Hidden Mickeys

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace." Agnes M. Pharo

Hey all!!!

Hope everyone's Christmases went well. Of course it was sad to be away from home. I missed our usual Christmas celebration of opening gifts about a week early and then just hanging out in our pjs and watching movies by the fire on Christmas day. However, it was also nice to have my first green Christmas! No snow! No ice! Not too much cold!

It was pretty chilly for SoCal though. (In the low 50s and rainy.) The Blue Bayou Restaurant was very nice. Jason's family has made it a family tradition to eat there the past few years and it was incredibly nice of them to invite me to go with them. We rode the classics: Tower of Terror, Pirates of the Caribbean, and of course Small World (my fav). Jason also surprised me by getting me a year-long premium pass to the Disney parks! Now I can go whenever I want and get parking and admission for free, or at least they are included in the pass price. Not to mention I get 10% off Disney food and merchandise. I guess I'm pretty spoiled. You all know how I'm obsessed with pictures and art, so of course I had to try out my 10% discount and I bought a Little Mermaid sketch at the California Adventure store "Off the Page." I might have to begin collecting some of these character sketches... once I get a job of course. (Don't worry mom.) Jason and I also bought a clue book for the over 270 hidden mickeys in the parks. We're big nerds and want to find them all. Apparently there's a big underground hidden mickey sleuth club. LOL!

I celebrated Christmas Eve with Jeleen and family. The dinner was very nice and Jeleen taught me how to make her famous Rosemary Potatoes. I got them the game Balderdash (Jeleen is hoping to play more family games, esp when grandma and grandpa get here). In keeping with playing games, we played Trivial Pursuit. I was on Jeleen's team and although I'm pretty sure we answered waaaaaaaaaay more questions right than Paul and Pete's team, we lost due to the roll of the dice. Pete happened to land on more pie spots and so they beat us. Lame. We will have our vengeance though. LOL.

I'll be spending the new year in Irvine. I think we're gonna keep it low key and have a movie marathon with snacky food and champagne.

In other news, the Center for Whale Research has been approved to tag members of J, K, and L pods to figure out where they go for the winter so we can better protect them. There are rumors of more missing animals and we really need to be better equipped to help them out. As you all know, this is a cause I'm incredibly passionate about. It's important that the depletion of our natural resources, including animals, is brought to public attention. Jason will be watching Lolita: Slave to Entertainment over the holiday so he can become a whale dorka too! I also got my Shutterfly photo books I ordered of my summer in the San Juans. They turned out great and I'm looking forward to showing them to everyone.

I miss you all and can't wait to hear from you.

Merry Christmas!

Merry CHRISTmas Everyone!!

"Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts."

~ Janice Maeditere ~

First Acceptance Letter!!!

http://www.swlaw.edu/

Today I received my first acceptance letter into Southwestern Law School, located in downtown Los Angeles. The scholarship committee also offered me the prestigious Wildman Scholarship for $18,500 for the 2009-10 school year, and it's renewable! I'm really relieved to have the first acceptance letter. It has taken a bit of a load off my shoulders knowing I'm going somewhere next fall and I won't have to move out of the city. I'm still waiting on responses from Loyola, Pepperdine, Lewis and Clark, UCLA, and UC Irvine. They all have notified me that they received my application packages and I should be hearing back between end of January and April.

I'm looking forward to getting my letters back and making the best decision for my schooling based upon: rank, where firms interview, scholarships, distance from Jeleen's, student body atmosphere, and student-professor relations. I not only want to go to a good school, but the atmosphere and cost of the school is also very important to me. I want to enjoy the experience as much as possible.

In the meantime, I'm still searching for a job. Hopefully this will be easier after the holiday season since many places aren't hiring before Christmas anyway. I'll be applying to PR Firms, TV stations, and even some law firms for paralegal positions. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I try to figure out my place in this city.

Although the job-hunting phase is a bit stressful, it's been nice to have Jason around. He's really gone out of his way to make me comfortable by introducing me to new people and showing me the sights. I'm really looking forward to dinner at Disneyland for Christmas. (Not to mention it's gonna take place at the Blue Bayou Restaurant, located in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride!) This past weekend we went out to the Getty Museum and I especially enjoyed walking around and admiring the art. There are so many things to enjoy in LA and I hope this is only the beginning!

Have a great holiday everyone!