Done #9: Have my first post-graduate, degree required, job

Well it is now official: I have a job!

After 7 years of school (8 years if you count my year off, 20 if you count since kindergarden) and 3.5 months of looking I have finally entered the working world.  For me this is pretty exciting, and such a big step.  To finally leave the world of academia and be thrust into the career world, it is such a different world, but I was so ready for it.

With work comes a consistent schedule.  No more studying at night or on weekends.  I now feel like my life has such a good balance, which is so refreshing!

But enough ramblings, more about the job:

I am working for Travelers Insurance in the California Sports Workers Compensation Division.  Here I will not only become trained as an insurance adjuster in both CA and TX, but I will get the opportunity to negotiate settlements for our claims.  This is the main reason I wanted this job; it has my favorite part of lawyering (negotiation) with 9-5 hours.  It also has a lot of upward mobility potential (which for someone who wants to be a career woman, is really important).  They offered me an awesome salary + a great benefits package (why hello 20 days paid vacation, where have you been all my life?!?).  All of this added up to perfect job for me.  Challenging + work-life balance = exactly what I was looking for.

It may not be the traditional lawyer job, but I think it is just what I wanted.

I am currently three weeks in and it seems like it is going to be awesome.  Plus Chris and I are thoroughly enjoying everything that comes along with our newfound DINK (double income no kids) status.  We eat out, we plan fun vacations, and we have time to actually hang out with one another!  It turns out living on one salary for almost four years makes having that second salary so much sweeter.

So #9 done.  I have my first post-graduate, degree required, big-girl job.  Yay!

Book #6

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller:

Stepping away from my typical young adult fiction I decided to read this non-fiction religious book.  This book was sitting on our bookshelf (Chris got it during his year in Oakland) and I heard there was a movie coming out.  I always like to read books before I see the movie, so I grabbed it off of the shelf.  I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  Well, at least the first twelve chapters.  After that it got a bit redundant and I got bored.  

The book basically tells the author's spiritual story.  The subtitle of the book is: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality.  I think that sums it up pretty nicely.  The author is a pretty liberal christian and it was so refreshing to read his thoughts.  As a person who grew up in a pretty fundamental religious church I had always struggled with how my religious beliefs and political beliefs didn't seem to line up.  Reading this book helped me realize that I wasn't alone in my thinking, and gave me some newfound enthusiasm for my faith because it helped me realize that what I believe (both politically and spiritually) do line up.  It can all work together.  

It's hard to explain how this book made me feel, but maybe some quotes will help sum it up.  The book was a wealth of awesome quotes, here are just a few of my favorites:

" The thing I loved about Nadine was that I never felt like she was selling anything.  She would talk about God as if she knew Him, as if she talked to Him on the phone that day.  She was never ashamed, which is the thing with some Christians I had encountered.  They felt like they had to sell God, as if He were soap or a vacuum cleaner, and it's like they really weren't listening to me; they didn't care, they just wanted me to buy their product." page 46

"Here are the things I didn't like about the churches I went to. . . . (second): They seemed to be parrots for the Republican Party.  Do we really have to tow the party line on every single issue? Are the Republicans that perfect? I felt like, in order to be a part of the family, I had to think George W. Bush was Jesus.  And I didn't.  I didn't think that Jesus really agreed with a lot of the politics of the Republican party or for that matter the Democratic Party.  I felt like Jesus was a religious figure, not a political figure. . . . They left us thinking that our war was against liberals and homosexuals.  Their teachings would have me believe I was the good person in the world and the liberals were the bad people in the world. . . . The truth is we are supposed to love the hippies, the liberals, and even the Democrats, and that God wants us to think of them as more important than ourselves." page 131-32

"I had to tell my head to tell my heart to love the people at the churches I used to go to, the people who were different than me.  This was entirely freeing because when I told my heart to do this, my heart did it, and now I think very fondly of those wacko Republican fundamentalists,  . . . and I know that we will eat together, we will break bread together in heaven, and we will love each other so purely that it will hurt because we are family in Christ."  page 137-38

I can't really put into words how excellent this book was (until the boring end).  Whether you are a liberal or conservative christian, or someone who has other spiritual beliefs, this book is an excellent read.  If for no other reason, then to understand the thinking of your liberal christian friends :)

6 down, 24 to go.

Book #4 and #5

Well it's been a while since I've updated, which means that I have done a lot of reading.  Next up on my mental list was Inheritance by Christopher Paolini.  But, it's the fourth book in a series that I last read at least 3 years ago.  Because it had been so long, I really felt like I needed to reread the first three so I could really enjoy and understand the last one.  While the first three don't count for the list (I have already read them) I thoroughly enjoyed reading through them again.  After that I read Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.  I really enjoyed them both.  Blue Like Jazz will get it's own post (to keep this from getting painfully long) but here is an individual breakdown of the other two:

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini:

This series is the younger crowd's version of Lord of the Rings.  Action, adventure and general teenager-turned-hero growing up antics (including an interesting background love story.) The author wrote the first one when he was 15, which is quite impressive.  While his age and lack of experience sometimes shows in the writing and storyline, the books are still really well written and the story is so compelling.

After getting through the first three (Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr) I was so excited to finally find out how it all was going to end.  There was so much going on in the first three books I wondered how he was going to wrap it up.  I think he did a pretty awesome job of it.  The only thing I was disappointed in was how the love story ended.  He ended it like a guy and I thought it was a bit unrealistic based on how he had painted the characters.  But alas, it is his story, so he can end it however he wants.  I am secretly hoping he was setting it up for another book (I love the characters, so I would be excited to continue following their story!)


Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery:

I grew up watching these movies (or shows?) but, GASP, had never read the books.  So when I came across them at the library I thought they would make an excellent summer read.  I really enjoyed this one (the first of six.  I think.)  It brought back all of the memories of watching the shows as a kid (they were pretty true to the book.)  I now want to add these to my collection because I they will make great read aloud books when I have kids one day!

If you have never heard of the series (which is a tragedy in and of itself), it is about an orphan girl who goes to live in a small town with an older brother and sister who never had their own children.  She is full of life and is always getting into crazy situations.  This makes the book funny and charming (although the beginning was a little too full of her imaginative ramblings, but it definitely got better).  I am excited to read the rest of the series!

Book #3: The Five Love Languages

The 5th book I read for the list was The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman:

This book was given to us as a wedding present by my uncle and his wife (Thanks Ben and Karen!), and since I heard so many great things about it, I was really excited to read it.  Unfortunately life and law school got in the way and it sat on my shelf for a couple of years.  Once we moved to Texas (and I had mass amounts of free time) I was able to finally pick it up.

It was a really excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone that is in a relationship or has kids (I think they also have a single person's version).  In fact, I may now make it a staple gift when I go to weddings!

It was a really easy read and the insight into your relationship that it gives you is amazing.  It is written by a marriage counselor who has great stories of couples he has helped throughout the years.  The premise of the book is one that seems lost on our society now a days . . . love is a choice.  Once all of those lovey-dovey, passionate feelings die down in your relationship love becomes a choice and this book helps you see how you can choose to love your partner.

The author talks about how the ways we show love can be more or less broken down into five love languages: (1) words of affirmation (2) acts of service (3) giving and receiving gifts (4) physical touch and (5) quality time.  Each person speaks and receives love differently, and these five love languages help partners learn how their partner receives love, and how they can express that love to them.  I am equally an "acts of service" and "words of affirmation" (although, unlike some, none of them were super high, they were all floating around equal, with these two being the highest).  You can take the test to find out what you are here.  

It was so funny to read the chapter on my "languages,"  so much of it described me to a T.  The author also discusses how there are different "dialects" to each language.  For example, the words of affirmation that I appreciate are encouraging words.  While other people may desire kind words.  It is very interesting the way he breaks it down.

Okay, all of that to say, this was an excellent book to read and I highly recommend it!

Done #8: Pass the Texas Bar

Well folks, the results are in, and luckily for me (and my summer plans) they are good!

See that???  That is my name on the pass list :)  The little asterisk means that I haven't graduated yet.  What's that, I passed the bar before graduating?!?  Oh yes I did *pats self on back*

Once I graduate my school will send a certificate to the Board of Law Examiners and then I will be able to go to any judge or justice of the peace to be sworn in.  Then I will be officially licensed.

What does this mean for me, besides the fact that it fulfills something on the list?  Well, it means that I can officially rest easy knowing I will never have to study like that again.  The intensity and time that studying for law school and the bar took was enough to run me ragged and I feel grateful that that period in my life is over . . . forever.

Whether I decide to take on a legal job or not, I can rest easy knowing that I not only completed law school, but I completed the licensing requirements as well.

And just for fun . . .

Only 58.60% of out-of-staters passed.  That tells you how hard it was!

allergy elimination diet fail . . . sort of

Well this week (Jan. 15-21 2012) I added chicken, which was awesome! I cooked some up in a crock pot and ate it like it was going out of style. Symptoms were . . . still the same. At this point I was getting really frustrated. How was I supposed to figure out what foods affected me if I never had symptom relief??

But, I continued on. Adding sugar and soy. I was able to eat a modified meal at noodles and co. (they have rice noodles!) and it was super yummy! I also got a bubble tea (the bobas have sugar) and it was super yummy (I got two in one trip to the MOA). Symptoms were . . . still the same.

I went to a party on Saturday night were I was tortured with BBQ wings and cupcakes. But I stayed strong and ordered some plain chicken and a plain salad. On our way home, I expressed my frustration with the diet to Jill.  I was hoping that surely by now I would be feeling great and that the feeling great would be my motivation to stick with the diet. However, I wasn't feeling great. In fact, my body was reacting the same as it was before the diet (albeit better than the first week with caffeine withdrawal and massive legume overload). But I also expressed my concern with not finishing the diet to completion. I didn't want to fail.

Jill, being the awesome best friend that she is, reminded me that I was doing the list for myself. Once the elimination diet was no longer helpful to me, stopping wouldn't be failing, because the goal was to help me. I pondered this after I dropped her off. When I got home I did some research. I tried to stick to good medical sites (you know how the internet can be) and I found some really helpful information.

I had previously been casually diagnosed with a condition when the doctors could no longer explain my symptoms. I took this with a grain of salt, because it is a syndrome (aka not a lot of science to back it up). While not life threatening, the syndrome explained my symptoms perfectly, but so did a lot of other things (for example, food allergies or sensitivities). Well, low and behold, one of the reasons why symptoms don't subside on an allergy elimination diet is if the person has that syndrome. With that I knew that I was on to something.

After more research I found that the syndrome is not at all caused by food or inflammation from food, and has more to do with the chemical reactions in your body. It can be caused by stress, hormones, etc. But it has more to do with your nerves than food. Now, certain foods can make symptoms worse, such as legumes and caffeine (aha, now I knew I was on to something). Also, one medication that is used to help symptoms is my previous tension headache medication (because it relieves stress). The time I went off of my medication lined up with the time when I started noticing my symptoms had worsened.

So my casual diagnosis turned legitimate in my mind (and my husband gloated because he always thought my symptoms were caused by stress). And with that, I felt justified in quitting the allergy elimination diet. The next day I grabbed some pizza at target and ate some chocolate and greek yogurt (yum!). My quitting was justified when my symptoms remained the same after I started eating everything again.

So, if completing the allergy elimination diet was how my success was measured than I failed. If figuring out why I have my symptoms is the measure of success (which I think it is!) then I succeeded. Now I know how to better manage my symptoms (less caffeine, NO legumes, no artificial sugar, and stress management, which I am constantly working on), which I think is a win.

#1 on the list complete!

*disclaimer: I don't want to share the actual syndrome for the world wide web to know, but for enquiring minds, it is (as I said earlier) NOT life threatening or harmful to my body, just inconvenient to me*

allergy elimination diet week 2

Well this week was similar to last. Same foods are allowed. I didn't have any trouble eating the required foods (or more importantly, not eating the forbidden foods), but the trouble was, my symptoms stayed the same.

I didn't have the caffeine withdrawal problems, but the symptoms that I am trying to decipher were still present, and this was a little bit frustrating to me. I decided to continue to stick with it, hoping that by the end of the week the symptoms would get better. However, they did not. I am a bit perplexed, but I think I will start adding in neutral foods next week. (for reference, most people see relief in symptoms within 3-5 days, 8 days at the most.)

The break down of this week:

What I learned: Nothing new compared to last week. Symptoms are better now that I am off legumes, but still not at 100%, or even 75%.

What I craved: Bubble tea! For some reason I just really wanted some. Good thing I can add sugar next week and then I can go and get some herbal bubble tea!

Best Food: Cashew pancakes are still my favorite and a daily staple. However I am also loving the smoothie concoctions I have been coming up with. The best so far: frozen strawberries, frozen mango, fresh spinach, pomegranate juice, and almond butter. YUM!

Next week comes chicken, sugar, and soy!

Book #2: A Game of Thrones

The second new book I read was one that I had heard about from my friend Cassie (yup, same one who lent me Divergent, we have similar taste!) and from Chris. Now having Cassie recommend it was enough for me to read it, but a book that my husband (who is not a reader at all) was interested in was surely something I had to look into.

So while we were on our cruise I used the kindle app on my phone to read the book that Chris had bought, A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. It is the first of a series called A Song of Ice and Fire.

via (no you can't actually click to look inside, but the pic from amazon was the only one I could find)

It was a good one, although different than the books I usually read. A medieval fantasy adventure with a lot of fighting, drama, and love. Although an incredibly well-written book, it isn't one that everyone would love. The fighting is gory and every detail is vivid. Characters you love die and horrible things happen to children, that well, shouldn't. But, if you enjoy a well written story and are looking for a book that will pull you in and keep you interested every step of the way then this series is for you.

I'm excited to read the rest of the series eventually, but right now I've got a couple of other books I want to get to.

Now i've finished 2/30 . . . 28 to go.

Update: #8 Pass the Texas Bar

Well I don't know if I passed yet, but one thing I do know for sure, I completed the Texas Bar Exam.

I endured 2 months of intense studying which may or may not have included: multiple emotional breakdowns, numerous stress eating trips to the grocery store/burger king/whatever I was craving, and a couple pounds of weight gain.

However it also included an awesome bar survival kit from Jill:

The best part:

(you can read more about the kit, and "alphaing" here)

Then I flew to Texas to take the bar exam.

I stayed in a hotel right next to the convention center, which was a huge sanity saver (our rental house was about 45 minutes away without traffic). Each morning I woke up early and started my day with caffeine and more protein than any person should ever have to consume in one sitting:

The protein consumption was worth it. I was never once distracted by hunger (which was the goal).

I would be lying if I didn't tell you that it was 3 days of horrible. I would also be lying if I told you that I just breezed in, took the test, and breezed out. I was a stressed out mess.

2 days before the exam we had eaten dinner with Phil and Jill. Phil had told me about how in his college running days they would have big races. And before those big races they would sit around and say:

"What are we going to do?"

"We are going to complete the race."

It takes the stress and pressure off of winning or beating someone. You just have to focus on completing it. And this was how I got through those stressed out mess moments. I would say in my head, "you just need to complete today's exam." No need to focus on passing, just complete it.

And that is just what I did, completed the exam :)

A quick rundown of the days:

Day 1: Practical Test (they give you a practice senario and you have to write a memo about it), and Texas Civil Procedure and Evidence short answer test (40 questions with 5 lines following each for you to answer in). This was by far my best day, or at least that was how it felt. I felt really good about the practical, and pretty good about the short answer. The only bummer is that this day only counts for 20%

Day 2: Multi-State Multiple Choice Exam. 3 hours to answer 100 questions in the morning, and 3 hours to answer 100 questions in the afternoon. It was really hard, and I didn't feel great about it, but I feel like I performed at a passing level. Counts for 40%

Day 3: Texas Essays. 3 hours to do 6 essays in the morning and 3 hours to do 6 essays in the afternoon. This day was BRUTAL. I felt decently prepared for it when I walked in, but the more questions I read, the worse I felt about it. They asked about little nuanced things some of which I didn't know. Luckily BarBri (my prep course) had prepared me for making up answers, and I made up some awesome answers like a boss :) Counts for 40% (unfortunately)

Results don't come out until summer. I'm not super confident that I passed, because those Texas Essays were brutal. But you never know, the reality is that you only have to pass and I am hoping that the other days might balance out my horrible day. Either way, until the results come out I am hoping for the best!

Allergy Elimination Diet Week 1

I decided to start the allergy elimination diet on Jan. 2, 2012 for a couple of reasons. First, I was just going to be studying for the bar. No work, no school (except for a week long j-term class) no where to be. This meant that the eating restrictions would be easier because I wouldn't be out and about. Second, Chris would be in Texas. He wouldn't have to live with all of my crazy restrictions, and i wouldn't have to be tempted by his yummy food.

So on Jan. 2 I headed to target and whole foods and stocked my pantry with phase 1 eliminating foods.

look at all that fruit, yum!

The first week is supposed to be pretty rough. your body is detoxing chemicals and caffeine and that isn't always pleasant. Safe to say my body had a lot of detoxing to do. The caffeine withdrawal was awful! i had an almost constant headache for about 4 days. The withdrawal peaked on day 3 ( mid-point of my j-term class, fun!) with really bad nausea and a headache. but by day 5 I was back to normal headache and nausea wise. The symptoms i was attempting to figure out through the diet, however, were still present throughout the week. i am hoping they will get better next week.

what i learned: legumes and my stomach do not mix. i had to switch to nuts and lamb as my primary proteins because the mass amounts of legumes were tearing up my stomach. I definitely noticed the difference once i switched. Also, living without bread isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I also learned what a caffeine headache feels like. As some one with chronic headaches, this was very helpful. i would guess that 1/4 of my headaches could be cured with a coke, good to know.

what i craved: Pizza! on the horrible day of caffeine withdrawal Jill heated up some pizza for lunch and my first craving hit me hard. My rice pasta and salad just didn't compare! Then i was at target later in the week and smelled the pizza at the cafe and had to get out of there quick!

best food: cashew pancakes: ground cashews, rice flour, water, and oil. the texture is just like pancakes and they taste super yummy.

Done: #7. Move to Texas

It's official, we have moved to Texas! I am writing this blog post from our rental house in Plano, TX (A northern suburb of Dallas). Last night, as Chris and I lounged by the pool watching Arty swim we marveled at the fact that we were here, in Texas, living the dream.

We set a goal for ourselves: move to Texas this year. And here we sit, having completed that goal and so proud of ourselves for doing so!

So here are some pictures of our journey down south:

It all started with one box

And then it magically turned into 200 boxes. Or I slaved away at packing 200 boxes (with some help of course . . .)

Seriously, do we really have that much stuff !?!?!? Yes, yes we do. I can't help it, I like my stuff. (it is important to note that this is after we purged a giant dumpster full of stuff last summer . . . what can we say, we will never be minimalists)

Then the lovely orange truck came and picked up our stuff:

Yeah, we decided to get movers. Why? Well have you ever seen our bed? It weighs thousands of pounds, and that is just the mattress! Plus, who wants to drive a giant truck filled with 7,400 pounds (yup, that was our final count) of Larson stuff 1000 miles? Not us.

So we just drove our car, and D'artagnan

(Note: Arty and Chris's car had already made the trip in January when Chris started working)

The drive, even minus the stuff, was not easy. Mostly because we drove through this

and even better, this

Yeah, see that blue dot? It was us. See the red "line" of horrible rain? That was our path. Not fun, not fun at all! But we made it safe and sound, and two days later, so did our stuff

So there you have it, our moving journey in pictures. And my first item to officially cross off the list!

Book #1: Divergent

Well I read my first new book for the list, and it was a good one.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My friend Cassie, who likes the same types of books as I do, had borrowed it to me last summer and I wanted to make sure I finished it before we moved, so it was the first book I read while we were on our post-bar cruise.

Here is how the author describes the book on her blog:

"In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her."

via

As for me, I really liked it. It was no Harry Potter or Hunger Games, but it was a really good story intertwined with a really good romance. There was some action, some suspense, and some sweet and tender moments. Which to me has all of the makings of a good book. The story was also written really well, making it a pretty easy read. All in all I would recommend it, especially if you like the Hunger Games/Eragon type books. The next book in the Trilogy comes out this Spring and I am super excited to read it as well!

1 down . . . 29 to go!

30. Digially scan Chris and I's childhood photos, print them in a book

Finally, #30. Writing these posts has definitely been a bit brutal. I started them in November, and did a good chunk then. Then finals came and I didn't have time. Then I started up again in January, attempting to take a daily break from bar studying to watch Grey's Anatomy and write some posts, but then I quickly got too busy with the bar and stopped. The last batch was done during and after our big move (which I will post more on later . . .) so that is why they were so sporadic. But now, they are finally done and I can get to the fun stuff, completing the list. While writing these was kind of a pain in the butt, I think having them to look back on will be great so I can remember why I choose each one! So with out further ado . . .

#30. Digially scan Chris and I's childhood photos, print them in a book

This one sounds hard, but it won't be that bad. The various deal sites (think Groupon/Living Social) are always having great deals where you can pay $20-40 to send in 1000 printed photos and the company will digitize them for you. The hard part will be tracking down the photos.

The reason I want to do this is because (as you can probably tell by the last 3) I love photos. I hope for my house to always be filled with may photos of my family and friends and all of the memories that we share together. I think it would be nice to digitize the old photos, not only so I can use them throughout my house without worrying about ruining the originals, but also so my, bound to be curious, future children can look at them down the road to see what mom and dad looked like.

The plan is to scope out the deal sites until one of these deals comes up. Then I will try and get my hands on all the photos (from my mom and Chris's dad) so that they can all be digitized!

So there you have it, all 30 of them. Here's to completing them by the time I'm 30 . . . let the adventures begin!!

29. Digital scrapbook every year and print out the pages into books

This one will be pretty easy. I used to love paper scrapbooking, but never had the time or resources to make them look as good as my perfectionist self wanted them to be. Enter the digital era. Now they have digital scrapbooking where you can do just about everything you can with paper, but it is so much easier! If you don't like the color, you can change it with the click of a button. If you want a different background just go into the background and pick a different one. Digital scrapbooking also means not having to print and then cut up all of the digital photos.

I have this software that I bought last year:

So far I love it! Last winter I worked on (and almost completed) all of 2010. My hope is to catch up by doing 2011 and then one book with 2007-2009 (which will likely be less detailed). Then I hope to make time about 4 times per year to scrapbook the last season. I think getting in this habit will hopefully allow me to continue scrapbooking even after I turn 30. Then I can have beautiful picture books to look back on one day.

28. Buy a DSLR camera and learn how to use it

This one is one of my favorite on the list. I have always loved having cameras, and my parents never failed to give in to my ever-growing camera wish list every Christmas. I had a really nice SLR for a while, then came the digital age and I had a GIANT digital camera with something like 2 or 3 pathetic megapixels. After that I continuously got better and better point and shoot cameras. I liked them for their portability and I felt like I took more photos with them because they were easy to carry with me.

Enter the cell phone camera era. I waited and waited to upgrade my iPhone until it had the much promised better camera, and then it came out. The iPhone 4s with an 8 megapixel camera, and I bought it immediately. I haven't used my point and shoot since.

So I think it is time to enter the world of the DSLR. I think with the new stage in Chris and I's life we will be wanting to take more nice pictures, so it will be nice to have one around.

But the most important part of this one . . . learn how to use it. I don't want to be using the manual settings and taking normal pictures, that is what my iPhone is for. No, I want to take some classes or read some books and actually learn how to use it. That way, I can have beautiful pictures to capture all of the memories.

Now I just need to save up for the big purchase . . .

27. Complete 5 pinterest DIY projects

Ah, pinterest. What would I do without it?? It is like my file of great ideas that I hope to do/make/have one day.

However, if I never do/make/have anything that I have pinned, then I will have wasted half of my life away on pinterest for no reason.

So my hope is to to do at least 5 of the DIY projects I have pinned within the next four years. Hopefully I will do more, but you have to start somewhere . . .

26. Find 10 delicious freezer meals

When I was busy in law school I was always looking for quick meals to make. I kept reading on blogs about how freezer meals were the way to go for quick and easy meals, but I just didn't have the time and energy to devote to researching good meals and finding some that worked for Chris and I.

Well now that I am done with law school and will have a little bit of time on my hands while I will be job searching, I hope to find some good freezer meals that will work for Chris and I. That way when we hit our next busy season (both of us working + kids is bound to be busy) I will be ready with an arsenal of freezer meals.

25. Play halo with Chris, and try to enjoy it

When my husband and I met he wasn't a "gamer." He didn't have any game consoles nor any interest in obtaining any. Then we got married, and he stayed the same. Why game when you can play in the garage with tools and wires?

Enter my best friend Jill, and her husband Phil. You see Phil and Jill are gamers. They play all sorts of games, but they especially love halo (they call their x-box the halo machine . . .) So one night when we were bored at their house they brought out the halo machine and we all played. It was super fun (minus my less than ideal playing ability). After that, Chris was hooked.

The next day we went out and bought our own halo machine. And while Chris's love for halo continued to grow (he got really good at it!) I was not as much of a fan. I preferred playing Lego Star Wars (aka any game that takes no skill). Mostly because I am really horrible at games that require skill. In fact, I am so bad a halo that when the four of us play together they have special "laura" rules, like you can only kill me with a certain gun after the game is half way over. Yeah, I'm that bad.

But Chris enjoys the game so much, and so do Jill and Phil. So I would love to get better at it so I can play with them and enjoy it as well. But getting better requires playing. So that is why I put this on the list, I need to play and try to enjoy it, in hopes of actually getting good and having fun :)

24. Go without technology for a week (computer, phone, television, etc . . .)

Oh technology, what would I do without it? I can't remember the last time I didn't wake up and

check my e-mail, blogs, and Facebook. And then check it again an hour later, and so on and so forth throughout the day.

I think sometimes we get so consumed with technology that we forget that there are other things to do. Walks to be taken, books to be read, people to be met.

So with that, I am going to spend at least one day in the next four years (if not more) without any technology. And then I am going to subsequently blog about . . . oh the irony :)

23. Spend a day without doing anything productive

Two words could easily describe me: busy body :) I always have to have something productive to do, or I go crazy (and drive my husband crazy). So I always fill my days with things to do. Lists and projects and other things to fill my days. Chris is constantly trying to teach my how to just relax, so that I won't fill our entire weekend with things to do. So in an effort to try and learn to relax, and just be, I would like to spend an entire day doing nothing productive. I can read books and watch movies, and do whatever I want (so long as it is not something that would ever be on my to-do list!)

22. See a play at a small community theater

Chris and I love going to plays. He took me to my first one for my birthday one year and I have been hooked ever since.

We try and see one traveling broadway play a year, and when we lived in Minnesota, we went to the Guthrie a lot.

However, I have always wanted to go to small community play. I always think it sounds like fun, but I never make a point to seek one out. So I put it on the list to force me to find a good one for us to see. Who knows, maybe we will like it so much we will start going to more!

21. Find a new disc golf course in Texas

I seem to be finding a theme with my list.

Something I love and used to do a lot (disc golf)

But life has gotten in the way and I no longer do it (I blame law school).

Since we are now in a new location I think a good way to get myself back into playing disc golf would be to search out a new favorite disc golf course.

I think this is the one I will have us try first, it looks like lots of fun!

20. Go surfing again

I've only been surfing a total of three times in my entire life. The first time I didn't get up. The second time I took professional lessons and got up a ton of times (with the help of my instructor). The third time I rented a board and went out on my own and got up twice by myself. Each time (even the failed first time) I loved it.

I think it is the mixture of being in the ocean (I have always loved the water) and doing a sport where I can be competitive with myself (can I get up? how long can I stay up?) that makes me love it.

Since it has been a while since I surfed I put it on the list so I would be forced to search out a board rental and go again.

Looks like the list is going to be bringing us to the beach a lot, yay!

19. Canoe 2 new rivers/creeks with Chris and the puppies

Chris and I used to canoe a lot when we were dating, and we really enjoyed it. Then life got busy and we weren't able to do it as much.

However, last summer we decided to take the puppies out canoeing for a fun family adventure (and to try and wear Arty out, because he loves to swim!) We drove out to the St. Croix and set out. We were shocked at how much Arty swam. We kept pulling him into the boat and he would just jump back out and keep swimming next to us. He would head to shore and run a little, and then swim some more. I would say that he swam for about half of our 12 mile trip, it was crazy, and awesome!

Despite running into some crazy headwinds that made for a grueling last half of our trip, we still had lots of fun. So I put this one on the list because I would love for us to go on more adventures like this in the next couple of years.

18. Try stand up paddle boarding

This one has been on my "bucket list" for some time now. I love the water and I love surfing, so I think that stand-up paddle boarding would be really fun, especially on the ocean!

Hopefully Chris and I's new location will make beach weekends a regular thing so I will have more opportunities to try.

17. Conquer a mountain

I'm not exactly the outdoorsy type. I HATE camping. Sleeping on the ground while drenched in sweat because you are unable to shower, no thank you! However, I do enjoy a good hike. I'm always up for an adventurous day in the fresh air . . . so long as a good shower and a bed are waiting for me at the end of the day :)

However, I feel like I haven't been on a good, mountain-climbing hike in a really long time. The last one I can remember is the backpacking trip to Michigan that I took in 10th grade!

So with that in mind #17 came into being. It's time for me to go on a good mountain conquering hike again!

16. Take a Trip with my Dad

My dad and I are a lot alike in many ways. One thing we both enjoy is a good trip to a museum. We can wander with the best of them, reading up on every bit of history that can be taken in. This makes us good traveling buddies. While my sister always wanted to hang out in the sun and go shopping, my dad and I were always up for a good museum . . . or adventure to the Grand Canyon (that's not to say I don't enjoy shopping and sun with the best of them!)

Our most resent trip was a really awesome trip to New York. We wandered around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Took the subway from our Queens hotel to hang out in the beautiful Botanical Gardens. We even ate dinner at a fancy restaurant where I met Harold from Top Chef (he was always my favorite . . . I may have had a little crush on him :)). It was such a fun time, just hanging out with my dad and seeing the sights.

Since it has been 4 years since that trip, I wanted to make it a point to go on another in the next four years. I think #12 (Washington D.C.) would be an excellent one for us, but we shall see where we end up.

15. Visit old friends (Kentucky or Oklahoma)

Growing up we move a lot. I was born in Tulsa, OK only to move to Lexington, KY when I was 5. Three houses later we headed back to OK when I was 10. Then at the age of 12, and two houses later, we headed up to Minnesota where we stayed for a while (in one house, thank goodness). Then I went back to KY for my first year of college. Safe to say I made a lot of good friends along the way. Some were pen pals for a while, but as I got older, and life got busier, Facebook became the only way I stayed connected to them (thank goodness for Facebook).

In comes #15. I would love to head back to either Oklahoma or Kentucky and reconnect. Whether it be Jennifer and Jamie Hall in OK or Natalie and Mallory in KY, I want to make it a point to head back and reconnect.

#14 Go to Harry Potter World in Florida

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a Potter fanatic. Well, not a dress up like Hermione for the premiere fanatic. But a fanatic who has read the books, that were delivered to her door on release day, countless numbers of times; listened to the audio books (Jim Dale version is the only way to go) at least twice; and went to the midnight showing of every movie (yes, all 8 of them).

Ever since my mom handed me the first book, that was given to my brother for his birthday I think?, (Thanks Judie!!) on a summer day i was complaining of boredom, I have been taken by the world created by J.K. Rowling. It is one of the few books I can get lost in over and over again.

So it seems only fitting that I take a trip to Hogwarts Castle. I'll try some butter beer, visit honey dukes, and probably buy a wand at Olivanders. Just thinking about it makes me feel giddy like a school girl . . . I can't wait!

#13 Visit 2 National Parks

Chris and I love the great outdoors and spending time hiking, canoeing, and exploring (although my friends will attest to the fact that I do NOT camp, under any circumstances, my day in the great outdoors better end with a real shower either at my house or in a hotel :)). We have always tried to spend the Minnesota summers exploring the parks and lakes that Minnesota has to offer. But I think it is time to branch out, especially with our pending move to Texas. So I would like to visit at least two national parks in the next four years. Some ideas: Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon, or really any on this list would be excellent.

#12 Visit Washington D.C., tour the Supreme Court

I am one of those people who loves history filled vacations. Unlike my sister, I got my dad's genes when it comes to loving museums and history. So I find it kind of funny that I have never been to Washington D.C. I would love to go and tour around everything, there is so much history there that it would be super fun. Part of that includes touring the Supreme Court. Last time my dad visited Washington D.C. for work he brought me back a Supreme Court coffee table book and some super awesome prints. It looks very cool. Plus, the reason I went to law school is that I wanted to be a judge, so that makes it even cooler! I can't wait to take a trip out to D.C. and tour the sites!

#11 Visit the Town My Grandma is From in Mexico

If you didn't know, now you do: My grandma is a first generation American, which I think is pretty cool. I think it would be so much fun to go and visit the town where my grandma grew up in Mexico, especially after I get better at speaking Spanish. So sometime in the next 4 years I want to gather up my mom and grandma and head on down to see a piece of my history.

#10 Take a European Cross-Contental Cruise with Chris

Chris and I have talked about this one for a while now. For our 5 year aniversary we want to go on a two week European cruise that starts in Italy and ends in Florida. Now we might find a different or better cruise by the time we decide it is time to go, but the goal of this one is to take a BIG vacation somewhere out of the country.

#9 Have My First Post-Graduate Degree Required Job

This one is also pretty self explanatory. It's time for me to grow up and get a big girl job!

Now to be more specific it just has to be degree required, that doesn't mean it has to be a lawyer job. It just can't be caribou or starbucks :).

I'm more than okay with being flexible in trying to find my career path, especially in this economy. I might have to get creative in finding what I want to do, but by the time i'm 30 I would like to have found something.

#8 Pass the Texas Bar

The big test that will officially make me a lawyer, the last obstacle standing between me and being done with school for forever, the bar. Three days of lawyer torture where I have to know 12+ subjects, fill out 200 multiple choice questions in 6 hours and 12 essay questions in 6 hours. It isn't your mothers licensure exam! But the nice thing is, I just have to pass. So hopefully I only have to take it once, but even if I have to take it more than once, by the time I'm 30, I better have passed the Texas bar exam!

#7 Move to Texas

Ever since my dad moved us up north when I was 12, I have always dreamed of moving to a warmer climate. Me and the MN winters just do not go well together. Luckily, Chris spent a year living in Oakland, and his MN born and bred self learned the awesomness of warmer climates. So with that, we decided that after I was finished with law school we would head to a warmer climate. After doing some research about economies and living conditions we had settled on either Austin,TX or California. The cost of living innn California didn't quite match up with our goals (aka any house we would ever be able to afford would be TINY and we would be spending way too much of our income on it for our liking) so we settled on Texas. We later were convinced by our good friends Phil and Jill that we should move to Dallas instead, because that was where they were moving. It also turns out that Dallas is a much larger city and therefore would have more job prospects for us. So we decided on Dallas.

On our aniversary last year we discussed our goals for the next year. Chris and I are both looking at job changes and we had to decide what was more important to us: waiting around until we found our perfect jobs in Texas and then move, or look for any job just so we could get down to Texas. We decided that getting to Texas was more important than getting the perfect job right now. We knew that if we didn't go now, we would be perpetually stuck in MN. So in November, when I was coming up with this list, I put moving to Texas on there.

Now, as I am writing this in mid-Jan, Chris is in Texas having started his new job on Jan. 3rd! It only took him a couple of weeks to find a job, oh to be an engineer. It ended up being an excellent job where he will be able to use his old skills while developing the new ones that he has been working on, so it looks like we get the best of both worlds. Moving to Texas, and an awesome job for Chris! More pics to follow of the whole moving process and our new rental house in Texas!!

First item on the list almost fulfilled!

#6 Read 30 New Books

This one is pretty self explanatory being that I have always been an avid reader. Now that I will no longer be tied down to law books (after I take the bar in March) I want to make sure to read lots of books. 30 shouldn't be so hard because it only averages out to about 7-8 books per year over 4 years. But they key is, they have to be new books. Reading Harry Potter for the ninth time doesnt count :)

#5 Volunteer with at-risk kids again

Before I started law school I was always volunteering with kids. At the YMCA, at the crisis nursery, at the church nursery, etc.

Enter law school and anything that wasn't necessary fell by the wayside.

But I don't want to spend the rest of my life being too busy to help people, and since I enjoy helping kids, that is the population I choose for the list. I think it would be fun to do some pro bono law work with a children's law center or something like that. That way, I can use my degree and help kids.

Laura

#4 Become (basically) fluent in Spanish

Oh Spanish . . . in high school I hated you. Refusing to learn more than I had to in 9th and 10th grade, I quickly forgot everything but the few sentences I had been taught in 3rd grade Spanish class. The I went to college and realized the amazingness that knowing you could bring. You were a piece of my heritage, a way to get me closer to my roots, and I longed to know you. Alas, my "I will pay for my last three years of college in cash," hardworking self refused to take a Spanish language course because of lack of time and wanting to graduate early. So there I was, 16 years of school under my belt and no foreign language to show for it.

But my desire to know Spanish did not diminish. I bought a number of at home study courses, but never really followed through with them. I also spent 6 weeks in Spain taking language course. While I am now somewhat conversational, I still want more.

So the plan is to finally use all of those at home study courses. Once those are complete we are going to buy Rosetta Stone and do the whole program. Once I feel like I've got a good set of knowledge under my belt we will make a trip to some non-touristy Spanish speaking area where I can practice my new skills. Hopefully by the end of this I will be able to speak, read, and write a whole lot better.

Then when I send my kids to Spanish immersion school I can keep up with their skills :)

#3 Get in Shape (noticeable abs) and stay that way for one month

I'm not a huge health nut, in the sense that I am not obsessed with being super in shape or being super skinny. I think that being healthy is important, and that requires some working out and eating the right foods. However, being super in shape requires ALOT of working out, and that is not something that I am usually willing to do. As long as I am healthy I am happy.

However, I thought it would be interesting to get in the best shape of my life once. Just so I can see what it is like.

So that is where #3 comes from. I added the noticeable abs, because those are likely going to be the last thing that comes on my body (it is the first place I gain weight), so once I see those I am likely in great shape. Staying that way for one month will allow me to see the real fruits of my labor.

Will I like it so much that I will want to stay that way for the rest of my life? Probably not (and even if so, I enjoy life too much to work out that much for the rest of my life). But it should be fun, or not?

#2 Run a 5k with Jill

Back at the end of our first year of law school Jill and I began training for a 5k. We ran 1 5k that summer (see a recap here) and then two more in the fall. Our goal was to run one in under 30 minutes, and we achieved that goal by our last 5k in the fall (28.5 minutes or something like that).

I would love to get back in shape again to be able to run a 5k. To all of the runners out there, it doesn't seem like much, but to me it is a huge accomplishment.

So this one is pretty simple.

Jill and I need to train again (spending the time chatting together is half of the fun!) and run a 5k.

#1 Allergy Elimination Diet

To those who know me and my health issues, this one is pretty obvious. I've always had a sensitive stomach. When I was little I was allergic to milk, eggs, and wheat. Eventually I grew out of the full blown allergies (THANK GOODNESS), but my stomach is still pretty sensitive.

I am prone to gastro intestinal issues, and while I have guesses as to what makes my stomach angry (too much dairy + too much wheat), I would love to know for sure.

Enter the Allergy Elimination Diet.

4-6 weeks of hardcore food eliminating. You start with the basics for at least 1 week and until you have no symptoms. Allowed:

• Grain: Rice (no wild rice), quinoa
• Fruit: All except citrus
• Veggies: All except tomato, peppers, corn, potato, eggplant
• Protein: Lamb and wild game, all nuts, beans and legumes except soy and peanuts
• Sweetners: pure maple syrup and brown rice syrup
• Oil: all except peanut, corn and soybean
• beverage: water (carbonated included, yes!), pure juice (no citrus), rice milk, herbal tea

Then you add one food at a time, and you add a lot of it, for three days (or until symptoms appear).

My add in groups

• citrus fruit
• peppers/tomato/eggplant
• potatoes
• corn/corn oil
• peanuts/peanut oil
• turkey
• chicken
• beef
• pork
• egg
• tea
• cream of wheat
• cheese
• bread (with yeast)
• milk
• sugar
• pop
• fried food

It will be interesting to see what comes of it. Although I am REALLY hoping wheat doesn't affect me . . . cause I am a bread addict :)

Laura

30 Before 30: The List

Well I've jumped on the bandwagon, but I think it's a good one to jump on. I've made a list of 30 things I would like to do before I turn 30. And now, on my 26th birthday, I am declaring my list to the blogging world.

The purpose of this blog is for me to have a chance to journal about the journeys that the list takes me and my family on. I don't plan on posting regularly. Only when something interesting to the list happens. At the end of the journey (1/30/2016) I plan on printing the blog out into a book, so I can always remember the last four years of my twenties.

So without further ado . . .

30 before 30

1. Do the allergy elimination diet
2. Run a 5k with Jill
3. Get in shape (noticeable ab muscles) and stay that way for one month
4. Become (basically) fluent in Spanish
5. Volunteer with at-risk kids again
6. Read 30 New Books
7. Move to Texas
8. Pass the Texas Bar
9. Have my first post-graduate, degree required, job
10. Take a European/Cross-Conteniental cruise with Chris
11. Visit the town my grandma is from in Mexico
12. Visit Washington D.C., tour the Supreme Court
13. Visit 2 national parks
14. Go to Harry Potter world in Florida
15. Visit old friends (Kentucky or Oklahoma)
16. Take a trip with my dad
17. Conquer a mountain
18. Try stand up paddle boarding
19. Canoe 2 new rivers/creeks with Chris and the puppies
20. Go surfing again
21. See a play at a small community theater
22. Spend a day without doing anything productive
23. Go without technology for a week (computer, phone, television, etc . . .)
24. Play halo with Chris, and try to enjoy it
25. Find 10 delicious freezer meals
26. Complete 5 pinterest DIY projects
27. Buy a DSLR camera, and learn how to use it
28. Digital scrapbook every year and print out the pages into books
29. Digitally scan Chris and I's childhood photos, print a book
30. Find a new favorite disc golf course in Texas

So there it is. Posts on each item and why I chose it to follow.

Laura

Note: I wrote this post and those that follow in Nov./Dec. of 2011 and Jan. 2012 because as you read this I am studying so that #8 can happen after only one test.