Finals...

Hey everyone,

This is gonna be a quick little post to say hello and goodbye while I take a study break from Contracts. I had my first doctrinal exam (that actually counted for something... that something being 100% of my grade) on Wednesday. It was torts, and believe it or not, I actually think it went pretty well. I have contracts tomorrow, property on Tuesday, and my final final of civil procedure on Thursday. Then I'm outta here!!!! (Hard to believe someone could want out of Malibu so badly, but I'm pretty much over studying for the next few weeks and I'm def needing a vacation.)

Please keep me in your prayers as this is the most stressful study time I've ever experienced. Each exam is three hours long and consists of 1hr of multiple choice and 2hrs of two essay questions responding to a fact pattern that we have to solve using our knowledge of the subject matter. The only exam I have that is open book is civil procedure, and everything else has to be from memory... needless to say my mind is slowly liquifying thanks to the Restatements, UCC, Merchant Confirmation Rule, Superseding and Intervening Causes, Intentional Torts and Negligence. Is your head spinning yet, cause mine sure is? I'm really shooting to be in the top 1/3 of the class, but right now I'm trying not to stress about rankings and focus on one test at a time.

Thanks for the prayers and positive thoughts. I love you all and look forward to spending Christmas back in Michigan with the family.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving! I'm going to spend the break with Jason and his family. It's been a difficult past few weeks. I had a graded memorandum due in Legal Research and Writing and I wasn't home for Mikie's birthday for the first time since he was born. I can't believe how time has gone by and what a wonderful young man my little bub is becoming. I wished I was home to celebrate with the family, but it was nice to chat over the phone and learn about how well Mikie is doing... even if it is without me.

I'm super busy applying to Federal Riverside and Santa Ana judges for a position over the summer through a judicial externship. Hopefully I will have interviews beginning in January. These are unpaid positions, but are really great resume builders and judges make good sources for letters of recommendation. I am also really busy studying for final exams, which begin on December 9 and end on December 17... and then I can go back home! (This will be the first time I'm praying for snow on Christmas since Jason is coming and has never seen snow falling!)

Hope you guys have a wonderful holiday and know that I'll be thinking of you. Please keep me in your prayers as the most stressful part of law school is underway. Love you all!

Engagement Photos part II

Here are some of our engagement photos from the other day. She just sent me the CD, I think they're cute, but I'd still like beach photos and have a friend take them. I have a friend in law school that's really into photography so I think she'd like to do it. Anyway here they are:

A New Hope

Well, I am pleased to say that it could be official that J28 had her first known calf yesterday (11/11/09). The baby is referred to as J46. This is the fifth calf this year! (A major improvement from the 1 surviving calf of last year.) This is J Pod's third calf of the year and L Pod has had two confirmed births. We were blessed with J44, who is Polaris's little brother (born in Feb) and now it seems as if she has added to her family with this new little one.

There is some speculation that the calf is sired by L57, a male who died last winter, since he seemed to spend a significant amount of time with J28. He was a favorite around the islands and people are quick to hope he could live on in this little one.

I'm praying the calf makes it through the winter, as November is a hard month to be born in, but I have faith that I'll get to meet this little one soon. I was pretty excited over the news and am happy that this year was a positive one for the SRKWs. With death comes new life and this little guy is extra special to me since I saw its mother when she was a baby.

Classes are going well. I took my first final exam today and feel like I did well on it. Baby J46 sure has reminded me why I'm here and what I'm hoping to one day fight for!

Our World Bank

This is a long video, but def worth it if you have 20min to spare. Dr. Sylvia Earle gives a great talk about why it's important to care about the oceans:

Girl Power

Jason and Me in our seats after Zenyatta's breathtaking win (the person didn't focus it well, but I still like it)
The Race:


Hey Family,

Yesterday Jason took me to the Breeder's Cup at the Santa Anita Racetrack. The Classic, the headline race, is one of the richest events in all of sports with $5 million on the line. There were some major stars there (which I got pics of below), but the best was clearly Zenyatta, the 5 year old undefeated female, whose connections decided to race her in the Classic (generally for boys) instead of the Distaff (which is specifically for girls). Zenyatta had never raced against males and had really only stayed on the west coast, which prompted a lot of criticism over her undefeated record, saying she was never really challenged. However, all doubts were put to rest when Zenyatta romped the boys in a historical victory that we witnessed! A female has NEVER won the Breeder's Cup Classic before, making Zenyatta the first female to win as well as the winningest female in history (14-0), beating the previous mare named Personal Ensign's record of 13-0. This may seem like nonsense, but it really is meaningful. Females are not viewed as generally superior in sports and horse racing is no exception.

The big names of female racing include Ruffian (who never was able to claim victory over males after her tragic loss to Foolish Pleasure when she broke her cannon bone on national television), Eight Bells (died on the track after finishing second to Big Brown in the Derby), Rags to Riches (won the Belmont a few years ago and then retired after a hairline fracture). In fact, very few famous female horses have survived their careers to the end. This year the racing community was blessed with two stunning females (Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra) who both took the racing community by storm, together beating the males in four of the most major races of the year (The Preakness, Haskell, Woodward, and the Breeder's Cup Classic). Together they have dispelled the mentality of total male domination.

There were some great colts in the race: Mine That Bird (the famous Kentucky Derby Winner), Summer Bird (the Belmont, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, also Mine that Bird's half brother); Quality Road (the Florida Derby winner who was favored to win the KY Derby, but scratched due to injury); and Rip Van Winkle (a European great). Despite all the talent and hype, Zenyatta proved that while males may have an advantage, this is meaningless when matched with true talent and heart. Her com-from-behind win will be in the record books of racing and she will retire into hall of fame greatness. Although, to my own sadness, she will likely retire to the broodmare barn and into obscurity. Unlike the males, she won't retire to luxury, but to a pasture and likely a foal by some great father each year. She's rumored to be purchased by the Darley stud (of the United Arab Emirates). They own some of the premier stallions of our time and plan on breeding her this next spring for a 2011 foal.

Jason and I had a great time for the race and I will continue to praise Zenyatta for her determination, heart, talent, and spirit. Yesterday she proved that girls can be ruffians too!


Mine that Bird and his trainer Chip Wooley:
Summer Bird:
Quality Road:
Zenyatta:

Engagement Photos

"[L] is for the way you look at me, [O] is for the only one I see, [V] is very, very extraordinary, [E] is even more than anyone that you adore."

Hello everyone,

I've been pretty busy with school... as anticipated. Right now I'm working on my legal memo (about primary assumption of risk in a Tiger Woods negligence case ~ pretty funny, dad and Jason would enjoy it) and I've just finished 3 of my 4 midterms. They don't count, but they're intended to give us a taste of law school exams. I think I've done alright so far, but I guess I'll see how well I did when I get the results.

This past weekend I went home to visit Jason in Anaheim and while we were getting my anniversary present resized (a cross necklace he got me from the same jewelry store he got my engagement ring at), we stopped at a coffee shop and ran into a photographer who needed models for engagement photos for a Wedding Convention in Orange County. She took our pics for free in downtown Orange and will be sending me free proofs of the shoot. We did it in a local cupcake shop called "The Perfect Circle." I'm still interested in getting beach photos, but these are pretty cute too. You can access more of the photos on the photographer's blog here:

http://silvereyephotography.blogspot.com/2009/10/engagement-session-circle-of-orange.html

Above: A much better shot of the ring