22 Ramblings

 Yesterday the era of fun and exciting birthdays officially came to an end because... I turned 22.  Don't get me wrong- I had an absolutely wonderful day and feel incredibly grateful for the numerous blessings in my life.   However, after 21, birthdays just don't seem as exciting anymore!  So maybe I can't rent a car yet but at this point I am fully supporting myself financially, am able to legally vote, can drive whatever car my parents are brave enough to lend me and can drink whatever my little heart desires.  But as has become the theme of my previous blog posts, I thought maybe a post about things I have learned/discovered/experienced this year will teach me that with each year comes important changes and milestones.... Cheesy?  Yes... but it's my birthday and I'll write if I want to (:  WARNING- the order is so random and I go from one topic to another with no semblance of reasoning.   But I am going to divide this into 2 parts so its not so overwhelming....

1) Missing Notre Dame comes in waves- I love being a grown up but I would give anything to march on that field, sit on the quads, and be in a community with my best friends one more time.

One of my few freshmen year band pics- I miss this so much ):

2) Going to Church post-Notre Dame is not as easy as I thought it would be.  I consider myself to be a strong Catholic but when Church is not accessible to me on Sunday nights and does not appreciate pajama attire it takes a whole lot more willpower to go.  

3) After being a cat person my whole life, I'm falling in love with dogs and want a puppy so bad- specifically a chocolate lab.

Santa- Please???  Well maybe not this year but sometime soon...

 4) I have become obsessed with the blog College Prepster. This may produce an eyeroll from some of my friends but I love her style and taste and think she is such an incredible business woman and entrepreneur-and she's only a senior in college!  I just wish I had access to the funds she does to buy all those pretty things.  

Example of a College Prepster look- I think this is so polished and pretty!

5) I love reading blogs generally now too- particularly those written by my friends.  My favorite would definitely have to be my friend Katie's blog.  She is so talented and so insightful- a great read for young professionals.

6) Politically (in a whispered tone) I'm finding myself to be more and more conservatively-leaning.  I know this is a shocker- law student, Catholic, living in D.C..... I don't know why but this is just where my head has been recently.

7) I love to cook!!! I have actually been making more complicated things the past couple weeks- I find it to be so relaxing and love seeing the happy look on my friend's faces as they enjoy something a tad better than our typical lean cuisines.

My first Pecan Pie with no corn syrup- YUM!!!!

8) Paying for groceries is a gift and a curse- it has made me eat so much healthier and I love picking out new and interesting foods (Indian food=yum) but $100 dollars every 2 weeks kind of sucks..

9) I have a confession- I'M A PROCRASTINATOR.  While I have denied it my whole life, my law school habits have shown that I can't deny this identity any longer.  I work best under pressure.

10) As much as I thought I would give up my dream of helping schools and students after undergoing the pressure to be a corporate rich lawyer, I'm still finding myself to be very excited about this type of job.  I hope I can sustain this as long as my heart feels called to it!

11) Law is school is so HARD.  I know this is probably not a surprise to anyone but  I don't think you can ever really know this until you are in it.  The work load is manageable but the level of thinking we are expected to do or asked to do can either make so much sense or feel so over my head.  Prayers are appreciated (:

I seriously wish I could be as carefree and put together as her!!  Legally Blonde is actually not that far off from how law school actually works in my opinion...

Part 2 will come in the next couple of days... Have a wonderful weekend and GO IRISH BEAT BOILERS!!!