Good-bye 2012...HELLO 2013!

The setting sun at Sea Ranch

Our vacations are coming to an end. School and work are just on the horizon. But it should be a good year.

My first semester of teaching ended on December 21^st 2012. It was an 11^th hour day with students coming in and out, making up work they had plenty of time to do during the semester, while grades and data analysis were supposed to be done. I had big plans to leave in the early afternoon head off to The Sea Ranch for some R-and-R, and then enjoy my vacation, but this was not the case. I was in my classroom until 5 or so, and then left with still work to do; however, luckily, the admin extended the due dates for our grades and analyses until December 26^th.

I finally finished all my work on Christmas Eve, and haven’t really thought if it since.  But it was a great holiday all the same.

Chelsea had finished school earlier in the month, and she was stoked. She visited her mom in Santa Cruz and on the 20^th went up to prepare for our vacation at Sea Ranch with Emily and some of our friends. I came up the next day, and our long lost, Chicago-dwelling, friend, Dave, showed up with his wonderful boyfriend, Al, later that night, while Stephan and his girlfriend, Taylore, were there, as well as Eltgroth for a quick spell.

Chelsea, Brang, and Al

It was just what the doctor ordered. Plenty of conversation, arts and crafts, hikes and hot tubs.  We weren’t there for too long, since we agreed to spend Christmas Eve with Chelsea’s Oma in Santa Rosa.  (Which was probably one of my most favorite Christmas Eve/Christmas celebrations to date. )

Arts and Craft Project

This was only the beginning of our whirl-wind trip. 

After Santa Rosa, we had to pick our puppy in Sacramento, then head off to Santa Cruz to visit with Victoria and then Nana in Carmel. It was a quick stop, but really, really delightful. We had a great day with Nana, eating brunch, conversing, and then had an amazing dinner at this dog-friendly place called Cypress Inn in Carmel. 

After which, we made our way to Southern California to stay with my dad and visit my mom and brother, niece and friends. It was the first time we had been back together with my family since we left in July. The weather was perfect, our friends were all awesome. (Go Llew and Tom, I can’t say it enough, you guys rock! And I am so happy for your burgeoning family!) It was great to see my cousin, whom I’d thought we’d miss, but we stayed an extra day so we caught him.

The furthest South we traveled to was Pasadena (no San Diego this trip :(  not this time at least). We spent our New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day in sunny Pasadena. We met up with some of our San Diego/LA crew then walked down Colorado Blvd before the Rose Parade to see all the people who were camping out the night before. It was pretty neat to ring in the New Year on the streets, but I was happy we had an apartment to stay at nearby, rather than camp in the cold. The next morning, we saw a bit of the floats, then spent the rest of the day in relaxation and bid farewell to some of the friends we won’t see for a few months and headed back to Oxnard.

Wisconsin's Rose Parade float

We returned home to Sac a few days ago and have been prepping for work and school and getting our house ready for this positive 2013 year ever since. But this year, of course would not be complete without a list of some sorts, so here we go for the highlights of 2012, in no particular order, and some hopes for 2013.

Goodbye 2012:

•   Returned home from the Peace Corps
•  Decided to spend, at least, the next 3 years in Sacramento
• Got my first permanent teaching job; with benefits!
• Started Law School, and finished the first semester
• Got Toast!
•  Got a new car

Hopes for 2013:

• Finish first year of Law School and start the second
• Finished first year of teaching and start the second
• Take a big trip somewhere (Hawaii, Chicago, New York/Boston/D.C., or Zurich?)
• Study abroad in Guatemala
• Stay positive and take care of ourselves
• Minimize stress! 

Anyway it was a great year, but I know this coming year will be full of more change and exciting things! 

Sea Ranch glories

More Sea Ranch Scenery

Walking back from the Rose parade

Law School Exams Round 1: TKO?

Toast is an excellent study buddy. Although she wasn't very into Civ Pro, she does do a good job of keeping me warm.

Reflecting on my first round of exams I honestly have no idea if I rocked them or they knocked me out. Physically, I feel more like I have been a punching bag for a pro boxer and I am the one who got knocked out. My body is sore, my brain hurts and I am exhausted. Okay, so maybe I am being a bit over dramatic but law school exam aren’t easy and it is really hard to tell how I did (and I won’t know until grades come out in January!).

For those of you who have never gone through the agony of a law school exam period, here is how it all shakes down:

After a grueling semester of having my brain stuffed to maximum capacity with rules, laws theories and cases, I was set free before Thanksgiving to “study” for exams scheduled for December 1^st, 4^th, 7^th and 12^th. The feeling of having no structure, no classes to go to, no assignments to read, no schedule, was terrifying at first. I had very little idea of how I was supposed to prepare and study for the exam.

I had been advised to put together outlines for all my classes. This is the basic law student method of prepping for exams. Outlines are basically annotated class syllabi. Mine were usually about 20 pages long and described, in detail, everything we had learned all semester. All rules, theories and cases with notes in the margins with all the hypotheticals that my professor presented in class thinking they might rear their ugly heads on exams (and they did!). Law students make a big deal about their exam prep outlines, comparing them to each other’s in length and competing over who was “done” with their outline first as if it was a race. I personally felt that my outlines evolved up to the last minute. I wrote the basic structure, but as I reread material, had study groups with friends and compared my notes to supplemental material, I found that I added and updated my outlines and I think this method worked for me. I was glad that I had basic outlines finished by Thanksgiving and I think I will try to do more to piece together the structure of the outlines during the semester next time around.

During the weeks before and during exams I had to be very diligent. I booked study rooms in the library (private little boxes that seat maybe 4 people, where you and a few study buddies can study without being bothered and chat without bothering others) to get me motivated to get my butt out of the house. I made flashcards and practiced them with my classmates and my patient, loving husband (who now may know more about the subject matter than some of my less diligent classmates!). I took practice tests read sample answers. I reread course material and supplements and other peoples outlines. I was working, generally, from 9am-9pm daily (with a lunch break and break to walk the dog in between).

Studying for exams was exhausting and taking them was even worse. Because I get testing accommodations for my dyslexia, I take the exams in the library. Alone. I miss out on taking exams with my peers so I don’t get the traditional experience of being crammed into a room full of 75 stressed people, typing frantically, sighing and groaning and generally freaking out. Instead, it is just me in a room, with the proctor right outside for 4 hours! The exams are excruciatingly long and complicated. The first 2/3^rds of the test is a written essay that usually encompasses more than five issues that we covered during the semester, wrapped into a hypothetical case. We are supposed to give the hypothetical client advice or advise the judge on how she should rule on the matters before us. Under time pressure, I found it very difficult to address every issue thoroughly and, because the exams are closed book, I was often nervous that I might have misstated a rule of law. The second portion of the exams are multiple choice questions. I hate multiple choice questions! I never feel like I can pinpoint the perfect answer and sometimes feel like I am choosing the second best. Multiple choice questions will be my biggest challenge I think so I have to work on how to get better at them next semester.

Out of the four exams I took, three of them were challenging but manageable. I felt decently prepared and am reasonably confident that I passed. The third exam I took however, was the most awful, horrible, demoralizing hurdle of my academic life to date! Taking the Civil Procedure test felt like what I imagine sitting in the room in Sartre’s No Exit felt like. I was full of self-doubt and felt like there was no happy ending in sight. The exam tested on the most obscure topics we barely touched on during the term, the questions, even multiple choice required an in-depth analysis of complicated rules. For this exam the Prof gave us a 30-page packet of statutes and federal rules to reference. The good thing was we had the rules in front of us. The bad thing was he expected us to use them in precise legal analysis in a tiny tiny amount of time. After the exam I felt like I had gotten hit by a bus! And I was not the only one. I heard that the exam made some of the smartest people in our section cry. Literally. People who I respect, admire and view as some of the top students in my class afterwards were saying they weren’t sure if they passed. Yikes! I am just glad it is over, although I may have ptsd flashbacks in my dreams for a while now.

During exam time I was SO amazingly grateful for Tim! He took sole charge of many of the responsibilities that we usually share. He cooked and cleaned and took the dog out. He did grocery shopping and stayed up late to do flashcards with me. He gave me my space when I needed it, encouragement and hugs when I needed them, listened to me rant and cry and put up with my short temper and other stress-related nastiness. He deserves a gold medal for being so supportive! How did I get so lucky?!

Now I am 1/6^th of the way done with my legal education and on vacation! YIPPEE! I am sitting on my couch, with Toast curled up next to me, for once not thinking about laws! Yay! My plan for the vacation is to get my house in order because I have not been very dutiful about staying clean and organized during finals. I am going to put on good music and clean and organize (which is not a chore when I am in a good mood and something that I actually like to do, yes, I am a weirdo!). Then, when Tim is done with his school term, we are heading up to Searanch for a getaway and then spending Christmas and New Years with family and friends! After this break I can go back to next semester refreshed and ready to do it all over again, this time with more wisdom and experience under my belt.

Happy Holidays!

I took a quick study break to go to a Christmas Fair in Coloma, the historic site of Sutter's Mill, heart of Old California gold country! Good times with good people! 

Nor Cal Love

Our street festooned with fall glory!

So I’ve been a little MIA lately and Chelsea has been writing all the posts but it’s all good, she has covered tons of stuff.

I wanted to pop in really quickly and post some thoughts of living in Northern California. I was born in SoCal and in my heart I thought I’d always be a Southern California boy, but the more time I spend up here experiencing all the seasons, from scorching summers to chilly, drizzly falls (so far), I am quickly falling in love with the place.

I came to Sacramento with little expectations, knowing that we are back home in the good ole’ USA and we’d make the most of it. But as I wander the grid-like streets, through tree-lined avenues and watch amazing sunsets I realize I didn’t do Sacramento justice. It’s a great town not too big, not too small and in the middle of everything. We can go east to Lake Tahoe, or we can go west to San Francisco. Moreover, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Napa valley, and Sonoma are a couple hours away. If we wanted to go on a hike we could hit up the rivers, the mountains, or the parks nearby. So many options and I think we need to experience them more.  

For example, this last weekend we went to Santa Rosa to celebrate Stephan’s 21^st Birthday. We drove up and down the Dry Creek Valley hitting up 5 wineries. We even were able to visit a winery we tried at the Santa Rosa Harvest festival early in October. It was a whirl-wind weekend but all the great wines we tasted made it worth it.

I will try to post more as we continue this new adventure, but for now sit back and enjoy some photos of picturesque Northern California.  

The bridge that crosses into West Sacramento over the Sacramento River

Fall came in full force the other day. Leaves were strewn everywhere.

Some beautiful shots of a winery in the Dry Creek area

The colors are simply amazing

My new dream: own a vineyard, just so I can wake up to this scene every fall. It is really, really awe inspiring

The fam for Stephan's 21st!

Sequoias in Santa Rosa. I love it.

Truly majestic beings, these trees.

So we went on a hike, this is what we saw. Takes a bit of a walk to get this view in So Cal.

 

Meet Toast!

Two weeks ago an unexpected knock on the door brought a new friend into our lives. Meet Toast, the surprise puppy!

We weren’t planning to adopt a dog but when my friend showed up at our door to say we had first dibs on this little pup who needed a home, we couldn’t resist her cute face. We told my friend that we would take her in for a week to interview the dog and see if we could handle the responsibilities of having a puppy.

Within the first few days Toast nuzzled her way into our hearts. She is a two month-old boxer, beagle, pit bull mix and already such a good dog! She is mostly house broken. She has occasional accidents when we leave her in the kitchen/laundry room while we are at work/school (but always on puppy training pads! What great inventions!). She already knows how to sit and waits patiently, sitting still, staring up at us with her adorable scrunchy face when we are about to feed her.

Yes, a pet is an added responsibility and an added expense in our lives right now but adopting Toast is such a great thing. She brings so much joy and laughter into my daily life. I stay more focused while I am at school (less dawdling on facebook at the library) because I know I need to come home and take the dog out. Then when I do come home, it is to ebullient puppy energy, playfulness and snuggles.

Right now Toast hasn’t had all her vaccines, and she is too small, but someday soon we will be able to go for long walks and runs and I know that will be good for me. I have been much less disciplined about exercising since I’ve been in law school. Hopefully Toast will help get me in shape.

Tim and I are also realizing that taking care of a puppy is good practice, at least in some small way, for the type of coordination and balance needed for parenting. We see ourselves having to transition away from thinking only about ourselves on a daily basis since we have to plan our days, holidays and futures taking into account another being (albeit a canine one). I know we won’t be able to leave our future babies in the kitchen with a bowl of food or just put them in the backyard when the are being bad (or can we…..?) but at least we are realizing that, as with most everything else we have done so far, with flexibility, patience and teamwork we can make anything work.

Toast is so little right now, but I imagine she won't be a lap dog forever!

Toast came to the polling place and voted with us on election day

A great companion for studying on cold nights.

Everyone who came to our house said we have the perfect backyard for a dog. Toast thinks so too.

Scrunchy face!

So cute.

We love her little pout face.

Blowing in the Wind

Perhaps we were crazy to think that the transition to law school and full-time teaching would be less tumultuous than our experience as Peace Corps Volunteers. We had a misguided notion that we would be “settling down” back home in the States. But it turns out that our life in Sacramento is just a continuation of the rollercoaster ride we were on in the Peace Corps. 

Every month/week/day has intense emotional highs and lows. Recently Tim and I have been surprised at how parallel our lives run. At school we can feel elated that we did something right on any given day (by giving a correct recitation in class or getting positive feedback from students) and then a few moments later feel clueless, and ineffective when we either aren’t prepared enough or experienced enough to deal with a certain challenge. One moment we will have to cope with harsh criticism from professors and administrators and the next moment our work will be singled out and praised.

Back in Guyana we relied on our peers and amazingly supportive network of family and friends (both in country and back home) to help us through tough times. We are doing that now but even our support networks sometimes feel like they come with ups and downs. Sometimes law school can feel so isolating because my classmates and I have our heads in our books constantly and when we do get some free moments to interact our exchanges are intense, filled with mixed emotions of guilt at taking time away from studying, the need to vent and process the stress we are under, and the natural drama that arises in the bizarrely intimate community of a classroom filled with 60 strangers. Sometimes it feels like we are all so busy and self-absorbed (and rightly so) that we don’t have the chance to found any meaningful relationships. On the flipside there are moments when I feel like the friendships that Tim and I are forming are like the ones we made in Peace Corps: solid as a rock as a result of necessity and shared circumstances. 

Last week, I was feeling particularly nostalgic for my Peace Corps community and feeling quite alone at school. It made me particularly sad because something we promised ourselves that we would bring back from Guyana was the value of creating and sustaining a close-knit community, even here in the United States of Fendforyourself. But law school is not a collaborative community. People are getting stressed over exams, competitive for the best grades, scholarships and research assistant positions. On the outside people seem like they are getting along but are often (not always) focused playing a competitive game to try to get a step ahead of the rest. Not willing to play that game or participate in cliquey socializing, I felt like I was just a solo little leaf blowing in the wind last week. 

But I can’t help but remember my Peace Corps training. Any new endeavor will follow the readjustment cycle and when we acknowledge that it is totally normal for our initial feelings of excitement to wane into feelings of isolation and disillusion it helps me push through because I know that it is just a natural phase that will get better with time. It also helps to remember if we want a sense of community, we have to be active. So we took matters into our own hands.

On Friday night we had some friends come over for an early afternoon BBQ. It was so nice to be social with a group of my law school friends outside of the classroom setting. We played lawn games in the backyard before it got too cold and dark, grilled up a delicious steak and did our very best to get to know each other and not talk about law school (much). It was lovely. Later that evening, because the world knew I needed a quick fix of Peace Corps community, one of my PC Guyana buddies (who now lives and works in Chico) stopped by for a visit! It was so much fun to play the same old Guyanese card games and catch up! Yay for staying connected! 

Saturday night we went over to another colleague’s house to watch scary movies. Then this morning I got sworn into Phi Delta Phi (a legal honors society). The initiation ceremony was a great reminder that even though we are all busy, there are opportunities to create community, be social and still work hard to hone the skills that will serve us, and our future clients/students in the future. 

Dressing for Fall

My law school buddy, Erin and I filled a shopping cart before hitting the dressing rooms. 

The leaves are falling, the air has a chill to it, pumpkins are sprouting on everyone's front porches, Starbucks has pumpkin spiced lattes and facebook feeds are filled with adorable babies in corn mazes and pumpkin patches! Fall has fallen and I am so happy to be experiencing the joy of a real season for the first time since we left for Guyana over two years ago!

Here in Sacramento, fall consists of chilly mornings and evenings and occasionally an overcast day. Not time for peacoats or our central heat to be turned on but certainly time to put the fuzzy blankets on the couch and get out our scarves and sweaters. The only problem was, we didn't own any scarves or sweaters. Before now our locales did not require that we have proper fall attire (San Diego and then jungle of South America are not scarf climates). We had lived perpetually in flip flops and hoodies. Now that we are "professionals" (ha!) Tim and I decided we needed to update our wardrobes with cold weather clothing. We were seriously lacking any grown up looking layers. However, we are also still on a post-Peace Corps/student budget. Alas, what to do?

The solution, of which I am quite proud, was two trips of patiently gleaning the Goodwill in the fancy part of Sacramento. I am happy to say we spent $175 and outfitted ourselves quite nicely for fall.

Yes, we looked crazy! But our diligence was worth it.

Disclaimer: this blog contains self-indulgent photos taken of ourselves (selfies) with an iPhone. 

The Loot (not all pictured):

Tim: 2 sweaters, 1 sweater-vest, 3 long sleeved collared shirts, 2 pairs of trousers, one pair of dress shoes.

Chelsea: 4 sweaters, 3 dresses, 1 pair of kakhi pants, 1 shirt, 2 blouses, grey cowboy boots, brown knee high boots, purple flats, nine west gladiator sandals and one vintage pink blazer.

Many of the items we found were unworn with tags still on them, some are brand-name (Tim scored a lot of Banana Republic) and most are quality material (we even found real cashmere sweaters)! It took time, effort and patience to sort through the thrift store but I am so glad we did. It makes no sense for us to spend gobs of money to buy new clothes when we can buy practically new items that people give away for a fraction of the cost. Check out some of our fall fashion, all for under $175!