The rest of the story.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope that you had an amazing time celebrating the start of 2023. As I mentioned in last week's post, I wanted to come back and do a "Goals Part II" post because a lot of things were up in the air since I have been waiting for grades to be released.
recap. So basically, we took finals on December 3rd and 4th and I have been slightly stressed out about how I did (especially on the Real Property exam) and that stress caused a lot of deep thought on just what I would do if I failed a class. Would I retake the course? Would I pay even more money out-of-pocket to try to continue, or would I let the whole law school dream go and move on to Plan B?
well.... Grades were released yesterday afternoon and I am super happy to say that I passed ALL my fall 2022 exams and will be rolling into the spring 2023 semester on Monday (January 9th). For the spring term, I will be taking Real Property II (oh joy...not!!), Civil Procedure II, and Wills & Trusts. I am surprisingly excited for Wills & Trusts, which is interesting because I felt the same way about Community Property and that class was rough. I enjoyed it...but it was not as easy as I expected it to be. First- let me say that having a bad semester or getting a bad grade does NOT mean that you cannot turn things around and progress forward. I think that if you find yourself in this situation you have to really think about your goals, your priorities, and consider ALL of your options. I know plenty of successful attorneys who did not get straight A's in law school, who were not on law review, and who did not go to T14 schools. Think about YOUR end goal. Not everyone wants to work in biglaw. Some folks want to start their own law firm, some want to do in-house counsel work, others want to go into public interest work, some already have opportunities lined up with their current employer, and others don't even plan on taking the bar exam after graduation. I saw a post on Reddit the other day where the original poster was asking about getting all B's. And guess what? There were a ton of people who commented saying that B's were not good enough. But why? I would be beyond happy if I got all B's on all my exams!! Here I am happy about a couple of C's LOL🤣!! It is all about YOUR perspective and what you want to do after law school. You can make a way for yourself even if you are what the world considers an "average" student. Don't ever forget that!!
I started this blog because I wanted to share my journey through law school. The up's, the down's, and everything in between. Part of being transparent has been sharing my anxiety and worries over grades this past semester. But that is over now and we can close that door and move forward. Through the process of waiting I did a lot of sour searching and I can say that through a lot of prayer and constant journaling...I came to a place of peace where I would have been happy no matter the outcome...but I am happy to be right here right now ready to start the next semester. We all have an opportunity to learn from our mistakes and look ahead to the Spring term by doing everything we know we need to do to be successful and have a better exam experience the next time around.
moving. We have officially been in Simi Valley, California for two years! Simi Valley is the first city I ever stayed during one of my residency trips from Atlanta back in 2019. We absolutely fell in love with this adorable AirBNB cottage and have been in love with the area ever since. But Alex is graduating high school in June and Masen will be moving from elementary school to middle school so we have decided to move to an area that might be a little less expensive. California is expensive PERIOD!!! And while I tried to prepare myself for the sticker shock...it has been tough (even after living here for two years). When we moved into our 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment in 2020, our base rent was $2265. In 2021 when we renewed our lease, the base rent went up to $2424 and this past November it increased again to $2633. Add to that the $70/month pet rent, and then all the fees for water, sewer, trash, service fees, rent insu income...whatever the heck that is and we are paying a little over $3000 a month for a TWO bedroom apartment!!! Can you sense my frustration???? 🤬 So it goes without saying that now is the perfect time to move and try to find something a little bigger and a little less expensive. Honestly, I'd take something the exact same size as long as it was cheaper than where we are now. I will also say that management has changed several times, the complex was sold...and we just are not getting the same quality and experience as when we first moved in, so it is time to find something else.
So where do we want to be? Well...Palm Springs, of course😂!! If you follow me on IG you have probably seen the multiple Palm Springs posts as we visit often. Speaking of trips...we are going down to Joshua Tree this weekend to hike and hang out before school and things start back next week, so be on the lookout for photos of our hiking adventures!
health/fitness. This one is beyond important to me for 2023. In a previous post I discussed how I have put my health on the back burner for years. That is NOT going to be the case in 2023. I am not going to make some lofty resolution to lose 100 pounds before the end of the year, but I am going to commit myself to losing at least 40 pounds by the end of the year. I believe this goal gives me time to get my actual diet under control, to start moving more, to enjoy foods that I love, but to not rely so heavily on them for emotional support. Have you ever noticed that we automatically seem to incorporate emotions with food? If someone has a birthday...we incorporate food, Thanksgiving is all about food, Christmas--food, Valentine's Day brings a slew of candy and baked goods, graduations usually involve some form of dinner or food related celebration, at weddings there are usually food items, if you go to the movies...gotta have snacks. Taking a road trip...can't forget the snacks. It seems like we (I) are preprogrammed to think that anytime we celebrate or grieve, food has to be involved.
In 2023, I want to start looking at food differently (easier said than done, yes I know)! But I want to see food as a tool to fuel my body to be the best mother, student, employee, motivator, writer, athlete (one day), etc...you get the point. Most of us love processed foods and sweets because they taste good. I want to start choosing foods not so much because they taste good but more so because they give my body the nutrients and fuel that it needs to get through the day. For years I have tried to be vegan but my gut health has made that a very challenging and painful process. I have also tried keto, carnivore, the animal based diet...and they all work, but are they sustainable? For me, the meat based diets are not realistic as I don't deal well with the high fat content that you have to eat when doing a zero/low carb diet. I don't have a gallbladder and a portion of my small intestines have been rerouted due to my gastric bypass surgery, so my digestion is a hot mess. The high fat intake may work for some, but when I eat a juicy hamburger patty covered in butter, or crispy pork belly I am immediately exhausted, usually nauseated, and feel like total crap. I don't get the rush of energy or the mental clarity that I see so many carnivores talk about on YouTube...in fact is seems to be the exact opposite.
Right now I am doing a more low fodmap diet based around foods that don't cause me to have gut issues. I eat a lot of oatmeal, white rice, tofu, some salmon, berries (especially blueberries), nuts, seeds, some eggs, white potatoes, and some greens. Needless to say this is a work in progress and I plan on doing an entire blog post on this whole diet/food/weight loss stuff.
read. I made a post recently about the fact that I haven't read a book (for fun) in YEARS!! But that all changed on Christmas Day when I was gifted a book that I read in less than 3 days. This might not seem like a huge feat for some, but for this girl who has been struggling with iron deficiency anemia which resulted in intense brain fog, exhaustion, and a lack of concentration for years-- it is a pretty big deal.
In 2023, I plan on reading 6 books for pleasure throughout the year- at a minimum! For motivational purposes I already have my list of books ready to go (see photo). If you want to read more in 2023...hit me up! Maybe we can start our own little book club where we inspire each other and even share a good book or two 😊. I am starting small--as you can see there are no huge Stephen King novels on this list LOL...maybe in 2024. Have you read something good in the past year or so? If so, please share any recommendations.
travel. While I definitely have to save money in 2023 as I will start paying for classes out-of-pocket this year, I would also like to travel a little. Did you know that the state of California has a TON of beautiful parks and outdoor spots to visit? No one ever told me just how beautiful California is...but I want to see it all. I made a bucket list a year or so ago and that list still stands, but I really want to visit a few places in California this year and I think I can make these trips happen without breaking the bank. In April, we plan on spending spring break down in Palm Springs apartment hunting, but for summer break and maybe during winter break, I would love to go explore this beautiful state that I am blessed to call home. Here are a few places I would like to visit:
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Tahoe City, California
Death Valley, California
Channel Islands
Do you have any suggestions of "must-see" spots in California?
Well, I think that is about it for my 2023 goals. I tried to keep them simple, yet impactful. They all require great discipline and consistency, but I believe they will all produce an outcome that will lead to... >greater!! If you have struggled with sticking to your resolutions or goals for the new year...give yourself some grace! Today is the 5th...you still have plenty of time to turn things around and get started on reaching those goals. Have a plan, know how you can execute, and make it happen!! Here's to making 2023 the best year yet!!🎉🥰
