However, I did talk to my donor coordinator on Friday, and she seemed very nice, and said that my application was being processed and they were going ahead with collecting all my medical records in order to determine what tests they would need to do if/when we get to the next step. 

I also talked to my parents, my sister, my brother, and my two best friends, Kim and Kassie, over the weekend. While everyone had their own take on things, my favorite was my friend Kim, who started crying as she told me how amazing she thought it was. It warmed my heart that she supported me so forthrightly.  I truly appreciate everyone's concern and opinions, so I have tried to be as open as possible to everyone sharing how they feel and what their concerns are.

All things work together for good...

About 15 years ago, I was blessed to have a wonderful woman come into my life. She married my uncle, and through him we became family. But more than just family, we became friends. During holidays we would sneak off to the back bedroom to have very serious "girl-talk" and she was always there to listen and give me counsel when I had a problem that I wasn't quite sure how to handle.

While the marriage between her and my uncle did not last, our friendship has remained strong - probably even stronger now that I am no longer a child and we are able to bond as women. Even though we no longer are put together through family holidays, we have still made time over the past years to get together often, and stay in touch online and I still consider her my "Aunt Michelle"

I was always aware that Michelle had some health problems, though growing up I really didn't understand what was going on. Through our adult relationship, I have come to more fully understand her condition. Michelle was diagnosed with end stage renal disease in October 2008 and was advised she needed a kidney transplant.  Her disease is called focal segmental glomerosclerosis, FSG for short. She has been on the transplant list for 3 years, and she has had 21 possible donor candidates denied for one reason or another. This past week she found out her kidney function was at 6% and had reached the end of her possible donor list.

I have always felt such a special and important connection to Michelle, from a very young age. We are kindred spirits. I always assumed in our many conversations that I would never be considered as a potential donor because of my crohn's diagnosis a few years ago and the medical struggles that entails. However, after the update this past week, I wrote her just to make sure that was the case. Michelle called her donor coordinator who said that, in fact, that was not something that would disqualify me.

So, after some heavy thought and prayer, I asked my dad what my blood type was (Michelle is O-). It is crazy, but after a bajillion (it seems) blood tests I've had in my life, no one knows my blood type! But, he did tell me that I was either O+ or B+. (For those unaware, the + or - doesn't matter for kidney donation, so long as you are the same letter). I decided to get my blood typed, to see if it was even possible for me to apply to be a donor for Michelle. So, yesterday, I went and got my blood drawn.

This morning, when I woke up, there was an email from the lab saying my test results had been posted to my online account (gotta love technology). I got really nervous as I logged into my account and opened the test results, but as I read the results - that I am O+ - I got a peaceful feeling all over. Like this was somehow meant to be.

In my prayers before bed last night, I asked God to give me some direction through these test results, both for my sake, and for Michelle's - who has already had to go through 21 donor candidates being denied. So, I asked Him to make my be B+ if this was not part of his plan, so that we would know, and be able to move on if this was not what he wanted.

While there is no real way of knowing at this point what the future holds, I do feel like the fact that Michelle and I are a blood-match tells me everything I need to know. No matter where we go from here, no matter what the other tests will say, getting to this point, and applying to be her donor is all part of a greater plan.

So there it is - I am turning in my application to be a kidney donor for my Aunt Michelle. I would truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we start down this incredible journey - I know that there are a million reasons that this might get stopped, and that I might get denied - but I have been praying for her donor for over 2 years now... and I can't believe I might have actually been praying for myself all that time... 

Accountability, where did you go?

I am right 99% of the time. I don't say that to suggest that I am smarter than anyone else, or that I am always right, because I am not by any means. However, I do my best to be educated, informed, and responsible in the things I assert as the truth - in the things that I take the time to inform others about. I try extremely hard not to second-guess my instincts, especially when I know I am right, even if others might disagree. It is the disagreement that I struggle to accept - I don't like being told by others that I am wrong when I know I am right. Not only does it offend my intelligence, it hurts my feelings, and causes me to view the offender in a light I would prefer to remain ignorant of.

Today I was reminded, by more than one person whom I highly respect, that it doesn't matter if I am right. The politics of a given situation always trump the correctness of someone underfoot. The specific situation involves faculty members at my school. More than one member of the faculty informed me that they respect me, agree with me, know I am "right" and yet will not publicly agree or even suggest that they might agree by participating in a discussion because it is not their place to disagree with the teaching or grading of another member of the faculty. If not their job, then whose? One member of the faculty even told me that he hoped that this one bad experience with a professor does not affect my view of the school. It does not. I have had far too many good experiences with the other faculty to be offended by this one. However, what does affect my view of the school is a faculty who does not see it as their job to hold each other accountable. A faculty who is afraid to even suggest that a student might be right in the incorrectness of another professor. That, to me, is a shame. That a student would be willing to go through the trouble, the turmoil, and the judgment of the entire faculty in order to bring an injustice to light only to be told that those who should be most concerned by the situation, because it reflects on them as a whole, will not even entertain a discussion of the issue due to "politics" is the greatest injustice of all.

No one wants to be the first to suggest the indecency of a situation. No one wants to be the first to point the finger. Now I struggle to decide if it is even worth the indecency of a denial knowing that those I thought I respected most are not even willing to consider an injustice. And they call themselves professors of the law. Might it be true: those who cannot do, teach? Those who are unwilling to consider right and wrong, teach it instead, expecting us to learn, to question, to appeal, to represent the interest of those wronged and yet unwilling to consider us when we do what they teach if it means holding accountable one of their own.

Settled in... for now

We are completely out of our house in Granbury and it is on the market!! Thank goodness!! Now we just wait and hope that the house sells quickly. We are not pleased with our current realtor, so I am sure that we will have to look into changing realtors sometime this week as we move forward. We are all settled in to our 1 bedroom apartment. It is a little cramped and there are still boxes and such around, but our storage unit is SO full it might burst and we have a lot of stuff! We won't be here long anyway as we move into our new, 2-bedroom, super-nice apartment in an awesome neighborhood at the end of May.

Finals are fast approaching, with only one full week of class left, then dead week to study, then 2 full weeks of finals. While it is always hard to take finals back-to-back, I think it is harder to take them spread out. Mine start the first day of finals, and I have one on the last day of finals 2 weeks later. My other three are spread out evenly in between, so while I will have plenty of time to study for each test, I also realize I will be exhausted by the end of the two weeks!

Thankfully we have a wonderful vacation planned for right after finals - we are going on a cruise to Alaska with my grandparents and great-aunt and great-uncle. It will be such a great time to relax, enjoy some time off, regroup, and then come back and start summer school right away. (literally, classes start the day after we get back!)

I am still loving my job, though we had a hard week this week. I will try to post tomorrow about what losing a case is like after spending 6 weeks straight working on it non-stop. Until then, it is back to the books for this kid!

Moving is a LOT of work!

This week is Spring Break at school. I had planned to leave on Thursday with JB to go to Missouri to spend time with his family. I got sick and wasn't able to go, but he went anyway. I was really looking forward to the trip and spending time with his family, so I was pretty bummed Thursday and Friday that I wasn't able to go. Instead, I was stuck at home, feeling pretty awful, and packing boxes. 

At this point, I have the living room, spare bedroom, spare bathroom, and about 1/2 of the office packed and ready to move. Yesterday I went to Ft Worth and got a storage unit, a PO Box and dropped off a load of boxes at the storage unit. Today I continued to pack boxes, pack the office, get the business/jewelry stuff ready to move and got everything ready to start painting tomorrow. I picked out a really neutral color for all the walls called "cafe latte." I think it will look great with all the freshly painted, white trim. I killed my hand at Walmart putting the 5 gallon bucket in the cart (which almost made it worth it to pay the $30 more for the paint at Lowes because I know they would have put it in the cart for me and loaded it in my car). I also broke up about 100 strands of beads and put them away in my bead drawers and then taped them up so we can move them as well. Finally, I spent some time reading for classes this week as school is back on Monday and we are only about 6 week away from finals. I am so excited about what the next few months have in store for us as a family, but I am also entirely overwhelmed by all the work that is left to do and everything that must be done in the next two months. 

<3

Passion Must Ever Sway the Heart of Man

I love my new job. I can't express how incredibly blessed I am to have found a job that 1) I enjoy doing, 2) my boss is awesome, and 3) I'm getting paid WAY more than I thought I would be (total *bonus*).
When I applied for law school, it was honestly on a whim because the job market was so awful at the time I was finishing college and with an English degree there was really no other option but to teach or go back to bar tending. Since I don't like large groups of children and I had already lived through one lifetime's worth of flirting for rent, law school seemed like a pretty good option. And I had pretty great grades, job history, etc. etc. etc.
After being accepted and offered a scholarship, I decided it was probably worth a shot. I'll be entirely honest and tell you that I was 5% excited and 95% terrified, but not for the reason most entering law students are afraid. I was never worried about being called on or grilled about a case or whatever like they show in movies (although I was the first person in my 1L class to be called on in class the first day), I was terrified because I wasn't sure I would even like the study of law, the way law school works, or anything about it. I wasn't one of those people whose dream it has always been to go to law school and become a lawyer. Daddy didn't demand I become a lawyer like him (he's not one anyway). And I never went through something and thought "that is so unjust, I think I'll become a lawyer so I can change the world!" No, I went to law school on a whim, and somehow I fell entirely in love along the way.
People complain way too often that they don't like school, don't like homework, don't like their job, and so forth. I have always believed and stood firm on the ground that if you aren't passionate about what you are doing, you should not be doing it. First of all, life is way too short to waste time or effort on something you have the ability to change, and second, you bring down everyone around you with your crappy attitude. Of course we all have days where we complain or whine or vent to a close friend - that's understandable and part of being human. I'm talking about people who are truly unhappy with where they are in life and yet are completely content to live in such unhappiness.
Which brings me back to my first point. I love my new job. After I started my brilliant love affair with law school, there was always this small fear in the back of my mind that the practice of law would not be anything like law school, and therefore there was still a chance I would be entering a profession that I would be doomed to exit as soon as I entered. After three weeks at my new job as a law clerk for a small Fort Worth firm, I can happily, joyfully even, admit that my love affair is far from over. In fact, I think I can easily see us living happily ever after together.
I was afraid I wouldn't like it, or that I wouldn't be good at it, or that I wouldn't know what I was supposed to be doing. And while I don't know what I am doing in the least, going back to my second point - I have an amazing boss. He is patient and understanding and takes the time to explain everything we are doing in the cases and why we are doing it. He shows me what I am doing wrong without making me feel stupid, along with taking time to tell me what I am doing right. While it is true - law school is nothing like the actual practice of law, I greatly appreciate that the things I have learned and am still learning in class come up multiple times a day at work while I am researching or drafting. It is such a turn on to make those connections and know that what I learn in class today will help me in practice tomorrow, and even the things I find most boring or insignificant will come up in cases in the future. (Which makes me realize I really should be paying close attention to them, regardless of how bored I am by them).
I am sure you are entirely bored by my rambling on and on of how much I love law so I'll close with this: "Whereas the law is passionless, passion must ever sway the heart of man." --Aristotle

Finding a Place to Call "Home"

I never imagined finding an apartment would be so difficult. When I was in college, I lucked out by 1) being ignorant of what to look for when viewing apartments and 2) I found an amazing apartment and an amazing roommate for 90% of the time I lived in an apartment in college. Since then I have lived with my husband in a house we bought together before we got married. I recently got a 1 bedroom apartment in Fort Worth so I wouldn't have to commute to school and work. After JB quit his job, we decided to try to make the big move to Fort Worth. So we are beginning the process of putting our house on the market (another discussion entirely) and trying to find the right place to move into until we figure out what direction our life will be headed when I graduate from Law School next year.
We have both spent hours online looking at apartment websites, apartment reviews, apartment ratings, sex offender websites, neighborhood websites, etc. etc. etc. I think I have finally narrowed the search to two complexes that I love in a neighborhood called "River Park" (guess I know why the complexes are called "River Park Apartments" and "Riverpark Place"). I haven't physically gone to either place yet, but both have 90% or higher rating reviews, zero sex offenders onsite and very few in the area. They are right down the road from the mall, shopping, restaurants, and both of us can jump on the nearest interstate a mile down the road to get to work/school. Now I just hope I actually like them when we go tour the property as well as have the floorplans we want available.

A little about me to start this off...

This year my New Year's Resolution was to write more. I have since written many reports, motions, orders, and emails, but have not written anything for myself up till now. So, seeing as how it is now March, I think is about time to do as I promised myself. So, to begin I will tell you a bit about where I am in life right now:
I am 23 years old, I am married to one of the most amazing men in the world, and I have the best dog anyone could ask for. I am a second year law student in Fort Worth. I started my own jewelry business, The Prairie Gypsies Jewelry, two years ago, which I primarily run online. I clerk two days a week at a law firm in Ft. Worth. One of my favorite things that I have done this past year is my job at school as an Academic Support TA for first year law students. My husband and I currently live in Granbury, but we are in the process of moving to Ft Worth to be closer to school and the city.
Long ago I wanted to be a writer, and I have been far too busy to pursue anything resembling creative writing for far too long. I hope that having this blog will give me the opportunity to spread my creative wings a bit, as well as provide a platform through which I can keep track of my crazy day-to-day life. Enjoy!