Top Law School Posts from 2015

This was by far my most popular post of 2015 - as of today, it has over 1200 views thanks to Pinterest! It turns out Evidence is hard, and I can't tell you how happy I am that people thought these flow charts were as useful as I found them!

 I wrote about law school and insecurity in March, and it's one of the posts I've gotten the best feedback on. It's really easy to feel like you don't belong or that everyone's smarter than you in law school, so it was really nice to write about (and remind myself) that we're all here for a reason, and that we can and will get through this!

I wrote about my 2L year of law school, which was infinitely better than my 1L year. Big surprise there, right? ;) I actually had fun, got the best grades I'd ever gotten, and took classes that were simulations instead of just using case books.

One of my favorite things I wrote this year was about things not to do in law school. I go to school with a lot of chill classmates, but that's not the norm. To be frank, the majority of people in law school are insufferable, but you can keep from being insufferable by not doing a bunch of judgmental, annoying things. Something to note. ;)

When I started "Girl Named Fiddy" and let go of "Nonsensical Me," one of the things I really wanted to write about was my journey to applying to law schools and writing about my experiences in law school. I really wished I could have read about before coming, and there's not much out there unless it's a horror story or a story about a law student from Harvard. 

I wanted other people to google "law school" and read stories about real life in law school. I wanted them to know my honest thoughts about my experiences, which is one of the reasons I was so proud to write my "recap" of my 1L year. It was not a positive experience. I really, really struggled, and I wanted anyone else struggling to know they weren't alone and we could get through this.

It's weird to think I'll have to stop writing about law school in five months, but I won't pretend I'll miss it. All I want to do is graduate and start working! I want to help people, not be stuck in a lecture... But I can make it for five more months. :)

Happy 2016!

2016 Goals

Happy second day of 2016, everybody! I know it's a tough time of year for a lot of people, and not just because of the holidays - this is also the time of year when half the population decides they want to lose 50 lbs and the other half of the population grumbles and mocks them for it.

Personally, I love goals for a new year. I love a chance and a time for self-improvement, and since I have yet to reach a state where I no longer need to improve myself, self-improvement it is!

I have a lot of big goals for 2016 (that really require no explanation):

• Graduate from law school
• Marry J
• Move to Denver
• Get a job in Denver at a great firm
• Pass the Colorado bar exam

I also have some smaller goals for 2016:

• Read 12+ books this year and continue my 12x12 challenge
• Give away 200 things
• Run 8 miles at one time

I have a few more "smaller" goals that I've decided on, but mostly they're goals for how I treat others and to be (in general) more conscious about the kinds of foods I put in my body. They're not concrete goals, so I decided not to list them here. It doesn't make them any less real to me!

One thing J and I are trying out this month is going vegetarian! We were talking about doing it all year, but both of us thought it'd be smart to try it out for the first month and then recap. I didn't think it'd be that difficult since I mostly eat pescatarian, but I already almost messed up! I was bringing up some cold pizza for lunch and I had already eaten half a pizza (mushroom, thankfully) before I realized that the two beautiful pieces of pepperoni pizza on my plate were not, in fact, vegetarian. Weird how that happens, huh?

In some ways, I have a lot fewer goals than I did last year, but to my credit, a lot of my goals this year are BIG. Most of the work is already done for them, thankfully. For example, while I don't take graduating law school for granted by any means, I appreciate the fact that I have one semester to go and basically just have to fill out the right forms and pass all my classes. Marrying J should also be a pretty easy one to meet. ;) Moving to Denver is at least mostly dependant on me getting a job in Denver. Still crossing my fingers on that one!

2016's going to be a big year for me, folks. This is finally the year of happening, not waiting, and I'm so anxious and excited to see what happens!

2015: Recap

New Years Day (our 4 year anniversary) in Hilton Head // Dancing at a bar // Back to Concord // Reading Watership Down

Leif after tooth surgery // Taking a study break // Visiting my family // Visiting Chase at college

Mom & Dad & I visited Savannah // My new pet hair vacuum (!!!) // Working out // Bridal boxes for my bridesmaids

J visited me during spring break // My bridesmaids all said yes! // Helping Abby & Andrew move // Erica & I at Easter

 Growing a tiny cilantro plant // Mom & Grandma visited me // Wedding dress shopping in Boston // Pizza 4 ever

Post-finals wine tasting // Margs with Erica & Amanda // Flying with James back to Iowa // Seeing Liz again was heaven

J finally graduated!!! // I bought my wedding dress // J moved in with me // Ikea to buy new furniture

Memorial Day // Grilling with J // Hiking with Andrew, J, & the dogs // Working at NHLA for the summer

Coffee hangs // Portsmouth // Grandma & Grandpa visited // Exploring New Hampshire

Work bathroom selfies // Siam Orchid Thai food for our half anniversary // Staycation // Watching "Drunk History" for hours on the 4th of July

Did an entire hearing on my own! // More house sitting with puppies // The best salmon ever // Space museum in Concord

Working at the NHLA booth // Finally beat "The Hobbit" // Breakfasting // Explored the Maine coast

Bought a real plant & haven't killed it yet //  Back to Hilton Head // Got caught in a downpour // Hannah visited me!!

Caught a mouse! // Birthday dessert for Andrew // First day of work // Jeanna & Phil visited us for a weekend

Protein pancakes // Finally got to meet Hillary // Visited Boston to speak to attorneys // Beautiful new planner

Got my nails done // Engagement pictures!! // Apple picking with Abby & Andrew // Joined a local choir

J & I visited Salem, MA // We celebrated Jay & Tyler's wedding // Fall // The best salsa I've ever made

Margot & Shaun for Halloween // Gingerbread latte // Started going to a barre class // Got some great Stitch Fix clothes

Mom & I visited Iowa // Chose a wedding venue // Celebrated Abby & Mert's wedding // Ran a 5K with Erica & Amanda

Thanksgiving with Abby & Andrew // My fav vinyl // We won a wedding photography contest // 3 choir concerts

J & I bought the littlest Christmas tree // Bought new running shoes // Studying for finals // Christmas in Iowa

Chase & I at Star Wars // Caught a cold from the stupid planes // "New" engagement ring // J's birthday

Working out with the family // Felt mushrooms // J on the beach // Saying goodbye until January

I kind of talked about this year in another post, but in a lot of ways, I felt this was a transition year: transitioning to working while in law school, J transitioning to graduate life and working full time, us transitioning to living together again, trying to figure out what we're doing once I graduate this coming spring, making wedding plans... A lot of what we did this year was for big events that will happen in 2016.

It wasn't until looking back, today, when I really appreciated what a good year this was. Sometimes it feels like I spend too much time waiting and not enough time experiencing, but I did experience a lot this year. J graduated and moved in with me, and we had what I dubbed our "New Hampshire Summer," where we tried to explore as much of the state as we could while still working full time. I spent a lot of time with friends, took much-needed breaks, and did a lot of studying. I put myself out there a lot - I asked for jobs, I contacted people, and I learned to brag about myself (within reason, of course). 

I think J and I learned a lot about each other this year as well. We had to deal with a lot of stress about our future, about money, about health and bodies, and especially about jobs. We had to figure out what we liked and didn't like for our wedding. Maybe this year wasn't so much a "transition" year as it was a "learning" year.

It's been fun, 2015. I can't wait to see what 2016 will bring!