Five on Friday

Thank goodness it is Friday! One more week of school until Thanksgiving break and then exams, which means I am officially in freak out mode and starting to study. Here are the top 5 things I have been loving this week.

ONE 

Lately I've been obsessed with burning candles, especially at night when its colder and I'm cozied up in bed with my pajames on. I have been loving Leaves from Bath and Body Works. It is the perfect fall scent and it burns amazingly. 

TWO

I started watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix when recently and I'm hooked. I'm on Season 6 and I'm pretty excited to catch up so I can start watching the current season. Ellen Pompeo was the inspiration for my hair cut, I think she's perfect.

THREE

I bought these Inkjoy pens after seeing a comercial for them on TV one night. I'm picky about the type of pens I use and I usually prefer a finer point than these, but the ink is smooth and the  colors are pretty. These are perfect for taking notes in my casebook.

FOUR

When I got my hair cut recently, my hair stylist thinned my hair in the back because it tangles easily since it's so thick. She recommended I try the Wet brush to help with combing my hair after showers. This is the most amazing brush ever. I feel like a little kid using it, but it has saved me from struggling to get the knots out.

FIVE

I searched Columbia high and low for this Dove detangling oil. I kept seeing it in magazines but I could never find it. Finally, when I was in Walmart the other night looking for Christmas decorations, I spotted it. It doesn't smell that great, but it does leave my hair feeling nice and smooth.

What are your favorite things from this week? 

What, like its hard?

Everyone I know is either in law school or applying to law school. I don't know if it's just my circle of friends or if going to the law school is the thing to do right now, but I know when I applied to schools two years ago I had no idea what I was getting into. Here's my advice for surviving your 1L year.

Rest/Relax when you can

Take a break from reading/outlining/studying. Go outside, grab a coffee, just do anything but law school for five minutes. I promise that it will make all the difference.

Be understanding

There are going to be people in your life who aren't in law school and they're not going to understand the amount of stress you're under. That's okay because it's hard to understand when you're not going through it yourself. Just understand that they're trying to support you but they might not get that you're losing your mind and terrified of being cold called. It doesn't mean they don't love you, they jus't can't get it.

Don't think you're smarter than everyone else

Everyone gets it: you're a law school student. But surprisingly, not that many people are going to care and to some extent, they shouldn't. Law school is a glorified version of graduate school and it doesn't make you any more intelligent than anyone else. If you're all high and mighty because you're in law school, people are going to dislike you and then when you graduate from school and you're actually a lawyer then your clients aren't going to appreciate feeling like you think you're smarter than they are. 

Have fun

This goes along with resting and relaxing. Go out with your friends. Go see a movie. You're allowed to have fun and not feel guilty. You can't be "on" 24/7 because you're going to burn out.

Accept that you may change

Sometimes law school changes you. During my 1L year I found myself being less understanding of things I normally would have been okay. I also found myself being more understanding of things I normally would have rejected. You're going to discover sides of yourself that you normally wouldn't because of the amount of stress and pressure you're under.

It's going to be okay

I know it seems like it's not going to be OK when you've been cold called in every class and your LRAW paper is due and your boyfriend doesn't understand why you randomly start crying. But it's going to be OK. You're not going through anything alone. Everyone has bad days/weeks but you'll get through it. You aren't going to fail your exams and you're not going to be homeless. Things happen for a reason.

Call your mom and dad

Seriously. These people get you and they will tell you the truth. And they won't judge you.

What's On My Reading List

I spend a lot of my time reading casebooks for my classes at law school, and while I love what I'm doing, casebooks can be very dry and not very interesting. I love to read, so in order to keep my sanity, I try to read a "for fun" book at least once a month. Here is what I'm currently reading, and what I plan on reading next.

Bring Up The Bodies : Hilary Mantel

I was a History minor in college, and my area of focus was British History. Needless to say, I'm obsessed with the Tudors. This book is the sequel to Wolf Hall (which is amazing!) and follows Cromwell's quest to expel Anne Boleyn from the King's court.

 Status Anxiety : Alain de Botton

I first heard of Alain de Botton listening to NPR's Ted Talks. I enjoyed listening to him and thought his opinions on how we identify ourselves based on our idea of what success is was very interesting. I'm excited to read this book and I'm hoping it will help with some of the stress I encounter.

Where'd You Go Bernadette : Maria Semple

I think everyone has read this book but me. This is going to be my reward for finishing exams, and I can't wait to sit on the couch and read this. 

What's on your reading list? I'm always looking for suggestions!

My Cozy Fall Staples

When I was growing up, my parents and my grandparents stressed the importance of making a good impression. They also thought it was important to always look your best, and they had a point. You always run into your ex-boyfriend or the mean girl from high school when you've run to Target in yoga pants and an old sweatshirt without your make up on, which probably isn't how you wanted them to see you. As a result of my family placing an importance on always looking presentable, even when you're having a lazy day, I've always attempted to keep pieces in my wardrobe that I can throw on quickly, are comfortable, and still look decent. Here are a few of my favorite cozy fall staples.

1. Scarves Scarves can make your entire outfit look pulled together. My favorite? Chunky knit infinity scarves. I love this one from Target.
2. Riding boots Brown, black, gray, whatever color, I don't care. I love riding boots. Everyone has a version of the Steve Madden Intyce boots, and for good reason. They're comfortable and cute with anything in your wardrobe.
3. Colored jeans I love a good pair of colored jeans. Old Navy Rockstar jeans are flattering on every body shape and type. These burgundy ones are my favorite.
4. An oversize sweater Comfortable and cozy, nothing says casual fall outfit like a good oversized sweater. I have this one from H&M in every color offered.

How To Manage Mondays

Mondays often come way too quick. I'm hardly ever at my best on Mondays, and I often find myself using these simple tricks to maximize my time in the mornings to make my Monday a lot less stressful.

1. Lay out your clothes the night before. I know this sounds so simple but it really does make all the difference. When I lived alone, my apartment was basically a walk in closet; I would have clothes everywhere and it made getting ready for school in the mornings super stressful. Since Tucker and I have been living together, I've had to be a lot more organized and as a result I've started planning my outfits for the week out on Sunday and hanging them up on my garment rack.
2. Fix your lunches for the week on Sunday. This has honestly saved my life (and bank account) this semester. I find meals, usually on Pinterest, that I can make and keep in the fridge for lunch so I'm not rushing in the morning to figure out what I can take to school.
3. Dry shampoo is your best friend. I would love if I had time to curl/style my hair every night and morning but unfortunately that just isn't realistic. I'm a brunette, so I used to be weary of dry shampoo since I figured it would make my hair look white. Through some trial and error, I found the perfect dry shampoo. Run, don't walk, and buy yourself some Batiste dry shampoo. You're welcome.
   
4. Have your bags/book bag ready to go. On Sunday nights, before we put Cali in her crate and Katrina in the spare room, I put all of my textbooks and Macbook Pro in my school bag and put it beside the door. I know on Monday where my bag is and that everything is in it, so if I'm cold called on Monday morning, I'm not unprepared.
5. Take a deep breath. Mondays are stressful, especially in November when exams are creeping up. Take a deep breath and remember that Friday will be here before you know it.

Introduction

After years of finding and following blogs that I love, I decided it was time to start my own. I've thought about starting my own blog for a while now; I stumbled across the first blog I began to read daily (The College Prepster!) while in my junior year of college and ever since then I've wanted to become a "blogger." 

Here is a quick run down of who I am:

1. I have a cat named Katrina. She is the sassiest, biggest diva of a cat you will ever meet. She also has many nicknames.
   
2. My boyfriend and I also have a dog named Cali. She is the sweetest dog ever.
   
3. My boyfriend is my best friend in the entire world. We've been together for four years and we just recently bought a house together.
4. This summer was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I went to the doctor for what I assumed was anxiety attacks and found out that I had hypothyroidism, which has led me to take a closer look at my eating habits and my lifestyle.
5. I'm in my second year of law school. I wish I could say I'm Elle Woods, but sadly, I'm not.

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