2017 Reflection and 2018 Goals

2017 was a good year. My husband and I were just talking about how nothing terribly exciting happened- it was just an average, good year for us. I really can't complain about that; generally, our family was healthy and happy and we made a lot of great memories.

Early 2017 started off exciting when we rescued our sweet Annie. This dog reminds me of all that is good in the world. When we adopted her, she was 1.5 years old and had already had a litter of puppies, had been shot in the shoulder with a pelleted shotgun which it healed poorly without medical attention and the pellets are still in her leg encased in a large amount of scar tissue and leaves her with a small limp, and she was found running stray on the streets of Kentucky. After all of that, this dog is still the sweetest and happiest dog I have ever had the privilege of knowing and has a trademark smile for whenever she gets excited. She fits perfectly in with our other two dogs and has meshed into our life like she was always here. We simply cannot imagine our life without her now and we are so thankful we got to adopt this sweet little angel. #adoptdontshop

  

January also featured me getting reared ended in a hit and run which lead to two weeks of my husband and I share a car and a rather big bill to get my car fixed. Not very fun but I am just thankful I was not injured and the car was fixable thanks to good insurance.

Most of my spring was just busy busy busy with law school. Over spring break I had an emergency root canal which put a little damper on my vacation time. I did finish spring semester strong with a big improvement on my GPA and my first A in law school. Soon after, I found out I made the Moot Court Products Liability team which was a big dream of mine in law school.

I spent my summer interning at my local prosecutor's office and I loved absolutely every minute. I had the opportunity to work on murder cases, write official briefs and memos and attend and assist at several trials. I have officially decided that criminal prosecution is where my career plans lay and I can't wait to continue forward in my career path by interning with a local Judge this coming summer.

At the end of the summer, my hubby and I took a vacation to Maine. Maine is one of my absolute favorite places on earth- my dad grew up there and we have visited almost every year of my life. It is one of few places I can visit over and over again and love it just as much every time. We had a wonderful and relaxing week full of ocean views, mountain hikes and family time. If you are looking for a vacation spot, mid-coast Maine is one of the best.

School started back up in August and I embarked on my busiest semester to date. I started working in Law School admissions as a student ambassador and I absolutely love it. It is the best job as I love helping new law students (hence the whole point of this blog) and I have the best bosses! I enjoyed most of my classes this past semester: I took a Criminal Adjudications class with my favorite professor which I absolutely loved, I took an appellate procedure writing class to prepare for my moot court competition in the spring which was so informative and helpful and I surprised myself by getting through a very challenging commercial paper class despite my lack of natural ability in those type of classes. My grades are trickling in slowly and thus far I have been very pleased and my GPA is rising. In between the craziness of school and life, I did get a chance to go to two amazing concerts: I saw the legend himself, Sir Paul McCartney, and he was just as fantastic as I expected. I also saw my favorite artist of all time, Garth Brooks, and it was the absolute best night.

During the early Fall semester, I competed in my school interscholastic appellate advocacy competition. This was fashioned in the format of Moot Court and involved weekly head to head argument sessions that eliminated one person each time, bracket style. I made it all the way to the final four in my class which involved arguing in front of three federal judges and my entire school. It was a grueling experience on top of all my regular school work and my job but it was such a wonderful opportunity and I grew so much as an advocate through it.

We had a lovely, quiet holiday with family and enjoyed a white Christmas for the first time in years. The snow is still hanging around and I am hoping we can sneak in a ski trip sometime soon.

That brings me to now- winter break. I have been lounging around the house, reading novels, drinking too much hot tea and completing some various little projects and cleaning/organizing around our home. This time to relax, reflect and rejuvenate had given me some time to think toward the new year and all that I want to accomplish. 2018 will bring another semester of law school, my first moot court competition, a new internship, a Carribean cruise in May and I am sure many other adventures. I did sit down to make out a few goals.... we shall see how I do with those.

2018 Goals

1. Make My Health a Priority 
I recently purchased a treadmill and I am absolutely determined to get in shape and run a 5K in 2018. I have a Fitbit, I have a jug of lemon water in the fridge and I am ready to get in shape. I am tired of spending my days hunched over a desk and feeling like a bump on a log. I am also starting the Tone It Up 5 day Detox tomorrow (you can still sign up and it' completely free!) and even once that ends, I am vowing to eat healthier and improve my overall wellness in 2018.

As a part of improving my physical wellness, I am working on my mental wellness as well. I have been on a mission to remove as much negativity from my life as possible- cut out toxic friendships and toxic influences. I am trying to make an effort to seek out the positive in every day... something I have always struggled with as I can be a somewhat glass half empty type of person. But I am vowing to try see the glass half full from now on. I am vowing to be a better friend, a better daughter, sister, wife, dog mom and overall better and less negative person.

Also, I am working to make social media a little less toxic. The beauty of social media is the connections and relationships it fosters. The ugly side of social media is that it encoruages comparing yourself to everyone else and only seeing the highlight reel of peoples lives. This can feed into my natural propensity for not seeing the positive so I am trying to delete any negative influences through social media and make a constant effort to see the best out of social media and not compare myself to the highlight reels of seemingly perfect Instagram feeds. I know guilty of this as much as anyone else- as a blogger, I tend to carefully select everything that goes on my blog or social media and it becomes a bit of a highlight reel... I try to strive for transparency and try to keep it real but I, like most, fall into the trap of only showing the best parts of life on social media. In the new year, I am going to try to keep in mind that behind every gorgeous, jealousy-inducing Instagram feed, is a normal person who has struggles and ugly moments just like me... letting that jealousy from comparing myself eat away at me is just silly so I am going to try my hardest to avoid that from now on.

Similarly, this is true in law school as well. It is a competitive environment. It is easy to compare your grades to others, be jealous of someone else internship or job... this is not helpful. In the new year, I am doing all of this for me. The only grades I am trying to be better than is my grades from last semester. The only internship I care about is my own. I am getting this law degree for ME and the accomplishments of everyone else is irrelevant to that goal.

2. Professional Networking
As an aspiring attorney, networking is so key in getting jobs in the future. In fact, both my internships thus far in law school have been the result of pure networking and had nothing to do with my grades or anything else. In the new year, I am setting a goal to increase my legal contacts through networking and start setting myself up for the post-graduation job f my dreams.

3. Be a Better Wife
In the hustle and bustle of life, I have realized I often forget to put my husband first. Remedying this is one of my goals for the new year. I am blessed to be married to a thoughtful, sweet, patient man who goes out of his way to make my life easier and works so hard to support me through law school. My goal is to remember to thank him more often, send a surprise note and cookies in his lunch more often and make at least one evening a week a date night where I turn off everything else spinning around my mind and focus on my husband and my marriage. After all, we are still technically newlyweds LOL.

4. Explore
It is easy to get caught up in the day to day routine and forget to explore. When I was in Europe for study abroad, I explored: I tried new things, stumbled upon crazy adventures and had the time of my life. I am not in a place in life where exploring can be European vacations but it doesn't mean that I have to stop exploring completely. In 2018, I am going to make exploring more of a priority. I am going to explore other places through books, I am going to explore my city on weekends, I am going to explore my limits by pushing myself out of my comfort zone and eat new foods, try new drinks... basically I am going to treat everyday life like it's a European vacation and find the beauty in every day, ordinary things and attack life with the mentality of exploration.

So that's my recap of 2017 and my goals for 2018... I am really looking forward to another great year. Hopefully, I can stick with my goals! I hope everyone has a safe and fun New Year's Eve and a wonderful 2018. 

How to Rock a Moot Court Try-out or Competition

Moot Court is a big part of most law schools. At my school, and most law schools from my understanding, there are two big optional opportunities to try out for after 1L year: Law Review and Moot Court. Law Review is a more research and writing based activity where you spend your time writing and editing a not/comment on a specific area of law. Moot Court allows you to practice and hone oral advocacy skills through competition as well as practical legal writing skills through the accompanying written brief. Personally, as I want to go into criminal prosecution and trial work, Moot Court seemed like the right fit for me over Law Review because I really wanted to hone my oral advocacy skills. I tried out for Moot Court at my school, was selected for the Products Liability team and I am preparing for a national competition in March.

Throughout my process of trying out for and being selected for Moot Court and my interscholastic appellate advocacy competition this Fall in which I made it to the final four and presented my argument in front of three real federal judges, I think I have figured out a few tips for being successful in the Moot Court setting. For those preparing for Moot Court try-outs or oral arguments this spring, I sincerely hope this helps in your preparation.

1. Prepare for Everything 
Moot court try-outs are fashioned after the format of the competitions. You will write a brief or be given one, you must read every case cited and be able to competently discuss them, be fluent in the relevant law and anticipate any possible holes in the logic. Whomever the judges on your panel are, they will attack any weakness in your argument. You must be prepared for this and be able to consistently counter with your argument strengths. If you are prepared and have practiced your argument and answers to possible questions, you will do great.

2. Be Confident
This may seem silly and basic but it is simple truth. You must argue with confidence. Be confident in your argument, your material and yourself. If you can present an image of poise and confidence, you will have a better chance. Fake it until you make it they say; even if you are nervous, if you can project an image of confidence, you will be in good shape so long as you are also properly prepared.

3. Dress to Impress
Boys, wear a dark-colored suit. Girls, a dark-colored suit and low heels. I know it is formal and boring but it is the nature of the profession. I know more about what the girls should wear than the boys so I will focus on that. A dark colored suit is necessary; traditionally, a skirt suit is best but a well-fitting pantsuit is not wrong. Invest in a quality suit and if it is not a perfect fit, a good tailor can make it lok custom made. Simple hair-do's are best. No bright colored nail polish but make sure nails are clean and not chipped or overly long. Wear simple jewelry such as small studs, a simple chain necklace and a watch. Flesh colored nylons are encouraged. Low heels are best in a neutral color. Some say to wear only matte leather or suede but I always wear patent leather 3' heels and I have never gotten chastised for it. Soft makeup is best; don't overdo it. Your outfit and appearance should be classy and modest and allow your argument and intellect to shine through.

Example of what I wore during my competition this Fall: Black J. Crew Skirt Suit, a royal blue blouse, flesh-colored nylons, black patent leather 3" heels and simple hair and makeup

4. Formalities are Key
Ahhh Moot Court formalities. They are annoying but necessary. Here is a fairly comprehensive list:

• Open every argument with "May it please the court"
• Make sure to have a roadmap at the beginning of your argument outlining your main premise and your numbered points of argument
• Always thank the judges at your argument conclusion and conclude clearly with a prayer for relief (what are you asking the court to do)
• Show deference to the bench- refer to them as your honor, thank them for questions, be respectful at all times and in all manners
• For heaven's sake, have eye contact with the judges, particularly to whoever is asking you a question
• Scan the bench as you are talking; don't fixate on one spot or one judge in particular
• All the primary elements of good speaking are still necessary: speak clearly, speak up, don't say "um" or "like", don't mumble, stand up straight and don't wave your hands around all that fun stuff

5. Don't be Stuffy 
While Moot Court is a formal activity, it is also important to make the process conversational. You are not preaching; you are having a formal conversation with the judges. Smile, try to be natural and have some fun while you are doing it. It can be very invigorating and enjoyable to compete when you are prepared and can maintain your position. Try to make it a fun experience and not a scary/stressful one.

I hope this is helpful! I wish everyone the best of luck in Moot Court try-outs and oral arguments this spring.

Happy Holidays!

Well folks... it has been a while. Finals were an experience as usual. It was a very rough few weeks to get through the madness but I did it!

I am officially halfway through law school. I honestly can't even believe it! I am gearing up for a busy second semester full of moot court competition, working, some interesting classes and all the other usual stuff. I am enjoying my break by catching up on life, deep cleaning my house, watching endless Christmas movies, binge-watching The Crown, baking cookies and generally relaxing while I can... oh and checking the school website every hour for grades.

I plan to put out some blog content while I have the spare time over break. I was so busy last semester, blogging just did not take priority and I was not able to put out as much content as I had hoped and planned to.

Thank you to all who follow along with my little blog and I wish you the happiest of Holidays!

8 Ways to Prep for a Healthy Final Exam Experience

Law school finals are coming... it is time to prepare for the onslaught of outlines, notecards and practice essays. I have compiled a list of some of my best tips for staying healthy throughout final exams.... exams are super important but they are not worth sacrificing your health and wellness.

1. Prep Healthy Snacks and Dinners
I spent a good part of this weekend making myself some healthy snack packs and prepped some healthy dinners. I made baggies of carrots, celery, apple slices, crackers, pretzels, and blueberries. I love having them ready and bagged in my fridge so I can just grab a healthy snack on the go and avoid the temptation of a handful of Pringles or cookies.

For healthy dinners, I like having ingredients on hand for some easy dinners in the heat of finals week. A few of my favorites are chicken and rice casserole (only 4 ingredients!), tacos, grilled chicken salad, tuna salad sandwichs and shepherds pie. I always have broccoli and green beans for sides.  I would rather make something quickly at home with healthy ingredients than stop and pick up fast food.

As one of my professors recently said, eating crappy food makes you feel crappy so eat healthy and fuel yourself the right way! Having healthy food ready on hand is the simplest way to do this.

2. Mental Health is Important
During finals, especially as a 1L, it is very easy to psych yourself out and let the stress get the best of you. You have to right to stay right mentally. Take breaks, go for a run, take a bubble bath, have a good cry... whatever you need to do. Final exams is as much an endurance challenge as it is an academic challenge- take care of yourself and your mind so that you can make it to the finish line.

3. Exercise
Exercise is a great way to stay feeling healthy and energized. I enjoy a yoga session or a short run during finals as a mental break. As the great Elle Woods said, exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy! You need to be happy during finals so do whatever you need to. You can even take your books or outlines to the gym and read while you ride the stationary bike.

4. Sleep
It is tempting to pull all-nighters and skimp on sleep during the heat of finals. As much as that extra hour of studying seems appealing, the extra sleep will do you much better in the long run. Getting a normal amount of sleep during finals will help you so much. Your brain cannot process information when it is overtired so your studying will be far more effective if you are rested. Also, 2 weeks of little sleep will make you a walking zombie... don't let it get to that. Manage your time and plan for 5-6 hours of sleep each night minimum.

5. Take Care of Your Eyes
Studying involves staring at papers, books, and computers for outrageous amounts of time... this is very hard on the eyes- especially if you already have poor eyesight and wear glasses or contacts. I generally wear contacts and I have found that blue light blocking glasses help immensely when studying for long period of time. Also, I keep eye drops in my bookbag for long study sessions because my eyes inevitably get dry. I also alternate between contacts and glasses to keep my eyes from getting to dried out by my contacts. Keep your eyes feeling good so you can keep staring at the books!

6. De-stress in a Healthy Way
Law school exams are stressful, there is no denying that. But de-tressing should be done in healthy ways... basically don't drink away your problems. It will not help. Exercise or go to the park... find a healthy way to get rid of your excess stress and don't let it take over your life. I usually bake cookies, clean my house or take a bubble bath when I need to de-stress. Drinking away your stress will only lead to problems.

7. Surround Yourself with Support
You need people to lean on during finals. Spend time with the people who support you: family, friends, significant others, study groups. Avoid negative influences in your life. Find a study group that is productive or study alone if that works for you. Call your mom when you need to talk to someone. Have dinner with your significant other as a study break. Cuddle with your pet while reviewing notecards. Let your support system support you during this stressful time.

8. Eliminate Distractions
I find that removing social media app's from my phone during finals is a great way to cut out all that drama and distraction from my life. the important people in my life will text or call so I am not missing out on anything important. I am not sad about missing out on a Christmas party to study if I don't see the snapchats of it and I am not tempted to scroll through Instagram for 30 minutes if the app isn't on my phone. As soon as finals are over, I re-download but for two weeks, life is just fine without social media.

Best of luck!! Go crush those exams!

Holiday Gift Ideas for the Law Student in Your Life

Christmas is coming up!! Call me crazy but I have been listening to Christmas music and watching Hallmark Channel as much as possible. It is my favorite time of year!

I love shopping for Christmas presents and finding things I know the people in my life will love. But us law students... we are a special breed and our wants and needs can be different from most. For all those family and friends out there who want to be supportive and help out your law student, here are some gift ideas that will be helpful and appreciated as they finish their legal education!

1. Wireless Headphones 
These are so wonderful for law school!! I can listen to my music or recorded lectures, with no strings attached!! In loud and busy law school areas, these will be a law students best friend- particularly around exams!

2. A Coffee Mug 

Law students tend to go overboard with caffeine so a coffee/tea mug is never a bad idea. I think this one is perfect for any aspiring lawyer ... Trust me (I am almost a lawyer). 

3. A Professional Bag 

Every aspiring lawyer needs a professional bag for interviews and internships. This would be a super useful gift that will serve your law student very well through law school and beyond! 

For the ladies: 

For the men: 

4. Gift Cards

Law students are notoriously broke and stressed. Gift cards to take themselves out to dinner, for a relaxing shopping trip or most importantly, for coffee. If all else fails, you truly cannot go wrong with some gift cards to let the law student in your life treat themselves.

Also, gift cards to help law students build their legal wardrobes are a great idea. Express, Banana Republic, J. Crew are all great options for them to purchase professional wardrobe staples. 

5. Stress Relief 
Law school is super stressful... items to help your law student get some stress relief are always a good idea. Bath bombs, oil diffusers, a yoga mat, candles... etc.

6. Inspirational Items 

Your law student is probably always looking for inspiration... cute desktop signs or things to hang on the wall of their office to keep the motivation up in the heat of finals is a great gift idea. 

7. Travel Mugs and Water Bottles
Remember when I said caffeine is very important to law students?? Well, this is extremely true and travel mugs are a lifesaver in the morning when you are running out the door for class. I LOVE the Contigo no spill mugs.

Long days of class also call for lots of h2o. I have two favorites for this: Camelbak water bottles and my RITC tumblr (keeps ice cold for a full school day!). Your law student would certainly get lots of use from either of these. 

8. Amazon Student Prime Membership

Amazon prime is the greatest thing. Not only do you get access to Prime movies and TV shows and the Amazon music library, there is free two-day shipping on almost everything! For busy law students, that is the best way to shop. Your law student would be so appreciative of an Amazon Prime membership and for students, it is half price! This is the gift that keeps on giving all year long. 

Happy Holidays!!