Hold the Tomatoes

Taking a break...

2012-01-31T14:18:00.002-07:00

...and enjoying some Al's Beef, a Chicago staple, apparently.

I thought the dipped Italian beef was very tasty, but the Italian sausage left something to be desired. Either way, it was a pleasant lunch between classes.

Oh yeah, it's like 60 degrees outside! What a great way to end January (not to mention it's my brother-in-law's birthday -- Happy birthday, Ed!)

A Piece of History - My Cedar Chest and How I Refinished It

2012-01-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons I went down to Tennessee was to retrieve a cedar chest that had been passed down in my family and that I thought had long been thrown away. Much to my surprise and subsequent delight, I found out that in fact it had not been thrown away; my dad moved it down with his things to Tennessee.

I don't know the exact history of the chest because, unfortunately, everyone on my mother's side with information about it has passed away. I can say that this piece has incalculable sentimental value for me as it is the last and only piece of furniture I have from my mother's family. The rest has either been given or thrown away. I look back and only wish I had had the money at the time to put those pieces in storage or somehow hang onto them as it would mean so much to have them. But, I suppose that's one of the life lessons we learn: don't obsess over material things. Anyway.

As one might expect, the chest showed signs of wear, tear, and scars from moving around all these years. In other words, it looked like crap and was covered in scratches. So I decided that before school started I would take on the project of refinishing it.

I'm sorry to report that I neither have before pictures nor progress pictures. Even as I started I thought about taking them, but was always wearing gloves and dealing with harsh chemicals. Frankly, the project became a bigger task than I thought and my patience dwindled when it came to stopping and taking photos.

So here's an idea of what the chest looked like before. Picture dingy brown and the whole thing looking like a cat used it as a scratch post.

This is almost as bad as mine looked. Think way more scratchy and chippy.
But this is pretty accurate for the previous stain color. Blek.

Ahhhh, but here is the reward. After about a week of stripping the wood, sanding, conditioning the wood, sanding, staining the wood, sanding, staining again, sanding, and finally applying the polyurethane coat, the glorious and satisfying results (sorry for the bad lighting):

All in all, I love how it turned out considering I had to sneakily do all this in the basement of my apartment building with cruddy lighting and limited ventilation. It's not perfect, but you can't really tell unless you stick your face up in it.

I discovered that refinishing furniture isn't that hard, it's a decently therapeutic activity, and I would love to take on another project in the future.

(It was also a fun way to save money. For $600, a professional could have done it whereas I spent a little under $100 to do it myself!)

Trip to Tennessee

2012-01-20T23:38:00.000-07:00

During the last week of winter break I went to go visit my dad and his family in White Bluff, TN, about 40 mins outside of Nashville.

I drove the whole 8 hours on a Tuesday; got the tour around the area and relaxed Wednesday and Thursday; had lunch with a BYU friend, Suzy, in Louisville; stayed with AZ friend, Angelina, in Indianapolis Friday night; and made it back by 8:30am Saturday so Dan could get to work. Phew! I was tuckered out by the time I rolled back into Chicago.

Overall, TN seems beautiful: mild weather, rolling hills, lots of trees. I could only imagine how stunning it must be when the leaves are on the trees and everything is green. It's a little too slow of pace for me, but seems like a great place to visit or retire.

Sorry, these are out of order.

The Parthenon. Isn't that so random? But cities did crazy stuff for World's Fairs I guess...

Me by a column for scale. It's huge!

Nashville, TN

Me standing outside the original Grand Ole Opry

Quick photo grab of the downtown Nashville skyline

The Batman building (now the AT&T building)

Outside of Country Music Hall of Fame. Goal for next time: actually go inside

Main drag in Nashville. Reminds me of Mill Ave in Tempe to be honest.

My dad's driveway. Had to walk up this at the end of my runs. Ack!

Ravine at the food of my dad's driveway - gorgeous

Front of Parthenon

Dad next to a statute dedicated to fire fighters.
My brother is currently serving as a volunteer fire fighter.

My dad really likes these chocolates and we happened to see this painting of them

Me standing near the river. The bridge in the background is surprisingly a footbridge.

Grabbed this shot while on a run. See? Beautiful!

Beautiful again

Met these guys (& gals?) while on a run.
They came up to the fence and "bahhh-ed" at me

Dan's Day Off

2012-01-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Dan's day off by visiting a local landmark, the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, IL. I had no idea what the Baha'i faith was, and until today just appreciated the building as beautiful architecture. But after touring the grounds, inside the temple, and their welcome center, I learned that it's a pretty fascinating religion.

There are only 8 Baha'i temples in the world, so it's neat to have one practically in our backyard.

Who says AZ is the only state with beautiful sunsets?

A Great Start to the New Year

2012-01-01T13:15:00.001-07:00

This morning I woke up to the cold and drizzle to run in the New Year's Day 5k in Chicago. Thankfully, the weather broke for the race (except it was still really windy and cold), then flurries started up right after.

I've been dealing with a calf injury, so I kept my goals small: get there early enough to get a T-shirt, finish in under 30 minutes, and not to stop and walk (so as to complete #2). I told myself I'd consider it worth it if I got the first two, and hey, I got all 3. Even if I hadn't met my goals, I still would have had a really fun time; the atmosphere was great and everyone was really pumped.

Sadly, Dan had to work so he couldn't make it, hence the pictures of me that look like I took them myself...because I did.

Good morning Chicago!

Getting ready to start

The finish line

Done! Yayyy!

I took this completely on accident, but you can see all the gear on my shoes: time chip on the left and Nike+ sensor on the right

Yay for goals! I'd like to improve, but being in the top 50% is ok for now, especially with a sad leg

Home Alone Tour

2011-12-26T22:52:00.001-07:00

Today my friend Braden made a visit since he's home for the holidays. I decided to take him on a Home Alone tour, since our car isn't working, the movie was filmed in our little town, and all the stops are basically on my running route. For your viewing pleasure, a few photos.

Where Kevin does his grocery shopping. "Because you're a stranger"

Runs across this bridge after he steals the toothbrush

Same bridge but different angle - if you look through the trees

Park where the police officer chases Kevin - no ice rink unfortunately

Wet Bandits. 'Nough said.
(Fun fact: the flooded basement was actually filmed in the local high school's swimming pool)

The pièce de résistance

Also, the Paris airport scenes were actually filmed at O'Hare, and the first class cabin was constructed in the local high school gym. Now you know.

Wilson Christmas 2011

2011-12-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

(We created a separate page for our Christmas update, but why not share it here, too? If you want to see the exact same post visit wilsonchristmas2011.blogspot.com)

To save some paper this year (and the cost to copy it), we decided to post our Christmas newsletter online. Hope you enjoy our year in review!

For updates all year long, check out our family blog: http://decidedly-undecided.blogspot.com

The biggest news for us this year is that we moved to Illinois!

View from Elizabeth's work this summer

Elizabeth is originally from there, and after getting accepted to DePaul to finish her last year of law school as a visiting student, the whole gang moved out in late August. We're living in a quaint suburb north of the city and have really come to love it.

We had two "trips" this year: Dan came out for a visit to Chicago this summer while Elizabeth was clerking and then we spent Thanksgiving in Indianapolis with some great friends from Arizona. We were so excited to see them as well as another couple who came out from Phoenix. Add to that a visit with Elizabeth's brother and his wife, our first trip to Indianapolis was a great one.

Downtown Indianapolis - Circle Monument

Dan is almost finished with his master's in electrical engineering, one more project! For now he is working in Glenview at Whole Foods. They are a great employer and who wouldn't appreciate a discount at that place? He was a great sport about moving from Phoenix to Chicago, and seems to be enjoying it so far. Dan still loves politics, hiking, and video games.

Elizabeth feels grateful for the opportunities she's enjoyed while in law school and can't believe it's almost time to graduate! This year, she was able to go to NYC, D.C., and Kansas City for competitions. She also won DePaul's Negotiation Competition. Since May she's been clerking with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, and under their student prosecutor program has tried 17 cases before a judge. Next step: passing the Illinois bar - fingers crossed please! In her spare time she likes running, reading, exploring Netflix, and playing video games.

Cubs game - they actually won!

Mr. Tinkers has adjusted well to the move. He seems to love our new apartment, especially in the middle of the night, when he shows his enthusiasm by running crazily across the floor, waking us up. But we love him. When we finally get some snow on the ground, we plan on taking him out and seeing how he likes it - he's never seen it before!

We hope you have had a wonderful year and wish you a

Merry Christmas and fabulous 2012!

School Time Warp

2011-12-15T01:35:00.000-07:00

That feeling when you haven't checked your friends' "private blogs" in several months...and then leave comments on something from October. It's December.

It's those few weekends or breaks when you feel like you're emerging from a cave and seeing what's happened since August.

I'm not necessarily complaining though, who said I'm looking forward to working the 9-5 again?

Finals Survival Guide

2011-12-10T22:58:00.001-07:00

Finals are in full swing here in the Windy City. The first snowfall hit a few days ago so not only does it feel like finals, but Christmas too.

On a random good note, I found out I was chosen for a second round interview with the State's Attorney's Office. Well, actually I found out that I got pushed right to third round interviews because they still thought I was an out-of-state applicant. When I told them I, in fact, am still in Chicago, they said they are obligated to give me a second round. Darn that ol' honesty thing. I go in Friday so positive vibes my way, please!

I've compiled a brief list of things that are helping me survive these next few weeks:

The Walking Dead
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Law and Order
Domino's Pizza

Indianapolis

2011-11-26T23:04:00.001-07:00

For Thanksgiving, Dan and I went to Indiana to see our good friends David and Angelina. We met them in AZ and now he's doing his residency in IN. What was great was that the Shaw's, some other friends from Scottsdale, also came. We had a lot of fun exploring, and Dan reminded me that it's now the farthest east he's been.

We also got to grab dinner with my brother Eliot and his wife Emily before heading back to Chicago. It was so fun catching up with them and they picked a great burger joint!

Tinkers Lately

2011-11-19T17:01:00.001-07:00

Cut me some slack, he's my fur child.

Enjoying the warmth from the radiator

Whaa?

Hallo.

Feelin' blue

I'm Still Alive...

2011-11-12T20:36:00.001-07:00

...though this blog appears near-dead. Sorry about that. It's been a crazy semester. I was told 3L year is the one where you kick back and relax...yeah, not for yours truly. This semester I'm taking 5 classes and working 20 hours a week. M-Th, don't even think about getting a hold of me. And that pretty much applies to the weekends too since I'm busy sleeping, cleaning, jogging, or reading for school (and yes, I did say jogging. After months and an insane fear of re-injuring my back, I'm slowly building up a tolerance again.). I'm hoping come August, after the bar, I'll be back on the grid.

What's new...let's see. Well, Dan got a job!! This comes as an answer to long-held prayers. He starts Monday at Whole Foods and gets 40 hours a week with benefits. Such a blessing. Seriously. No, seriously. And thanks to everyone who joined us in those prayers!

I went to Kansas City for my ABA negotiation competition. In short, we got schooled by some very enthusiastic negotiation teams. It's not that we were "bad," because we definitely weren't. But other schools actually had a coach (or two!), exhibits, and obviously practiced and prepared much more than we did. And that's okay, we had a great time. Sunday we made it to the Chiefs-Dolphins game and saw the Dolphins pull out their first win of the season.

We still love our apartment and our little town. It's weird to say, but honestly, I've never felt so appreciative of every day as I do when I walk out to catch the train. I think it might be the fact there is so much nature in this area and I'm a sucker for trees, animals, harmony, and all that jazz. I can also feel my blood pressure drop after a stressful day downtown.

Work is still going well for me. I'm up to 17 bench trials with 10 guilty findings. Pretty good for misdemeanor court. I'm just so grateful to be getting invaluable experience. Next up is telling lots of potential employers about all that experience in hopes that I can get a job when I'm done with all of this!

There's an update for now. I'd like to promise I'll be more consistent, but I only make promises I know I can keep!

Like a Boss

2011-10-15T20:41:00.001-07:00

I couldn't go very long without competing in something, so after I noticed a flyer for DePaul's negotiation competition, I thought, "What the heck, why not?" And went for it. I was paired with a random partner, turned out he's in his very first semester of law school. I had very low expectations for the competition since I'd never done anything like it so I thought we'd at least have some fun.

The competition was relatively small, about 12 people or 6 teams. I'll admit I was intimidated since a few of the students mentioned they were currently in a negotiation class. There were also students talking some smack, which is usually a sign that they don't have much to offer in the way of competition. Not being rude, just honest after my experiences with several law student competitions.

We went through our first round and felt like things went well. Not amazing and not awful. The second round we felt a little more confident.

As we waited to hear who broke for finals, I really thought it could go either way. We did well, but I was also looking at the train schedule to see if I could make the next one. Then we found out we broke to the finals! At that point, I considered my mission accomplished: now I could put "finalist" on my resume. What can I say, I have motives.

So we went into the round with a fun, yet serious attitude. It was close, I won't lie. After deliberating for about 15 minutes, the judges called us in and gave us feedback. Then we found out we won! Perhaps the best part is that the prize for the winners is a trip to Kansas City, MO to compete in the ABA national competition in November.

I couldn't help but chuckle that I don't even "go" to that school, that I'm a visiting student. Feels pretty good. :)

And a HUGE thanks to Dan! He came with for support, watched the finals, and took this pic. <3 you!

A fun fall day

2011-09-30T17:50:00.001-07:00

Today we enjoyed the crisp fall weather and visited a garage sale, went apple picking, ate lunch, then saw some kitties.

Chicago Jazz Festival

2011-09-17T19:42:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Dan and I decided to go downtown to check out the Chicago Jazz Festival. As we made our way to the city, it started to rain so we wondered what we would find once we got to Grant Park. We popped into Borders first (store closing - 80% off!) and by the time we arrived, the rain had stopped.

The first act we caught was phenomenal. It was The Maurice Brown Effect playing songs from their album, "The Cycle of Love." Just great. Worth a Google. The next act was...not so great, despite the emcee touting the resumes of all of the members of the group. They just weren't great. So we left. The sky also began to look pretty menacing and we didn't want to get caught in more rain.

Overall, it was a really fun time and it's exciting to live in a city where stuff like this happens all. the. time.

Entrance

The Maurice Brown Effect w/Maurice Brown on trumpet

Menacing clouds...

New, New Apartment

2011-09-17T19:27:00.001-07:00

After we lived in our first apartment for a few days, one of our neighbors came over and introduced himself. He mentioned that he would be leaving soon, and wanted us to take a look at his apartment because of the upgrades he did to it. He mentioned that since we had just moved in, maybe we could persuade the management company to let us switch, since his apartment was so much better.

Skeptical, we went over to look at his place. Okay, he wasn't kidding. The space was much bigger than ours, he upgraded the light fixtures, and added dimmer switches to every light in the apartment. The living room light also had a remote control. The view was great. Um, can we say awesome? At this point, I really wanted to switch places.

We proposed the idea to our management company and of course they didn't go for it. I've learned that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so I implemented Operation Squeaky Wheel. I made sure to mention to the company that the paint in our apartment was chipping, the plumbing was awful, the blinds were broken, etc. All of these things were true, but now they really started to bother me, knowing there was this awesome place down the hall.

The straw that broke the management company's back was when our bathtub started leaking on the apartment downstairs. I said, wouldn't it just make more sense for us to move to the other apartment so you can actually fix all of the problems in this one? And this time, they agreed.

Here's a pic. I'll add more once we get settled in. We had to move again, obviously, so that made for unpacking. Again.

Living Room w/Dining Room in Background

I really don't think we could have gotten luckier when it came to our apartment. I think it was fate. I had come up on the Metra 3 days in a row from the city and only found decrepit, gross, or terrible-view apartments. When it was basically the last day before I had to be out of my Chicago apartment, I found this building. I thought our first apartment was perfect, but then we found this one.

I'm also so grateful for our neighborhood. I knew the North Shore was nice, but this exceeded my expectations. I feel so safe (which I needed), we're within walking distance to tons of parks and beaches (which I wanted), and we have such a great view of it all from our little nook in Winnetka. I feel like we're stealing it since we don't pay that much, relative to the area, but at least I'm enthusiastic in my appreciation for it. :)

I'm just so glad we decided not to live in Chicago. From what I saw there for the same price as our current place, we would have been living in semi-sketch town, in a studio the size of our living room. Unacceptable.

Life Lately

2011-08-18T19:52:00.001-07:00

New place

2011-08-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

I'm blogging from my phone so I'm not sure how this'll look, but I wanted to share some pictures of our new place. I'm sure you want to hear about the road trip, but that's for another post.

When we arrived, the apartment was much bigger than I remember, which was a pleasant surprise. The pictures make it look small, I think, but we've got lots of space.

Other cool things: we live directly above an art gallery but also have a salon, Chinese restaurant, frozen yogurt shop, Starbucks, and Caribou Coffee below us or next door.

Birthdays, Birthdays

2011-08-12T00:33:00.003-07:00

This month is going by in an unbelievable blur. Flying to Vegas, finishing this gosh-forsaken final paper, driving to Phoenix, driving to Chicago, I'm slowly crouching into the fetal position just typing this. Before I go clinically insane, I thought I would write about a couple of birthdays.

Last Sunday was my mother's birthday. She would have been 49. It still shocks me realizing how young she was when she passed. I didn't get to do much since I was moving out of my apartment, taking a bus to Rockford, IL, then flying to Vegas. Needless to say I was exhausted. But I had her in my mind, I usually do. I'm looking forward to living closer to her and being able to pay my respects more often.

I love that she would sometimes awkwardly smile in her pictures, too.

Then of course, how can I go without mentioning I'll be the big 2-6 this Saturday? Yes, I've reached the beginning of the end of my mid-twenties. Every year I always sound so despondent about turning another year older, but I assure you the feelings are genuine and not for show. I haven't liked birthdays since my 20th, what can I say? The good news is that I'm pretty sure I'm 26 going on 12 if you base it on my maturity. I'm still a goofball at heart, not ready to grow up in many ways. Thankfully, the adult in me suppresses that inner child just enough to keep the rent paid and lights on. Oh yeah, and put on trials. See, they let anyone do this stuff.

An oldie, but goodie. Looking forward to this stuff come winter :)

Big News

2011-08-08T13:42:00.001-07:00

After a busy, crazy summer, it finishes off even crazier and busier. Part of that is due to our recent big decision: moving to IL. I'm still in a little bit of shock, but it is exciting to say the least. We're moving in part because I was accepted to DePaul University as a visiting student.

A visiting student is someone who studies at that law school for the semester (or year, in my case), and still receives her diploma from her "home" school. I chose DePaul because it is more widely known and they also have a highly ranked intellectual property law program.

What else is great about IL is that it's a big metropolitan area, which means more job opportunities for both Dan and I.

Right now we're working on getting an apartment in Winnetka, a 1 bedroom located downtown above some shops. Totally cute and within walking distance from the Lake and Metra (the commuter train). A fun fact is that Winnetka is where the "Home Alone" house is. I'll try to get a picture. We should know in the next few days if we get the apartment, so please keep your fingers crossed.

That's about it for now. I'm currently in Las Vegas trying to finish up a big paper, then we'll be driving to Phoenix to grab some stuff, then off to Chicago. Not really looking forward to that drive, but it'll be satisfying when it's over, right?

UPDATE: Just found out we got the apartment! Whoo hoooo and a big PHEW. Going to IL homeless would NOT have been fun.

Daphne Came to Visit

2011-08-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'm behind on posting, but I'll try to catch up quickly with some pictures. In July, Daphne came out from Arizona to visit. It was a fun-filled weekend with activities including, but not limited to: Shedd Aquarium (Jellies & Dolphin show, barking seal with weird bug eyes), walking to Adler Planetarium (but not going inside because it closes at 4...?), Giordano's pizza, Chicago History Museum (awesome!), Wrigley Field, Elly's Pancake House, Chicago Botanic Gardens. Can't wait to have her back for another trip! Note to self: take more pictures of us together! We always have so much fun then I only have a few random pics. Unacceptable.

Elly's Pancake House

Geese at Chicago Botanic Gardens

Train at Chicago History Museum

Swan boat exhibit thing at Chicago History Museum

Dan Comes to Visit!

2011-07-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

The long-awaited visit from Dan has finally arrived! I was so excited to have him come to Chicago and show him around downtown. The first thing we did was visit Grant Park, Millennium Park, the Lake, and Buckingham Fountain.

A visit!

2011-07-16T00:46:00.001-07:00

Finally someone came and visited me! Angelina, an awesome girl I met in our ward in Arizona, recently moved to Indiana with her husband for his residency and she had never been to Chicago. So of course a visit to see me and the Windy City was in order. We went to the Field Museum, Wrigley Field, Giordano's (yum!), Millennium Park, just to name a few. It was so fun having her in town!

4th of July

2011-07-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July I went to my friend Drew's house (she's the one in the blue sweater) and I also watched the Navy Pier fireworks Monday night at one of the ASA's house. The Navy Pier fireworks were kind of wimpy, but then there were some more that went off at the harbor closer to his house.

Happy July 4 (Posted by Dan)

2011-07-02T09:07:00.004-07:00

GO CUBS GO!

2011-06-29T23:03:00.004-07:00

I was ecstatic to go to a Cubs game tonight. Some people from work went to a game and I also asked my friend, Drew. We had fantastic (as in unbelievably fantastic) seats and the game was awesome. It was low-scoring, but in the 9th the Giants tied it up. It was up to the Cubs and they pulled it off with a win at the very end. The crowd went wild and the atmosphere was electric.

Before we got to Wrigley, we stopped at one of the attorney's apartments to pick him up and his view was worth its own collage.

Also, when we embarked on our journey, there was an extremely talented trio of street performers at the Red Line Lake station. Watch the short video of them harmonizing and jamming.

Gorgeous view! This is why I LOVE Illinois.

Top L to R: Dave (Clerk), Morgan (Clerk), Danny (ASA)
Middle: Moi
Bottom: Drew

MCA - The Naked Blindside

2011-06-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

I had always wanted to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago because I love the Art Institute, especially their new contemporary wing. Well, I have to say that unfortunately this museum did not live up to my expectations.

It was pretty small and the exhibits just seemed like they were trying too hard to be sensational or "different." So of course that meant lots of nudity. More than I bargained for, even...

After I got sick of looking at the art, I started going through the exhibits haphazardly and not really paying attention. I ended up in a dark room with some weird burlap stuff hanging from the ceiling. I turn a corner and on top of a pile of feathers are a live, naked man and woman just lying there. I guess they are a duo of live artists, which is fine, but the nudity really shocked me. It also seemed unnecessary.

I went back and actually read the exhibit label (after taking a grad course in that kind of stuff, you'd think I'd know better) and I guess the naked people represent humans struggling to survive. And I also found out that usually there is just a video of the two of them being naked, but because it was the last day of the exhibit, the artists themselves came. I suppose I respect anyone trying to make an artistic impact, but I could have used a bit more obvious warnings for what I was about to see.

There were a few cool things about the museum: the gift shop, the fish, and the cool cat on the person sculpture

I was able to snag a shot of the water tower, which survived the Great Chicago Fire. Then I visited the token Chick-Fil-A -- yummmmy!

My First Trial

2011-06-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today I did my very first trial. I prepped a case yesterday that I thought might go, but the defendant ended up taking the offer at the very last minute. There was another case, however, that came up which I prepped that morning then it went for a bench trial.

I got to call witnesses, cross-examine the defense witnesses, make objections, and give a closing argument. It was pretty exciting! Not only that, I'm officially "on the record." I have my moot court experience, but trial advocacy is definitely different. It's much more about balancing efficiency and cutting to the chase, but the attorneys told me I did well (one even said it was the best first trial he'd seen, so I'll take that). I just wanted to make it through alive.

It was a finding of not guilty, but I knew the case would be tough to prove up. I can't say too much about the case, but I will say that I've been told it's usually the losers that go to trial and the would-be winners (aka guilty verdicts) take the offer. So hopefully I'll get a zealous defendant who really wants a trial. :)

I Haven't Seen Tinkers in a Month...

2011-06-20T21:31:00.002-07:00

I'm hoping the reunion goes something like this:

Father's Day Outing

2011-06-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my dad and I went out and spent the day together. It was a full and fun day. First we got some lunch and then headed out to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. I don't remember the last time I'd been and it was great. I never knew plants could be so interesting. It was exactly what I needed since I was thoroughly sick of looking at the concrete buildings.

Then we went up to Gurnee to see my mother's grave. Tomorrow is the 8th anniversary of her passing, so I was very grateful to get to visit her and "the gang" and pay my respects.

We stopped off at the beach at Illinois Beach State Park and then I joined him for a Catholic mass, which brought back a lot of memories of Catholic school, then we finished off with dinner at Pepe's, a place my mother would frequently take me.

All in all, I thought it was a special day; it was great getting to spend that much time with my dad, talk about a lot of things, and just get to know him better. This was definitely a perk of spending the summer out here.

Japanese Garden "Three Islands" - So much symbolism in Japanese landscaping - love it!

Water plants and some carp (?)

Fruit and Vegetable garden - if my plants looked like that I'd eat them too!

Rose Garden - Stunning

Cemetery

Dad at the beach

Blues Fest 2011

2011-06-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Today I walked to Grant Park to check out the Blues Fest. Honestly, the street performer at the entrance to the Fest was better than most of the acts I heard on the stages. I've included a 20 sec clip of him below. I wish I'd gotten his name because he's seriously talented. It was a cold, overcast day which was nice in that I could wear my coat, getting more use out of it.

The rest of the Fest seemed to focus around food and drinking, so I didn't stay too long. But overall, it was worth venturing out of the house.

"Chicago" at the Oriental Theater

2011-06-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I went to see "Chicago" the musical at the Oriental Theater. I'd been there before to see "Wicked" and was immediately remembered how gorgeous the inside of the theater is. The craftsmanship is just awe-inspiring and unbelievable.

The main draw to going was the fact that John O'Hurley was in town for a week starring as Billy Flynn in the show. He did not disappoint! He was particularly stunning in the ventriloquist song...whatever that's called. The other great thing is that the theater was literally right around the corner, so I figured why not. It's funny, when I got home, I could hear people cheering for the stars as they came out the stage door, which is in the alley next to my building.

The theater is very strict about taking pictures so I sneaked a few during intermission and borrowed the one on the lower left from the internet. I was very close which was such a treat.

Tinkers Plays Tug of War

2011-06-09T22:26:00.002-07:00

I've been telling Dan to send me videos and pictures of the cat, since I miss him so much (him being Dan and/or the cat). So he posted this to YouTube. Pretty funny (and short, so watch it!)

This Wasn't Supposed to Happen

2011-06-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

I came to Chicago to get away from the heat. Apparently, it is the hottest it's been in 5 years for this time of year. First the constant rain, now the constant heat? Give me a break!

Field Museum

2011-06-05T17:18:00.001-07:00

Saturday I went to the Field Museum, and it was a beautiful day...to start. After watching the 3D T-Rex movie about Sue and perusing through the Whale, Horse, Ancient Egypt, and various other exhibits, my tired feet were going to try to walk me the 2 miles home. It was not to be. Turns out a random thunderstorm decided to descend upon the city so I'll have to save my walk for another day.

Sue the T-Rex

She's the most complete T-Rex skeleton found to date and lived to be about 28 years old

Lots of stuffed, dead animals

Art Institute

2011-06-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today I made it over to the Art Institute of Chicago. It was great because Bank of America was doing a "free museum" weekend, so I got in on the cheap. As in for free. I forgot how fabulous art museums are, I really enjoyed it. Like the Field Museum, though, there was so much to see that I'll have to go back again. I took pictures of some of my favorite paintings. Of course most of them are my favorites because I've seen them before in books. So I'll have to keep going back to refine my taste.

(You should be able to click and enlarge the photo)

Celebrity Sightings

2011-06-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Since I've been here I've already seen 2 celebrities: first, Ernie Banks (I didn't know who he was either until someone told me. As a Cubs fan, I'm kind of ashamed), and now Kelsey Grammer. I'm also pretty sure I saw Gus Van Sant (Milk, Good Will Hunting).

Anyway, I was coming out of the L at Daley Plaza when I saw a group of people and some cameras. Thinking it was maybe some Blago stuff, I got closer. Nope, it was slightly cooler than that. I guess Grammer is starring in a new series for Starz where he's the Chicago mayor. Hmmm...

A Lovely Evening Stroll

2011-05-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

Today it was finally nice outside so after an awesome visit with my girlfriend, Drew, I decided to get out of the concrete jungle and find some nature. I figured the Lake and Millennium Park were east, so that's the direction I started walking.

The Bean!

You can sort of see Navy Pier in the distance

Museum Campus in the distance

Buckingham Fountain

Geese!

Bean Pt Deux

Rainstorm

2011-05-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

I had a sunny day to enjoy on Tuesday, but since then it's been rainy, cloudy, and gloomy. I loved it for the first few days because we never have that in Arizona, but now I'm ready for some nicer weather. I snagged a quick video of the rainstorm from my room this morning. You'll notice my fabulous view from my room...(the only downside so far to the living situation).

Memorial Day Parade

2011-05-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

I went out my front door this morning and lo and behold: a parade! I guess instead of Monday the city decided to celebrate today. It was fun seeing the marching bands, it took me back to junior high and high school days.

Later I took a walk around the neighborhood to get some fresh air. View down Wacker.

Daley Center - The Picasso

Wow Bao

2011-05-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

I've made it my goal to never eat at the same food place twice this summer just because there are so many options around my place. Don't get me wrong, I don't have the money to be eating out all of the time, but when I decide to splurge, I'm going to take advantage of the diversity of foodstuffs.

Tonight I stopped for some (surprisingly cheap) dinner at Wow Bao. I'd been told it was a must-eat in Chicago and with one right next door, I figured why not. They're known for their "bao" or these filled dumpling things (see pic below). I got a few different flavors and ended up getting some really spicy ones. Not so good for me. But the BBQ one was tasty and the bread they use is pretty awesome.

Don't worry, I saved some leftovers for tomorrow

BUT, the chicken pot stickers were amazing, especially with the mustard sauce.

Cold and humid!

2011-05-25T22:45:00.002-07:00

A few things I forgot about IL:

Your hair becomes unmanageable and huge thanks to the humidity.
Your makeup becomes smudged and melty thanks to the cold, wind, and humidity.
Your clothes are wet pretty much all day thanks to getting rained on.
Your wet towel from yesterday morning is still wet because that's how humid it is here.

A few things I hadn't learned yet about IL:

Buy an umbrella when you get here because it will rain, and not just AZ rain (downpour for 5 minutes or drizzle). You will get soaked when trying to get to work. Random fact: until today, I hadn't owned an umbrella in 3 years.
People are still nice enough to share their umbrellas with you. That is, after you look pathetic and soaked.
Even nice streets in the Loop get weirdo people and beggars on them after dark.
Potbelly's is open until 10pm and has an amazing Grilled Chicken and Cheddar sandwich!

Some Great Views

2011-05-24T13:53:00.001-07:00

I walked to work this morning and snagged some pics. One is from my route and the other is from my office parking lot.

Some Pictures

2011-05-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures to tide you over. The first is of my new spiffy ID card, but I blacked out part of it so hopefully no one tries to make a forgery...who knows who looks at this blog.

Jewel-Osco, Albertson's Midwestern brother. I didn't realize I missed it so much :)

View from my front door. The ladder goes up to a "loft" that has a double mattress on it.

Bathroom, don't judge the mess I just moved in

Bedroom. All the sheets are off b/c I was doing laundry. The silver things are my HUGE windows

First Day in the City - A Little Long

2011-05-23T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry I don't have pictures, I was trying really hard to not look like a tourist so I didn't get mugged or pick-pocketed or something. It's weird thinking I'm basically a tourist in my home state...hmmm...

I will say people are rougher here than I remember. I really think everyone out west just has a nicer demeanor, everyone here must be jaded or on guard. And for good reason, I suppose, as I've already seen lots of weird/homeless people. I think I'm blending in well, though. Normally I'm all polite-nice-girl, but I'm getting better at looking serious and being more assertive.

In fact, I hailed my first Chicago cab today. I was a little timid at first, feeling stupid for standing on the street and sticking my arm out, but I got more comfortable as the day went on.

I started out with getting my I.D.. The office was farther south so I took a cab since public transportation would have been awkward. Plus, I was in heels. And let me preface this by saying I almost ended up working at this office.

So the cab takes me there and it is sketch-Y! Boarded up windows type of sketchy. The cab driver told me that 5 years ago he wouldn't have driven anyone down there. YIKES. The courthouse in the middle of it all looks a little out of place. It took me all of 10 minutes to grab the ID then I had to get another cab. Not so easy in this neighborhood, apparently. After about 20 min I finally snagged one and we went back up north (or what I like to call "safe town"). So can I just say I am so grateful I didn't take the job down at that office?? My anxiety level would have been through the roof! What's sad is that there are police all over the courthouse and I still felt like I was going to get mugged.

We pulled up to my actual office and I breathed a sigh of relief. It's a gorgeous new building and very close to my house. I think I might even end up walking if I wear my gym shoes. I met the attorneys, all cool, and then got to observe a bench trial. The other intern goes to Northwestern, and she seems very nice, too. I think the most exciting thing will be when I get my 711 certification (no, not the convenience store) which allows law students to actually handle their own cases, which means I'll get to prosecute some criminals!

When I left the office I decided to try my hand at taking the L for the first time (Chicago's equivalent of the subway). I easily found the stop and figured out how to make a transfer that puts me literally at the front door of my place (and I will post pics of the place later in a separate post). My apt is (literally) right next to where they film the ABC 7 news, and when I was walking home they were shooting so I got to watch through a window for a bit. It's cool, I totally recognized the anchors from my childhood! :)

This is a pretty long post and kudos to you if you read it all. I'm just trying to make sure to record all my experiences on this trip as they happen since I'm pretty crappy at blogging during the year. I'm off to go get some more sundries since I forgot things like hand soap and face wash. Gross.

Of course, stay tuned!

Shameless School Plug

2011-05-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

One thing I wish I'd known about the legal profession before I started on this journey is how it's irrationally obsessed with pedigree. You didn't go to Yale? Well, you must be inherently less effective than your Ivy colleagues. It becomes frustrating when you realize that you study from the exact same textbooks as those schools, have just as great (if not better) faculty, and you all take (and pass) the same bar exam.

Anyway, going to a newer school comes with challenges. Our grads have it slightly tougher when it comes to proving ourselves in the legal market just because people don't know about us yet. Thankfully, I know only a handful of people who have been unable to find a legal job, even in the tougher market. And from what I've heard around town, our school is building a great reputation. So much, it seems, that after 30 years ASU is moving their law school campus downtown...hmmm...

That brings me to the point of the post: one of our grads scored the 2nd highest out of all AZ bar sitters on the Feb 2011 bar--how cool is that? The icing on the cake? He scored the highest of all of the AZ schools, as the top sitter was from CA. It definitely brought a smile to my face. I just hope I can continue to shed an impressive light on our school as I head out to the Midwest.

After Almost 2 Months

2011-05-06T21:05:00.001-07:00

I can finally say I have a summer clerkship with this office. I am super excited and can't wait to get started. I was freaking out because, as of February, I didn't have anything lined up for the summer. I'm pretty sure it was prayers answered, but all of a sudden I had four offers. I felt so blessed to have the "difficulty" of making a choice because so many of my classmates still don't have anything, and that would freak me out.

I enjoyed seeing what criminal defense in Yuma entails, but it left me curious as to what life as a prosecutor is like. I can't wait to find out in the second largest county in the U.S. (fun fact for you).

The only downside is that I'm doing it for school credit, so I won't get paid (last summer was a luxury disguised in a Yuma costume), but I feel grateful to even have the opportunity.

Summer Plans

2011-05-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people ask me about my summer plans. I'm apprehensive to post since I'm still sorting out which of two positions to take, but I can give you a hint as to where I'll be living because that has been confirmed.

I'll just say I'm pretty enthused...

My street:

State Street, that great street

Within walking distance of...

Magnificent Mile (aka Michigan Ave shopping)

The Bean/Millennium Park

CSO, oh you know!

Lake Michigan

The only thing that could make this even better is if Dan were coming along. But lucky for him, he gets to come visit and I get to play tour guide. He'll be coming down to AZ to start the post-graduate school job hunt (which I'm not looking forward to in a year...). In other words, all my AZ peeps better keep him company!

The plane ticket is purchased and the excitement is building. I'll update when I get final word on where I end up for work.

In case you get confused...

2011-05-01T01:11:00.000-07:00

...I am the Elizabeth Wilson. Best boarding pass ever.

AZ Friends: IKEA MALM Bed for Sale

2011-04-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

I'm selling our IKEA Malm bed on craigslist. Check it out if you're looking for a mint-condition queen-size bed. We bought it in August of 2010 and it's in excellent shape.

I'm offering the mattress as well for an additional $50. Price is negotiable :)

Check out the ad here.

I Am Alive Again

2011-04-13T10:00:00.001-07:00

Mary and I went to see Chicago on Sunday. It. Was. Fantastic. And that's an understatement. I have been a fan of this band for years and saw them once in Illinois a while back. The most recent crowd of old-timers was much more rowdy!

We got some great lawn seats and sat back to listen to some awesome classic songs. At the end we ran up to the front near the stage and got to see the magnificence up close and personal.

Messing around with my Hipstamatic app

Mary and me with the stage behind us

The lady in the background was the one who got us to go to the stage with her

Hipsta-stage

Mary Hipstamatic-ified

CHICAGO!

Look how close we got!

So cool!

Watch the videos, they're both less than 15 seconds. Sorry for the spotty sound, I was literally right next to a speaker or subwoofer or something.

Ms. Elizabeth Goes Back to Washington

2011-04-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I made another trip to DC. I've gotta say, I love that place. It is so easy to get around, the atmosphere is charged with such political energy, and the neighborhoods (for the most part) are just too cute.

This last trip was for the ABA Intellectual Property Law Section 26th Annual Conference. I, along with another classmate, was chosen to be a "student reporter," which meant that I had my registration fees waived in exchange for Tweeting the conference sessions. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity.

To save some pennies, I stayed with my dear friend Hannah. We know each other from our working days at the BYU English Department. She and her husband were so hospitable!

And now for what you've been waiting for: pics. Enjoy.

Adorable houses by Hannah's place

Thursday night, grabbing a pic before the reception at the CAFC. Later that night, Chief Judge Rader gave some remarks.

Blair House. The history nerd came out in me. I recognized this house from a picture in Truman and remembered that Truman lived here for a bit while the White House was being remodeled. It was also where a gunman tried to kill him, and a security guard lost his life protecting the President.

Good Stuff - Yummy burgers, fries, and shakes! Also, we started jamming to Remix to Ignition by R. Kelly. Is there any other way to jam in a burger line?

In NYC their street meat was burgers and gyros. Here? Lobster...

More cute homes

US Capitol Building in the distance walking back to Hannah's from the Metro

Capitol closer up

Washington Monument

Mules in Georgetown!

Hannah by a canal in Georgetown

DC Cupcakes, I guess they have a show. The line was SOOOOO long.

Cupcake from Baked. It was called Menage-a-Trois (eek) but was so tasty. Chocolate cake, raspberry filling, and cream cheese frosting - yummmmm.

We went here instead of DC Cupcake. The line was still long but so much less so.

A video driving up toward the Capitol

Cubs Game!

2011-04-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

After living here for 3 years, I finally made it out to Hohokam Stadium for a Chicago Cubs game with my friend Mary, from law school. They played the Mariners and it was awesome because there was so much Cubs love. It was like being at home again; we even sang the 7th inning stretch Cubbies style.

GoooOOooOoo Cubs!

You can't really see it, but the Cubs logo was cut into the outfield grass, pretty cool!

The tickets were cheap and the Cubs won so it was all in all an awesome day. I will definitely have to go back again!

New York, New York

2011-04-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

People weren't kidding when they said it's a helluva town. I thought it was overrated: not the case. I was fortunate enough to get a free trip to the Big Apple last weekend for a moot court competition (what is moot court? see here).

My teammates told me I would have some good stories from NYC, but I didn't realize how serious they were. Our first night, we were already laughing about our Law & Order-obsessed doorman, the guy standing on a corner with 3 pet rats perched on his shoulders, and how we stumbled upon a fancy French restaurant at 10:30pm in the rain. I had a $32 French hamburger. Sorry, but it was blek, but that's okay because all of our meals were reimbursed. :)

Oh yes, and we saw Mario Lopez get into a cab at our hotel.

View from my room at night

30 Rock

5th Avenue - Shops baby! Also saw the original Saks.

Times Square at night

Avenue Q stage. It was an interesting show. I'll leave it at that.

Broadway? I forget.

WTC Site

NYSE

View from my room - day

NY Subway

NYSE

View from restaurant at Times Square

Broadway - day

Madison Square Garden

Post Teaser

2011-04-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a trip to NYC for a Moot Court competition. I left my phone in the hotel room, which has all of my pictures on it of course, so this is a post to let you know that a post is coming. I have lots of funny/interesting anecdotes so be prepared for one or two interesting posts!

Dinosaur Dreams

2011-03-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but I had a nightmare about a T-Rex last night. Reflecting on it a few hours later, it was really silly, but you know how dreams are, at the time it was terrifying.

The dream was this T-Rex running through a parking garage chasing me. Apparently, my subconscious knew how ridiculous this was because as he was coming down a ramp he poked his head out and said, "This is hard for me, and I'm an aviator."

Huh??

Well, I woke up before he caught me, and I attributed his discussing aviation to my brain's tucked-away knowledge of the theory that birds are distant descendants of dinosaurs.

That's it, I just thought it made for a weird morning.

Meet My Family

2011-03-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in IL for spring break and today went to the cemetery with my dad. I realized I didn't have any pictures of my mother's grave, or anyone else's for that matter, so we took a few. I didn't think it appropriate to smile, so enjoy my somber squinty scowl.

My Mom

Great Aunt Betty (also my namesake)

Grandma

Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa

Great-Grandpa's veteran stone. Served a few months in WWI

Remember This?

2011-02-25T22:13:00.001-07:00

Dan randomly brought up the fact that I may or may not have cried at the Baby Mr. Peanut commercial from years back. I just thought it was the cutest thing ever. Thank goodness for the internet where you can find everything.

Planters - Baby Mr Peanut (2003) 0:30 (USA)

Music to my...back?

2011-02-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

It's no secret: I've had intermittent back problems since I was 19. Why? I have no idea. I just deal with it. This last episode, however, has been unreal. Seriously, unlike any back pain I've had before. As it went on the last 3-4 weeks, I could tell it has probably started affecting my sciatic nerve. So I've been trying to go to school and make it through class living on pain pills. Let me tell you, family law has never been more interesting...hehe.

Anyway, I'm so lucky because my friend from law school deals with sciatica as well and she purchased one of these (AND let me borrow it!):

An inversion table! And I thought I'd never have a dining room table...whah whah whah...It's supposed to help decompress my back and it's also a fun excuse to hang upside down.

I'm looking forward to my new life as a full-time student, part-time opossum.

Resume Update

2011-02-20T21:04:00.003-07:00

I got a great resume template from my friend, Hannah, when we were coworkers at BYU. I kept the same layout with minor changes as I shuffled through different jobs during and after school.

As I've been applying for summer jobs I've been trying to find ways to add some "punch" to the thing. I felt like I really liked the header, order, and overall look but felt I could clean up some of the white space I'd managed to sneak in there throughout the years. Okay, white space is an understatement; I just let it get out of control.

After finding this great site (it actually teaches you how to do all of the MS Word formatting tricks! (Mac & PC)), I did some revamping. So here you have it, my overhauled resume:

(Keep in mind that depending on what for which I'm applying, I do need to include more or less info. The comparison is really for the overall aesthetic changes, not so much content. Having said that, "Before" is just page 1 of my "longer" resume and "After" is the shorter version.)

Before / After

If you really want to see the handiwork up close, feel free to click on the images, it should enlarge them.

Yoga Playlist

2011-02-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

My friend recently shared and is soliciting songs for a runner's playlist. I'm trying to get into yoga, partly for the benefits of stretching, partly for the benefits of self-awareness, and am looking for some good songs.

Anyone know any?

Funny sign in Mesa

2011-02-11T20:44:00.001-07:00

I drove by Walgreens and saw this sign today. What concerned me most was, why so cheap?

I heart the symphony

2011-01-29T18:45:00.001-07:00

I don't know how (or why!) I lived here for 3 years without taking advantage of the Phoenix Symphony. They have the ~~cheapest~~ best ticket prices and some amazing concerts. I've seen them 3 times since October and can't get enough.

This last time I went with Daphne to see "The Symphony from Planet X." The main draw was the fact that they played "The Flying Theme" from E.T., my all-time favorite movie and soundtrack. Hearing the song live basically completed my life.

It was a family show so it was a bit cheesy and there were kids, but they had a great program, nonetheless. They also played Aaron Copland's "Hoe-Down" which you may remember from Beef commercials ("Beef. It's what's for dinner.").

Afterward, Daphne and I set foot toward lunch and stumbled across some interesting bronzes.

This scorpion had little men on it with coins. The dudes were attacking him and he was trying to fight back. Daphne and I decided that it's a metaphor for Arizona.

Daphne was reluctant to have her picture taken, but in between some funny faces I captured a smiley one!

Oh, Government Programs

2011-01-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm on Medicaid. I'm not ashamed. In fact, I think the government would be proud; I'm someone who will likely morph into a productive member of society and put money back into the system.

Part of Medicaid is that every year you have to renew, which means taking a trip to the DES office (Dept. of Economic Security, whatever that means). Imagine my excitement when I had an appointment at 11am on Saturday. They have Saturday appointments?! I don't have to get up early?! Whoo hoo!

That is, until I arrived and saw a line out the door and around the building. "But I have an appointment!" "This is the appointment line." Ugh. Apparently everyone's paper said 11am.

When I finally made it into the building, they were calling number 23. I got number 92. Ugh, again. I didn't even bother to bring anything to read.

Well, as hour 1 of waiting approached, we had some drama. A woman who finally made it to one of six windows collapsed after having a seizure. They called the ambulance and they carried her off on the stretcher.

After being completely unnerved at witnessing someone seize on the floor, I had an irreverent thought: this lady probably waited 2+ hours to get to that window, and she has to have a seizure of all things! You know she's gonna have to come back and wait again...just another reason I felt bad for her.

Hour 2 featured the comedic stylings of No-Teeth-Smelly-Lady. As soon as she sat down I could ~~smell~~ tell she'd been drinking and hadn't replaced her shoes in a long time. She then proceeded to explain that she's "not pregnant, it's a tumor." Yikes. After swigging what I'm pretty sure was alcohol from a water bottle, she yelled out and cheered at everyone who got their number called.

Hour 3 was less eventful until I finally got called up. A quick "sign this, fax this" later and I was done. 3 hours. But having to do that annually in exchange for cheap insurance isn't so steep a price. I've gotta remember to bring a book next time...

It's not goodbye...

2011-01-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

it's just see you later.

School starts tomorrow. I feel that this means I will probably once again abandon the blog, only updating when it's on the verge of cyberspace death. It was fun these past few weeks, when I felt like I had time to update freely, think about blog post topics, all that good stuff.

Before I go I guess I'll let you know what I'll be up to. This semester I get to take 5 incredibly boring-sounding classes and work on my Advanced Writing Requirement (akin to a capstone paper of sorts). The 5 boring/lame classes include: Family Law, Constitutional Law II, Criminal Procedure, Trusts & Estates, and Property II. The last two will be particularly painful.

Hopefully I will do enough interesting things that warrant taking pictures because that makes for a much easier blog post than trying to come up with some snazzy topic.

Tinkers. Recently.

2011-01-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

I promised my mother-in-law I'd post some good pictures of Tinkers. Ask and you shall receive.

When I got home from LV, Tinkers would not leave me alone!

He had to be around me AT ALL TIMES.

Tinkers got a Christmas present from my friend, Julie. Put a little catnip in there and he's in love.

He also seems to like Desperate Housewives. I bet he wonders if Bree and Orson will get back together...

Tragedy in Arizona

2011-01-08T20:29:00.001-07:00

I'm usually saddened by tragic events, but today's shooting in Tucson felt different. I think, for the first time, I felt the kinship that comes with a professional community.

I still might be a lawyer-in-embryo, but when news got out about the death of Judge Roll, something really hit me. Maybe it was because he had ties to Yuma or just because he's from Arizona.

Regardless, I really felt like I could relate to what he was doing and am going to be a part of that system on a full-blown level in just a year and a half. I've never been a judge, but as a law student, you know what goes on behind the scenes and how difficult the profession can be. You study these judges' opinions in school and use them to make arguments and write papers.You also know that it takes a very certain and strong individual to be a judge, especially one as well-respected as Judge Roll.

Today's events were tragic and the national legal community is doubtless feeling its impact as well as Americans everywhere.

This one has lots of words and is mostly for me. There, you've been warned.

2011-01-03T02:32:00.000-07:00

Now that the ~~hellidays~~ holidays are over, I can finally breath a sigh of relief. I'll be honest, it's gotten better over the years, but the holidays are usually difficult for me. The Christmases of my youth were filled with family gatherings, food, presents, and laughter. That drastically changed into my adolescence and young adulthood and for a long time, resentment brooded within me from the middle of November until December 26th. I looked at happy families and, during a time when I was supposed to be grateful for God and a Savior, often harbored anger towards Him and wondered why He would take my family, life's greatest blessing, away.

Other families would try to include me in their celebrations in high school and college, but I couldn't help but feel that it was artificial; I wasn't really part of their family and I didn't have what they had. I felt it was a betrayal to my family to enjoy myself with others. An immature view? Perhaps. Understandable? I think so. A learning opportunity? Definitely, even if that means I'm behind the curve.

I guess what I'm trying to say by this peculiarly serious post is that as the years go on, Christmas keeps getting better. Being married and having in-laws, building a better relationship with my dad (and Dad), and gaining a better understanding of the purpose of this life changed my perspective on the once-dreaded season. Am I an example of the brightest-eyed Christmas cheer? No, but that's not my style anyway. I am, however, someone who can now find joy in the holiday by seeing joy in others and (hopefully) look outside myself to make that day better for those around me. Even if making it better sometimes means just not getting sad.

Undoubtedly, there's still work to do, and I'm grateful for my husband, in-laws, and father who have had patience with, and unconditional love for me during this bumpy road. And maybe once I'm an attorney and not a poor student, I can make it even better by actually getting you something! (Okay, I had to include something semi-humorous.)

Looking forward, with every end comes a new beginning, such is the way with all things in life. While Christmas was my least-favorite holiday, New Year's always resonated brightly with me since it's a chance to start again. I'm not someone who is obsessed with New Year's Resolutions; I do think it's a convenient time to set, or at least reflect on goals. I hope my focus falls on valuable ones and that things go well for me (and you, Reader) during this year.

Mesa Temple Lights

2010-12-26T20:13:00.000-07:00

Last week, Daphne and I visited the Mesa Temple Lights. It was great; there was festive music playing as well as a section devoted to Nativity scenes from around the world. I fell in love with the lambs on display but I don't think that surprised anyone.

Smashing Pumpkins & OK Go

2010-12-16T16:45:00.001-07:00

Last week Daphne and I went to a concert featuring OK Go and the Smashing Pumpkins. Can I just say, it was amazing!

The venue was at a casino and at first I thought, "Oh man, this is gonna stink, what a lame venue, old people, slot machines, blek." Well, there were old people gambling but they were limited to outside the venue.

The theater was SO SMALL which means we were at the most 30 yds from Billy Corgan! Ahhh!

The band played great and sounded amazing. The set was probably around 2 1/2ish hours so we definitely got some bang for our bucks (the tickets were only $15!)

Oh yeah, OK Go played but no one stood up for them because they weren't very energetic. The music was cool, but then they started telling us how the Flagstaff audience was better. We booed. And stayed seated. Ouch.

BFFs at the concert!

Syringe disposal container thingy in the bathroom. Um, I'm pretty sure this means old people come here. Or druggies.

I was standing in the back of the venue. Yes, the stage is RIGHT THERE.

OK Go. They were just OK but they're music was great.

Smashing Pumpkins!

More!

Gah, such a good show!

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-08T10:00:00.003-07:00

A Christmas tree. Thanks to our good friends the Shaws, we has one. What's funny is that since my apartment is bare, this is now the second largest piece of "furniture" in the place.

PS: Almost done with finals! Whooo hooooo!

Thanks to Daphne for the awesome gingerbread ornament!

Tucson!

2010-11-22T00:55:00.001-07:00

I've lived in Arizona for 3 years now and have barely done any site-seeing in this state. Today Daphne and I went to Tucson to see the Post Secret exhibit at U of A then went for some tasty Mexican food. Man v. Food (a show on Travel channel) had their guy go to El Güero Canelo to try a Sonoran Dog so we had to stop and see for ourselves.

Sorry for the lack of blogging, life has been insane and still is. I have finals coming up soon and am leaving for a trip to Vegas tomorrow. I'll try to promise to blog better, but no guarantees :(

Tucson mountains

Mas y mas y mas

Mexican Sprite - made with real cane sugar

I was nervous at first, but it was delicious!

Halloweening

2010-10-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in FOREVER. My apologies blogging audience. Busy life, busy times. Here are some pictures though to pacify you through what will most likely be another long drought.

My friend Daphne hosted a Halloween/10-10-10 party. Almost everyone that came out was in costume, we had some great kareoke-ing, and the treats were delish!

My costume was blonde-haired lady wearing a cat mask. It involved a modicum of creativity so it counts.

Centaur!

You can't really see it here, but Daphne did a great job with decorations!

Two besties posing for a picture.

Hollie's awesome old-timey costume

Daphne set up a picture station and you got to make your own death certificate

Daphne as a geisha, so cute

Cauldron with dry ice, very festive and fun!

Sometimes You Just Gotta Take A Chance

2010-09-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

Remember how my car looked like this?

Well, now it looks like this:

Almost like new, all for $150. How you ask? Well...

Kind of crazy/dangerous story: I'm driving to Safeway to pick up a veggie tray for a LAWPAWS meeting I had to attend. This guy in a truck approaches me as I'm getting out and asks if I wanted to have my car worked on for cheap. I politely declined but he made a hard sale. He said for $250 he would take the dent out, add some paint, and make the car look "much better." I still declined and he still insisted. I asked for a business card to be nice, but "he didn't have any on him."

Long story short I talked him down to $150 and told him he had to get it done while I was in the Safeway.

So he did. Okay, I had to wait about 20 minutes but used that time to mail a package at the UPS store next door so it all worked out. I paid him and went on my way. I never got his name.

Dangerous? Perhaps. I was a little skeptical but figured he couldn't make it look that much worse and I didn't have to hand over the $$ until he was done. It was the middle of the day in a semi-busy Safeway parking lot.

Plus, he seemed like he needed the work and I needed cheap repairs. During these tough economic times we really should help each other out all we can.

Cars Suck

2010-08-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Q. What's worse than having to get up early on a Saturday to go work?

A. Having to get up early on a Saturday to pay $1200 in unexpected car repairs.

For a while my car had been making a weird noise when I started it up. I assumed it had something to do with this. So I've ignored it.

Then last night this crazy gross smell started coming through the vents and the hood started smoking. Not good. So I called into work and took the car in. Apparently the A/C compressor is busted and all of that costs $1200 to fix.

I understand that being a female in a bind, the mechanic probably took advantage of me and is overcharging me. I wish I had the luxury of buying the part myself for half the price then getting it fixed, but when you're down to one car it's near impossible to have it tied up for more than a day.

It's times like these I wish humans would learn how to fly already!

My 500th Post and I Scolded Someone

2010-08-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, this blog has taken me through a few years now. It's crazy to think I've had 500 things to post about. Some of them were better than others, but let's face it, it's been a fun ride so far. I don't really have anything profound to say about the 500th post other than that. So I'll move on to the real subject of this entry: Law School Round 2.

Today I started my second year of law school. I can officially refer to myself as a "2L." I'm also out of the deer-in-the-headlights stage when it comes to professors calling on me, briefing cases, and speaking up. I've been to one class so far and I can already tell the difficulty will continue, but the pressure is (slightly) off.

Interesting and somewhat dramatic story: My law school is located in downtown Phoenix. Like other metropolitan law schools, mine occupies a few floors of a high rise. As I stepped onto the elevator today, this employee who (apparently) works on a much higher floor made a comment to his coworkers questioning why the law students can't just "take the stairs."

Perhaps it's because I suffer from chronic back problems, or because I'd taken the stairs up to class that morning OR because I pay the equivalent of his annual salary each year to attend school that this comment rubbed me the wrong way and I had to say something.

As I walked out of the elevator I turned around and said, "You don't have to be so rude about it" and kept walking. At that moment and afterward I was very proud of myself. A year ago I would have been too shy to say anything. But I think I can safely say there is a feisty attorney blooming within.

Happy 25th Birthday to Me!

2010-08-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, on Friday the 13th, I turned 25. It was exciting, even though I'd been mentally thinking of myself as 25 for a few weeks now.

What's sad about this new Facebook age is that I've started to gauge the success of a birthday based on how many wall posts I get. I've already admitted it's sad so stop chastising me. Based on this criterion though, it was a great birthday. Based on real life, it was also a great birthday.

Started out with a workout on the treadmill (I knew I'd be splurging later), Dan brought me home some flowers (very nice), then putzed around the house until it was time for some partying with friends in Scottsdale. I picked Culinary Dropout as the party destination and we had some decent food, a douchey server, and much talking and laughter.

(Sorry for the blurry pics, my phone continues to be bipolar)

Afterward, we hit up The Gelato Spot for some amazing gelato. All in all, it was a great night!

Here's to another eventful year.

You stink, you stink, you stink!

2010-08-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

If you've seen the movie Heavyweights, you might get the reference in the title. If not, take it literally because today I seriously smelled the worst smelling person in the world. I'm sorry if I sound mean (barely sorry), but this man needed a shower like nobody's business. I didn't even know people can smell that bad.

I was packing up some more books that sold (up to $730 now) at the post office when this homeless man comes in. Sure he looks gross but whatever, I've seen it all. I did not realize I have not smelled it all. Not kidding, you could smell this guy's stink within a 5ft radius. I had to turn the other way and try desperately to discreetly put my nose in my sleeve.

After he left I talked about it with the two ladies working at the desk. They agreed he wreaked.

I'm a little capitalist, it's true

2010-08-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

Today is a great day. I wasn't looking forward to working 9-5 on a Saturday (especially after working 5-10pm the night before), but the benefits have far outweighed the sacrifices.

Why? Well, one of the benefits of working at PSL's library is you get to peruse the shelf of unwanted books. Today, as it so happened, the shelf contained a plethora of valuables, including the very book I need for my evidence class this semester (usually priced at $150, my cost? $0). Brand new, not one mark. Not only was my book there, but some other books which I snatched up and put on Amazon. I've already made a small, yet significant profit. I'm very proud of myself.

Some other wonderful, life-changing news: my trademark law professor emailed me back to tell me there is not a curve for the week-long, intensive course I just finished with him. Hallelujah!!!

My Last Day in Yuma & A Brief Update

2010-07-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

My last day in Yuma has finally arrived and it comes with bittersweet feelings. On one hand, I cannot wait to drive away with Yuma in the rear view because it is, literally, the most boring place in which I've lived. On the other hand, I will miss the office, paycheck, and learning opportunities.

So, what's next after this adventure?

For me, I'm going back to Phoenix to start my second year of law school. I'm taking 5 classes, working 15+ hours/week, and doing moot court team, so we'll see if I'm alive in a month.

DBW is most likely going back to UNLV to finish his master's program. I wish I could tell you more about it, but when he tells me the names of his courses my head spins.

And with all of this good news, there is some sad news. For the time being, we won't be moving back to Scottsdale. My co-worker/roommate from Yuma just bought a house, leaving her condo vacant. It's on the market but she said we can stay there basically rent-free (just HOA dues and utilities) until it sells.

We rationalized that even a month without rent is worth it, so we took her up on the offer. We'll still keep 95% of our things in storage and live with the bare essentials until the place sells and we have to move out. Once it sells, I imagine we'll move back to our little nook in Scottsdale, so it's not forever.

How about the cat? Well, Mr. Tinkers is doing just fine and we're happy that my roommate is pet-friendly so we don't have any worries bringing him to our "new" place.

Some Hot Yuma Fun

2010-07-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today Dan and I ventured out into the insane heat (we're talking 110) and thought we'd actually go do something unique to Yuma. First we visited the historic prison then the Quatermasters State Park.

Behind me? Yuma.

Old train car

Headless guy drinking and counting his monies

Old Ford truck. Like, really old.

Dan pointing to where it says, "U.S." on the wagon

Army uniform symbols

I totally sat in that old Ford truck...before I saw the sign that says you're not supposed to touch it. Oops...

Diving suit from 1900s

Dan checking out some papers

Pointing to Yuma on a map

Trying to look interested, hehe

Now looking inquisitive

These are the plans you sent? These suck!

Dan points to Yuma

Now he points to the little model of the park

Uniform, I salute you

Historic Prison entrance

Bridge and train in Yuma

In front of the prison tower

Dan in front of the prison. We didn't want to pay to go in so we just took pics outside

Inside the mini-museum area

Funny BYU Library Commercial

2010-07-16T17:17:00.002-07:00

When something BYU did went viral, I paid attention.

Meeting Justice Thomas

2010-07-14T08:44:00.002-07:00

No, he's not that short. I'm wearing 3-inch heels.

The highlight of my DC trip, by far, was meeting US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. I knew that we had a reception at SCOTUS planned during the conference, but I didn't know that anyone super important was showing up. So when they announced it I was thrilled.

Basically here's how it went:

I got to the reception, grabbed a drink, then got in line to meet him. Luckily, I was toward the beginning and they gave me more time with him than the people at the end.

I went up to him, shook his hand, and he asked what school I went to, what year I was, and how I liked it. I then asked him about the lawsuit against Arizona (it was the only talking point I could think of, hehe). He proceeded to inform me that he hasn't read SB 1070 or the briefs from the suit yet. He's also avoided any media coverage since it "probably isn't very accurate." He said that when he knows something is coming across his desk he tries to avoid exposure to it.

Finally, he joked about how the people in Obama's admin were discussing the law before even reading it and quipped that we (AZ) were the ones who elected Napolitano.

After that I got my picture along with my new friend, Cheryl, who goes to Southwestern Law.

Ms. Elizabeth Goes to Washington

2010-07-12T22:18:00.002-07:00

This past weekend I had the honor of attending the Federalist Society's Student Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. The Federalist Society is a conservative/libertarian group for law students and lawyers. I'm the rising VP of Membership and since our President could not go, I went in her stead. It wasn't too hard of a choice considering the entire trip was either free or reimbursed. We spent most of the time getting trained on how to run our chapters (marketing events, getting speakers, etc.) with the highlight being a reception at SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States). The guest of honor was none other than SC Justice Clarence Thomas.

Here are some pictures from the amazing weekend!

Chinatown

White House

Washington Monument

No Taxation Without Representation

Creepy Metro Station at Rosslyn

Justice Clarence Thomas et Moi. I got to talk to him for a few minutes, I think I'll do a separate post on that.

My new friend Cheryl, she goes to Southwestern Law

On the steps of SCOTUS

Standing in front of the courtroom at SCOTUS

Steps up to the reception at SCOTUS. How many people can say they've eaten dinner at the Supreme Court?

Reflecting at the reflecting pool

Can you feel the Illinoise?

Lincoln Memorial in the distance

Me and Big Abe

Lolz.

Five Guys burgers -- Yum!

Oh, the douchebaggery.

2010-07-05T23:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend Dan and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Since purchasing our car, that is. During this time I've prided myself on taking extremely good care of our little automotive friend. I wash it at least once a month (including a thorough vacuuming), get the oil changed on time, and keep all of the maintenance records. Most importantly, it'd never been in an accident.

Until this weekend.

We were the victims of a hit and run. While the car was parked on the curb. In front of our friends' house. In North Scottsdale. Unbelievable and ridiculous.

We're pretty sure it was their landscapers but we're still working on investigating, etc. I can say for certain that the perpetrator is a douchebag.

To be honest, I'm pretty devastated. The car is my baby, of sorts. I feel like a parent that did everything they could to raise their child well and then the kid goes off to college and gets beat up or a tattoo. It was totally out of my control.

The damage:

So now we pay the $500 deductible or wait and see if we can get these landscapers to fess up and have their insurance pay. If they have insurance...

Where I Work

2010-06-29T01:21:00.001-07:00

I promise to post more about my internship, but for now, here's a picture of where I work.

Enjoy.

A Trip to Chicago for a Wedding

2010-06-29T00:06:00.001-07:00

This weekend I went to Door County, WI to see my childhood friend Drew get married. She looked beautiful and it was great seeing old friends and catching up!

I did not want to leave, it was SO green. I didn't realize how much I missed trees, grass, and rain.

All of the girls

Fish boil, a Door County tradition. Did I eat any? No, because fish is gross.

Centerpieces

Party Favors/Seating Assignments

Mr. and Mrs. Harder

I'm on the phone

Heeeeyyyyy!

Kimbo

Some pre-wedding fun times

Anderson Cabin

The bride and me; when did I get so much taller than she is? I'm wearing flats!

Our ghetto mildewy motel

Kim and me before the wedding

The receiving line.

A picture by the Lake on our way back to Gurnee

The party tent

A farm -- look at the green!

Our Yuma Kittehs

2010-06-14T12:53:00.001-07:00

Tinkers and Drac

~Drac is short for Dracula and he's the cat that my roommate brought down to Yuma. So we have these two cuties running around the house. They're buds most of the time but get into a tiff now and then.

Don't they look like they could be brothers?~ 