Too much?

Can you ever have too much OJ? Did we go overboard?
We also have ample supplies of dayquil, nyquil, vitamin C and multivitamins.
Just trying to stay healthy.

A snail's pace

Sometimes, I have a really hard time staying on task. Wait, did I just get an email? I have a new tweet? I should check my facebook. Mabye my bank account. There's a new blog to read? And then I've wasted another 30 minutes. In an effort to be more efficient and focused this weekend, I kept track of how often I took breaks and for how long. This seemingly innocuous data revealed more than just the fact that I am a nerd.

Back when I first started working, I developed a spreadsheet budget where I had to record everything I ever spent. No one made me do this but Myself. And I didn't report to anyone but Me. I just wanted to know where all my money was going. But it got the point where I dreaded spending money, not because of the money part, but because of the writing it down part. I nickled and dimed myself (down to the $.25 pack of gum from the vending machine) and it got ridiculous. I think I kept this up for about year, stopping because 1) I'd learned my lesson and knew where and on what I was spending my money and 2) it was a seriously bad habit. It's like dieting to the point where you don't eat anything because you know you'll have to write down the calories (which is why calorie-counting would never work for me...it'd be a seriously fatal slippery slope). But you have to eat and spend money in order to live. Don't worry, we employ a much better, healthier (guilt-free) way of budgeting now.

Anyway, back to the record keeping of my studying. It was actually really motivating and after the first day I noticed that my breaks were fewer and farther between. And by Saturday night I was seriously focused and determined and like unto Andrew in my studiousness. And then Andrew suggested I do a little computing to figure out how many pages I'd read and one thing led to another and before I knew it I was calculating my average page per minute. (Slippery slope!)

And that's when I got depressed. I can do a lot to justify the piddly number, like the fact that I was organizing and writing notes before, during and after I read, so the numbers aren't really accurate. And I am a 1L and overcompensating for my upcoming finals. But I don't think I'll ever calculate that again. Or recommend to anyone else that they should.

But I might keep tracking my time. That worked really well. As long as that paper is no where near any others that list my assignments.

Sunday

School is really a time consuming activity (hello, understatement!). Andrew and I have learned that, even though we've planned and prepared for the week ahead, Saturday morning inevitably greets us with a sink full of dirty dishes, an empty fridge, a cluttered house, an overflowing garbage and a mile-high pile of laundry. There's simply not enough time during the week to do it all and these chores are left (out of necessity) for Sunday.

Now I enjoy a clean house just as much as anyone else, but that doesn't make doing the dishes any more appealing. But the change of pace is surprisingly refreshing. And distracting. And stress-relieving. And by the time Sunday rolls around, I am actually looking forward to all the cooking and cleaning. I know, I sound crazy, but after a long week of commuting, reading, learning, and more reading I ache to feel like a real person, a wife, a woman. And on Sunday, I trade in my school shoes and backpack for my slippers and apron and pretend I am domestic.

This weekend I tried some new recipes from The Pioneer Woman. Apparently I've been hiding under a rock and had never seen her blog before. I flew through her green-acres-meets harlequin romance novel of a love story and was about ready for us to drop out of school and find ourselves a nice cozy plot of land to homestead and raise lots of beautiful children. Rather than hold out and gift her cookbook for Christmas, I'll just send you on over there if, like me, you have no idea who she is (but I'm betting most of you do). We tried the carrot and squash curry soup, spanish rice and white chicken enchiladas. And they all turned out looking pretty much just like her pictures! I'm sure once I delve into the archives, we'll be seeing a lot more of her cooking around here.

Sunday also brings with it a good amount of sleeping in, lounging around and catching up on our favorite shows before and after our 1pm church. And has church ever been so lovely? We absolutely love our friends in the ward and our little class of primary kids. (We are crossing our fingers we get to move up with them next year.)

So, by Sunday evening, the dishes are done, the fridge and freezer are stocked with dinners for the week, the house is tidied, the garbage is at the curb, the laundry is folded and put away and I am feeling recharged and ready for the week.

And already looking forward to next Sunday.

I've grown accustomed to his moustached face

It's given me a good chuckle all week long and I think I'm going to miss it.

Easy peasy

This has been on my to-do list for months (inspired by nie). Two months ago, I took the pictures. About a month ago I worked some photoshop magic. This weekend I found some inexpensive frames at Michael's. And this morning I finally put it all together. I'm hoping to find them a spot on the wall by Christmas.

Do you see the resemblance?

Coming up for air...

One sure-fire way to make two 12-15 hour days at the library totally worth it and actually kind of awesome: a fun, supportive, motivating husband sitting next to you working just as hard who lets you listen to his tunes. We may not be able to do much else, but at least when we have to study, we can study together.

I'd say we've got it pretty good.

In-flight service

I'm not a very good flier. I'm not at my best during take-offs or landings. Turbulence? No thank you. But it was a beautiful day which made for a pretty gorgeous view.

By sheer luck, I was in first class on the flight home. Have you ever flown first class before? I'm sure this was my first and last time in seat 1A, but I had NO IDEA that those people up in the front got so much food. I felt like I was in a restaurant. Just like everyone else, I ate a nice full breakfast before boarding because all I was expecting was a small bag of peanuts. Chicken Caesar wrap, chips, fresh fruit and a brownie? Don't mind if I do.

This weekend was perfect. It was so nice to see nearly everyone in my extended family. And it was humbling to see the many friends and family gathered to remember and honor our sweet grandma.

Memories, reunions, laughter, tears and a whole lot of love. Everything about it was just perfect.

My mom with her sister, Rose Marie / my sister and cousin, Karen


Cousins: Genet, Bruce, Kaya (my niece) / Uncle Wil


Aunt Anita and Uncle Larry / my adorable 2nd cousin, Kiera, with a smattering of cousins

Her Legacy

Throughout President Eyring's talk Saturday night, my grandmother and the long life she has lived weighed heavily on my mind. As he spoke of the rich heritage of women, I thought about the things I didn't know about this sweet woman: the young girl who tended her many siblings; the beautiful young woman who met, fell in love with and married my handsome grandpa; the mother that raised my mother and her siblings; and the woman she was all the years before she became my grandma. I thought of her life: her friends, her hopes, her fears, her strengths, her accomplishments. And I realized the woman I've known is a such a small part of the woman she was.

More than anything, I've thought of her legacy. Her expansive posterity. Her profound devotion to her family and her faith. Her commitment to selfless service, provident living, and hard work. Her unconditional love. Her simple prayers offered over meals, her kind eyes and gentle hands offered in support. Her genuine smile and hearty laugh. Her oddities. Her garden-fresh, home cooked meals. Her gratitude. Her optimism. Her goodness.

Last week, my mom called all of us because my grandma's condition had worsened significantly, she told us it would be a matter of time before she went. And it was. Early Sunday morning, my grandmother passed away. While it wasn't entirely unexpected, it's been surprisingly difficult for me to deal with the obvious finality of her death and the events set in motion by it.

My heart aches for my mom, who has selflessly and carefully tended after her mother for several years. She has lost a great friend. I know I've fallen short as a daughter and in giving her the love and support she deserves. I have felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude and love for my grandma and the legacy she has left to me. I'm so grateful to have felt a special closeness to her this past week. Over the years, as her cognizance slowly faded, she never complained about anything. Rather, she constantly thanked those around her, even if there was little they had done or could do to help her. She thanked my mom daily, several times a day, for helping her. She often just needed a few reassuring words and a simple "I love you" to put her mind at ease.

I am looking forward to celebrating my grandma's long, well-lived life. And after years of asking, "When are we going home?" I am happy to know she is Home at last.

Well-intentioned impulse buy

We thought this would be delicious served over ice cream. So we took it home, scooped up bowls of Vanilla and popped the jar open. To our dismay, when brought to our noses, the green sludge overwhelmingly smelled of vinegar not the light minty fresh smells of deliciousness. Next time, I think we'll splurge with Smuckers Chocolate Mint Topping.

*I think there are two kinds of mint jelly: one is actually a mint jelly or jam, the other is served over lamb. Anyone wanna come over for lamb chops?

Andrew started a new round of classes this week and was required to purchase all sorts of doctor's tools. This was a particularly favorite activity one night. Hey, you've got to practice on someone.

Oprah

I had a bit of a break yesterday, so I took a walk downtown to scope out the Oprah scene. I didn't get to stick around for any of the performances, but it was fun nonetheless.

These people probably showed up in the dark hours of the morning to guarantee their spot in the front row. Also, the audience learned a choreographed dance while they were waiting (you can kind of see them practicing in the 3rd picture). Let me tell you: hip/trendy choreographers counting out moves like "bow and arrow" and "mashed potatoes" to a crowd of middle-aged men and women knowing they are all going to be on national television makes for some good entertainment.

Unfortunately there were no Oprah sightings. I took a nice, leisurely stroll back to school along the Chicago River, which was beautiful. Not surprisingly, it smelled an awful lot like fish.

Portillos

Tell me this isn't the most delicious hot dog you've ever seen. Who would ever think of putting tomatoes on your dog? To. Die. For. We've found our new favorite place to eat and pretty much crave it everyday now.

The week in review

So today I finished my monster of a paper that's due tomorrow morning with an alarming seven characters to spare. Apparently, all I needed was a week and a half of dedicated writing time, a never-ending supply of chocolate chip cookies and a new pair of jeans to adequately reward my hard work. Seriously though, I have never in my life spent so much time working on a paper. This should give no indication that the paper is a) well written, b) sufficiently predictive or persuasive and c) deserving of a good grade. In fact, I have very little confidence that I'll get a good grade, mostly because I'm pretty sure that not even the best paper from our class will get a good grade. I am, however, confident that I did my best. And that I'll get the hang of legal writing. And that at least half my class will be working on their papers long into the night.

By the way, did you know Oprah is planning a huge party downtown tomorrow? I'm thinking I just might try to catch a peek.

Video Chat

I love google video chat. Sometimes Andrew and I video chat during the day while we're at school. And sometimes we video chat at night when we're both studying. In the same room.

Define: Illness (Legal)

Two of my three classes are canceled today due to "illness." I'm pretty sure that in this context, "illness" means "swine flu." (In my one week of law school, I've learned that words used in ordinary language and speech tend to have different meanings in the legal world. I'm just trying to apply what I've been learning.)

Nonetheless I am finished with classes and it is only 10:30. This would be fun except for the fact that there are no express trains home until this afternoon. And that I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to be awake (at 6:30). And that I actually did my hair (yesterday). And that I have a paper due next week that I have no idea how to write (did I mention last week was my first week of school). And that Andrew is at school all day too.

1 Year Anniversary

People said it would go by quickly, but boy this year really seemed to fly by. Especially the last few months. Foreseeing our lives becoming busier, Andrew & I celebrated our 1 year anniversary a month early, back in Salt Lake. We got dolled up July 22nd for a delicious meal at Market Street Grill. Well, we tried to get dolled up, but we had been packing all day. So rather than post those pictures, I'll use some photos by Jonathan Canlas.

Our move corresponded well with our need to dispose of our frozen wedding cake (we couldn't very well take it with us). The morning of our departure, we found a few minutes to take part in the tradition of cutting our cake on our anniversary, or as close to it as we could.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but it has been an absolutely fantastic year, and astonishing that it has only been a year. I'm ever so happy we decided to get married and start our lives together. If the last year is any indication of the years to come, I am so looking forward to the ones ahead.

The problem with the legal system

Sisterly fun

My sister came out to keep me company during Andrew's first week of school and help with the final touches of putting our house together. By the end of her week long stay we all certainly wished it was longer. There's nothing quite like a sister. We don't get to see each other too often, so it really was refreshing and absolutely wonderful to have her here for so long.

We were lucky enough to have her here for her birthday, so I decorated the house a little and we had a fabulous celebration.

The rest of the time, we drove all over town and ventured into the city a few times to see the sights. We planned on doing everything they do in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but fell short of seeing a Cub's game (they were sold out).

All three of us took the train into the city on Saturday, visited my school and took a water taxi to Michigan Ave (I did this with Brittany and Laurel as well). We dropped Andrew off at the Apple store and continued on to the American Girl Place where we took pictures of just about everything. Neither of us could stop grinning while we were there. Jennifer admitted that aside from seeing us, the trip to the American Girl Place was well worth the plane ticket.

Jennifer looking gorgeous, as usual, alongside Lake Michigan. We also visited the Bean, but I think those pictures are on her camera.

We went up the Sears Tower in the evening thinking the view would be pretty fantastic. We were not disappointed. Though, now we want to see it in the daytime, apparently you can see about 20 miles in each direction on a clear day. We even stepped out on The Ledge, which was surprisingly freaky and creepy.

Jennifer & I went back on Thursday to go to the Art Institute. We saw lots of famous things and found lots of things we loved.

Farewells are always hard in my family. Tradition holds that there will be lots of tears and hugs and puffy red eyes, so we tried to keep it light and pretend like we weren't really saying good-bye. Also, it was a bit sobering as it marked the end of moving and the beginning of school.

We sure loved having you here, Jennifer! Come back soon!

The Drive & Moving In

July 28th was an early morning and a long day driving. Especially after a particularly long week of packing and a tiring day of loading the truck, cleaning and making sure everything was taken care of. Thankfully, Laurel & Brittany drove our car behind us and helped us a ton moving in. They were lifesavers!

Did I mention there were a few things that didn't fit in the truck? We knew we couldn't live without a few of our belongings (namely, the fan) so we fit them in as best we could. I don't think either of us were fully prepared for just how hot it is here. We've slept every night with the fan on the entire time. We've now acquired a second fan and often have them both going in the same room.

We saw miles and miles of cornfields and wind farms. Scenes of one were interrupted only by scenes of the other. I loved seeing the wind turbines, there were hundreds at a time throughout Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa.

We also saw a few wind turbines in transit. They were HUGE.

The Settle Inn, Lincoln, Nebraska was our 900 mile mark. They have themed rooms here but unfortunately we didn't get one. It was, however, just as awesome as it looks.

We also crossed the Mississippi River.

We knew we were getting pretty close when we saw this (well, that and we had already exited the highway and constantly updating the map on our phones). These water towers are all over the place and each village has their own font and design to let you know whose water it is.

1500 miles and 24 hours of driving later, we finally got to stop for good.

Some new ward members helped us unload the truck into the house. I had anticipated it being a bit more organized than it turned out, but eventually we got everything where it was supposed to be. Yeah, do you see our funky air conditioner in the wall with an extra long cord to the plug? That's probably the strangest thing I've ever seen.

Before our guests left, we also made sure to visit the Chicago Temple. It is kind of a unique temple, it looks more like a big chapel or stake center than most temples.

And we took a tour of Andrew's awesome school. It's a ginormous campus that has lots of fields and greenery. Shortly thereafter, I took our visitors the the airport. Sadly, I don't have many more pictures (other than the ones posted) of our activities together, including a fun day touring the city, but I did repeat a few activities with my sister.

More to come.