After the bar exam

Its been a long time. I'mmmm Baaaack! Hello Dear Readers, I have truly missed you. Many a day has passed that I planned to check in with an update, but alas, preparing for the bar exam is in a word, BRUTAL!!!!! ... Do you know how to apply the Rule Against Perpetuities? Who is the fertile octogenerian and why should you care? Can you recall what factors give a court personal jurisdiction over an out of state defendant? Can you recite the different standards the Supreme Court uses to analyze restrictions on commercial speech, core political speech, symbolic speech, nonpublic forum speech, public forum speech, public employee speech etc.? If you sign a contract to buy a house, and it is struck by lightning and destroyed before closing, who is on the hook- you or the seller?

Ok, ok- here's an easy one. What are the nine types of marital misconduct that the court will consider in awarding alimony? Does Grandma have a right to demand visitation with your kids? Can you set up a trust for your cat? Can a lawyer lend a client money to buy milk for their starving baby? Can you shoot an intruder who enters your house? If so- what doctrine is your defense and what crime did they commit? If the President signs a treaty and Congress passes a law to overrule it, who wins under the Constitution? What does the Constitution actually say, anyway? Finally, what are the three ways you can be charged with first degree murder in North Carolina?

This is just a very small sample of the information that has been carefully catalogued in my mind over the last three months. [Side note: if any of you have seen the movie, "Limitless" you realize what great potential now rests within the recesses of my brain. If you haven't seen it, you should. Great film.] The bar exam covers 14 subjects over two days in the format of 12 essays and 200 excruciating multiple choice questions. It is truly an endurance test. Even though I've been through this before in another state, it wasn't any easier the second time around.  It has been almost a week, and I'm still coming down from the experience.

I'm sitting in the library as I type this post. The last hoop I must jump through to gain my license is to sit for the the multistate ethics exam this Friday. It is a relatively minor feat compared to the bar exam, but just hard enough that failure to prepare equals failure.

I hope you have all been well.  Thanks so much for letting me ramble- especially if you've made it this far into this post.  It's good to be back.  Excellence is deliberate- Amen to that!

Inspirations:)

Hello Dear Readers!! Sorry for the prolonged absence. Strep throat (both kids at different times). Work deadlines. Marriage tune up. Bar Exam Prep. Life. Sometimes life just catches up to you. I hope to start writing more soon. Lots to share.
I'm home with two sicks and I popped in today to share a video with you about a little girl that is doing exactly what I aspire for my boys to do. Excellence is deliberate. Take a look.





P.S. I found a Chinese tutor for the boys. She starts next month. Now I just have to find a tutor who speaks French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. Know anyone?! This video inspired me to keep looking.

A moment of Understanding.

Chinese character for "Love"

Yesterday my oldest son participated in a Chinese character recitation contest at his Chinese school. He had to go before three adult judges alone and correctly identify at least 50 characters using the appropriate Chinese tone. We practiced for several weeks, but I honestly wasn't able to help him with many of the words because my American ears have difficulty hearing the slight differences in tone that are critical in spoken Mandarin. About two weeks ago I realized that we weren't going to master everything so I switched to an emphasis on doing his best.

The car ride to school was nerve wracking for all of us because my son announced that he was "scared" and that he didn't want to go. Then he told my husband that his heart was beating really fast. Nerves. I felt so bad for him because this was the first time that he had to step into a evaluative situation without complete mastery. My husband prayed that God would give him courage and peace about the contest.

The situation got more tense when we arrived and found his teacher drilling the class on the pronunciation of each word without mercy. I'm 35 and I was nervous. I snapped at the teenage teaching assistant when he told my son, "This is easy. You would know these if you practiced. This list is a lot easier than all the other classes (for older students)." I immediately told him that it isn't easy when you don't come from a Chinese speaking family and informed him that we had been practicing. I really wanted to SLAP him right in the face.

Just when my son was about to short circuit from the stress, the judges came in and called his name to go first. My brave little six year old walked alone into another room where three adults were seated at a table. He sat down in the fourth chair and they drilled him for 60 seconds to see how many characters he knew. As I watched through a cracked door, I suddenly knew how my mom must have felt before all those piano recitals and track meets that I put her and my dad through as a child. Knowing that I was scared. Knowing that I wasn't guaranteed to finish first or play a song perfectly. Knowing that I didn't want to do it, yet willing me to finish. I had a true moment of understanding.

My baby finished the contest and exited the room with his head held high. I have NEVER been prouder of him. That was the greatest test of his character that he has ever faced, and his courage inspired me.

After the class I thanked his teacher for working with him and told her that he had been very concerned before the contest. She told me that he is doing very well and reminded me that it is much more difficult for a child to pick up Mandarin (or any language) without someone in the home that speaks it. My son is the only non-Asian in his class and most of the students A) have Mandarin speaking parents, and B) Are 2 or more years older than him. He is hanging with these kids on a weekly basis. Excellence is deliberate.

I learned later that my three year old also had a contest in his class- they had to recite numbers and identify colors. He knew it from watching me work with his older brother. Excellence is not only deliberate- it's contagious.

Next up for my global citizens- a tutor. It's time to get serious about this thing.

I hope you all are doing well and not using as much Zyrtec in your neck of the woods as we are!

Talk to you soon. Have a great week.

Hello:)

I can't believe it has been two weeks since I last posted! Wow. In a word, BUSY. In another word, TIRED. I really hit the ground running with my new job and after a couple days of orientation, the pace picked up exponentially. I am still getting adjusted to the firm and trying to figure out how to manage my other responsibilities responsibly. I have been too tired to write much on the blog (mostly because I have spent most of my free time in the evenings doing projects for work or trying to handle other business that can't be done during the day). As things stabilize, I will write more. Promise. Have a great week if you don't hear from me...

Weekly Report

Well, this is no way to grow a blog! Dear readers, I am still making the adjustment to my new job. I've gone from a job where leaving at 4 was "staying late" to a career where getting home at 7 means I still have several hours of work to do. BIG CHANGE. This weekend, I was so exhausted that I spent most of the day Saturday in bed surrounded by my kiddies.

Speaking of the kiddies, this has also been a big change for them. Keep them in your prayers- it has been hard explaining to them why I can't pick them up anymore or take them to school most days because I have to go to work early. Strategically, I took this job because I wanted to be able to do more for them. I hold on to that knowledge when I question this commitment. I pray that once the dust settles, I can find a balance that works for everyone.

Speaking of balance, I have come to the realization that I need help. I am currently putting ads on Craigslist and asking around for a good daily babysitter, and a part-time cook and housekeeper. When I'm home, I want to be mommy. Not stressed about preparing dinner or trying to mop the kitchen floor. I used to consider these things pretentious. Now I consider them the cost of doing business.

The good news- I really like this job. My coworkers seem like smart, down to earth people and the work (so far) is interesting. My goal is to become a great attorney. I believe that I have found the right firm to achieve it.

Excellence is deliberate and life is about balance. Those are the themes of this blog and I hope to be able to write more often once my schedule stabilizes (and I don't have to spend my evening hours writing briefs and doing research).

Have a great week!

One Week Down....

Hello Dear Readers!
I made it through my first week!  I have been too pooped to keep you updated, but hopefully, that will change as I adjust to my new schedule. This blog is definitely under construction- most of which takes place inside my head.  I am giving a great deal of thought to the direction I'd like to take in the coming months as I adjust to the new job, prepare for the Bar,  and generally try to budget my limited time in the evenings between family life, "home-work" and me time.  The good news is that I am more excited about this blog than ever and I have great expectations for its growth over the coming months.  The challenging part will be making it happen. Please bear with me while I make some adjustments that may require me to limit posting for awhile.  Know that the blog is always in my thoughts and I would LOVE to hear from you whenever you feel like leaving a comment.

Excellence is Deliberate-  I know that now more than ever.

Take care!

My First Day of Work

 Today was my first official day of work.  I spent it in training at another office.

1. Blue suit and pearls.  CHECK.
2. Three and a half hours of individual computer training on fascinating subjects like how to use email and save documents. CHECK.
3. One hour lunch/ pep-talk with partners and local restaurant. CHECK.
4. Two hour tour of firm library and lecture on how to save money doing online research. (Access to certain databases is up to $24.00 per minute) CHECK.
5. Ten minute introduction/welcome to firm conversation with Managing Partner.
6. Thirty minute presentation on short/long term disability benefits. CHECK.
7. One hour of awkward introductory banter with random attorneys/staffers/passersby at every doorway and cubicle in the place. CHECK.
8. Five minute trip to the bathroom to enjoy a snickers bar in peace. CHECK.

Day one is in the books. I survived:)
Tomorrow I get to do it all over again in the office where I will actually work.