Christian the Lion

I just had to post this today....Christian the Lion

(thanks Ramsey!)

We're Moving....Again!!!!

Yes, right in the middle of bar studies we are moving! Not exactly the most convenient timing, but that was not really up to us! John Mark and I are currently living in 700 square feet...so it's cozy and our couch does not make for the best guest suit....so, when our landlord told us we could not go month to month as planned and needed to sign up for a year more, we decided to start looking.

We looked and looked and found a great place, but a terrible lease made it a no go! Finally, out of sheer desperation I pointed to a building and told John Mark we should check it out because it looked pretty. Anyway, we really liked it and signed a lease on a two bedroom, two bathroom place! So visitors line up! We are so excited to be able to host lots of guests after I finish the bar!

Anyway, if you are curious, you can check out our new building, Halstead Tower. We will be moving this weekend, as we officially have the place June 27th!

The Ultimate Tease

The ultimate tease is law school graduation, because even though you have put in three years of crazy hard work, the greatest test is after graduation...the bar!

For those of you in to blog-stalking or just keeping up, I apologize for nothing being posted on this blog for a good long time! In April, the craziness of finals started and this May I have been short on time as well due to graduation and bar prep. As mentioned in my earlier blogs, I have decided to take the VA bar and will join thousands of others this July 29th and 30th in Roanoke, VA praying that our last 3 years have prepared us for this ultimate exam.

Law school graduation was great! John Mark and I were in Florida with my parents, his mom and her new husband. We were able to see my law school friends for all the graduation festivities and John Mark was awesome in setting up a large dinner to see all of our church and Jacksonville friends (aka non-law school people). It was a very busy weekend, but we really got to see most everyone, even for a bit, so we were very pleased.

However, in coming back to town, I had to start my summer long bar prep session that Monday. Honestly I was exhausted from the travels and it made for a very rude awakening that led to a couple of break-down moments, but since the tears, the determination has set in. Speaking of, it is high time I get back to my studies! In sum, (I use that phrase alot in my essay writing) graduation was wonderful, but my ultimate challenge has just started. I hope to periodically post, but in case you don't see anything new on this blog site until August, you now know why. Thanks to everyone thus far for the encouragement! Please keep JM and I in your prayers, especially on test days!

Cherry Blossom Festival

CherryblossomsHDR, originally uploaded by weatherlyh.

So this weekend I bought a new camera! (see post below) I'm very excited about it because my last camera has been nothing short of a thorn in my side. In celebration, John Mark and I went down to the Jefferson Memorial to take pictures (of course)! We came home and made our first HDR image. It's a combination of multiple images at different exposures (plain speak: light, medium and dark of the same picture morphed together). Anyway, I posted it onto flickr to get some feedback from the people who are much more familiar with it so hopefully I can become better at the technique!

We were also able to shoot a few pics at the Jefferson Memorial itself. Here are a few (unedited) pics. I hope to go back some time this week to get day shots of the cherry blossoms. Enjoy!

The Imitators

If imitation is the highest form of flattery then my family must be all about flattering one another! We are truly a family of copycats. Here are just some of a few examples. First, John Mark and I decide on a paint color for our bedroom in Florida. Great color called "Blue Fox" from Behr paints at Home Depot. Next thing I know, my sister Ivey is using it in her nursery and my parents have it in their guest bedroom. As for cars, JM and I were second to last in line of a series of Toyota Highlanders. It started with my mom buying one when they first came out in 2001. Great car that was then passed down to my sister Leslie. My parents bought a used one for Ivey and Leslie and Ivey traded Highlanders. Next, John Mark buys one. Then my mom bought a new one and gave the old one to my brother James. So now, we have a collection of 5 Highlanders in all. Next it was cameras! Ivey bought a great Cannon SLR and Leslie then bought the same model. James bought an awesome Fujifilm point-and-shoot and I bought John Mark the same camera for his birthday. Just this weekend I bought a Nikon and my mother called me today telling me she also bought a Nikon. She loves the fact that we can use each other's lens! I really have to stand back and laugh that we all end up having the same things! So either we all have good taste or we're that family everyone talks about...

Happy Easter!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Happy Easter to all!

This morning, John Mark and I joined our friends Sarah Beth and Emily and went to the Easter morning service at the Washington National Cathedral. We got there early to wait for tickets (yes, the 11am service is so popular that they have to give out tickets). We were the second group in line behind a family that was visiting from Jacksonville (small world)! We were able to get tickets pretty easily and then found seats in the huge beautiful cathedral. The service was amazing! The flowers were gorgeous! As the music was truly heavenly! It made me want to be at that kind of a service every Sunday morning. And most impressive, they even served communion to everyone there! Anyway, it was a wonderful Easter celebration and I would love to attend again! Happy Easter!

Riding Along in my....Metro Car

So I have noticed two things since being sans car and relying upon the Metro to get me everywhere. First of all, everyone in DC reads! I am always enthralled and amused when I look around and see what everyone is reading while we all travel to our various destinations. Last evening I saw a guy very into War and Peace (not a small book) and the guy right next to him was also serious about his book, The Barbie Chronicles. Hmmm, to each his own. The lady sitting next to me had printed out The Drudge Report to look over on her way home. It's alway interesting to see who is reading what. From best sellers, to classics, to whatever was available at the library, I think I've seen it all.

Now wanting to feel cool myself and blend in with the rest of the locals, I bought a couple of books online and was excited to have something to whip out on my train ride besides a text book. Sounded like a great idea until reality set in...there is a reason why I don't read in a car...I have terrible motion sickness! So after only five minutes, my stomache became very queesy! Realizing that Metro stations do not have bathrooms, and the bomb-proof tash cans are not accessible from the top, I promptly put down my book and tried to come to grips with the fact that I will continue to be the girl who just looks at what everyone else is reading and be pleasantly amused.

The other thing I have noticed is that when I used to drive my car, that was my time to listen to the radio. At home, if I play music, it is almost always off of my itunes. So the other night when John Mark and I were driving through town in his car, I totally started getting into a song. I was doing a little car dancing until the radio DJ promptly reminded me that wow, what a flashback from the early 90s. Whoops! I just assumed it was a remake and therefore cool again. It was embarrassing to say the least! It then came to my prompt attention that I have no idea what music is out there now. Just my 2.5 months of riding the metro has put me way behind the top 40! So now I am just relying that when other people post new artists onto their facebook pages, this is what I need to pay attention to...and maybe listen to some more internet radio.