Life Lately {vol. 53}

I got a new StichFix Box in the mail and was OBSESSED with this striped t-shirt (with pleather elbow patches!!) and this beautiful scarf! :D I couldn't wait to wear them!

You could say James is a needy cat.

There's a sandwich/bagel shop in town called "The Works" and they make an AMAZING smoked salmon sandwich! Capers and smoked salmon and tomatoes on a sandwich?? Yes please!

I went to Barre class a few times at the YMCA! Love it! Also, it turns out these old joggers of mine are neither flattering nor ideal for barre. Now we know!

A chapter about standing requirements in administrative process, or how I feel every day in law school? You be the judge.

When your makeup's on point and you've got coffee, anything is possible.

Lil' Limber Leif :)

I headed out to Iowa for a weekend a few weeks ago to watch one of my childhood friends get married! On the trip, I read the 5th Harry Potter book and used Nicholas Cage as my bookmark. Weirdly enough, I don't think anyone noticed.

Anna believes in the right for every woman to have control and autonomy over her own body!

My mom and I went to this cute little church Christmas-themed bazaar and took many a selfie!

I also got the chance to see two of my very best friends while I was in Iowa!! We had breakfast together at my favorite place (Mullet's) and got caught up.

On Saturday, Mom and I met with J and I's wedding planner and checked out the venue we booked for the wedding! The more we figure out, the more I can see this vision of what it'll ultimately look like and the more excited I get! :D

Mom and I at Abby's wedding! I hadn't been to Hyperion since I was about sixteen, so I definitely had a flashback or two.

Abby and Mert's wedding was SO beautiful! My mom actually officiated, and I thought I was about to lose it and cry so many times. They're so inspirational, and just genuinely sweet people!

I had to get up waaay too early on Monday morning for my flight back home, but at least I had a playlist from J and my Harry Potter book.

And the day after I signed up and paid for this 5k, I got suuuper sick. Naturally.

Erica, Amanda and I signed up and ran this Christmas-themed 5k in Portsmouth, NH! It was so much fun! Even though I was still super sick and a snot machine, I didn't do too terribly. Amanda ended up winning our age group AND the costume contest (even though I'm sure Erica was a close contender - look how cute they both are)!

After the 5k, Erica, Amanda and I walked around Portsmouth and did some Christmas shopping. I fell in love with this print for myself and couldn't help but get it - it was just so me! :)

These dudes are honestly the very cutest. *heart eyes*

J got his hair cut a few weeks ago and looked v fine!

J worked on Thanksgiving until 3PM, but we spent Thanksgiving dinner with Abby and Andrew. Look at this adorable table Abby set up for us!!

I brought over the stuffing, an apple crumble, and caprese skewers. I'd never made stuffing before, and I decided to make it from scratch this year. I used a bacon-bourbon recipe from A Beautiful Mess and it was a huge hit - though I replaced the bourbon with apple cider vinegar!

How cute are these caprese skewers I made?! They were definitely messy, but so delicious and easy to make!

J and I aren't really into Black Friday shopping, but we headed down to Main Street in Concord around 9AM to look at records and get some new running shoes. I wasn't planning on buying anything besides the shoes, but J found me this "Grinch" record and obviously I had to have it!

I was all like, "Maybe we should go look at Christmas trees? Totes don't have to buy one," and J was all like, "Ok, let's go look, but look only," and then we came back with a tiny, gorgeous, perfect Christmas tree! :D

Our handsome, derpy Christmas cat!

Can I tell you how obsessed I am with my new Asics running shoes?! VERY OBSESSED!

I am that person on Facebook comments, sorry not sorry. For context, it was an article on James Deen sexually assaulting women, and that girl was *trying* to say that the only evidence is these women's accounts of what happened. Hearsay, friends, is an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. These women were (mostly) not describing things James Deen said to them, but things he did to them. Not hearsay (or "heresay").

It's officially cold enough for sweater James. :)

Working on ma' fitness! I've been working on running more, and even though I'm not going paritcularly fast or far, I'm getting so much better than I was! :)

J and I entered this wedding photography contest by Liz Morrow, the fab lady behind "Delightfully Tacky" AND WE WON!!! So pumped, especially because we needed a wedding photographer! It was a dream come true! :D

Jay and I had our choir concerts about two weeks ago! We had a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday concert, and I think they went pretty well.

Leif: "What the hell are you eating?" "Mexican" soup, Leif. Mexican soup.

I had my Admin Pro final last Tuesday, but my Criminal Procedure final is tomorrow morning! I started cracking down on preparing a few days ago at Starbucks.

I had such a good day on Monday! I worked out in the morning, came home and relaxed, showered, drank coffee, and worked on my Crim Pro notes while my hair dried! Afterwards, I went to school for a review session, worked on a project due on Friday, and met with my Advanced Trial Ad group for next semester. It was a long day, but a good one!

Isn't Leif a handsome son of a gun?!

I'm in the midst of finals week(s), but almost at the end! Tomorrow is my last law school final of the year, and I've gotta say, I can't wait to be done! It's been a difficult semester in a lot of ways, but I think a good one. I've had to adjust to having a roommate again (ha), having J here in Concord and adjusting my time between studying and him, and working while I go to school. Oh, and I've been trying to find a job, which has been (more than a little bit) the source of much of my stress.

At the same time, this has been a beautiful few months for me. Getting to move back in with J, getting to work at a firm I've dreamed about working at since I moved to Concord, spending more time with Erica and Amanda, running a 5k (even though I was super sick), getting to visit Iowa, getting things decided about the wedding... So many great things!

I hope if you have any finals left, they go amazingly! If you're all done (or you didn't have any to begin with), congrats! Go celebrate your holiday of choice and listen to "The Grinch." :)