Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Hey family,

Long time no post... as usual. I've been super busy with classes. I just wrote a brief for my appellate advocacy class about the 14th amendment and now I have two other papers due at the end of November for my Sustainability and Negotiation classes. (I'm writing about salmon farms for sustainability and whale watching NOAA regulations for negotiation.) I also participate in a mock trial this Wednesday for my trial practice class (I'm the prosecution in a murder case). I give my oral argument for my brief in appellate advocacy next week Thursday and then I need to work on my journal article in my spare time... that one is about killer whales in captivity. So, as I'm sure you can tell, I'm insanely busy. Finally, I accepted a job for this summer in the Orange County District Attorney's office. I don't know my unit assignment yet, but I requested murder. I'll let you all know how that ends up once I get the official word.

I'm really looking forward to my family coming out for California for Christmas as I've been a bit homesick hearing about Mikie's sports without being able to be home. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of our fall celebrations with you. The weather has been pretty mild lately and we've been getting into the fall spirit as we look forward to handing out candy next weekend to the neighborhood kids.
I made some cupcakes this afternoon. I'm calling them pumpkin pie cupcakes (not too creative I know). I was hoping to use cinnamon cake mix, but ended up having to use vanilla since the store didn't have cinnamon. I bought a pumpkin pie and then cut it up into small pieces and then layered the cupcake papers with: vanilla cake mix, pumpkin pie, and then more vanilla cake mix. I cooked them like normal cupcakes and then frosted them with cream cheese frosting. They aren't the healthiest things, but they sure tasted good and were perfect for fall. The boys are eating them as I write...

My Class Schedule for Fall 2010

Hey guys... well I've been stayin' busy as usual and am now getting into the back to school mode - which doesn't feel like a good thing. Where did the summer go?

Anyway here are my classes for the fall semester. I'll be taking 17 credits, so it's not gonna be the easiest load but it should be manageable. Here goes, you can click the links to find out more about the professors:

Evidence with Dean Timothy Perrin: http://law.pepperdine.edu/academics/faculty/default.php?faculty=timothy_perrin

Criminal Procedure with Professor James McGoldrick: http://law.pepperdine.edu/academics/faculty/default.php?faculty=james_mcgoldrick

Negotiation Theory and Practice with Visiting Professor Andrew Fox

Sustainability with Professor Shelley Saxer: http://law.pepperdine.edu/academics/faculty/default.php?faculty=shelley_saxer

Trial Practice with Professors O'Connell and Kin

Appellate Advocacy with Professor James Azadian

Administrative Law Journal advised by Professor Gregory Ogden: http://law.pepperdine.edu/academics/faculty/default.php?faculty=gregory_ogden

In related news, I just received word from the Orange County DA that they would like to interview me for a 2011 summer position on September 9... keep that interview in your prayers.

Tomorrow will mark one year to the date before Jason and I get married and then Thursday I leave for San Juan Island... busy week!

Sunset Ride Through Temecula

Hey all,

Well it's hard to believe, but the summer is coming to a close. I leave for San Juan Island early Thursday morning and return next week Thursday afternoon. I'm really excited to head back and can't wait to see all the new babies. Tuesday is my last day at work at Actron, I finished working for Judge Kwan last Tuesday, and I've already applied to quite a few jobs for next summer including the Surfrider Foundation and the Orange County DA.

Above: Jason with his Paint mare Rosie and me with my Quarter Horse mare Kitty

In the meantime, Jason and I went on a sunset ride through Temecula wine country last night. I had a good time... poor Jason didn't end up with the most patient of horses. I specifically requested a beginner's horse for him, but I think I was really the only rider with experience, so there were quite a few people in need of quiet horses and Jason didn't end up with the quietest. He survived after a tense romp through the vineyards and hopefully his experience didn't ruin it for him all together. I added some pics for you guys to enjoy. I didn't get to take as many as I'd hoped cause I was busy cutting off Jason's horse from trying to take off with him. lol. Poor guy, but he was a very good sport. (The sideways "K" was a brand on Kitty's hip, the leg is Rosie's leg that qualified her as a Paint, the face is of a horse named Quincy, and the flecks are scars on Kitty's butt caused by ash from one of the many SoCal fires.)
Finally, Jason got me a Brushstrokes painting of me and Dancer for my birthday. I'm so pleased with how it turned out! I absolutely love it and I think it's pretty clear that Brushstrokes will be receiving our business in the future. Below are pics of the painting, and then a "Mo-Neigh" painting that Dancer painted for me this past May. If you look close, Jason and I are convinced that Dancer painted a dragon attaching a fort (the dragon is on the right side and is in purple). So Dancer is not only a world champ, and the subject of a painting, but also a regular Picasso himself. lol.

Update

Hey all, just figured I'd give you a little update. I got my final grade in Contracts last night and it was an A!!!! This was by far my most difficult class, so I'm really excited and thankful that I was able to succeed in such a hard subject. This brings my semester GPA to 3.603! As a result, my official class rank is 53/228... meaning I'm in the top 25%!

Today we're going to go father's day shopping and I'm going to edit my law review article. Then tonight we're going to one of Jason's co-worker's wife's 50th birthday party. Tomorrow we're heading to Hollywood Park to cheer on Zenyatta as she goes for the historic record of 17 consecutive victories.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Thanks again for your continued support!

Long Time No Blog

Well guys... there has been lots going on since I last blogged - so here's the low down:

• I finished my first year of law school! It was so much harder than I anticipated, but looking back, it was pretty worth it. I made it through 9 grueling finals. I wrote three memos, a motion for summary judgment, and an appellate brief. I was invited to join moot court. I met one of my best friends. I got to know some really cool professors. I listened to Justice Kennedy speak. And I'm anxiously awaiting my final grades. So far I have received grades from 5 of my 6 classes. I got two A's so far!!! I finally got an A in Civil Procedure - after last semester's multiple choice keying problem this really made me feel a lot more confident in myself and increased my appreciation, and dare I say, love of Civ Pro. I also got an A- in Torts. Professor Miller, my Torts professor is my favorite, so it was nice to do well in his class (it generally has a tight curve so this was great news.) I got B+'s in Criminal Law, Property, and Legal Research and Writing. So I'm still waiting to see what happened with Contracts. Hopefully the news will be good. This means that so far I have improved my grades in EVERY class and have a semester GPA of 3.512!
• I register for classes next week and will try to take: Evidence, Criminal Procedure, Appellate Advocacy, Trial Practice, Sustainability, and Negotiation Theory and Practice.
• I'm currently working on writing a Case Note about strip searches in prisons and their constitutionality in order to apply for a law journal. (Can't go into more detail cause it's against the rules.) Law Journals are really great experiences, a lot of work, and are major resume boosters. While Law Review is the most prestigious, I am going to apply first to the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary. This doesn't require as much writing, which I think will be important considering I'm already committed to Moot Court and six classes. Administrative law involves government codes and regulations and I'll likely write a case note on Salmon Farm regulation or marine mammal husbandry regulations (and their violations like with Lolita).
  
• I started working at the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Santa Ana as an extern for Judge Robert Kwan. I love the most of the people I work with. The other externs are really cool and the clerk is awesome and super helpful. Judge Kwan took us all to lunch on Monday - he's very nice and easy to talk to. So far I have helped draft orders, suggested tentative rulings on Motions for Relief from Stay, and written the Judge memos on various topics, one of which dealt with my fav - Civil Procedure - where a lawyer submitted a Motion under the wrong rule. Nobody knew it was wrong until I said, "Wait guys, this one is messed up because there's a better way to do this." Sure enough, I was right and the motion was denied for failure to bring it under the proper rule!!!
  
• In other exciting extern-related news, I believe at the end of the month our group is going to a movie night at Chief Judge Kozanski's house! He's the "head honcho" of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. It's the biggest circuit in the nation and has some major pull. I'm really excited to meet all the judges and maybe one day I'll have the privilege to argue before them... (for more information on C.J. Kozinski see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Kozinski)
• I also began working at Actron today. I will be working for Jason's mom in the accounting department on Thursdays and Fridays to earn some extra money over the summer. I'm hoping to save it or put it aside to help continue taking care of Dancer.
• I went home after finals and it was great to see everyone again. I got to see two of Mikie's track meets including the state regional meet. Michael ran great and I was so happy to be home to see him succeeding. He's growing up... and filling out... so fast. I can't believe he was only in 6th grade when I moved to Grand Rapids! Time sure does fly. It was also good to see mom and dad and catch up on old times. I got to see my wedding dress and try it on. It needs a few alterations, but mostly in the length of the neck and hem. Mom also got her dress and it looks fabulous on her! I really can't wait for the wedding. :)
• In wedding news, we've booked the Cheesecake Factory and our photographer! We will prolly get official engagement pictures with her this summer ~ at Dodger Stadium!
• Finally, in Jason news: Jason just finished his "final final" of the quarter. He'll have a few weeks off before he begins again. Jason also used his tax refund to buy brand new master bedroom furniture. It's suuuuper nice. He got the collection from Macy's. I'll have to take a picture, but in the meantime here's a link: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=434798&CategoryID=35527
• Jason and I also looked at French Bulldogs, because we are interested in possibly getting one next Christmas. Here is the link to the Kennel: http://www.etennabullterriersandfrenchbulldogs.com/Frenchbulldogpups.html. We want to get a cream boy and name him Aldous Snow Rechberg - after a rock star in one of our favorite movies: Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
• And in exciting island news - I will likely head back to the island to meet all the new babies that have been born since I left, including baby K43 who was officially discovered two days ago (see picture above). This baby is estimated to be about five months old, but this is the first time the Center for Whale Research took identifying photos of it. The baby is presumed to be the offspring of K12 (Sequim). She already has a daughter and a son, Sekiu and Rainshadow respectively, and her daughter has a son named Tika. All together this means that six surviving calves have been born since I left! This is such great news for the Southern Residents and I can't wait to meet the new little ones... especially J46!

Well, that's all folks... for now!

Moot Court

Hey everyone!

I know it's been a while, but this semester has literally been INSANE! I start finals beginning of May, so please keep me in your prayers as I finish off my first year!

I figured I'd let everyone know that I've been invited to become a member of Pepperdine's 2010-2011 Interschool Moot Court Competition Team. I am 1 out of 22 team members and there were over 120 applicants! I'm pretty excited about the opportunity and am looking forward to arguing my cause.

I've already been assigned my partner (a Harvard grad) and my competition: the Robert Wagner National Labor & Employment Law Competition in New York City. The competition will be held in Manhattan around the second week in March. See the link below for more info:

http://www.nyls.edu/academics/jd_programs/moot_court/robert_f_wagner_national_labor_and_employment_law_moot_court_competition

My professor and Moot Court Adviser wrote me this:

Welcome to the Team, Megan! You have entered a whole new level of competition and I know you are UP for it! You and Brittney are a dynamite team. The Wagner Competition is a special one.............46+ teams usually and in New York City in March! We will prepare you well, but you and Brittney will do all the work.......:)

I am also running for Vice President of the Environmental Law Society and will find out whether I'm elected May 3. Once classes are over I'm going to visit Michigan, begin working for Judge Robert Kwan in Orange Co. bankruptcy court and then I'll also be submitting a writing to try to make it onto the Pepperdine Law Review - which is the most prestigious extra-curricular activity. It's been a busy year and I've learned a lot. I'm looking forward to next year and marrying Jason next summer. Everything seems to be falling into place and I couldn't be happier... or more stressed. lol. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. Love you guys!

xoxo

And Baby Makes 89!

Above: L77 with newborn calf L114

Great news this morning... a new baby was documented in L Pod as they traveled inland yesterday. L114 was born to L77 (Matia - pronounced May-sha). Matia's little sister Calypso (L94) gave birth last October to L113. This means in the past 13 months J Pod has had four calves (J44, 45, 46, 47) and L Pod has had three (L112, 113, and 114). Of the seven calves born, only two have been sexed - J44 and J45 are both males. My favorite matriline, the J17s, contributed three of the seven babies. The calves were born in February '09, March, October, November, January, and February '10.

I'm so excited that the SRKWs have recouped their losses from the summer of '08 and are back to a total population of 89. I really want to go back to the island and visit my friends this summer and meet all these newbies. Of course, I'm most excited to see J46, Polaris's baby, who, according to researchers is looking nice and healthy. Speaking of health, J1 and J2 (Ruffles and Granny) have been spotted this year and are looking round and healthy. If J2 survives to next summer's survey, she will be estimated to be 100 years old! Pretty incredible!

Things are currently looking up for the SRKWs... now let's start working on those salmon.

Below: J28 and J44