*Sigh*
I desperately wish I had pictures to post for you guys...but for some reason my Blackberry won't send my pictures to my email anymore. I think it's mad at me for dropping it in the toilet :(
Well, it's Wednesday of week 1, year 2. I am officially a 2L.
The past few days has been a great balance of work, friends, family, and home. The first week is always jam packed with assignments, so before you even step foot in a class room- you've got a pretty substantial work load to deal with.
Case law can be a little hard to adjust do. If you generally read a page a minute, case law will slow you down to 5-10 mins per page. A 10 page reading assignment in some classes can take an hour or more. Poor Jonathan is experiencing that phenomenon for the first time. He is putting hours and hours of work in, only to find that he's only read a handful of pages. keep chugging along, hubby! it'll get easier, i promise!
plus you'll always have my love, support, and snuggles:)
So while we've spent many hours staring at our books, we've made time for lots of other things as well!
Including...
Shopping with Mommy (who lovingly bought the CUTEST fall outfit:)
Dinner with the family (yummy steaks, broccolli casserole, and CHEESEcake!!)
Hanging out with old friends and making new ones (a 1L welcome part at lazy lizard, dinner with Jonathan's new friend Jason, cookout at Mina's)
and lots more!
I hope this whole semester moves along smoothly and remains balanced.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Time to unload.
Hello Bloggers,
i have missed you so!
I have so much to say, I doubt most of you will read to the end, and I'll understand if you don't. There will likely be no pictures, as I have taken none recently. So for those of you who really really love me, read on...
Well, in my last post I mentioned that I have had a lot on my mind, and that is the truth. A great load was lifted yesterday when i completed my seminar paper. Earlier this summer I took a piece-of-cake juvenile justice class to get some credits out of the way. I actually really enjoyed is and feel that I learned a lot from it, but it was only 6 weeks and very little was required of us. Aside from attending a reading a case here and there, we had to write one paper. At first, it didn't concern me at all, I was actually looking froward to writing it! I had spent a year writing legal memos and the technicality and specificity of it was stifling to me. The opportunity to write your garden variety research paper was a welcomed relief. Unfortunately for me, the prof gave us all summer to write it. I'm one of those put things off till the last, and I mean very last, minute people. I'm not proud of it and I am working hard to change it. Regardless, for me "all summer" meant the 2 days before it was due. I don't know if you guys have ever tried to write a 20-pager in 2 days, but it's difficult. and mind numbing. and exhausting. and it makes you hate law school and wonder why you ever did it in the first place.
but i finished it, by the grace of God. So glad that he is faithful even when I'm not.
While the paper was definitely a stressor for me, I've had a lot of bigger things on my mind as well. Here's a little background:
When Jonathan and I were dating, there came a point when we had to seriously weigh our priorities and decide if God had designed the two of us to be together. There was no question that we loved each other, but the reality was- we were two incredibly different people. Jonathan's heart was to be a lawyer and have a big house where we could always host people and to budget our money carefully so that we could be generous givers. My heart was to work with sexually trafficked women and travel and not worry about money. We couldn't understand how the Lord could weave these two dreams into one reality. But we prayed and consulted friends and mentors and at the end of the day, we trusted that the Lord was good, that He was bigger than us, and that He had a beautiful plan for our future.
Fast forward a year and a half- we're married, we're settled into our apartment, both of us working our way through law school and life...
and I am finding that I am fearful.
Suddenly, I didn't trust. I didn't understand how anything was going to work out. I knew we could have a wonderful life together, but would I get to do the things I'd always dreamed of doing? Would Jonathan and God forget or ignore my heart's greatest desires?
Thankfully, the Lord never forgets our needs. A couple of posts ago, I mentioned the Whitlocks. They came for a visit a few weekends ago, and my heart was so filled just my seeing their faces!After a lovely afternoon of visiting and eating, Jonathan and I had an opportunity to sit down with Craig privately and discuss our future with him. The blessing that he was to us was more of an encouragement than I have felt in a long time. Craig is, essentially, Jonathan and i blended together, he was able to cast such a beautiful vision for our future. He gave us just a quick glance to the the kind of things that the Lord could have in store for two people like us.
He also reminded me of something very simple and very important, "Chelsy, honor and love your husband."
I realized I had only been thinking about myself, and that is the opposite of what marriage is. Rather than wondering if Jonathan's needs were being met or caring about what he wanted our future to look like, I was thinking about what I was going to get out of the deal, wondering when I would get my share.
Anyone out there who is still magically reading this, if you listen to nothing else, hear this: If you want your marriage to not only work, but thrive and grow, LOVE your spouse more than yourself. Consider what that means and ACT on it.
So where we are now: Jonathan and I agreed a while back, before we were married, that when he graduated law school, we would spend one year overseas. We didn't know where we would be going or what we would be doing, but we knew that this was a step of faith we wanted to commit to.
Talking with Craig reignited our hearts for that year and what it will bring. It's been on my mind a lot recently, and it's sparked other thoughts as well. Thoughts of future and family. Thoughts if what the next 50 years, Lord willing, will bring.
So please pray, our hearts are so full as we go into this school year. We are just beginning to learn all kinds of things, some of them exciting, and some of them scary. Please pray for our peace and our renewed faith in the Lord and His goodness.
Love you all:)
i have missed you so!
I have so much to say, I doubt most of you will read to the end, and I'll understand if you don't. There will likely be no pictures, as I have taken none recently. So for those of you who really really love me, read on...
Well, in my last post I mentioned that I have had a lot on my mind, and that is the truth. A great load was lifted yesterday when i completed my seminar paper. Earlier this summer I took a piece-of-cake juvenile justice class to get some credits out of the way. I actually really enjoyed is and feel that I learned a lot from it, but it was only 6 weeks and very little was required of us. Aside from attending a reading a case here and there, we had to write one paper. At first, it didn't concern me at all, I was actually looking froward to writing it! I had spent a year writing legal memos and the technicality and specificity of it was stifling to me. The opportunity to write your garden variety research paper was a welcomed relief. Unfortunately for me, the prof gave us all summer to write it. I'm one of those put things off till the last, and I mean very last, minute people. I'm not proud of it and I am working hard to change it. Regardless, for me "all summer" meant the 2 days before it was due. I don't know if you guys have ever tried to write a 20-pager in 2 days, but it's difficult. and mind numbing. and exhausting. and it makes you hate law school and wonder why you ever did it in the first place.
but i finished it, by the grace of God. So glad that he is faithful even when I'm not.
While the paper was definitely a stressor for me, I've had a lot of bigger things on my mind as well. Here's a little background:
When Jonathan and I were dating, there came a point when we had to seriously weigh our priorities and decide if God had designed the two of us to be together. There was no question that we loved each other, but the reality was- we were two incredibly different people. Jonathan's heart was to be a lawyer and have a big house where we could always host people and to budget our money carefully so that we could be generous givers. My heart was to work with sexually trafficked women and travel and not worry about money. We couldn't understand how the Lord could weave these two dreams into one reality. But we prayed and consulted friends and mentors and at the end of the day, we trusted that the Lord was good, that He was bigger than us, and that He had a beautiful plan for our future.
Fast forward a year and a half- we're married, we're settled into our apartment, both of us working our way through law school and life...
and I am finding that I am fearful.
Suddenly, I didn't trust. I didn't understand how anything was going to work out. I knew we could have a wonderful life together, but would I get to do the things I'd always dreamed of doing? Would Jonathan and God forget or ignore my heart's greatest desires?
Thankfully, the Lord never forgets our needs. A couple of posts ago, I mentioned the Whitlocks. They came for a visit a few weekends ago, and my heart was so filled just my seeing their faces!After a lovely afternoon of visiting and eating, Jonathan and I had an opportunity to sit down with Craig privately and discuss our future with him. The blessing that he was to us was more of an encouragement than I have felt in a long time. Craig is, essentially, Jonathan and i blended together, he was able to cast such a beautiful vision for our future. He gave us just a quick glance to the the kind of things that the Lord could have in store for two people like us.
He also reminded me of something very simple and very important, "Chelsy, honor and love your husband."
I realized I had only been thinking about myself, and that is the opposite of what marriage is. Rather than wondering if Jonathan's needs were being met or caring about what he wanted our future to look like, I was thinking about what I was going to get out of the deal, wondering when I would get my share.
Anyone out there who is still magically reading this, if you listen to nothing else, hear this: If you want your marriage to not only work, but thrive and grow, LOVE your spouse more than yourself. Consider what that means and ACT on it.
So where we are now: Jonathan and I agreed a while back, before we were married, that when he graduated law school, we would spend one year overseas. We didn't know where we would be going or what we would be doing, but we knew that this was a step of faith we wanted to commit to.
Talking with Craig reignited our hearts for that year and what it will bring. It's been on my mind a lot recently, and it's sparked other thoughts as well. Thoughts of future and family. Thoughts if what the next 50 years, Lord willing, will bring.
So please pray, our hearts are so full as we go into this school year. We are just beginning to learn all kinds of things, some of them exciting, and some of them scary. Please pray for our peace and our renewed faith in the Lord and His goodness.
Love you all:)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Writer's block?
I think I just realized I have a sort of unspoken rule about not putting up a new post until the previous one has been commented on :)
As for today...
Somehow I have plenty on my mind, but nothing to really say.
Maybe if I let everything sit inside my brain for a little while, the words will come out better :)
Life is so full. God is so good.
As for today...
Somehow I have plenty on my mind, but nothing to really say.
Maybe if I let everything sit inside my brain for a little while, the words will come out better :)
Life is so full. God is so good.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
99 things
I found this list over at After I do who, i believe, got it from La Blondie Peruana. I thought it was cute, so here goes! BOLD are the things I have done, italics are the things I would greatly like to do some day :)
1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more to charity than you could afford to
7. been to Disney
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sung a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing (on fake rocks- does that count?)
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. been sky diving
66. visited a concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in London
77. broken a bone
78. been a passenger on a motorcycle (aaaand a driver, thank you very much :)
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. kissed a stranger at midnight on new year’s eve
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. gotten a tattoo
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. swam in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more to charity than you could afford to
7. been to Disney
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sung a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing (on fake rocks- does that count?)
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. been sky diving
66. visited a concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in London
77. broken a bone
78. been a passenger on a motorcycle (aaaand a driver, thank you very much :)
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. kissed a stranger at midnight on new year’s eve
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. gotten a tattoo
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person
96. swam in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
I know it's only Wednesday,
But i'm already looking forward to this weekend :)
It will consist of...
and hanging out at the pool, soaking up my virtual last chance at a tan before school starts :(
It will consist of...
Spending time with family
and new family! my sister-in-laws are coming too!
playing and snuggling with Shug, the new family addition!
eating yummy lamb and chicken
and hanging out at the pool, soaking up my virtual last chance at a tan before school starts :(
and MOST excitingly...
Have you ever seen a more beautiful family??
These are the Whitlocks (sans the parents). They have been living in Mozambique for a year and are finally home. From day 1 I have watched this family and thought to myself, I hope Jonathan and I can raise a family like that. A BIG family. Beautiful, respectful, God-following children. Ready to go and follow the Lord wherever he calls. They are such wonderful friends and I have missed them greatly.
All 7 of them will be in Weirton this weekend for our cookout...
...and I cannot WAIT to hug each and every one of them.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Look who's finally here!
Welcome to the family Shug!
Playing with big brother Rufus
Smiling for the camera!Hello everyone! Isn't my new baby sister the cutest??? Shug joined our family on Saturday, July 31. I can't wait to go to Weirton this weekend and snuggle her up!!
Speaking of weekends...
I just had a great one :) I spent the weekend in Athens, OH with Jonathan's family. It was our first visit as a married couple, and Yia yia even put out the silk sheets for us- haha! It was so great to spend time with cousins and aunts and uncles. We spent lots of time just sitting around and telling stories. Like any family, they are full of quirks and characters, making it all the more fun.
A personal favorite memory from the weekend: yia yia running over to me as I was walking down the stairs to sprinkle Sugar on my head and say (in her rich Greek accent), "Sorry honey, but I have to do this- so you will be sweet your whole life!"
haha! isn't that the cutest??
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