"Today was a Fairytale"

I woke up this morning thinking that today was going to be a continuation of Sunday night and a bad mood.  This feeling was furthered by discovering that my pearl had separated from my earring post for the second time this year.

Then, the day made a 180 degree turn for the better.  I had my first hearing for a client today, and, despite a few surprise questions/instructions from the judge, it went really well.  I was really excited to be in court doing real lawyer things, especially given the alternative of filling in scantrons for bar study or watching another three hour lecture.  After the hearing, I had a nice drive back to Champaign with my supervising attorney, who always seems to add a little sparkle to my day, and then we went to lunch with some visitors from the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI).

The rest of the day seemed to go by really quickly.  I left the office a little early, came home, took care of some things around the apartment, and then caught up with some of my very favorite people--VS, DdW, JS, and JR.

All of the above makes me realize how lucky I am.  During one of those conversations, a friend told me that I sounded really happy, and, the truth is, I am.  There are definitely things that could be better (read: hip and bar studying), but, all in all, life is really really good.  I'm looking forward to this next chapter in life post-law school and all of the people who have found it worthwhile to be a part of the crazy journey--the weight loss, the weight gain, the emotional ups and downs, and now this.

I think the posts will likely slow down in the coming weeks as the bar approaches, but I hope y'all will forgive me for that. :)

Besito,
A

"Falling from Cloud Nine"

September 5.  That's the day I go under the knife for my right hip.  As the title of this entry implies, setting the date of my surgery made it real for the first time.  Until now, it's been a distant future plan, but, with a series of pre- and post-operative appointments and the date for the surgery itself, there's something in me that's changed.  Each time my hip has hurt today, I've smiled awkwardly.  My reaction likely is an expression of my joy at the very notion that, although I have to suffer with this for another 81 days, I am getting closer to my eventual recovery.  Reading over my old posts, it's clear to me that much of my despair had to do with the uncertainty of if/when I would ever recover.  Now, even after reading all of the literature and blogs on the topic, I know that there is a solution, even if feeling normal may take a while.  The projections of doctors and the anecdotes of FAI patients suggest that I will return to normal about 6 months after the surgery--which would be February.  I am incredibly hopeful, slightly nervous, and mostly excited to give it a try.  From my readings, the pain will likely be unbearable (expect blogs on that topic), but sometimes we have to endure the worst in order to get better.  Here's hoping.

Until then, I have the pain of bar review to enjoy.  Not.

Beso,
Alyse

"You say it best when you say nothing at all"

Recently, people keep asking me why I'm doing my fellowship or how I can be this crazy.  My response, however, is pretty standard at this point--this fellowship is a great opportunity to help others while helping myself, by being exposed to people different from myself and by gaining valuable experience practicing law.  My interactions with clients this week have really reaffirmed how awesome it is.  Of course, balancing bar studies is a little challenging, but I feel like the fellowship is also keeping me on my game because I don't have time to just hang out.  While this is a sacrifice, it's a worthy one.  In a selfish way, I feel like I'm getting the better end of the bargain because I gain more from serving my clients than I would from shopping, chilling by the pool, etc.  The clients are so incredibly grateful, even when the news isn't good. It's just an unreal kind of relationship they have with their lawyers and with Land of Lincoln as an organization.  As a result, I feel proud to have been invited to be a part of this.

Not to toot my own horn, but there is something else I've been involved with for which I feel quite proud. One of my mentors (yes, you MN) has been very active in lending money to entrepreneurs and business people in third world countries.  A few months ago, due to her fondness for Kiva, I jumped on the bandwagon.  Tonight, I decided to make my third loan.  I've focused my lending on female-owned businesses in Latin America, and I hope it has made even a marginal difference in their lives and the lives of their families/communities.  For those of you who haven't, you should really check out Kiva.org or contact me for an invite.  You can lend $25 as part of a free trial, which does not require any funding from you.  This means that the loan is free for you.  Why should you not do it?  I'm not sure honestly, unless you really think your time is that important that you can't spare two minutes to do something for someone else.  In other words, do it, and, when you do, please email, call, or otherwise contact me. :)

Well, there's another happy post.  I hope that this trend continues, and I think it just might.

Besito,
A

"I'm little drunk on you and high on summertime"

So, this is summer.  Probably the weirdest summer that I can remember, especially given that, over the past five summers, I have lived in a foreign country three times.  In that light, living in Champaign is one of the least interesting things I've done.  Add to that the bar studying, on my own and in class, and you start to have a recipe for a "meh" summer.  The aforementioned notwithstanding, this summer is off to a really interesting start.  I am doing a public interest fellowship at the legal aid office in town, and that has to be the best part of the summer so far.  The people are wonderful, especially my supervising attorney, and I have been thrown into a number of interesting assignments and cases there.  I will mainly be working on family law cases, and I am excited to have the opportunity to appear in court, especially before the judge I externed for during 2L year.  It's strange to have come full-circle in some ways--starting law school with the intention of litigating, spending most of law school focusing on transactional work, and now litigating for the summer.  Of course, that will be somewhat short-lived given that I will likely being transactional work when I start my job in October, but who knows?!?!?  The possibilities are endless.

In any case, I am looking forward to my fellowship work.  It is one of the only things that is going to keep me sane while I have so much fun studying for the bar.  On that note, I apologize if my blog becomes inactive, boring, whiney, yadda yadda yadda.  Inevitably, it will, and, when that happens, know that it is nothing personal--well, for some of you, it's personal.  Just kidding.

Until that time comes, I'm going to try to keep it interesting with updates about what I'm up to.  For now, that consists of spending way too much time reading for fun, changing my diet back to what it used to be in an effort to combat the effects of my inability to run, and running between bar study and my fellowship.  To everyone who knows me, this juggling act is a perfect way for me to stay happy...hopefully.

Besito,
A