Cookies and Courthouses

The Bean Burger

2012-01-29T16:19:00.000-08:00

The Bean Burger
1 can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1 yellow onion finely chopped
3 gloves of garlic minced
1/4 cup parsley
2 tablespoons of Tahini
1 teaspoon of coriander
2 teaspoons of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/8 black pepper
juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of breadcrumbs

Break down the beans in a food processor or with a fork and then mix everything together
make into patties and then cook on each side for 10 minutes
They are delicious- Robert loves them. They great in a pita with humus, lettuce, tomato, mushrooms and feta. If you like falafel then these are prefect.

Muffins

2012-01-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

Banana Bread Muffin are my favorite!

Here is the best recipe I have found so far.
1.5 cups of flour (I usually do 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup of whole wheat pancake mix, if you don't have that I'd throw in some oats)
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
3 mashed bananas
2T or more of lemon juice
1 egg beaten (egg whites works just fine)
2T olive oil
1/2-1 cup of pecan
1/2-1cup of dark chocolate chips
Set oven to 350- sift dry in a bowl, in another bowl/mixer mix bananas, lemon juice, add the egg, oil, nuts, chocolate chips, finally add dry mixture.cook for 20-25 minutes depending on your oven.

Sorry for the late post I was gone all week. Also thanks to Danielle Simpson for my awesome Christmas gift/ first thing off my wedding registry.

A twist on Peanut Butter, Frozen Bananas and Dog Treats

2012-01-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

I wanted to tell you all about my new adventure in Peanut Butter. I love peanut butter but it is very high in calories and has a lot of unnecessary oil. So stumbled upon a new peanut butter the other day at Central Market called PB2. ( http://www.bellplantation.com/ ) It is a powdered peanut butter that you just add water to. It has the same great taste and health benefits. My only negative is that you may have to use a little more to get the rich taste. For 2 tablespoons of regular peanut butter you get 190+ calories and for 2 tablespoons of PB2 it is only about 45 calories. The amount of calories from fat in normal peanut butter is about 130 and in PB2 its only 13 calories. That is such a huge difference. I don't know if it would work for cooking yet, but it is great for oatmeal, sandwiches and fruits or veggies.

If you like frozen banana's I'm sure you love these!
Frozen Chocolate Banana Treats
1/3 cup of maple syrup, 1/3 cup of almond milk, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 2 ripe bananas, 2 cups oats and grape nuts- mix syrup, cocoa, vanilla, bananas and milk in food processor and then put in a bowl and add the oats. Then take a spoon or melon baller and scoop into a bowl of grape-nuts. Roll in the grape-nuts and then freeze. Once frozen keep in freezer in so Tupperware. If you don't like grape-nuts substitute with anything that is firm enough to keep them from being too messy.

Finally! Dog treats. Elphaba is spoiled, lets face it. Robert and I have accepted her as our child. So she gets lots of treats. The other day I saw in the "healthy" dog food sweet some potato treats. (http://www.frontporchpets.com/ ). They were $6!!!!! A sweet potato is less the $1. So I looked up the recipe. Just cut a sweet potato in about 1/4 strips and then put in the oven at 250 degrees for 3-3.5 hours and then your dog will have a great treat and much healthier than always feeding them meat.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well 2011 has finally gone. It was a crazy year for me and for Robert. It started the year off with having Practice Court, then found out I had a stomach parasite, I got a puppy, started studying for the bar, then I got engaged, graduated from law school, passed the bar, moved to Houston, got my first real job and had my first trial! It was by far my worst year of running, but there were so many other accomplishments.

So what can I expect from 2012? Well, I am getting married! I also plan to get a lot more trials in. I am finally getting a schedule so I can run and I am trying to work on getting some muscle. I plan to run some half marathons this year and train for the Houston Marathon next January. I also am trying to cut out as much meat and dairy from my life as possible and become a healthier cook. Robert got me a Kitchen-aid mixer for christmas so all I need now is a good food processor and I'll be set. So why the big food change? Well I recently watched and started reading about this documentary called Forks over Knives. ( http://www.forksoverknives.com/ ) The documentary proposes the benefits of a plant based lifestyle for both health and environmental reason. It is based on the research of several doctors. One doctor did an extensive study over rural China in a hope to discover why their rate of disease, cancer, diabetes, and other health ailments were so low. They posed a lot of important question about the American diet and challenge a lot of what Americans think about nutrition. Like why in a country where people consume the most milk do we have the highest rate of osteoporosis? Or why does the increase in meat and dairy consumption see to directly correlate to the increases in obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, strokes, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, gallstones, osteoporosis, allergies and asthma?

I am also learning about milk. I love milk, everyone knows this. It will be by far the hardest thing to give up. I also love cheese. So I'm going to have to give it up slowly and cheat every once and a while when we go out to eat. I still plan on eating goat cheese though. The fact is that the primary protein in cow's milk is casein which is one of the most potent chemical carcinogens ever identified. Doctors say cow's milk can lead to iron deficiency anemia, allergies, diarrhea, heart disease, colic, cramps, gastrointestinal bleeding, sinusitis, skin rashes, acne, increased frequency of colds and flus, arthritis, diabetes, ear infections, osteoporosis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and more, possibly even lung cancer, multiple sclerosis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We have no nutritional need for cow's milk. It is designed to make a calf go from 70 pounds to 1000 pounds in one year. It contains casomorphins, which are addictive and can make dairy consumption very hard to give up. We also think that low fat milks and yogurts are better, but they are just more highly concentrated doses of the proteins and hormones that make milk bad for us. So I have switched to coconut milk for my morning oatmeal and used a rice based cheese and goat cheese this week on all my food.

My goal for 2012 is to write weekly on my blog and talk about wedding updates and also talk about things I am making. I hope everyone has a happy new year and I miss you all!

The lemon

2011-11-27T19:25:00.001-08:00

Well my car broke a few weeks ago- the air went out, the power steering went out, the batter light went on, the car was overheating, and all the fluids in the car started to leak out. So I decided it was time to sell it. Come to find out my car was a lemon. Apparently it was labeled a lemon in 2005 and I was never told this. I guess coming out of Biola I was too trusting and all the people I asked about buying a car failed to tell me to get a carfax. So needless to say as a lawyer I could not sell this to anyone without disclosing the fact that it was a lemon and therefore my car became worth nothing. So I junked it for $700 and went on a car search. We decided on a 2010 certified pre-owned Toyota Prius. I feel like an old person driving it but the gas mileage is amazing. On an 8 gallon tank you get about 400+ miles. I also get a warranty which will last until I pay off the car so no more worrying.

In other news I attached pictures of my office- where I live most days from 6:30am to 5:30pm. I am trying to make it a little more cozy. I have my first trial tomorrow (unless he takes a plea) and
it is a prostitution case. Next week I will have a DWI case and Danielle will be coming to visit. I am home alone for the next week or so until Robert's trial is done. Civil trials are much longer, but not as frequent as criminal trials. So it is just Elphaba and I. She follows me everywhere and always wants me to take her to the dog park. On thanksgiving we went to a house with a doggie door. She was so happy. Maybe someday we will own a house and we can get her one. For now she just sits longingly on the porch.

Well love and miss you all. Hope everyone had a fantastic thanksgiving.

Assistant District Attorney

2011-11-10T19:38:00.000-08:00

Hello All!

It has been a crazy week. Last Thursday was Bar results day... Robert and I found out about 1:00pm that we were both officially licensed attorneys. So Robert got to keep his job and I was able to go to my interview at the DA's office. I had a friday interview and by Monday at 11:30am I was employed! I feel so blessed and excited! The only job better than this is to be a judge or to be a US Attorney. It has been crazy first week. I get to work about 6:30am and leave about 6:30pm. There is a huge learning curve, but I am doing my best to catch up. They hired 4 people on Monday which is the first picture. We were sworn in as ADAs on Monday. I have court everyday from 8:30-12:30 and up to 5:00pm if there is a trial. I am scheduled for my first trial on Monday and have 8 more set before Christmas. So if you don't hear from me, don't feel offended just call me! Robert is super excited I have a job and that we will get medical benefits soon. Elphie is not loving the fact that I am gone so much, but she still gets her big trip to the dog park on Saturdays and I try to make sure she gets a run in everyday. Hope everyone is doing well- If you feel the urge to buy me a Christmas present I nee suits and diploma frames for my office. Have a great weekend.

Amanda

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Well its been a crazy few months and I haven't posted anything. The move to Houston was a bit tough. I enjoyed about two weeks of having nothing to do but organize and exercise the dog. After the first two weeks I felt lonely and a bit depressed. I have sent out hundreds of resumes and been to about 6 interview and have had no luck in the job market. No matter what job I applied for there is someone with 5 years experience applying ahead of me. So after a month of freaking out, pre-planning my entire wedding and feeling sorry for myself I decided to be more proactive and started interning for the District Attorney's Office. I absolutely love my job and hope that they will hire me. I have my own office, I get to work on cases and now I am helping with trials. I work for 3 felony attorenys in the 183rd district court. Last week I helped with an aggravated robbery and this week I am sitting on a aggravated assault of a child. I have an interview this friday at the DA's office and I am so excited. I also find out my bar results on Thursday- this is a big week for me! I also work for a catering company 2-3 times a week. That keeps me plenty tried on the days I have to work both jobs. Catering is an ok job because it is a different place every time and I get wedding ideas.

Robert is really liking his job finally and he joined a tennis league. He is starting to get back into hockey as well. We see each other mostly on weekends because we are both so busy. The move and all the change was hard at first, but we are doing much better and starting to go on dates and do fun things again. Elphaba is a little upset that I have to go to work. She is ready to go everyday when I get home. We discovered a dog park about 1/2 mile from our house and it is her new favorite place. It is like puppy Disneyland. I have never seen such a happy dog. I usually take her after running on Saturday mornings and she becomes completely covered in dirt and she sleeps for the entire rest of the day. She plays with all the big dogs. She has decided she weighs 60lbs and is 3x taller. She just runs up to the big dogs and bugs them until they chase her. She definitely has her own personality.

Running was going well until I got really sick. I am running a half marathon with Danielle in December and I can't wait to see her, but I know I will not be happy with my speed. I am just trying to get my running back on track after a year of being sick and PC/Bar life.

Well I miss everyone so much. I hope everyone has a great Halloween and eats fun treats.

Much Love!

Amanda

Job Searching... the never ending tales

2011-08-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Last time I wrote I was fully immersed in the Bar exam. The bar exam was followed by frantic packing and a wonderful visit from my family. Both coasts this time. Everyone got to experience the heat and the lack of excitement Waco possesses. I am starting to enjoy Houston. I was really tired and lonely the first 2 weeks. I think it was a shock to my system to go from 100% of my time studying to having nothing to do. I even cried at graduation because I was so happy it was over.

I have been trying to make myself useful by fixing up the apartment and looking for jobs. I have also joined a running club that meets at 5:30am. It is a shock to my system to try to run fast again. Elphaba loves it here. She meets a new dog everyday and loves to play. She is very popular and very social...haha

The job searching is slow, but I am finally starting to get some responses. I hope everyone is doing well. We have a couch now so everyone can come visit. Grammie and Papa have already taken advantage of its sleeping capabilities.

-Amanda

12 essays away!

2011-07-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I am just 12 essays (6 hours of testing) away from a little rest, graduation and a move to Houston. Thank you for continued prayers for Robert and I as we take the Bar. I just wanted to post my Houston address for everyone's reference.

201 S. Heights Blvd. #3016
Houston, TX 77007

Hope everyone is having a better week than I am!

7 days....

2011-07-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is the week that never ends. Please pray for Robert and I that we pass the bar. It is absolutely horrible being confined to your home for 2 weeks straight. I cannot wait for everyone to get here! Robert is able to sit in a chair again so that is good but whatever he did to his back is going to take a while. Elphaba is very upset with me because I had to move her surgery up to this week since my apartment informed me that I had to move out by the 1st of August. She does not understand why she has to wear the bouy and why she cannot have her regular morning walk. I am trying to stay focused, but also take some breaks so today I made a frittata. I would suggest it. It is very easy and very good. Mine had asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, banana peppers, mushrooms, spaghetti squash and cheese.

Ok back to work- I need a new name for my blog now that law school is over.

20 days...

2011-07-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Well it is crazy in my life as usual. I am frantically trying to shove as much information into my brain before my finals and the bar exam as possible. It is overwhelming, but it has to be done.

It has been crazy finishing out school. I had my Big Trial last week. It was two straight days. We ended up winning so that was at least a perk. Then Robert and I headed to Houston to find an apartment and look around Houston since I had never been. We took Elphaba, she did well on the trip and liked her morning walk in a new place.

Well most of you have already heard, but Robert proposed while we were in Houston. Nothing crazy he just surprised me while we were studying in the Hotel and he was playing with the dog. He kept telling her no and I was like what is going on. Then he had a ring in his hand and I immediately said yes. So I guess the asking was implied :). I am excited, but not even the least bit worried about planning until I graduate and find a job. The ring is beautiful and vintage, which is exactly what I wanted.

Other than that I am locked in my kitchen trying to study and take practice tests. Elphaba had an interview today for doggie daycare. I am going to send her there when I take the bar so I don't have to worry about her.

I have some important prayer Requests: My job searching! Also Robert has a herniated disk in his back and he doesn't have health insurance so he is in a lot of pain and he is trying to study for the bar as well. Pray that his pain goes away and we both pass the bar.

Ok, well back to work. I'll see most of you very soon to enjoy the Texas heat.

48 days to graduation

2011-06-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

too hot for puppy to play

its already very hot here

she loves the sprinklers

she is a hoarder

Hello All,
Just wanted to say hi and that I miss you all. I spend my days walking the dog, running, in school, working on big trial or studying for the bar. I am very stressed, but I am in the final stretch. I love having a dog. She gets walked in the morning and then sleeps most of the day and then walks again at night. I like the study break.
Hope all is well!

one week of craziness

2011-05-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

this is sister

this is Elphaba (elphie)

Hello all!
Well it has been a crazy week for me trying to get motivated again for school. We had double sessions all week and i spent most of last weekend filing out Petition for Big Trial. We got a 4 party boat accident cases and we represent one of the girls that was killed- her head was chopped off when a large boat ran over a smaller boat. That took forever and it is going to be really crazy trying to do a trial, study for the Bar and pass my classes. If that wasn't enough I decided to acquire some puppies. I am fostering them for the Humane society but have decided to keep one (elphie), the other (we have been calling her sister) is just going to get to big and I am trying to find her a home this week. I love it. I have missed walking a dog so much. She is a bitter right now and we are working on potty training. I am very happy, especially since Robert is still having fun off in CA. In other good news, we got one of our grades back from last quarter and I was one of 8 people of 70 to get an A or A- which makes me extremely happy and helps my GPA. Unfortunately they failed 2 students, one of which was planning to move back to Arkansas and get married. It makes me so sad. That is why I was such a crazy stressed person because I didn't want it to be me. Well miss you all. Sorry for those of you I miss (especially Sara) while I was in Ca. It was just too much and I was just too tired. Only 75 days until graduation!
-Amanda

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hello all and Happy Easter!
Hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend. I am not, but my life will significantly improve in about a week. If you could keep me in your prayers Tuesday at 1:30 and Friday at 8:00am I will be taking my PC I and PC II finals. I am trying to learn everything in these 12 notebooks of notes I took in the last 9 weeks. Love you all and see some of you soon!

good news about bob!

2011-03-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

Good news! Well some of you have heard and others have not. I have been feeling really terrible for about 6 months. This weekend it was discovered that I had a parasite, a roundworm to be exact. (Despite what grandma keeps repeating, it has nothing to do with worms that dogs get- they are actually born with worms). I had been telling Robert for about a month that I had a parasite and he called me a hypochondriac and that I was just stressed and that's why I was loosing weight. Well I convinced my roommate and my friend Lauren that I had one and we decided to name him Bob because it seemed like he was probably just bobbing along in my stomach. Well the discovery of Bob sent my doctor into a panic because if Bob was actually a female, then it was possible that I had more that one. The doctor was also worried that something was infected because of the parasite living inside of me. Well I had to pay, what to me seems like a million dollars without health insurance, to have a CT exam. It came back negative so I have no internal infections and no extra Bob's floating around! I do have to go see a infectious disease doctor because Bob was almost a foot long and they have to record it and try to figure out why this happened. But overall I just have to take medication and I should be back to normal sometime soon. This is great news! I cannot wait to be able to go on a run again.

Overall, I have had the worst week ever. I had opening statement exercise on Monday, two doctor's visits on Tuesday, a CT on Wednesday morning and then direct examination and cross examination in the afternoon. Yesterday I was at school from 7am-11pm and didn't finish my homework. Yet, somehow in all of this I only missed one class and managed to read all 800 pages of reading. I didn't get much sleep, but spring break starts tomorrow so I will catch up. Tomorrow I have to take the MPRE which is the first part of getting my license- its the ethical exam. I haven't had time to study so it will be a long night, but I will be taking a significant nap tomorrow!

Robert has had to deal with me in a very bad mood all week. He is starting his mock trial competition today and I hope he does well. We celebrated our 1 year anniversary on Monday. I made enchiladas on Sunday and we had them for dinner on Monday. We are headed to spend time with his friend's ranch in San Antonio on Sunday to get a break and to be outside of Waco.

Well back to work! Miss you all.

Week 2

2011-02-19T10:25:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,
Well it was another long week in the library. I also have been very sick this week which has made it especially hard. I have been having some serious stomach problems for the last few months and they finally came to a head this week. I have a Doctor's appointment on Wednesday so if you think of it pray that they figure out what is wrong. I have symptoms, according to the Dr., that can range anywhere from a GI infection to about as serious as you can think. So I'm hoping for the bottom end of the spectrum. She also thinks is the reason why I have been having a hard time running is because of my stomach and I am not allowed to run again until I gain some weight. The biggest hurdle in all this is that I do not have an health insurance so all the tests they run are coming straight out of my pocket. It's going to be a pretty good bill. So lets hope they do not have to do too many.

Well in other new, these are pictures of the cubby that I live in after class until about 11pm. I also have a red rolling cart that travels to and from the library with me (man am I cool) because there are just too many books and folders. I had a nice Valentines with Robert. I did extra homework on the weekend so I could finish by 8:00pm on Monday and Robert made me dinner which was really sweet.
Well hope all is well and I must get back to work!

Surviving the first week

2011-02-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! Hope all is well and thank you all for the birthday wishes. I celebrated my birthday a bit early in anticipation of all the things I needed to do to get ready for practice court. Robert took me to this great french restaurant in Austin and we tried a whole bunch of great foods. It started to snow while we were in Austin which made for a very dangerous trip home because Texas is not exactly ready to deal with icy or snowy roads. It was really a great trip though.
Practice court has been as terrible as I could of imagined, although I have not got called on quite yet so some people have got it a lot worse than me. If you get called on and the teacher feels that you are not prepared enough they will give you a memo for the next day. The teachers can really decided to be mean to you and give you a memo that will take you all night and with your reading there is no way you will be able to get sleep. The shortest reading assignment we had all week was about 160 pages. It takes me about an hour to read 25-30 pages and get the proper understanding of it. So I have spent a long time in the library this week. It is like running a marathon from 7:45 am to 3:00om when we have class and constantly fear being called on and then like studying for finals where you are trying to learn every possible fact and possible question from the reading from about 3:30-11. the only time I leave my study desk in the library is to microwave my dinner. I have been getting up about 5:30 to review my homework and it get ready for school so by 11pm my mind has just shut down. It is a different kind of fatique than I have ever experienced because it doesn't go away in the morning. I am doing ok for now but who knows how I'll be after 10 weeks of this.

Well love you all and hope all is well for you!

An obsession with soup

2011-01-23T13:36:00.000-08:00

PC= over 8,000 pages to learn in 10 weeks.

So in my countdown to PC I decided to make a list of all the thinks that I need to buy and all the errands to run before then. It looks like I am preparing for the soviets to attack. I have enough food, papers, pens, highlighters, tabs, etc for three months. It is truly outrageous. I am doing my best to get food ready because I fear that I will loose weight in PC like I lost first quarter of law school. Apparently when I am really stressed my metabolism burns at about 1000%. To get my mind off of PC I have been making soup. Most of you know that I am very cheap so the closest I ever come to preparing or buying any meat is cooking ground turkey which is almost impossible to mess up. This week I actually bought chicken and pork to put in soups. It was probably the first time I have ever bought pork and it took me at least 20 minutes to decide which one to pick. Despite my fears, I successfully made both chick noodle soup and a pork and sweet potato stew. They were both delicious!
I also made a cake this week. I typically hate cake because I have many cake horror stories as a child- basically I would eat too much cake and sugar and puke. But I found a oatmeal, chocolate chip cake to make and it was amazing. It was somewhere between a cake and a cookie. I love cookies so it was perfect for me. Well I miss everyone a bunch, especially with my birthday approaching because I wish I could have everyone here. Hope you have a great week.
Amanda

the 200 most depressing days of my life are about to begin

2011-01-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

A little snow

Christmas Explosion

Alex and the ultimate cookies

the boys chop wood

amber picks the easiest Christmas tree to cut down ever

Hello All,

I hope that you had a great holiday season. I did absolutely nothing in the company of my Virginia family and Robert and it was glorious. There wasn't really snow this year so we restored to sleeping, watching movies, rock band and the boys shots guns into the forrest (thankfully we do not depend on them for food). Thanksgiving to Christmas was a really busy time. Robert had his birthday and then got immersed in the Top Gun competition at school. It is a mock trial competition and he took 2nd place. I had a ton of papers on things to do which kept me busy and made lots of Christmas cookies in the process. It was nice to have time to cook and enjoy time with my family over the break... we ate very well between all the cooks in the house. I am back to running a bit more consistently. Running in VA is not very easy because everywhere you turn is straight up hill. I had to wear extra layers on my runs because when you headed up the hill the temperature would drop 10 degrees. My first run back in Waco was very easy compared to VA.

As for my 200 days reference, I am about 206 days from graduation. Starting next week is the sprint until finals. My last final is on February 3rd and then I start Practice Court on the 7th. So I will be spending my birthday weekend frantically doing homework and trying to prepare enough food to last me until May. Finals are the first week in May, I then get a week off and then it is the sprint to graduation and the bar exam and trying to find a job. It is going to be busy.
I miss you all so much and hope that I will get to see you all when this is over.

Happy New Year

A brief, a memo, a DOJ submission and a cold...

2010-11-28T14:02:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
Happy belated thanksgiving to all. This weekend was busy and boring all at the same time. It is never fun to stay in Waco when the rest of the law school and undergrad head out but sometimes you're just to poor to leave. Robert and I went to a mutual friends house for Thanksgiving. I had fun making some food to bring over and was thankful not to have to cook everything. I made a apple crisp, pumpkin nutella bread, sweet potato casserole, twice baked Bourbon sweet potatoes and we bought a pecan pie. Dinner was excellent and I enjoyed my cooking. I have a new found obsession with cooking this quarter and am addicted to foodgawker.com - it is the best website ever and my goal before P.C. is to make at least one recipe a week. 3 of the 4 things I made were from there. the other was from better homes and gardens.

http://penniesonaplatter.com/2010/11/15/sweet-potato-casserole/

http://aspicyperspective.blogspot.com/2010/11/count-down-to-thanksgiving.html

http://realmomkitchen.com/3797/pumpkin-nutella-swirl-bread-or-muffins/

The day after Thanksgiving was Robert's Birthday. He decided he wanted to experience black Friday in hopes to get a TV so he can play his X-Box at his house and not mine. NEVER do BLACK FRIDAY in WACO! the line at target was 400 people deep because the nearest target is 30 miles. its not like CA where there is a target every 2 miles. We just went to Toys-R-Us instead because they had been open all night so no one was waiting. The rest of Robert's birthday will be postponed until this Saturday we we go to Dallas. I am running a half marathon and I promised that in return for watching a race I would take him to finally see Harry Potter on the big Dallas IMax. Yesterday and today have been in the library because I have a appellate brief due tomorrow for this case my class is working on in the Texas Supreme Court. I get to go hear the oral argument next Tuesday to see if our side wins. I also have a memo due for antitrust which I do not understand one bit of. Finally I have a Section Five Submission due for my equal protection class in which I have to pretend like I am submitting a redistricting plan to the DOJ because Texas falls under a special section if the Voting Rights Act. I have not been felling great so it has been a slow process.

I hope that everyone has had a good Thanksgiving. Love and Miss you all.

Happy Early Halloween

2010-10-21T06:29:00.001-07:00

Newest member of our home

Cupcakes

Tiffany, Sarah, Lauren, Kathryn

We got creative

My mummy...

We made a huge mess

Finals start the day before Halloween so it is time to go into hiding in the library. I have a final a day for 6 days and one day I have 2 finals.... joy. But in a last attempt to enjoy life, my friends and I decided to celebrate Halloween early... this is the result. Love you all!

Graduation

2010-10-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2011. I was just trying to make it sooner... sorry.

Texas State Fair aka Fried Food Capital

2010-10-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Baby Goats

Giraffe

Paddle Boats

Cookie Dough

Oreos

Happy Monday,

On Friday I dragged Robert to Dallas to go to State Fair. It was a lot of fun but also made my stomach hurt. We went on the giant ferris wheel which is like the largest in north america and the swan shapped paddle boats (poor Robert). We also got to watch some pigs race..odd and go to the most eccentric petting zoo I've ever seen. They had giraffes, kangaroos, zebras, gazells, sheep, goats, emus, camels, and whatever else you can think of. We also forced ourselves to try some of the fried foods just for fun. We had corn dogs of course and shared fried Oreo and fried cookie dough. Gross but worth the experience.

Here are other things to get at the fair:
2005 Most Creative Viva Las Vegas Fried Ice Cream
2005 Best Taste Fried PB, Jelly and Banana Sandwich
2006 Most Creative Fried Coke
2006 Best Taste Fried Praline Perfection
2007 Most Creative Deep Fried Latte
2007 Best Taste Texas Fried Cookie Dough
2008 Most Creative Fried Banana Split
2008 Best Taste Chicken Fried Bacon
2009 Most Creative Deep Fried Butter (in many flavors)
2009 Best Taste Fernie's Deep Fried Peaches & Cream
2010 Most Creative Fried Beer™
2010 Best Taste Texas Fried FRITOS Pie

In other news, I hope you all saw the link of me on the Baylor website. Lauren and I did make the Mot Court break but lost in the elimination round (to the team that went on to win the whole thing so I don't feel too bad). Finals are coming at the end of the month so it is time to buckle down and study. Running is going great lately I am back up to about 40 miles a week and hope to get to 50 soon. I am missing you all a ton. I really miss my sisters. I kow Delaney is growing up and I don't get to be there. Amber is already a senior in high school and Alex will be married before I know it!

Oh one more thing. If anyone plans to come to Texas for graduation: July 30, 2011!

Miss you all!

its me...

2010-10-01T05:32:00.001-07:00

http://www.baylor.edu/law/ps/index.php?id=77347

A perfect 75 degrees in Waco today...

2010-09-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

So for the first time since somewhere in April TX saw temperatures under 80 degrees today. It made my run absolutely wonderful. However, if I know Texas, this is going to be short lived and it will either become hot or the 25 mile an hour winds will pick up just to make sure that I do not enjoy the part of the run where you are going into wind. In other new, life is busy and in full swing. I am really enjoying my classes, I am taking Texas Administration Law, Juvenile Justice, Elder Law, Equal Protections and Voting Right, Immigration Law, Habeas Corpus and Criminal Appeals, and Arbitration. My partner Lauren and I have potentially our last moot court round unless we make the break and move on in the competition. Its a big deal to make the break and we have been working hard so hopefully we will break. I am also working hard on my Habeas case. I have about 800 pages of transcript to summarize this weekend. I also have been helping Robert with his mini trials. Last week I was a witness for him for 2 hours. I had to be a police investigator where a wife shot her husband. Next week I will be a lady that tried to tempt her law partner into adultery. Fun stuff. Other than that I am getting a much needed haircut tomorrow and hopefully going to the Texas State Fair next weekend. They fry everything its crazy.
Robert is making it. He doesn't sleep much and can be a get cranky but we get to have Friday date day which is my favorite day of the week. I have been really missing home this week. Hope all is well and miss you!

Thank you September for finally coming

2010-09-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you September for finally coming... by this I mean August was not my favorite month ever. But let me backtrack a bit. I neglected last time on my thoughts on my trip to California to tell you all two very important things. First that Robert got to come to La Mirada and meet all the family. He very much enjoyed Grandma cooking for him and the fact that everyone was so welcoming. I was super excited to spend a 3rd of July with the family as I have missed that tradition the last few years and was able to see my Uncle Dave and family which I often miss in my trips to CA. Also I had the opportunity to go to Vegas with Delaney, Greg and Jen. I got to once again experience Delaney's ever improving dance skills as well as hang out by the pool and see a great show. It was nice to spend time with family and just relax. I still however am not a gambler and would much rather prefer shopping. Even the gym in Vegas was ridiculous, its so expensive there I'd have to save for like 5 years to go there myself.

Ok, as for August. Robert and I, not at the same time, had pneumonia. I had it first and then passed it on. Lovely month. Last week I also had a tooth filling fall out, my car broke again, my rib popped out of place so i had to see the chiropractor twice and my car insurance was due. So even though my student loans came in I was poor again within like 48 hours. I love my classes this quarter and am involved in some great activities. I think I am going to go back and work for the DA once a week and I am also involved in the innocence project which deals with Habeas Corpus appeals here in Texas. My case is on a man who was convicted for arson which killed 2 people. However new evidence points to a lack of support for arson and the gasoline fire they initially introduced as the way he started the fire. That is a case out of Houston.I choose as well to compete int eh Moot Court Competition so am preparing with my partner for oral argument starting in about 2 weeks. I am also the Baylor representative for the State Bar of Texas and still in charge of the Baylor Chapter of International Justice Mission. So I am busy. I am also becoming Robert's personal chef as he has started practice court at baylor and get an average of about 3-4 hours of sleep every night with all his homework. My hope is that if I take care of him he will take care of me when I enter practice court hell in February.

I have finally started to run again after pneumonia and a dislocated rib. I suck so bad its terrible. I am just hoping that I can get back to running well soon. I think I might try a half marathon in December just so that I have some goal in getting back in shape.

I also have a few prayer requests. First for my good friend Bobby Rivera. His Dad died unexpectedly on Friday and I cannot imagine how hard it must be for him and his family right now. Also for Robert and Practice Court. He is having a real hard time and just really not recovering for being sick with his lack of sleep. He is really just beaten down and I hope that this opportunity might be use dot strengthen him in the Lord. Also I have started to get back into the habit of church and really want to make the Lord a larger priority in my life.

Love you all!

Waco Address

2010-08-16T09:24:00.001-07:00

Here is my new address:
1226 James Ave. #114
Waco, TX 76706

Summer 2010

2010-08-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

Well I haven't written in a while, mostly because I didn't have internet at the apartment. It has been a very fast summer. I have not done a lot of running as my body seems to reject the idea everytime I try. I fact the last two weeks I have been so sick I haven't ever really left the house, but I am starting to feel a bit better and stick to yoga until my upper respiratory infection goes away.
Ok so lets start from the beginning. I was living in Austin until the end of June. It was very hot there and very unpleasant. I realized Texas might not be the place for me. It made it impossible to run and all I really did was work. There is nothing really to do in Austin besides eat and drink. I was too poor to eat out and don't really like drinking so Robert and I watched a lot of movies. I worked a lot for a lawyer in Austin. She was very nice and I learned a lot about federal civil court including that it is not for me. Then I packed up all my crap and moved to Dallas and then the next day flew to CA. Robert had been in San Diego staying with a friend so he came up to meet the CA side of the family and all my friends. I was happy to see Danielle, Sara and Tara as I miss them a bunch. Amber and Fred were there as well so I got to see them and Fred's family. Robert and I got to go to the beach and Disneyland and we stayed with Tara and Dan in San Diego. They took us ot some fun places, including this secret bar in San Diego that you have to know someone to hear about it and get in. Overall it was a great trip. As soon as I came back to Dallas I started to work and started to get sick. I work for a Judge downtown and enjoy it. I get to watch trials and just oversee what is happening it is fun. In this time my car decided to break down which has pretty much made me the poorest person ever. I haven't had any money to have fun in Dallas. It is at least 95 degrees everyday and I haven't seen a temperature under 80 at night since I have been here. Within two weeks though of moving here I was so sick I didn't leave the house so I guess its fine. However, I had planned a surprise for my mom for her birthday so last week I jumped on a plane and surprised her. I paid for it though and had two very painful ear infections to deal with it. I am starting to feel better. I also read all the Harry Potter books in my sickness. I am moving back to Waco at the end of next week. School starts in about 2 weeks. I am not looking forward to it but in a year from now it will be all done. Miss you all!

oops

2010-05-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

sorry about the typo in the title, i fixed it in the blog.

Boston, Finals, a Move to Austin, Visit to the Family and a new Job.

2010-05-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

at the finish

Boston course
round rock donuts

crawfish

Hi all,
I realized that I have been neglecting everyone and not really keeping you all up to date. I am so sorry but it has been a crazy few weeks.
Let's start with Boston. I was so blessed ot get to run in Boston. It made me remember everything I love about runners and people who love to run. The whole city was about running, it was so great. Bobby helped me out a lot and I got a whole bunch of gear and had help getting a ride to the starting line and all that. It starts in a small town 26 miles from Boston and you just run mainly down one road that is lined with people from all the towns. It was great. I ran a smarter marathon but my lack of training and a previous plain in my leg killed me in the end. I have taken almost 3 weeks off because of the damage that I did to my leg. This is the first week I have not been in terrible pain running. It was worth it though and I am getting back with running, weights and started doing yoga again which helps. I basically ate a ton of bad food for the last three weeks and its time to get back to training. the best part of the race though was that I was able to have family there to support me because I thought I was going to puke for about 2 hours.
After that I headed straight for the airport and then sat in the library for 2 weeks until finals were over which was absolutely terrible. But once it finished I packed up my room, drove to Austin, went to sleep and then Robert and I flew to Virginia to see the family. It was great for him to get to meet the east coast half of the family. We went to D.C and bike ridding and rested which was wonderful. At the supreme court security ruined my new purse which sucked but the government is going ot send me money for it so it is all good. Once we got back I unpacked more and started my new job. I like it, but I have a ton of work! At least I get the weekends. I love Austin. All kinds of crazy places to eat and things to do. Robert and I got to go to the Alamo Drafthouse and see Ironman 2 which was really fun.

Ok that's my life. Love you all! Back to work!

Boston on Monday

2010-04-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

You can get text messages or emails during my race on Monday. Just go to this website and do what it says. My bib number is 5990! I'm so excited but also very scared.

http://registration.baa.org/2010/cf/RegAthleteAlert/pg_AthleteAlert.cfm?mode=preentry&snap=99693656&

Love you all!

22 mile run and 22 days until boston

2010-03-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Well I haven't written in a while because life has been very busy. Since the Austin Marathon and the snow day I have been to Austin, Dallas and California... making my weeks very busy. I had a wonderful trip to Austin with Robert, we went to some great places to eat and got to see Lake Travis at sunset and all that. I am so excited to live there starting in May! It is super exciting! Which also leads to why I had to go to Dallas. I interview for a judge in the 134th district of the Texas State Court. I was chosen to do a Judicial Internship for the second half of the summer and am so excited. Which means I will be living in Dallas for the second half of the summer. It is gonna be a crazy summer to say the least. I feel so privilege to be picked for a Judicial Internship. When I walked into the interview he was like you are my first choice and I was so excited. He is one of the youngest elected judges in TX and was impressed by me which was really exciting. As far as school right now I am so busy. Finals are in a month and I have not started studying because I am super busy with working for the District Attorney in town and just trying to keep up with class work. I am hardly ever home and training for the marathon doesn't help. I was suppose to run a half marathon in Waco last week but we had a crazy thunderstorm and it got canceled.
I had a great spring break trip to California and got to see a ton of people which was really nice. I miss everyone so much and was thankful for the effort that people made to see me. I love seeing Tara especially and feel blessed to have seen her 2 times in 2 months! It was also great to see my mom and get to spend some extra time with her. I am excited to have most of the rest of the VA crew coming to my race in Boston.

Well love you all! off to my last long run before Boston!

My first snow day

2010-02-23T12:33:00.000-08:00

We got sent home from school today because of the "snow", love it!

my first marathon

2010-02-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

tara!

end of the race

start

crazy waco snow

Hi All!
So Yesterday I finished my very first marathon! I was the best/worst race of my life! I went out to hard and died about mile 23. But we live and learn and I qualified to run Boston which is super exciting and a chance of a lifetime. My official time is 3:10:10 which isn't bad for the first one. I was so tired after words I just found a curb and started to cry because my legs hurt so much. It is a feeling I can never explain but want to do it again. I was so thankful to have Grammie and Papa to catch me. They were here about 5 days and I got to share my love for Austin with them. Speaking of Austin, Tara came to visit and I was so happy. She is amazing. Well love you all!
-Amanda

One year anniversary

2010-02-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

So today is officially one year in Texas! What a crazy year it has been. I have been in school for a year straight and am about to take my fourth set of law school finals. In about 6 weeks I'll be halfway done with law school! So crazy. This has been one of the best years of my life and by far on of the worst. I can never describe all of the emotions that have gone into a year without my family and friends in a strange place and the most competitive law school in the country. The actually rank the happiness of law school student and Baylor was pretty much dead last. I feel like everything this year is making me a different person. It has made me so much stronger, but not more independent. I have realized how much I need good people around me who support me and keep me sane. I know that Baylor is going to make me the best lawyer possible and I am so happy for this choice no matter how long it takes me to pay off these loans. I am so thankful for all my friends and family. Love you Bunch.

P.S. if you haven't heard from me in a while it is because I have been writing a 45 page paper, I have three finals this week. Then headed to Austin for my birthday with a visit from Tara, followed next weekend by my first marathon!

White Christmas! Happy New Year!

2009-12-28T12:50:00.001-08:00

having fun on Christmas

the white house

everything in DC is frozen

Alex and created about 400m of a sledding course

the snow was almost taller than Zac!

the house!

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas and is planning on a good new year. Here are some pics from the crazy snow that the DC area got. I have enjoyed myself but I back to work on a 40 page research paper and small breaks to enjoy the family. love ya!

Tis the season

2009-12-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

Hey All! I won't get to see most of you this Christmas season and I know for everyone that is a bit hard. As we grow older life changes and Christmas isn't quite what we remembered. I was so encouraged yesterday at church with not only the worship that David Crowder sang but also the message. We always think of easter as the 3 days when the Lord showed his love for his people by dying on the cross. However,this could not of come to fruition without this choice to dwell among us and this started at Christmas. Christmas is a time to celebrate a redeeming savior that loves us all and came so that we may live in the light and not in the darkness. Here is the song that inspired my post. Love you all! Have a very merry Christmas!

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

an interesting few weeks

2009-12-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

Hey All,
Well I haven't wrote in this in a while. Since the start of the new quarter things have been busy, but not too much with school and more with activities and such. Danielle came right after we had finals. I loved having her here and she got to go to the Texas v. Baylor game and celebrate Halloween with us. We celebrated 2 weeks late because of finals. I was really really just so happy to have her here and she got to see my life, meet my friends and go to class with me.
I spent Thanksgiving in Dallas/Ft worth with a friend. I was a lot of fun, but didn't really feel like thanksgiving. I did run a turkey trot but wasn't feeling a 100%. I got a 5th place finish in the 8 mile race and was pretty happy. They took me to a place on the Friday after called Billy Bobs which is like the biggest like country bar/concert place in the country. It was interesting, there was a pretty good local band playing. My friends have been teaching me how to two-step. Fortunately it is very easy cause we all know my dancing abilities. I got really sick after Ft Worth and am just starting to get better. It was a bit of a head cold. This week I did nothing cause I was sick and it has been around 40 degrees in Waco all week. It did snow on Friday, but it did not stick. I was so sad as I watched from class and then by the time we were done it was gone. Yesterday was "law prom" haha. It was really fun to just get to dress up and hangout with all the law school kids. Well I'm gonna get back to work love ya all.

I'm a second year law student!

2009-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Oh Texas

Sarah, Jessica and Abby

Sarah and I at Abel's on the Lake in Austin

Lauren and I at Ztejas

And couldn't be happier. We went to Austin to celebrate. This was a really good quarter and I finally feel like I've made TX my home. I have an amazing group of girls around me and love love them. Miss you all too. Hope you all will visit me soon. Danielle comes on Friday!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hey just taking a study break to say HI and I love you all. I spent about 12 hours in the law school yesterday and it looks like I'm gonna hit about 11-12 today. It makes me so mentally tired, but I get home and I cannot sleep. I've been having the wildest stress dreams also so sleeping isn't going very well. As far as news... um we asked my crazy roommate to move out and it looks like she will be leaving in December. I bought couches for our house finally. Found some sweet, non-floral ones for pretty cheap on craigslist...just had to drive out into the country to get them. I am still running a lot, but not as hard right now. I have run a 15, and two 16 mile run this month and next month I am moving up to 18. I ran my 16 milers under 7:00 pace which is right where I want to be as far as my goals for my first marathon. It has been raining a lot here so I had left my shoes outside one night and they got stolen. So I've been testing these crappy Nikes and hopefully getting some new shoes soon. I have three finals this time. Criminal Procedure on Saturday, Property II on Tuesday and then Legal Analysis and Administrative Procedure on Thursday. After Thursday, some of the girls and I are headed to Austin for an overnight trip. I haven't been since I moved and really want to go an be away from Waco, enjoy the nightlife and run some of the fun trails in the morning. Oh and go to Whole Foods! they have the 3 story one there! I have been really missing you all this week. It seems like forever since I have seen anyone. Danielle is coming on the 13th! and I am so excited. We are going to watch the NCAA Regional XC meet here in Waco and then go to the Baylor v. Texas game! Also that is the night that the law student are finally going to celebrate Halloween since we all have finals on Saturday so we will have some fun. We also have a Dr. Pepper museum and zoo in Waco...haha don't you just want to come visit! Well miss you all!

Asking for your prayers

2009-10-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

On Friday we took one for my new friends Kelsi out to celebrate her upcoming marriage. We had so much fun and it was great to see how happy and excited she was about becoming a wife. I had a long lunch with her on Friday as well in which she talked about him and his love of God. Very early Saturday morning after she was taken home she received a call that her finance Cody was killed at his bachelor party in a 4-wheeling accident. I haven't personally talked to her but I can't even image the pain and confusion that is running through her heart right now. I know she would appreciate your prayers, as well as the other family members. Makes any complaints I may have about law school seem so minute. I know her faith is strong and she knows he is back home with Jesus, but that doesn't alway account for the loss she is feeling now. Love and miss you all.

I am alive

2009-09-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

We due to the fact that most of the people in California think I'm no longer living... I am writing this to inform you all that I am alive and, yes, I have been intentionally not answering my phone or answering my emails. Not because I dislike anyone, but just because I am a super busy ball of stress. This is my schedule... I get up at 5:00, eat my oatmeal, practice at 6:30. After practice I shower and head to school, to which I go to class and then stay at school until about 6-7 depending on if we have weights. More homework and bed around 11 or 12. Twice a week I do weights in the afternoon with the team and twice a week I do boot camp for the law school girls. Once a week if I have time I play flag football. Yes, me. But this week I did nothing of the sort. I lived off cereal and mixed nuts in the library while preparing for moot court. This week I competed in moot court twice. It makes me very nervous and I tend to talk really really fast. Moot court is like a mock appellate appeal before the court. This week I was petitioner and next week I will be the respondent. Essentially the prompt is based on the Iraq war and congress is suing the president for not comply with an act they passed to end the war. Its fictional, but still based on active law under the supreme court. Anyways it makes me want to pass out so if you called this week I did not pick up the phone... take no offense. I have been very stressed piled under hundreds of papers.
So as for other new. I like the new place that I'm living. I have one crazy roommate that well it is hard to explain. The other two are great. I love running with the girls. I have been running 6 days a week and putting in about 55 miles a week. I decided that the extra day of running just makes me too tired, but taking a day off I don't die at practice. I have been running a lot of hills and tempos and such. I signed up to run the Austin Marathon in February! I'm so excited and scared.
On the bad news side, my bike was stolen. I was ridding it to school and saving money on gas and then someone stole it off the porch...we live on the second floor. But I cannot complain because my roommates car got broken into and they stole all her stuff and spent all her money and such. I'll count my blessings.
oh and I finally went to the grocery store this week which was glorious and spent $100 because I was tired of only eating cereal.
That is all that is new.
Love ya.

look its me

2009-08-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/c-xc/mtt/stephens_amanda00.html
not the best pic ever but it will do :)

School on Monday

2009-08-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

Miss this

Peter and Alex

Hiking to the Pools

tractor

peach picking

At VA beach

Well I’ve been back in Waco for a few days now and I just wanted to catch everyone up a bit. I had a wonderful time visiting Virginia. I hadn’t seen my Mom in so long and I enjoyed hanging out with her and seeing her job and going on a hike. I also loved running in VA. It is so beautiful. I miss everyone already. I was so blessed by seeing Grammie and Papa. I had the privilege as well to go with Amber and see Alex’s new place. I also got to meet Peter and his family. It was a bit overwhelming but I like him and think he is a good fit for Alex. It was really hard to leave them and I wish I could be there while Amber is growing up; it’s hard to be the big sister from afar.

My trip to California was full of crazy emotions. I enjoyed seeing my family and my friends, but a part of me just broke down and I did not handle it well and I am so sorry for the people who had to experience my breakdown. I can’t really pinpoint it but I will try to explain. The last few months have been so hard that what kept me going was anticipation of seeing everyone. However, I am in such a different position than everyone else that the anticipation just isn’t the same on the other side. I left my life for a new one, so when I return it is really like stepping back into the lives of others which do not stop just because I come to visit. I think because I was so excited I was disappointed by what little time I did get to spend with everyone. I pretty much spent the last 5 days of my trip by myself, which freaked me out. Because when I am in Texas I feel alone because no one is around but it was just too much to handle to feel alone with people around me. So eight months of loneliness, being sacred and being broken by the animal that is Baylor law school just broke me down. Needless to say I broke on a few people and for that I am so sorry. I know more than ever I really need to focus on my relationship with the lord and confidence in the life that he is setting out for me. If you all could keep me in prayer I’d be very appreciative.

Being back at Baylor has been good so far. I feel like I have been given a wonderful gift to be able to coach at Baylor. The girls really encourage my soul and I love the passion that they have for life and the support. I have been running around with them all week and seeing the amazing side of NCAA athletics. I have been blessed with new gear, food and well some amazing people to be around. I haven't ran this much in a really long time. I will run over 60 miles by the end of this week. I also had 2 interviews so far. Each one gets better. I would really like to land the one of Friday but that is in God’s hands. My new room is so cool and so close to school. I have two closets, which is great because that means I can store everything in my room. I have high hopes for this year at Baylor. Love you all.

Prayer Request

2009-08-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Next week I have four interviews for possible internships for next summer. If you could please keep me in your prayers I will be interviewing for two positions in the Austin's office of the Attorney General, one for the State Council of Offenders and one for Exxon Mobil... which is a long shot.

Thanks

Greetings from the study cave

2009-07-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hi All!
Just wanted to wish you all a wonderful week and say that life is super crazy right now. This is one of our busiest quarters and I feel like I'm drowning. Last week people were walking around and they literally hadn't slept in days. I got on average about 4.5 hours of sleep which is nothings. As for my schedule I had a huge research paper on defamation that was turned in on Friday. I literally had to read 300 pages of research before I could ever right one word. Crazy. This week I have two finals. one tomorrow and one Saturday plus classes, review sessions, Baylor is running a CC camp this week and well yeah sleep is not on the horizon. Next week I have two finals, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Then I am home to see my Mom on Saturday. This is going to be a crazy 13 days. Miss you all and wondering why everyone else's family sends them cards and encouragement during finals? No worries I will see you all soon and that is enough to keep me pushing through.
XO Amanda

Some Visitors

2009-06-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

These last two weekends have been really crazy. I moved from my house into another house, but this time with another law student and her husband. They are just helping me out until I find a place when I come back in August. Last weekend I had three visitors! Tara came an we went to a No Doubt Concert that was amazing. She got to see where I live and a bit of my life in the law school. I also took her to have some Texas BBQ... it was an experience even for me! Alex moved from Texas so Amber and Fred came to pick her up. It was really nice to see them, but I really had a hard time when they left and I miss my mom and gparents. Alex had her big last dance show too that was really nice. I have been running a "boot camp" for some of the girls at school, they really like it and it is nice to have some social interaction not about law school. I'm also gonna start heading some practices for the XC girls that are still in town. Things are super crazy and I am ready to get my grades back, but thats not for a while still. I feel like I never sleep but I guess that's the nature of the beast.
love ya

California Pics

2009-05-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

Best Friend

Adorable Tara

STAR TREK movie and fundraiser

Shopping and Dinner at the Farmer's Market with Tara, Sose and Tom

CINCO DE MAYO

ANGELS GAME
they lost terribly

Called on in week two... a lot better than being called on in week one!

2009-05-19T12:43:00.001-07:00

So it is already week 2 and I'm procrastinating. I feel less overwhelmed so far this quarter, but I also feel like I need to get my butt in gear. It was nice to visit California two weeks ago and get to see my friends and a bit of family. Although when I got back I had this overwhelming sadness, not to leave but I missed Amber and my mom. Probably because it was Mother's day and well I just feel like I'm missing out on my little sister who I've only seen twice in a whole year. Yesterday I had one of those woe is me days... maybe it is the fear of failing in all this or maybe it is just not really enjoying being so alone, but God always responds. He responds in funny ways, but way that I always know things will be okay. I got called on last week in contracts and I had no idea what the teacher was trying to get at (nor did anyone else) so I just stood there and no one could help. I survived, but felt so stupid. Today I got called on and totally redeemed myself. I didn't know everything but I knew enough. Just when I think I wanna pack up and call it quits God shows me that I shouldn't and that I need a better attitude about it all. Its a weird process and I just have to be okay that some days are gonna be hard and some days I love my new life. We shall see how it all turns out.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!
Hope everyone has a great Easter. Alex and I went to church and then ventured into a patch of blue bonnets. That's the Texas state flower. We also had lunch with one of my new friends from law school. Back to work now. Love you all.

a very brief good news update....

2009-04-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Okay i just wanted to quickly tell you my exciting news. The Baylor track coach told me on Monday that he is going to bring me on as volunteer/assistant coach for cross country. I'm super excited! They only have a few official positions to fill and this is the first time he has given one to a non-Baylor alumni. Hopefully I am able to juggle all this stuff. Just thought I'd share that. Also these are pictures of my turtle Newport. He lays out under the headlamp. Makes me laugh at 5:30 in the morning.

texas is a windy place...

2009-04-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hey All,
Well this is probably the last time you will be hearing form me until finals are over! ahhhh... 20 days till my first final. I have never been more scared for anything. Perhaps this is why I got to the library when it opened yesterday and left when it closed. On Friday I estimated that I has not walked out of the law building in over 13 hours... scary. The only thing good about the fact that finals are coming is that in 26 days I get to come back and visit. It is definitely something to look forward to. I wish I had all this great stuff to report, but the fact of the matter is I spend most of my time right where I am sitting right now. The scary thing is people stay at school a lot longer than I do. I did run the Bearathon last week. It is the Baylor 1/2 marathon and I won the student division. That changed things up a bit. I've been getting real involved with Internation Justice Mission here at school and I am also thinking about volunterring in the moring at MIssion Waco. Some people think that first year of law school should be all about getting straight A's and geting on law review. I struggle with this because I don't think that life is about being on law review but rather about Kingdom living and I am trying to make time for things other that school. This has cut into my sleep time. I am up at 5 and in bed about 12 and if you know my sleeping patters then you will know how drastic of a change that is. I also try to get a run in everyday, but quality and quanity are not worth menitoning. I still see the Baylor girls about 2x a week, however, they have been gone traveling to meets a lot lately. I noticed the other day that my hair is getting super long. I don't think I've cut it since Europe... crazy lady chopped it all off. That's jut one of the things I will worry about when I get to CA. I miss people... hope you all are doing well!

I do like one thing about Texas...HEB

2009-03-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

Okay first off I just wanted to say sorry for the grammar in my last post. I was very tired...oh well. My spring break is just hours from being over and I'd say I put a quality 55-60 hours of studying this week. NOTHING compared to the 100 hours suggested by one of my teachers. I've been making outlines and flow charts... none of which I will ever get a grade for. In fact, grades in law school are completely arbitrary. Having an A in a class that someone else from a different quarter has an A in means nothing. You are only graded based on the people in your class. So if everyone in your class is supper smart, your C could of been an A in the quarter before...totally lame. Everything is based on a curve, it has nothing to do with knowing the information. If you are smarter than everybody in your class you will get good grades. On a curve there are about 4-6 A's out there to grab and everybody wants them.It makes me wonder why they even bother. I'm pretty sure our class is super smart so who knows what that will happen.
As for HEB...it is a grocery store. I live by this huge HEB and they have everything of a grocery store plus a Whole Foods. It is heaven. Gotta take the small joys in life. It had been raining for three straight days and it finally stopped. It was miserable and cold, although it made being in the library not as hard. It was like me and 4 other people in the library all week. Somebody asked us why we were there... yeah made me wonder. Well miss you all and who knows when I will post again, apparently that was the easy part of the quarter and now the hard stuff starts. this is my library face :-)

Spring Break...in the library

2009-03-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I haven't been keeping up with my blog..most because i do not want to sit on my computer anymore than i have to. this week is spring break and i am very excited about it. not that it means less homework, but that i feel like I'm finally getting head rather than being drown in work. my arm for those who had been asking is better. i sucked it up and paid to go to the chiropractor. it might cost me a few good meals in the long run, but i was desperate. it went away and then came back. last week was the first week i actually ran without pain in almost three weeks. This last weekend i went up and saw Alex, along with Pastor Bob and Anna. i almost cried i was so happy to see people i knew! it was nice to eat real food, moving away from my main food group of cereal. Alex did a really great job in her performance and so did all the other girls. here are some pics:
As far as school goes, i;m learning why Baylor is the most competitive school in the country and why you can trust no one. it is high school all over again. i have found a few people that i enjoy hanging out with and i feel like i can trust. i feel less stressed than before but don't think that you re gonna hear from me anywhere close to finals. i am getting use to Waco and learning about restaurants that are suitable for eating. its very lonely here, but it is getting better. i notice how much i miss everyone mostly on the weekends. i do enjoy my roommates Paul and Tayrn. here is a picture of them from my bday.
that all for now. 52 day until the end of the quarter! haha so close yet so far.

law school has made my arm numb....

2009-02-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

So taking a small study break. I started about 10:00 am and it's about 6:30 right now... I just spend 8 hours revising something that took me 10 hours. yeah craziness. I have done more outlining this week than in my whole undergraduate career. For my fist day of class I had 100 pages worth of cases for one class alone and that was oh about 12 pages worth of outlines...that was just one class.
well when I say that it has my arm numb I mean that literally. I went running on Wednesday only to have a very sharp pain in my back, which then turned into the numbing of my arm. needless to say I can't run... and that makes me more stress. I did see the chiropractor, but I really need it rubbed out... this was not an expense I had planned for. I can't just have one of my family members do it...lame. it's really stressful here, not necessarily the material, but the professors and the other students. It’s like a really competitive high school.. except now they are old enough to drink in public. I like it and sometime I think I must be a fool for subjecting myself to this and immense debt. well back to work. love you all!

Waco!

2009-02-02T17:33:00.001-08:00

So I have made it Waco! Papa Bruce and I left on Thursday for Waco. We drove about 18 hours on the first day and 8 hours the next day. It was a long...long drive especially because we pulled my car. The first thing I did when I got here was start on my room. I've moved so many times it doesn't really matter where I live, it just matters that I feel like it is my space. I went to target and got some furniture and put up all my pictures. i feel really organized, which will be good when the craiziness starts. I feel really blessed to have found Taryn and Pail. They have been super helpful in setting up and showing me around town. I found a Chipotle and Jamba Juice! That should keep me happy because everything else is fast food or just a little too much for me. Yesterday I went to a super bowl party with some of the law students. It was scary for me and introvert to be in that situation, but everyone was in the same boat. It will be great to know people for orientation on Wednesday. I meet a few people that I connected with and I might of found a running partner...that would be really helpful. I'm getting use to running in Waco... there are no sidewalks and a lot of the roads by my house are country road. We kinda live at the edge of Waco so if I head west I enter the hill country and i can see Lake Waco. I did a 10 mile run towards the lake and it was really peaceful.
Today I went and bought my books! AHHHHH so expensive and got my ID card. I feel official. Today and tomorrow I am just getting stuff ready and the Wednesday and Thursday we have orientation for school. It's going to be a weird birthday without my friends and family. Especially because I always share my b-day! Alex came on Saturday so I don't feel completely alone. I also went to University Baptist Church on Sunday where the David Crowder Band is from and they played worship. I was in heaven. I think that might be a good church for me. It really reminds me of Rock Harbor. Well if you all would just keep praying for some good friend and study buddies I'd be very thankful. I miss you all!

One Month!!!

2009-01-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

I won't lie...I'm freaking out. I went to visit my family for Christmas and I just wanted to stay and cuddle with them forever. That was a really great trip and we had so much fun in D.C. on New Year's Eve. We walked around the city and I wasn't prepared for the cold of the wind! Walking around that city made me feel a bit overwhelmed because this is the area that I’m entering. Okay I’m not saying I’m going to work in D.C., but law and politics is now going to be my bread of life for the next few years and probably forever. What really freaked me out was stopping off in Waco. I got to see the house I’m going to be living in and it is so cute! I’m super excited and it is such a blessing to have found a place. But being in Waco gives me this overwhelming feeling that I’m going to be so alone. I know I will make friends, but it is really going to be hard at first. Baylor is so amazing! I just hope I can handle all that is ahead.

Less than 2 months

2008-12-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

So have a countdown on my computer on how many days until the first day of school and well I looked at it recently and freaked out. I had the same countdown for Europe and I remember once it go under 100 days we were home free. My school countdown has only 62 days left. Right now my life is filled with work and only work. I am working at the elementary school doing daycare and now have taken on a second job at Brighton Collectables in the Brea mall. Most days I start at the school at 6:30am and am home from the mall at 6:30pm dreading the idea of running. Even with that dread I still love my runs and once I get my feet out the door I’m thankful I did. I am training for the Carlsbad Half Marathon and hoping to run under 90 minutes and as close to 85 minutes as possible. I had hoped that Sara, Jenni, Danielle and Kristin would run it with me, but it looks like Sara’s IT band injury is going to keep her out of the race. I’m looking so forward to seeing my family on December 28th! I miss them so very much. I did most of my Christmas shopping at Target this year…you can tell the budget is tight. I need to save money, but finding it hard because in a few months I will be totally broke anyways so if I want to go out to dinner now with a friend its hard to say no. I went to Disneyland with Delaney last Sunday and that was really fun. She is adorable and I’m sad that I wont get to be as big of a part of her life as I have been with my other sisters. It is just different because I’m not her Mom, but I almost could be. I feel like an aunt sometimes more than a big sister. Tomorrow is back to work and cal coast practice… oh and I guess I need o start seeing as many friends as possible before I go.

Where I'm going to live

2008-11-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Pictures Courtesy of Taryn

Three Months Till Law School:

2008-11-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

I start law school in three months!!! Two years ago I couldn’t of even of fathomed the thought. It is the scariest adventure I have ever embarked on. I wasn’t sure if I would be ready for such a challenge, nor did I ever think I was going to be ready to leave California behind. It’s weird because God has completely broke me and today for the first time I am ready. Ready for to finally embrace what God has for me. I guess I didn’t understand how tightly I held the reins in my life. To me it was complete chaos, but I was able to control things like school and running. Surprisingly I am at a point where I have never enjoyed running more in my life and have fallen in love with my sport. I finally released myself from meeting others expectations of me and I ran last week my fastest time by 30 sec, off the track. It’s not about accolades anymore, its about something that brings me joy. Running is also such a great way to make new friends and to see my old friends. I really feel lost without my friends around, but everyone’s lives are changing and we all took a different diverging path (don’t you just love Robert Frost). I have learned so much in the last year about the people I hold so dear. My family is gone… and that is harder than I could of ever imagined. Sometime I miss just sitting and cuddling with Amber on the couch. Trying to fit between my Dad and the armrest on the old chair. Making fun of my grandpa and looking through all the crazy things that my grandma saves. I miss cooking with Alex and I wish I could be there as she embarks on this new journey with God. And I miss my mom so much…more than I ever knew I could. Sometimes people may be a part of your lowest of lows, but they are the people you want there for your highest of highs. I’ve also learned that the people that you thought you knew the most can disappoint you the most and you the same for them. Sometimes best friends make bad choices, alienate each other, but she will always be the best. Forever. Learning how to move out of heartbreak has been the hardest lesson of year. It was bound to happen, but I had higher hopes. Nonetheless I’ve a more confident person for it and realized that as introverted as I may be, having someone someday is really important to me. Things like this dig up issues and all the things you hate about yourself… I’m learning again to put God first. Well I’m pretty sure this is going to be a tuff holiday season, but it will all workout in the end. Like I said before today was the first day I’ve been ready for school and this has been 500 words to catch you up on my life. ☺