Rejuvenation

Henry David Thoreau had it exactly right when he moved into that cabin on Walden Pond. I can't think of a better place to be than at a cabin on the lake in northern Minnesota.

Since I arrived at my mom's cabin last Thursday, I have finished three books. Gosh I missed reading for fun. That is not to say I gave it up while I was in law school... But it was nice to read for fun again without a huge guilt cloud hanging over my head and a knot of anxiety in my stomach about all the reading I WASN'T doing for my law school classes. It was also nice to be able to finish a 300 page book in a day instead of a month.

I've also logged more hours in the sun in the past three days than I have all summer long. The last time I was out in the sun, besides into my car and then into a coffee shop, was Fourth of July weekend. I made a rookie mistake. I laid out in the sun for several hours that day. I burnt my chest and the tops of my legs so bad, I was shot for the rest of the weekend as far as sun exposure goes. I did manage to fish with my dad and my husband on Lake Winnibigoshish, affectionately known as Lake Winnie in my family. I wore a hat and a long sleeved shirt (even though it was well-over 80 degrees) and I kept a fleece sweatshirt over the top of my knees. Still, I could only last a few hours.

This weekend I was MUCH smarter. I work 30 spf the whole first day. Even reapplying!  I even wore a baseball cap to protect my face. My dad would be so proud. I managed to avoid a burn altogether, thank goodness for Native American roots. Now I probably have the requisite amount of vitamin D in my body again. And I made up for a little bit of the indoor seclusion I suffered for most of the summer. Fletcher loves it too. The poor dog has been as cooped as my husband and I.

Mostly it was nice to just rest. And be able to eat and drink normally without a pit of anxiety gnawing at my stomach. Or watch tv without my throat closing at errant thoughts of the bar exam. And to enjoy the company of the people around me without distraction. It turns out that life goes on after law school, and I can't wait to start living it!

"In wilderness is the preservation of the world." - Henry David Thoreau

First Post

A recent law school graduate, just survived taking the bar, my life is in a weird limbo. I won't find out until September if I actually passed the Wisconsin bar, with a score high enough to waive into Minnesota. So I won't find out until fall if I can begin practicing law, which is probably find since I don't have a lawyer job yet. It's super fun applying to law jobs though, especially because any employer is throwing my resume in the trash because I am not licensed. I keep trying to convince them to hire me because I am not licensed YET, to no avail.

I am also embarking on my first year of marriage. My husband is wonderful, also a recent law school grad and recent bar exam survivor. He has an associate position lined up for when (not IF, but WHEN) he passes the Wisconsin bar exam with a high enough score to waive into Minnesota. So we have a little more security. But we are still dirt poor for now.

And we're looking down the barrel of a big move from Coon Rapids to a house in Minneapolis. The plus side? It's in a great neighborhood, right down the street from Minnehaha Falls and blocks from the nearest lightrail station. And my first love, Highland Park in St. Paul, is just across the river. Downsides... I HATE to move. I HATE to move. I HATE to move. And my hubby will be working full time, so most of the packing and etc. will fall to me. Also, we're only SLIGHTLY busy in August. I have a wedding shower the first weekend (I have a side job as a Pampered Chef consultant), we leave for a trial lawyers conference the 11th-13th, we have an alumni meeting for our fraternity on the 13th and a conference planning session for the same on the 14th, my husband's cousin is in town the 14th and my family is having a picnic the 14th as well. We're trying to pull off a garage sale the 18-21 (my first), despite having a wedding on the 20th. We're supposed to move after the 20th and we also have a wedding on the 27th.

I am embarking on this blogging experience (also my first time) as a way to keep myself sane and fill my suddenly empty days. I thank my good friend Bri-Licious for inspiring me. Also Kate Bratt. I don't promise entertainment, though there should be some. I am also teaching myself to sew, hoping to become proficient enough to maybe sell items on Etsy, so I expect that will be a recurring topic.

In the way of a tired cliche, and also because I love quotes, I'll aim to end each blog with a topical one...

"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." - Ralph Waldo Emerson