Brrrrrrr

I think Fall is officially over in Alaska.  The weather here is so different than in the Midwest and New England. The decline in temperatures has been very steady since I arrived.  There are no warm or cold fronts.  The weather in Ohio and Vermont can be very erratic with big temperature swings.  Not so here.

The highs are in the 40s with the lows dipping down into the 20s! There hasn't been any snow yet, and I'm fine with that.  I do enjoy snow, but I HATE driving in the snow and digging my car out of the snow.  Luckily I do not live too far from work (only about a 3 minute drive).  All the leaves are off the trees and the mountain ranges are covered in snow.  I was driving home from the gym this morning and gasped because the mountains were so beautiful.  I wish I could have taken a picture to post on here, but alas I was driving.

The darkness has also set in.  When I leave for work in the morning at 7:50 it is dark.  The sun does not rise until about 8:30.  The sun sets at about 6:30.  It has been very difficult for me to wake up in the mornings on time because it is so dark.  My brain is programmed to only wake up when it is light out.

With fall over I reflected on everything I did this fall.  I'm happy about how active I've been and really taking advantage of my short time here.  This fall I...
1. Attended many work pot-lucks
2. Went bear viewing
3. Halibut fishing in the ocean
4. Hiking
5. Joined a gym and tried my first yoga, spinning, and circuit training classes
6. Saw lots of moose
7. Saw several herds of caribou
8. Saw lots of bald eagles
9. Finally finished a book I started last year (The Happiness Project)
10. Had campfires and made s'mores on the beach

This is the end of my 11th week here.  I haven't seen my family in 11 weeks, and Tim in 13 weeks.  I'm happy here, but I am starting to really miss their hugs! Never underestimate the power of a hug.  Oh, and I'm really missing our family game nights.  Wow... the laughter that comes from the room when we are playing games.  Our recent favorites are Bananagrams and The Game of Things.  I don't want to get preachy or get on my soap box, but this week maybe go out of your way to let your family and loved ones know how much they mean to you.  

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.  ~Thomas Jefferson

Inspiration

What is your latest inspiration? Who do you find inspiring?

My family has been my latest inspiration.  They have motivated me to join a gym and start working out.  My amazing sister first inspired me to get moving when she was training for the Pelotonia bike ride.  Pelotonia is a bike ride to raise money for cancer research.  She was part of her work team. I think she rode over 43 miles in her race and raise over $2,000.  All the riders from her company raised over $2 million dollars!!! This was in August and I was so sad to miss it.

Next, my mom joined a spinning class at our local community center.  I've heard that spinning is difficult and a high intensity work-out so I was very impressed that she signed up for such an intense class.  She seems to really enjoy it and get a lot out of it.

Finally, for the past couple of months Tim (my bf) has been training for his first marathon.  He was so dedicated to his training schedule and getting every run in over the past couple of months.  He successfully finished the Bank of America Chicago Marathon earlier this month under his goal time of 3:55.  I was also sad to miss this momentous occasion, but I know he is addicted to running and there will be other marathons.

So I finally got my but off the couch and joined a gym earlier this month.  The facilities are sufficient, nothing great though.  But my favorite part of the gym is all of the classes that are offered.  So far I have gone to yoga, spinning, and pilates.  Spinning is so much fun.  I give my mom credit for doing spinning because it is so challenging and face paced! It is a very good work-out though.  We like to talk about our classes now and compare them.

I have never done yoga before so I was a bit hesitant to try the classes.  I am not that flexible, but I do have good balance.  I find yoga to be more exercise than I thought.  Yoga uses your body's weight to build muscle.  There are many positions that you have to support your own weight.  I think my posture has also improved since I started yoga.  I went to my first pilates class this past week.  Pilates focuses on the upper body, core, and leg exercises.  I thought the core exercises were particularly difficult.

This week I think I'm going to try circuit training class for something new.  I want the classes to remain fun and exciting, so I like to switch up my schedule.  I have been going to 5 classes a week so it keeps me busy after work.

My goal is to run a half marathon at Disney World next fall so I thought I'd get a head start and get in shape now.  And with all of these people in my life being active and achieving their fitness goals, I thought I'd join the band wagon!

"Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?" George Eliot



Yep, this is me after only 3 weeks of classes! (ha, yea right) 

Alaska Day

Today I have off work because it is Alaska Day! It is very random having a Tuesday off from work, but it is a state government holiday.  In honor of Alaska Day I thought I would share some facts about the state of Alaska with you.  Oh, by the way, Alaska Day is a holiday that celebrates the formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States.

Factoids about Alaska: 

State Nickname: The Last Frontier 

State Motto: North to the Future 

State Flower: Forget-me-not 

State Tree: Sitka spruce 

State Fish: King salmon 

The highest peak in North America is located in Alaska, Mt. McKinley.

Only 700,000 people live in Alaska 

Alaska is the largest state in the United States, it is 2.5 times bigger than Texas. 

Alaska was purchased from Russia for 2 cents per acre in 1867 

"To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the greatest countries in the world." John Muir 

Wedding Bells

No I'm not engaged.  But... I have been appointed a marriage commissioner for the State of Alaska.  As part of my job duties I get to marry people!  Yesterday was my first wedding.  The court only schedules weddings on Thursdays or Fridays.  The other two law clerks and I rotate the wedding duty.  I was supposed to have my first wedding weeks ago, but the couple got cold feet and never came.

I have the couple recite the usual vows (to have and to hold blah blah blah).  The first wedding was very sweet and the couple seemed in love.  They were both tearing up so I talked slowly to prolong the ceremony to allow them time to savor the moment.  The wedding I performed today was the complete opposite.  The couple was laughing the entire time and taking the ceremony very lightly.

My favorite part is saying "By the power vested in me by the State of Alaska I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss your bride."  I just love weddings and it gave me chills performing my first wedding yesterday.  I didn't even know this was one of my job duties, but was pleasantly surprised when I found out.

It is nice to see happy couples at the courthouse.  Usually I deal with divorces and custody issues.  They are so heartbreaking.  I really hope that over the course of the next year I don't see these names come across my desk for a divorce.

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." Mignon McLaughlin

The Results

Well the wait is over.  I found out early this morning (central time) that I passed the Illinois bar exam.  Phew! I was unsure when the results would be posted.  I knew that they could be posted as early as October 1, but as late as October 15.  I thought I would just check to see if they were posted at 12:01 am central time.  They were not.  There was no announcement on the Illinois Bar Admission web page.  About 15 minutes later I check again while I was on the phone with Tim (my boyfriend of 5 years).  I gasped in nervous anticipation.  I felt sick.  He asked what was wrong, and I quickly replied nothing because I was terrified of finding out the results.  I did not want him to know they were posted.  He of course knew right away what I was gasping about.

I told him to check for me, and then call me back.  I did not want to hear his reaction.  This way if I failed, it would give him a moment to think about how to break it to me and what to say.  This is the way I checked some of my law school grades also.  I use Tim as my filter.  I just get so nervous!

We hung up and I waited for him to call me back.  He didn't call me for a few minutes and I started panicking thinking that I had failed and he was trying to think of the right way to break it to me.  I called him and asked what he was doing. Neither one of us could find my results on my user page.  Illinois had jumped the gun with its announcement that all results had been released and posted.  I checked obsessively for the next hour.  I then decided to give it a rest, take some sleeping pills, and go to bed.  Before going to sleep, I checked one more time.  I had a message! I called Tim back and told him I was too afraid to check.  He checked for me and blurted out that I had passed and read me the letter.  I did not believe him at first, but it is true!

It seems a little anti-climatic.  I am not really a shouter or screamer.  Very rarely do I yell about anything. I did not scream in excitement.  I did not jump up and down.  Perhaps I was subdued by the sleeping pills already. But I did shed a few tears of relief and happiness.  It has been a long road.  I first started applying to take the LSAT (law school admission test) in 2007.  Four years later I am finally a licensed attorney.

The swearing-in ceremony is on November 10 in Chicago.  I think it will finally hit me that I passed at this time.  My parents and sister are coming and Tim will be there.  I am more excited about that than passing! We will all celebrate together, I cannot wait!

I know many of you prayed for me and thought about me the week of my exam and I appreciate it!


"The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence. Leave nothing for to-morrow which can be done to-day."
Abraham Lincoln