2008: It's Been Great!

I've been reading a lot of those "year in review" magazines lately and thinking about how nuts 2008 was. Then I thought about my 2008, and how it was quite excellent. So here is a little recap--though I'm sure I missed a lot.

The year began with my final semester at BYU LAW. I will admit I occasionally have dreams that I am still in law school, and in those dreams someone tells me I have to graduate soon and I invariably start to cry. hmm. Okay--I adored law school. And for that entire final semester I would spend a great deal of time pondering how my life was perfect and it was horrible that it had to end. I loved school, I loved my roommates, I loved my life.

MAJOR LIFE EVENTS

Here I am speaking at Law School graduation! It was really an honor to get picked by my peers to speak...though slightly awkward when people thought I was speaking because of my grades!

Equally important was my Graduation Celebration, planned by beloved roommate Haley! She gave me these cut-outs as a graduation gift! She also blind-folded me and drove me to a mystery place. When she tore off my blind-fold (and headphones so I couldn't hear anything) I saw these and thought I was in a Rocky Themed Restaurant!!! But really I was in Chuck-A-Rama. Still great.

After graduation, I had no job and had bought a plane ticket to Hong Kong so I had no money. One night in a dream the idea came to me to live in my Grandma Walker's house in Salt Lake for the summer. It would be free, and two of my best friends (Krystal and Stacey) would also be in SLC for the summer and could be my roommates. It worked out, I didn't have to pay rent, and it really was a dream summer: the perfect place to study for the Bar and the perfect people to live with.

2008 was also GREAT because I wanted a 40-hr/week, federal government job in D.C., and I got a 40-hr/week, fed government job in D.C. Life is good. Here is a picture of me outside of work carrying a lot of bags. (Note that I probably didn't need to write that I was carrying a lot of bags as that is obvious. When my law school friends were in town in D.C.--another highlight of the year--I took all of our stuff to work with me so they wouldn't have to carry it around all day before we took the bus to NYC).

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

The greatest weekend of my life happened in January. I met up with five of my best friend in Cancun, and it was perfection. It also led to my returning to school, getting called on in class, and being unprepared. I apologized and told him I wasn't prepared because I had been in Cancun the day before. He said that was not the excuse he was expecting, but somehow it worked!

In August I got to travel through China with two of my best friends Bethany and Matt. A trip of a lifetime for sure.

PERSONAL TRIUMPHS

For a year I had debated/feared/talked about/decided not to donate my hair. I finally did it in May.

A week before the Bar Exam (bad idea) I went to Logan for the Utah Opera Festival. Since the year previous I had been thinking about "the Kitchen Sink" at this restaurant in Logan. So I finally ordered it. The waitress told me I was THE FIRST GIRL TO EVER ORDER IT ON HER OWN. Now if that's not an accomplishment, I don't know what is!

(*secret confession--I did not clean the sink. That thing is BIG! But the waitress still gave me a bumper sticker. and in both of these pictures I am sitting on my Bar Prep book because the kitchen sink was too high up for me and because I needed to study...)


I also PASSED THE BAR EXAM! Here I am with law school BFF Kari right before we went to get sworn in as lawyers! She gave me these great shoes!

BELOVED PEOPLE

In 2008 James lived in Idaho Falls and I lived in Provo/Salt Lake City--meaning we were only a few hours away and I got to see him and his family many times! Here I am in Idaho Falls with Sarah Jane and Russell. I am giving Jack his present and he is SO excited! I also got to go home a couple times and see the rest of my family too--all 2008 highlights.

My roommate/BFF Gillian got married in June and I got to be her maid of honor!

My law school bff Brooktynn got married in May!

My almost-brother Corey got married on Saturday, and Russell and I flew to California for his wedding.
I moved to D.C. and was reunited with my long-time roommate BETHANY! This is remarkable to a lot of people that we are living together for the fifth year. It is too fun.
Upon moving to D.C. I was also reunited with long-time and much-adored friends Janae, Andrea, and (pictured below at our sixth viewing of Twilight) Becky!

There are six single girls that live in my house. People always think that sounds awful, but it is amazingly perfect. I love all of these girls. And Bethany and I have expanded our matching pajama pants circle to include many, many more!

MISC.

A month after first going to the temple I declared that I wanted to be a temple worker! My friend Jackie told me that perhaps I should wait a little bit...but in November Bethany and I became official temple workers and we spend every Wednesday evening working there. It is, truly, the most enjoyable thing I have done in my life. Seriously, how can I go from talking about the temple to talking about Freaks and Geeks? But during one of those aforementioned trips to Idaho Falls, James and Emily changed my life by showing me a few episodes of this show. I got it from the library and watched the whole series (only 18 episodes, admittedly) in a week WHILE studying for the Bar Exam (most of those were one very late Friday night with my roommate Stacey and her sister). I honestly think it is the most perfect show ever created, and I have shared it with many since.

I would be remiss if I did not at least mention Twilight! A year ago I didn't know a thing about it. Thanks, 2008!