Review of 2013 and Sneak Peek into 2014

Oh yeah...I have a blog! I'm pretty sure only a few friends and mostly family members scattered across the country still check-in on my little blog, but I figure I might as well keep those peeps up-to-date on my life ("up-to-date" meaning "I'll post something a few times a year"). This seems to be a good time for a 2013 Year In Review, as well as a Sneak Peek for what 2014 has in store for me.

2013 FLEW by. I can't believe that a year ago I was about to start my last semester of law school. It's weird how my law school experience seems like so long ago, but when I think about certain days and memories, it seems like just yesterday. Time is tricky. But anyway...a lot has happened since Christmas last year.

1. LAST SEMESTER OF LAW SCHOOL:

Made wonderful memories.

Said goodbye to good friends.

Played more intramurals. Even snagged a flag football championship!

Left places that were home to me for 3 years...and the people that I shared those places with.

2. MELISSA GOT MARRIED:

Missy asked me to be her Maid of Honor. I was so happy to be by her side on her special day!

(I know...I'm a giant...whatever).

She will always be one of my very best friends! And now she has a baby!

3. SENT MALEA AND CHARLES ON A MISSION / TURNED 26: I already blogged about this (here).

4. VISITED CALIFORNIA WITH BRENDA: I already blogged about this (here).

5. BSU ALUMNI GAME: 

It was so fun to play with my old teammates and spend time with some of my closest friends!

We even won a set against the current team. It's the small victories that matter...

6. WENT TO SEATTLE WITH LAW SCHOOL FRIENDS:

We caught a Mariners game (Jessica is a HUGE Tigers fan...so it was fun...even though it was raining).

We saw the sights of Seattle.

We stayed with Jessica's very pregnant friend who had her baby just hours after we got back to Moscow!

7. GRADUATED FROM LAW SCHOOL: I already blogged about this (here).

8. STUDIED FOR THE BAR. ALL SUMMER. Blogged a little bit about my experience (here).

9. TOOK THE BAR EXAM: 

There are no fun pictures to illustrate this part of 2013. It was a long two days. 6 hours each day. The first day was two, 3-hour sessions of essay writing. The first session was 6 essays, and the second session was 2 essays. This was the scariest part of the exam. I felt okay after the exam, but the more I thought about it that night, I was sick to my stomach. If you have enough time, you can think about a million things you messed up and a million things you should have mentioned. And the whole "don't think about it" thing does NOT work. It was horrible. Then the next day, we had two, 3-hour sessions of multiple choice questions. Multiple choice sounds nice...but it is horrific when there are two right answers on every question and you have to pick the "best" one. It is also extremely scary because the practice exams are not very indicative of how you will do on the actual exam. I was failing multiple choice practice exams all summer. Sometimes I would randomly pass with flying colors. With such inconsistency, there is no self-confidence going into the exam. When it was all over, I knew I did all I could and I just had to wait. You take the exam at the end of July and have to wait until mid-September to know the results. I felt no relief after I took the bar. Waiting for almost two months is torture. The whole experience was the most challenging thing I've ever done. But it's over. And I'll hopefully never have to do that again! haha

10. FAMILY TIME AT BEAU'S WEDDING:

It was SO nice to catch up with my Fuller side. We don't see each other often because we are so spread out, so it was awesome to see almost the entire family. My 91-yr-old grandpa sealed my cousin and his wife in the Salt Lake Temple.

Oh, and also, Brooks from the Bachelorette was my cousin's roommate for a bit, so he was at the reception. 

He fell in love with me for a second. I'm famous.

11. PASSED THE BAR EXAM AND WAS SWORN-IN:

Most relief I've ever felt. Ever. Seeing my name on the "pass" list made me cry a little bit. So much hard work and so many hours went into the bar exam...and it sucks because you have no idea if it will pay off. But it did. 

And I am a licensed attorney now!

12. COACHED THE VARSITY VOLLEYBALL GIRLS AT CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL:

Since I was waiting for bar results with nothing to do, I was a substitute teacher and I coached volleyball at a local high school. I thought that when I went to law school, I'd be done with coaching for quite some time. But I am so so happy that I was able to do this. Coaching volleyball is so fun and easy and natural for me. The girls were a blast...and they improved so much throughout the season. One of my favorite things in the world is to teach something to someone and then see them implement it and improve from it. 

I may have been hard on them at times (which earned my alter-ego the nickname "Monster Maren"), but it paid off. I became really close with the girls, and it was really sad when the season ended. 

I hope to be a part of the program for the remaining years my girls have in high school, even if I can't be at every practice yelling at them (I'm sure they'll appreciate the break from my stern tone). We had so much fun, and I loved the coaching staff I worked with. I continue to coach club volleyball with one of the other coaches from CHS.

No, I did not make that sign for myself. The girls made it after I passed the bar exam. Awe, so sweet!

13. ROBYN GOT MARRIED:

My teammates and I love a good excuse to get together and party!

14. GABE SURVIVED:

It's been 13 years with Gabe in our home. This year his health is getting worse and worse. We've been expecting him to die, but he keeps on truckin! He even survived 21 hours in the freezing cold when we couldn't find him one night. It was traumatic. I cried and cried because I knew he'd be dead by the time we found him the next day, but then my dad found him the next afternoon ALIVE. So I cried that he was alive. Now I have to deal with the fact that he will die. Again. But not again. Oh, Gabe.

We even did a photo-shoot with him to make a Gabe Calendar. Harry Potter Gabe was one of the themes we used. No, this is not animal cruelty. We love him. (Obvi, with the heart-shaped pics.)

15. FAMILY TIME:

I sorta like these people.

It has been such a blessing to be home and around my family. They rock. We rock.

And we're not too hideous.

This year was one of my favorite years. So much happened. I accomplished a goal that I have had since I was a young girl. Along the way, I also had to say goodbye to some wonderful friends. Change is always hard. Especially when the change means that you won't be surrounded by the people you have grown so close to and that you are so comfortable around. That part of growing-up always sucks. BUT, I am really excited for the next chapter of my life. I guess it's time to finally be an adult. Yikes! It's funny to think about the perception you had of 25+ year olds when you were younger. I always thought 26/27 year olds had to be married with children, and that they had life all figured out. Now that I'm here, I feel so young! My age is nearing 30, which is scary, but I still feel like I'm not old enough to be an actual professional adult. This world puts way too much trust in us youngins by allowing us to be whatever we want to be. haha. Darn American Dream. 

SO WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2014? 

Well, in January, I start as an associate attorney at a small firm in Nampa, ID. It's a fairly general practice, focusing on complex litigation, family law and estates, business law, real estate, and government law. I am really excited and slightly terrified to begin learning how to be an actual attorney (unfortunately, they do NOT teach you much of that in law school). Guess I better frame those degrees and certificates and get to work! 

I will still be able to help coach volleyball, which is a dream come true! I absolutely love it, and I'm lucky to have friends/colleagues in the valley that allow me to be a part of a program despite my limited availability....a perk of staying in Boise. 

I will also continue to stay youthful (or should I say, "attempt" to stay youthful) by playing on basketball and volleyball city league teams. Someday I'll be too old for that. I'm glad that day has not yet come. It's a blast playing bball with some old law school and high school classmates; and, of course, volleyball with my BSU teammates.

Oh yeah...and I'm chopping my hair off. Not, like, all of it...but you understand. New year, new changes!

Additionally, there will be a few 2014 weddings to attend, new friends to make, a summer to enjoy without the bar, a lot of learning, and hopefully a few surprises. Stay tuned.

Law School Dreams and Bar Exam Nightmares

I was going through an old box of school stuff yesterday and I came across a couple Language Arts projects that I saved from my Freshman and Sophomore years. We had to write a personal statement of sorts as an intro to these projects...and apparently I had a change of heart and mind over the summer between 9th and 10th grade. "I decided I didn't want to study that hard and go to school that long." hahaha. I mean, I guess I wish I had trusted 16 yr old me. But instead I went with 15 yr old me. Who trusts the heart of a little Freshman girl? Dang it.

Right now I really really wish I would have changed my heart and mind for good that year. I am about 4 weeks away from the bar exam and every day I more seriously consider quitting and not going through with this whole thing. It's terrible. I feel defeated and completely incapable of passing this thing. Practice exams don't ever go well...and it's definitely not getting better with time. I know many of you that know me well are probably rolling your eyes and thinking I'm being dramatic because I'll "pull it out in the end," or that I "have nothing to worry about." But this is the worst I've ever felt about something in my life. Like, I don't even want to be an attorney anymore. My 16 yr-old self didn't even consider this part! I was only worried about studying and length of schooling. Oh...how cute.

I can say, though, that I think it's adorable that I accomplished all of my goals from when I was a wee little tot. Seriously, I can't remember ever wanting to be anything but an attorney (except I apparently wanted to be a stay-at-home mom for a sec...cute). As I read through my projects, there were two things that I wrote about consistently concerning my future: I was going to play college volleyball on scholarship, and I was going to go to law school. CHECK!! Man, I need to write more about my goals these days and maybe they will happen. I should write a personal statement talking about passing this dang bar exam. Maybe that will make it happen. Because, at this point, that's the only thing that's gonna work.

This summer blows. Pray for me.

Once Upon A Time I Went to Law School

Well, well, well...turns out, I GRADUATED FROM LAW SCHOOL! Last weekend is such a blur, and this week I have been so busy that I really never had a chance to let this all sink in. I still don't really believe that I am not going back to school in the fall. Maybe it will all hit me after the bar? I don't know. I have a million pictures...so I guess I will let the pictures catch everyone up. If you get bored, scroll to the bottom for an update on my life. (Not that much is going on, but some people still care, right?!). Okay...picture story:

Brenda graduated from her undergrad ARCH program this year, so we had the pleasure of attending TWO graduations on Saturday. UI graduation was at 9:30 that morning, then law school graduation was at 3 p.m. We had a long day. Taylor, our roommate, came to both as well. We're so nice.

We had a couple close friends graduating that morning as well. It was a big year, I guess.

These pics are actually AFTER my graduation ceremony. I walked my fam through the law school and we stopped to snap some pics along the way. I have grad-hat hair. How embarrassing.

In the court room. How professional.

Before the ceremony, we took a class picture in front of the law school. It was hot. Not the good-looking sort of hot, but the I'm-melting-in-my-grad-gear sort of hot. And those hoods? They choke you.

 

The actual ceremony was LONG...and HOT! But it was all very cute. (Lots of things in this post are "cute"...and I'm not sorry about it.)

Being hooded is awkward.

But then we have our hoods on and we're excited. See if you can find my face...I'm in the second row.

After the ceremony, we had a cute little gathering. Food. Drinks. Pictures. Laughter. You know, the usual.

Jessica is one of my closest friends from law school. She is off in Tennessee to take the bar. It will be so weird starting this whole "attorney" thing so far apart after going through this whole law school thing together!

We took our traditional YMCA photo with our "degree" (it was just a piece of paper with a note from the Dean...what a rip off).

This is an action shot of me telling Prof. Couture that her Negotiable Instruments final exam was NOT OKAY. She smiled and laughed like we were joking. We weren't.

The regulars from Torts Illustrated. A lot of intramurals were played with these two girls. I was one of three seniors at BSU when I finished my vball career...and here I am as one of three "seniors" finishing my law school intramurals career. Now THAT is cute.

I made some great friends in law school. Really, I did.

So...remember how I always wanted an older brother...but I had Elsina instead?! (Love you, Elsina). Well, I think I got to experience what an older brother is like...what multiple older brothers are like. I spent countless hours with these guys the past 3 years. We definitely ended up treating each other like family... thank goodness I was around to bring a woman's reasonableness to the discussions(arguments). It is going to be extremely weird to sit at a desk and not have these guys around me.

Action shot of me saying something funny. What's new?! I'm hilarious.

Action shot of someone else saying something funny. Weird.

My fam made the trip up to Moscow. Minus Elsina and Reed. Elsina is teaching math in SLC, and couldn't come...and Reed was "resting his legs" after his District track meet (he's awesome...I'll post those updates and pictures later). But it was great to have my little sisters and parents come see what my life was all about for the past three years.

SO...what's next? I don't have a lot of news on what is next in my life. I take the bar exam July 30 & 31 in Boise. I am home in Kuna for now. I will have a bar review course until mid-July, so I'm basically still in school for another couple months. Come August, I am hoping I will have a job in Boise, SLC, or Phoenix. There are a lot of possibilities right now. I was in Phoenix a couple days last week, meeting with a couple firms and visiting my cousins. And I have a few different things coming along in Boise. So right now it's all about passing the bar. The job thing will come. I don't know what or where...but I'm not worried about it.

Excited for my summer in Boise! Lots of fun, sunshine, volleyball, friends, and family. Can't complain. Except about studying for the bar. I can complain about that, I think.

Remember That One Time?

Oh yeah...I had a sweet Spring Break. I went to Cali with Brenda to visit her fam. Then we road tripped all over the state. It was intense. Enjoy some pics that illustrate:

Started the trip off in sorta-matching outfits. For the record: I got dressed first!! 

Drove to Sacramento. Spent time with the Gomez fam and played in Old Sac.

Then we drove to LA. We stayed with a few of Brenda's good friends. And we went to Disney Land.

Then we spent a day with her friend that is the Project Manager for the architect and team building a sweet mansion.

We also ran into some celebs on the Santa Monica Pier. Chatted with them and the rest of their fam for a few minutes. We're basically BFFs.

Then we spent a night in SLO...Brenda's mansion friend joined us. Tanya is da bomb. She got us a sweet deal at a hotel right on Pismo Beach. Then we enjoyed the sunshine all afternoon. By the ocean. Whatevs.

We then drove to San Francisco. We stayed with one of my best friends from high school. (Remember Sam...went on a cruise with her after BSU graduation). We walked all over San Fran...and sped across the Golden Gate Bridge in her 2013 Mustang GT. NBD.

 We went an a cool boat tour. "Shane the Pain" told us it would be 30 minutes. It ended up being an hour because we stopped to watch the sun set behind the Golden Gate Bridge. We also cruised around Alcatraz. Pretty cool.

Then we drove back to Sacramento and stayed another couple days with Bdawg's fam. And went back to Old Sac for some more salt water taffy. Duh.

It was very exhausting...but it was a good way to spend the last spring break of my life. *SIGH* I don't want to be a grown up.