Life Lately {vol. 50}

I love going to work every morning, though the only downside is I never have time to change into other clothes before going to class. Upside, I look pretty fab most of the time! :P

Honestly, I have the most beautiful view from the office window!

My boys are the silliest! James is such a cuddle bug, and even though my arms were free and J's were not, he insisted on laying down in J's arms instead, haha!

One of my favorite parts of working out so early in the morning is the deserted streets, even when I leave the gym. I love watching the sun rise!

The cats are very aware of each other's space, so it was lovely to see them get so close (and relax) the other day! I love it when my babies get along!

I got my latest Stitch Fix box in the mail and I loved it!

It's the littlest things that make me the happiest - like J getting off early and meeting me at the grocery store. :)

Homework's back in full swing, and let me tell you, I didn't miss it...

Leif apparently thinks dirty laundry is the perfect spot to chill out... Ew! At least he's cute...

Everyone thinks we're a little crazy, but J and I don't have a microwave anymore. It's only been an issue one or two times in three months, and most of the time, we just deal with it - like when I had to heat my coffee back up, so I did it on the stove. Classy, right? :P

I've been trying really hard to dress "the part" for work! Hey, if I want to be a badass, powerful lawyer, looking put-together doesn't hurt, right?

Sooo I maybe saw Jeb Bush at the gym the other day?? Looking back, I'm not sure he was tall enough to be Jeb, but BOY did he look like him!

My sweet little boy! :)

Ok though, we kinda have a big cat...

J's mom and step dad drove up from Iowa City with more of J's things, which meant we had to do a little bit of arranging. I moved a bunch of books into the playroom and moved my bookshelf to this corner of the room. Now that it's there (and filled with books), I can't imagine it anywhere else! It looks like I meant it to be there all along, doesn't it?

While J was at work, I gave Jeanna and Phil a (short) tour around Concord!

Jeanna and I got our nails done at a local salon!

Aren't they cuties? :)

We all went out to dinner at a nice restaurant in town for the end of their trip!

I had Sunday to relax, and James took full advantage of my downtime by sleeping on me for about half the day.

J had Tuesday and Wednesday off this week, and he got up before I went to work Tuesday morning! It never happens, so it was a big treat for me to see him. :)

Some days it takes a whole lotta strength to prepare myself for work AND class. They weren't kidding when they said they "bore you to death" 3L year (as far the classes go)...

I FINALLY gave myself a list of rewards when I meet mini-workout goals, which has totally pumped me up! I seriously wouldn't have gone this morning if I hadn't seen that reward in the distance! :)

These last few weeks have been so crazy with work and school taking over my life! I didn't realize how busy I would be with only three classes, but I get to do 24 hours of work at the law office I'm interning with, which means I'm in class or at work every day until 3-5PM. I'm sure it doesn't sound like much, but when you take into account that I still have homework every night (not to mention non-homework studying), it really adds up. Along with that, I'm still getting up every morning at 5:15AM so I can go to the gym, and going to bed anywhere between 9PM and midnight thanks to my night owl fiance (and really good TV shows and movies - he can't be blamed entirely).

Long story short, I'm not getting enough sleep, I'm trying to get a good workout schedule going, I'm working at a real law office, and I'm still taking three classes this semester. Yikes! It's been a good semester so far (all three weeks of it - ha), but I'm really hoping I can keep all of this up.

To be fair, a lot of my classmates are balancing the same things I am, except they're also teaching assistants or presidents of organizations. I've never been a TA, which I'm honestly a little sad about, but that's really what a lot of law school's about - learning to balance things, no matter how much you have on your plate.

I know it could be a lot harder, and that most of my stresses aren't "real" things to worry about. It's important to keep things in perspective, because, stress and all, I am incredibly lucky. Even when I'm tired, I'm really thankful that I'm staying up because my best friend and fiance wants to spend time with me, and I'm getting up early because I owe it to my body. I'm working so hard on homework because I want to do well in classes and learn how to be a good lawyer. I'm working hard at work so I can make a good impression and show that I care, not to mention all the clients I'm affecting.

Even though I've got a lot on my plate, and even though I'm stressed, I'm still really thankful for the position I'm in. I just hope I can handle the rest of the semester!