Weekly Love List

Hey Everyone-


I got this idea from another blog but thought it would fun to start my own similar series called "The Weekly Love List."  This series will essentially be the 5 things that have made me excited/happy/laugh out loud that week.....haha anything really that in my discretion deserves to be on the list.   Hope you enjoy and leave your "weekly love list" as a response (:

1. Lighting my "flower shop" candle from Bath and Body Works (haul coming soon!), pouring a glass of moscato, and sitting on my couch watching tv after work.  Heavenly....

2. I was immensely proud of my home state this week after they bassed a landmark budget that will implement important education reforms.   The bill has implemented a more comprehensive teacher evaluation system, a voucher program giving parents more educational options for their children, and an early warning system to help school districts in PA avoid bankruptcy.  Haha this is sounding like something I would write at work but honestly- this was pretty awesome.  For more info see:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/12/educational_reform_bills_draw.html

3. This just made me laugh so hard I had to share..... what in the world inspired that answer?!?

4. Guacamole- I made my first batch last week and it was delicious.   I could seriously sit and eat it all day but for my waistline and ability to walk through a door frame I shall refrain (:

5. Last, but certainly not least..... THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES.  2nd in the NL Central and having double digit home run numbers game after game.  Maybe this is year to be the 20 year losing streak?   I'm going to knock on every piece of wood in sight after even suggesting that (;

Hope you guys are having a love list worthy week!!!!

Love,

Anne

Running Away From Running

To this?

Can I go from this?

--------->
           






Hey Guys-



So I need some advice.  For the last month I've been talking a big game with my friends and family that I am going to be able to run a 10k come September...come September 30th (my birthday) to be more exact.   But yesterday I went on a "run" with my boyfriend and it was a little frightening.   I actually didn't hate it as much as I thought I would but my 10k aspirations seemed a little unrealistic after I started huffing and puffing after only a short amount of running.   

So my question is- Do you think it is possible to be ready for a 10k when I am totally out of shape, scared of running, and only have 3 months to train?  

There is a 5k in about a month here in Sacramento that I'm thinking might serve as good motivation for myself to do some training- but honestly I'm really scared.  Exercise and I have never gotten along super well.  I HATE being out of breath and sweaty and thus it makes it really hard to push myself to keep going when workouts get rough.  My hatred/fear definitely holds me back from even trying and that is where I am lost as to how to move forward.  Having my boyfriend as running buddy I think will be a help but I only see him on the weekends, so Monday-Thursday will have to be driven by pure self-motivation and discipline.    Does anyone have any tips for moving past that running slump or keeping the motivation for when times get tough?  Or running techniques that have made the process easier?

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Love,
Anne

Youtube- A Confession For My Girlfriends

Ok girls- my Moscato wine is giving me the liquid courage to finally confess something that I have wanted to write about for awhile.  Well, I have hinted about this obsession in a previous post but besides my closest friends and family, there aren't many people that know that I may or may not LOVE watching makeup/fashion/shopping youtube video tutorials and hauls.   I know, I know.  Most of you are probably scratching your head because...


Anne = Law Student/Fairly Serious/Can be found on most days wearing her notre dame hoody with hair in an ugly bun...EXHIBIT A

I honestly have no idea how I became introduced to these videos or even really when I started watching.  All I know is that watching these videos is something I really look forward to because they for some reason are something that help me to just relieve stress and tension from a long day at work/school and provide me with great ideas and advice.  In a nutshell, this genre of youtube videos mainly features women around my age who film themselves giving tutorials about hair/makeup styles, displaying recent purchases from a store and reviewing those items for quality/satisfaction, or suggesting lifestyle/health choices.   In a practical way, these videos are super helpful for planning shopping trips because you can hear about a product without having to buy it and try it out yourself.   I also like watching girls that have the same hair color/skin tone as myself so I can get ideas for what types of shades and colors would look good on me.  


The biggest criticism I hear about these videos is that watching girls do hair/makeup or talk about their shopping purchases perpetuates materialism and/or suggests that girls need to wear makeup or wear certain clothes to feel beautiful.  Honestly, I think these are very fair criticisms.   My only response will be that personally, I enjoy watching these videos as a hobby and enjoy trying out makeup products or hair styles as something fun to do in my free time.  I personally feel that I am still a generally non-materialistic person and still feel more comfortable in my own skin, free of fancy or flashy accessories.  But I don't think this is likely true for all viewers...


For those of you who are curious, here is a list of my Top 5 favorite channels to watch:


Warning: I've found that people either Love or Hate these videos.  Some friends I've shown these too get hooked and some, after 15 seconds, roll their eyes and make me turn it off.  My only request, regardless of your reaction - don't make fun of me too much (;

#1: http://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi?feature=g-u-u


Missglamorazzi, or Ingrid in real life, is my favorite guru not only because she is my age but because she is just so much fun to watch.  She is so down to earth and has a great sense of humor so I almost feel like I'm having a conversation with a friend while I'm watching her.  Her love of neon clothes isn't really up my alley, but her tutorials provide ideas that are so wearable because she prefers the natural/girly makeup look. 

#2: http://www.youtube.com/user/aLoveTart?feature=g-u-u


While the owner of this channel is little older than me, I really enjoy watching her because she almost exclusively uses very affordable products.  I watch her when I want some ideas from what to get from the drugstore makeup aisles.

#3: http://www.youtube.com/user/emilynoel83?feature=g-u-u


Emily is a news anchor who just enjoys filming makeup tutorials during her free time.  She is so great in her explanations of how to do things and is just so cheery and pleasant in her demeanor.  She also has a series called "Shopping List Ideas" where she gives her suggestions for products that she herself has bought and would recommend to others.  I like this series better than hauls where girls will simply show what they've bought without trying them out first.  

#4: http://www.youtube.com/user/NikkiPhillippi?feature=g-u-u


Nikki is probably the funniest guru of all of these ladies.  She is has been an actor so I think that makes her really great for being in front of the camera.  Although I have so much fun watching her videos, my only complaint is that her videos have mainly just been video diaries lately and not really tutorials.  

#5: http://www.youtube.com/user/AllThatGlitters21


This channel is probably the most famous of the five.  Elle Fowler, along with her sister Blair who also has a channel, is my age and has become one of the most popular youtube gurus of all time.  I really like her style, she is very classic but loves to put color into her more traditional pieces, and think her makeup is always so natural but still makes her look really glamourous.  The only reason I have put her at #5 is that I don't trust her endorsements as much anymore.  Because of her notoriety, Elle is sent most of the products she mentions for free and is paid a lot of money by youtube to make videos, giving her the ability to buy products that I just can't afford.   If Elle limited herself to more affordable products and didn't accept as many products, she would probably be my #1.

Update- Summer Plans

Hey Everyone,

As promised, I wanted to write a post to share my summer plans! In my 22 years, I've never left home for the summer.  Don't get me wrong-  I have loved all my past summer experiences, particularly my previous 2 summers at a law firm.  However, I've always kind of wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something different.... so this summer I decided to do just that.

Yesterday, I got on a plane (my 4th of 10 in the next 2 weeks - but that's another story) and headed to Sacramento, CA to start my summer job working for a group called StudentsFirst.   This organization was started and is now headed by former DC chancellor of public schools Michelle Rhee to study issues involved in education policy.   My official title is "summer associate" and I will be specializing in implementation policy, or the study of how particular policies are being adopted and practiced in school districts across the country.

This job is sort of a dream come true for me not only because Michelle Rhee has been a hero of mine ever since I started studying education policy but also because it is really the first long-term job I've ever had solely focused on education policy.  Having this job helps keeps me hopeful that I really will be able to follow my passion and work in this field full time some day.  If you want me to write more about what this organization does, who Michelle Rhee is, or issues in education policy just let me know!  I just wanted to write this as a brief update for friends and family.

First day is tomorrow- wish me luck!  And for all of my friends starting their own jobs tomorrow- GOOD LUCK!

Love,
Anne

Essentials

Hey Everyone!


I am so excited to be writing this post and to be finding some kind of normalcy again!  Last semester I wanted to keep up with my personal writing so badly- and maybe I should have.    But even though we only added an additional class, I felt like our work load tripled in size and anything besides studying and going out with friends seemed like a guilty activity to me- something I shouldn't be doing because it wasn't an essential.   Looking back though, there were a lot of "nonessentials" I sacrificed that maybe in retrospect I should have realized were things I really needed after all.  BIG example would be working out.  To be fair, I did try and take walks about once a week with friends and attempted to go to a few workout classes but nothing consistent.  While I'm obviously regretting this choice now that swim suit season is starting I think more importantly I'm recognizing that taking care of yourself should have been a better priority for me.  If I had worked out maybe my energy levels would have been higher and then I could have studied harder or kept my focus better for exams.


Well, one of my biggest mottos is no regrets so I'm trying not to drone on my short comings from this past semester too much and just try to look forward to the new adventures (haha maybe too many adventures) I have waiting for me.  In my next post I'll talk about my plans for the summer which I am SO EXCITED about.  Kind of a dream come true actually so I'll look forward to updating everyone soon (:   In the mean time- here are some highlights from the past semester- mainly from the very beginning and end of the semester but that is sort of another example of this blog post huh?   Happy Wednesday!


Love,
Anne

In Chronological Order....

My facebook friends will recognize this one-
Kevin and I toured around Georgetown in early January for the day and
snapped this picture in front of the main building on the undergrad campus.
 Sometimes I'm a little jealous our campus is so far away from here.

Gourmet Hot Chocolate to keep warm in January

Meredith and I went to Mount Vernon for a day trip before the semester started.  So beautiful!

Valentine's Day Flowers

Went to visit Stanford in March-
and came back with serious campus envy.

This was last week- 

went to NYC with Jane as her HS graduation present.

             Came back from MN yesterday from visiting my lovely friend Sam-
haha and came back with only a picture of the mall of America.  
That place was absolutely enormous!  

STRESS

  Ok for law school dreamers- I don't want to scare you.  Law school is really awesome and I don't regret my decision at all.  I'm learning so much and am really starting to feel empowered by the skills (well the limited skills) I've developed already.   If studying the law is something that makes you excited- go for it!  However, you should also understand that this is not an environment where everyone is spouting sunshine and rainbows all the time.  My classmates and I are all competing to do well and are learning pretty dense material.  The workload is ridiculous and the pressure to do well on exams is unbelievably intense.   People constantly feel the need to compare themselves with others ( myself included) and the fear of failure is not an entirely uncommon conversation topic.  Hence, the law school environment and eventually a law school career will involve a considerable amount of stress.

Unfortunately I have not handled this pressure well- at all.  When people ask me how I handle everything, I usually try and talk about keeping a good perspective and remembering what is really important in life, when in reality, I'm seriously panicking.  Instead of tackling my school work head on and not allowing myself to become consumed by the stress, I just avoid my work.  I read my favorite fashion blogs, window shop online, watch Grey's anatomy on hulu starting at season 1..... anything and everything to avoid facing the law school music.  And then because I've procrastinated I stress even more to the point where I physically don't feel well either.  I've never been like this in my life- I've always been a worrier but I feel like my life is being controlled by these feelings.

This is a pretty personal topic for me and I'm a little hesitant about talking about it, but I'm realizing that this is something most people (yes life beyond the 1L bubble can also be stressful) can relate to.  I always pray for my friends who are under a lot of stress because I know it can just feel like this unbearably heavy burden on your shoulders that you don't know how to get rid of.   

So I'm opening up a forum of sorts- how do you handle your stress?  Is there an activity that you like to do that just makes all your worries go away?  Are their habits that you have that ensure that stressful situations stay at bay?   Chocolate?  Mani/Pedis?  I'd love to hear your stories!

After just admitting to being an epic fail at stress management I know I've lost a little credibility, but I thought I'd start the discussion by sharing a few things that have started to help me a little bit.

1) Making sure to have a little victory each day that I can be proud of- every day I try to do something productive so that at the end of the day, even when I feel like I failed, I can look to that one little victory and not feel as bad.

2) Cooking- a fun, relaxing, and yummy hobby.  Rather than sitting on the internet to procrastinate this activity at least feels a little more productive and usually I can share my goodies with others which always makes me feel good.

3) Removing myself from my classmates- I go to school with incredibly nice and driven people but I have a real problem with comparing myself to others so I have started studying off campus so I can't do that as much.  This has probably been the most helpful

4) Talking to others and admitting I have a problem.  My poor boyfriend.... everyday we talk on the phone and he gets an earful from me about how stressed I've been.  But having someone to vent to everyday has been a God-send this semester.  He is so incredibly supportive and just lets me say what I need to say without judgment.  My friends and family have also been so supportive- knowing that at the end of the day they are going to love me no matter what happens is what keeps me going everyday.

Cute and Relaxed.... Life doesn't get much better than that!

To those of you who are feeling bogged down by stress and anxiety I will be praying for you!  Stress can really control your life to the point where you feel like it will never leave, but finding support and being open is, I think, one of the best ways to start turning around.

Finding the Bigger Meaning

This is a post I wrote for a blog that Georgetown will be providing for admitted students.   I know it is a little skewed towards Georgetown school spirit but I think the message is important to consider regardless of where you currently go to law school or where you want to go.  Enjoy!

Long before I received my acceptance letter, I knew that Georgetown was where I wanted to be.  I was in love with the location, was amazed by the extensive resources available and was thrilled to get the opportunity to study with such distinguished faculty.  However, I did have one hesitation that made me a little nervous coming into my first weeks here.  For some reason, I assumed that a law school with as great a reputation and ranking as Georgetown‘s would attract a lot of future lawyers motivated primarily by the glamour of a high-power, high-paying legal career.  

Who wants to grow a fin on their back??? NOT ME!

I understand that when a lot of people think of a stereotypical lawyer, they think of someone who fits this profile: greedy, competitive, self-focused.  However, in my limited experience with the law, I’ve come to see how there are so many lawyers who are motivated by something much bigger than monetary gain or prestige.  There are lawyers who give up a high paying salary in order to help the homeless, displaced, children, immigrants, and many other marginalized groups in our society.  There are others who work in private practice and make a decent living, but if you ask them why they practice the law, they immediately light up and tell you that the law has given them a sense of purpose and passion in life.  These are the lawyers who inspired me to come to law school.  My concern coming into law school was that my incredibly smart fellow classmates, who have the ability to get the high-powered job, would be very focused on the attainment of a high salary rather than assessing whether this type of job fit their interests or utilized their unique skills to help better the lives of others.  About 2 days into law school, I realized that this fear had been so wrong. 

Georgetown students are incredibly committed to public service.  I couldn’t even begin to try and list the number of people I have met who already know they want to dedicate their lives to working in the public sector.  My lovely roommate for example wants to work as a child guardian to help represent children in abuse and neglect cases.  Appropriately so, not every student wants to practice in the public sector, but almost everyone seems to value the general importance of giving back to the community.  There are numerous community service opportunities available for any interest you may have, a program for 1Ls to do pro bono work where you get real legal experience, and events run by student organizations to raise money for charity.  

I know we look a little scary but I promise we want to help people

The administration also seems committed to helping us find careers where we feel excited about the practice areas we are in and feel fulfilled by the work we produce.  The Dean of Students runs a program called the search before the search where students are shown the importance of finding a job that incorporates their personal interests and values, over and above any interests about salary or prestige. If you are someone that is excited about finding a more high-powered job, that is totally ok!  But what I love about Georgetown is that they will encourage you, no matter what area of the law you want to practice in, to always self-reflect about why you are passionate about that area of the law.  If you can’t answer that question, you’re going to have a hard time feeling fulfilled and satisfied in your career.

Moral of the story, I am so thrilled to say that Georgetown students are caring and passionate people who are committed to helping others and dedicated to living their lives with purpose and meaning.  I know that being surrounded by people like this will help me to stay motivated to pursue my interests and keep the bigger picture in mind.  In an economy where job security and availability is inconsistent and just plain scary, I know keeping a good perspective will be more important than ever.         

Georgetown Law Alum (well fictional one anyway)!