Smile

Going to a Barn!

2009-11-21T15:41:00.003-06:00

Who dis?

So, I'm involved this this group called Taste of the Twin Cities and every other week or so we hit up a new restaurant in the Twin Cities. We bring in anywhere between 75-100 people to these events so it's pretty sweet. But each semester we have a huge event, and this time it was "The Barn".

So here we have Bill Svoboda, Mark Mellon, and Aron Clark in the middle of filming the video, "Going to a barn!" somewhere south of Cottage Grove. I just love this pic. They were for real breakin it down in the corn. the corn is just that mellow earthy color and then you have the clear blue sky above them. i just love the colors contrast.

that and these boys' get ups. bill took it to the next level with the handlebars and stache.

Dodger Stadium

2009-10-06T01:47:00.003-05:00

a taste from home

Dodgers v Brewers

okay, i know i'm not from Wisconsin, but having the Brewers play the Dodgers was the next best thing! I was totally rooting for the Dodgers :P what else am I going to do in LA?

Dodger Stadium is beautiful! coming from a land where open stadiums are just a bad idea, the night was beautiful and the black sky made for a great contrast against the stadium lights. People were cheering, the dodger dogs were nom nom, and the company was great :) Even though the Dodgers sucked it up that game, it was still awesome :)

Music

2009-10-04T02:11:00.005-05:00

Music... Old School

sups jealous. I was over at my friend Ron's house practicing for a wedding we are singing in, and i saw this amazing old antique organ that they had! It still had some life in it, it plays one note when you work the foot pedal. But i love the colors and the look and just how music was made back in the day :)

the best part of this shot (that i didn't realize until after) is that the nob my camera is focused on says "melodia".

LOVE it.

the bodega

2009-09-21T14:09:00.004-05:00

La Crosse, Wisconsin... known for having the most bars on one street

Looking out from the bodega bar in La Crosse. It's kinda cool. The bar itself is really chill and boasts over 500 types of beer from all over the world. The people that come into the bar are just from all walks of life, all ages, and everyone ready to enjoy a nice cold brew.

Dear Elizabeth

2009-08-31T21:45:00.003-05:00

Dear Elizabeth,

Ever since I have returned you have constantly reminded me that I have neglected my blog. I whole heartedly agree and so I will kick off fall semester with one of my favorite pictures from Disneyland :)

Entrance into Tomorrowland

I took this pic when us TOMS interns took a trip to Disneyland. It was super fun and an awesome time but i just love this picture. Love the lines and the colors and the contrasts. Amazing :)

-- maybe later i'll do some more pics from the summer :)

Greetings from Playa Del Rey, California!

2009-05-30T23:32:00.003-05:00

Hey ALL :)

So it's Saturday night. And it feels kind of surreal as I'm sitting here across the table with two of my fellow interns (and one friend) chillin on facebook and wondering if we should go to pinkberry (is that even a question??).

My uncle dropped me off this afternoon, and Ivy (one of the interns) and I tried to figure out what was going on. We were joined later by Charlene, her friend Francis, and Matt. The house was kind of gross so we trekked to target to get sheets, cleaning supplies, and... well, mostly cleaning supplies! We had dinner together at Pho Show in Culver City and went through all sorts of introductions!

THen it was time to clean. We had a brief distraction from Larry, the resident previous TOMS intern bum (hehe) who shared stories with us, and then set to work cleaning. IT WAS KIND OF GROSS. the previous interns, gotta love them, left a lot of random stuff around... plus the showers and stuff were just kind of nasty. then we did the kitchen. and now we're relaxing and updating twitters and facebook statuses and planning on some Pinkberry in about fifteen minutes :)

TOMORROW is more cleaning, followed by a TOMS intern dinner! love it :) will update more with pics!

loves

California Love

2009-05-28T15:21:00.002-05:00

A Week in Review? yes.

You'll see that we LOVE jumping shots! This one was taken on our west coast roadtrip.

Little ring bearer... loving his dessert

More Jumping!

San Francisco. Awesome

Medina wedding

This week has been crazy! First a wedding in Iowa, then jetting off to Northern California (San Francisco) and San Jose for another wedding of an old friend! Then roadtrip down the coast to Irvine to hang out with our family :)

Summer is here

2009-05-11T14:04:00.002-05:00

A week in review, for sure :)

A rooftop party, following the end of finals and graduation for my 3L friends, some fun at Bible study, and just some random fun times.

Capturing the smoke from Chris' cigar

Some Caprese snacks that were pretty good :)

Flamenco dancing at Conga

The rainbow was beautiful... can you see it?

Just enjoying Cinco de Mayo

Graduation is looming

2009-04-30T15:51:00.003-05:00

Monica's wings are too big

These three lovely ladies (Caitlin, Monica, and Erin) asked me to take some photos of them for graduation! It is definitely an exciting time to graduate from law school. Three years of hard work all summed up in a 2 hour long ceremony, followed by a reception. :)

They explained to me that you get a hood for graduation (i can't wait to see law professors attempt to put robes on students)... Also, they noted that Caitlin's purple stripes are a different purple than theirs! Shown even more by the fact that Monica and Erin's purple is more blue in the picture!

I like this pic because this sums up most of the time we spent taking pictures. They held still for a few pics, but then would laugh and tease each other! Three years seems like a short period of time, but in law school, the bonds of friendship are strengthened and tested quickly. But I am sure that years from now, these three will gather in Caitlin's soup restaurant and laugh about their times in law school :)

Photo Overload!

2009-04-28T11:35:00.005-05:00

So I am back... from California mostly. But also the stress and angst of school is starting to die down as classes are over and the only thing left to deal with are finals :P So in an effort to catch up on photos, I am posting several from the past week so you can enjoy :)

Bobby checkin out the wave conditions!

some flowers on a mountain hike

Mike at the Living Room...

ducks just chillin in our parking lot...

heading out for some barefoot fun :)

Robby is going all "teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" on us!

apples for easter!

AH!

2009-04-19T15:57:00.002-05:00

Sorry I have been bad at updating this! I will be posting several pictures in a few days. It has just gotten a little crazy with school and

THIS

so check it out! enjoy :)

Almost Freaky...

2009-04-15T01:36:00.001-05:00

So bright.

I was at my friend Sara Joy's house and we had just come inside from celebrating Abby's birthday... We were just chillin in the living room when I was blinded by the late afternoon light coming in through the window. THe sun was LITERALLY shining directly into the living room. Sara Joy was standing between me and the window, so when i looked up, all i saw was light and her silhouette... it's pretty cool.

WHOOPSIE

2009-04-12T19:38:00.004-05:00

Hey! Sorry about my lack of posting. I've been out of town for the past bunch of days. So hopefully this will make up for it!

Lamp at the Graveyard Bar in Atlanta

awesome bookshelf at Park Grounds in Atlanta

Park Grounds is this awesome coffee shop. Super chill and they have a mini dog park connected to it. So you can come, get some good coffee, relax, and let your dog run around worry free in the little grassy area. UNless there are tons of dogs... and one is trying to hump your dog...

a shot for the "One Day Without Shoes"

Bailey on the day I had to leave. so sad :/

i LOVE this picture.

This is just a sweet photo of brotherly love if I've ever seen it. It's my friends Robby and EY outside in the parking lot at church on Easter. It was cute. I had hugged them goodbye, and then they were like, HUG. sweet boys :)

Eyes

2009-04-05T22:43:00.002-05:00

Hello Jordan

I love eyes. I think that they are amazing and can say so much. I tend to talk with my eyes (my friend jenna and i call it "eye-chatting" ahahaha). usually you can tell a lot about people by what their eyes look like. In fact, most of why edward cullen is so intense is HIS EYES in twilight (okay so maybe more like robert pattinson's eyes)...

this is my friend jordan. he had the honor of sitting next to me and i took a photo of his eye. CLOSE UP. he also got new glasses.

It's a Blur

2009-04-03T09:38:00.003-05:00

This is my friend chris.

He's kind of a blur. hahahaha. Right when i tried to take a picture of him, he started pretending to run in place. i think it's actually a pretty cool shot. Our friend DMac was in the left of the picture and popped in, of course at the wrong moment. So he's that random dark thing on the side.

My friend Jordan had found three women's jackets at work and brought them back to our Office Party night. The boys decided to try them on. Chris ended up wearing the super white one that makes him look slightly feminine (as proven by this picture). It was pretty great :)

Hearts

2009-04-01T23:29:00.003-05:00

chocolate... so good for the heart

So... I'll be honest. I'm not a fan of valentine's day. Not because I am a bitter betty or something. I just don't like it when society makes a big deal out of something that should be a natural, every day thing for people. However, I do love all the candy that goes on sale the day after Valentine's day!!! love it! Anyway, these chocolate hearts always make me smile. I just love how red they are!

It's still winter

2009-03-31T22:39:00.002-05:00

Snowfall

This is a view from two stories up

I cannot tell you... the anger i felt when it SNOWED today. it is march 31st. It's not april fools! But it snowed. and it was a gross cold semi windy day. Where is this spring that i've loved?

the top photo is taking in the parking lot behind my apartment... i couldn't quite capture the sereneness of the falling snow (or the cold for that matter), but i tried! It's snowing big flakes so it's really pretty in the light.

the second photo was me attempting to capture the result of the "snowball snow" we had this morning. No i don't mean good snowball packing snow. I mean chunks of snow were falling down from the skies, the size of small snowballs! it was ridiculous!

p.s. two pics elizabeth :) just for you!

Sideview Mirror

2009-03-29T23:11:00.002-05:00

Dangerous

Yes Yes. I know how dangerous it is to take pictures while you are driving. But the sunset was amazing. I didn't really capture it because i got to far from the hill that's blocking where the sun is right above the car in the mirror. But it is awesome. I love taking photos of things in mirrors! Something about how it reflects so clearly is pretty cool...

I got a pic of my friend Robby sticking his head out of my backseat window like a dog... and i did it like this one. from the driver's seat through the mirror :)

p.s. I know i slack a bit on my photos a day. But school's been kicking my butt (spring break... PSHHHH) so i've been preoccupied with other things :/

back to the grindstone

2009-03-26T22:42:00.004-05:00

It's a sad sad day...

It's March 26th... and it is snowing outside. Granted, it may just be that the wind is blowing a little bit of snow around so that we think it's a lot. But still! snow in late march is unacceptable! oh who am i kidding. it's minnesota. I expected this! this is outside my parents house. they just did some landscaping this past summer and we ended up with tri colored wood chips! Love that it looks like frost.

flowers

2009-03-25T23:42:00.005-05:00

In celebration of "spring" in Minnesota, my friend and I visited the Como Park Conservatory and got some beautiful photos of flowers. I couldn't pick one to post, so I'm going to put up some of my favorites :)

This is me... Sort of :)

2009-03-24T22:37:00.002-05:00

My Magnet Board...

You may laugh. But this magnet board is a nice symbol of who i am. or at least a little bit of who i am :) Let me tell you a little bit of it...

Dollar bill: weird, but true. i enjoy finding money. and saving money. So me putting the dollar bill up on my magnetic board is like me being like... "hey if you ever need a dollar, you know where it is!"
Jon McLaughlin Sticker: This signifies a few things. For one, i love his music. He is an incredibly gifted man. Thankfully he shares it with the rest of us! And second, i love playing the piano...
Photo of me and my friends Beth and Janahn: These two girls are great. the pic to me reminds me of how much i love all of my friends.
Card of Flowers: it's just purrrty :) and reminds me of springtime!
Chino Latino Magnet: I spent many a night there in my undergraduate years with good friends.
Pic of Zachary Levi: UM. he is a cutie patootie. and his show "Chuck" is my altime favorite right now! The only thing that would make that photo even better is if Jonathan Togo and Eric Szmanda were in it too...
Mountains: My good friend Gina wrote me a little note of encouragement on the photo of a mountain, reminding me how great God is and how little that i am.
Photo of Me and Gina: she is just an awesome girl! She started dating my good friend and is now engaged... and I have enjoyed our times together (even if she did move out to cali and leave me behind!)
Cari the Caribou: as a law student, i tend to spend a lot of time studying at caribou. Nuff said :)

A Nice Cold Brew.

2009-03-22T21:03:00.002-05:00

Bumblebee and a HoneyBear

Nothing like a good beer to top of a fabulous road trip! Leinenkugal's brewery is located in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and produces some pretty sweet beer! Most well known is their honeyweiss and sunset wheat. They also have an awesome Summer Shandy and Oktoberfest beer!

At their brewery, visitors can try some of the mixes that they make by combining their beers. Yum.

Tracks to Nowhere

2009-03-22T00:03:00.003-05:00

Lake Wissota

My friend Jenna and I road tripped to Wisconsin (okay okay, MINI road trip) and I was super excited to visit the lake. I LOVE big bodies of water, especially on sunny, clear skied days when it's just gorgeous. Unfortunately, it's still cold and the lake was frozen over. We DID however find some train tracks right off the edge of the lake and had some fun with the angles and lines that the train tracks gave us.

Tea Lights

2009-03-21T01:11:00.003-05:00

Set of Tea Lights

My friend Kristin and her bf Dave had a BBQ. It was raining, but we still powered through! After some guitar hero at Dave's, we headed to Kristin's and hung out and watched a movie. Kristin and her roommate have a ton of candles and tea lights all over their apartment. On their TV they have a string of about 10 lights in a row. beautiful.

a study in wine

2009-03-19T23:20:00.002-05:00

Notice the title of the wine...

I love the shape of wine bottles. They're just sleek and elegant. Plus light bounces off them in ridiculous ways! At our dinner at Dixie's on Grand, they had a really fancy looking pillar of wine. It had several bottles on each level, lit up by back lights. I caught a picture of the "menage a trois" wine bottle here. It's just some fun lighting. For some reason the camera caught the light in a way that is almost blinding.

Chili Cook off!

2009-03-19T00:02:00.003-05:00

mmmm chili.

My school has an annual chili cook-off. It's awesome. It's not just to make a lot o chili and eat it. The whole point is to raise money for Minnesota Justice Foundation. So for $5, you can eat all the chili you want! There's tons. there's really spicy chili, white bean chicken chili, and even a chili with cinnamon and cloves in it. It was AWESOME! my friend elizabeth spotted me $5 (okay so maybe she owed me $5) so i could enjoy it.

Even though I am currently meatless (for lent), i picked out the chicken from this yummy chicken chili and then enjoyed a bowl of veggie chili! LOVE it. It also made the whole school smell like scrumptious chili the whole afternoon. I think they raised over $800 :)

my childhood mirror

2009-03-17T23:28:00.002-05:00

best lighting...

I've had this mirror/light since i was a wee yougin. i loved it. I had bad zits when i was growing up (er in middle school) and this mirror and light always made them look better. probably why i loved this mirror :) the other great thing was it had this little drawer on the side that you could put bobby pins and stuff in. and I decided to use it as more of a secret place to put money. for some reason i thought no one would think to look there :) but up until mid high school, that's where i hid my loose cash! (don't go lookin, it ain't there anymore!).

Cruisin...

2009-03-16T22:38:00.003-05:00

... with the windows down

gotta love a good car ride with some good friends. and nothing is more classic than a pair of aviator shades and a popped collar! To mark the start of amazing spring weather, some friends of friends were having a bar-b-q that we decided to head to. And in the spirit of friendship and good moods (thanks to the sunshine), I let my friend drive us in my car to the house. it was fun. there was red bull involved and open windows with the wind blowing.

Get your motor gunning

head out on the highway

now, we're lookin for adventure

or whatever comes our way...

...

never gonna die

born to be wild.

daffodils

2009-03-15T00:12:00.002-05:00

bright colors...

So i went to my friend abby's house this afternoon (CUTEST APT EVER!) and we had some fun making homemade guacamole and tortillas...

(btw. trader joe's black bean and roasted corn salsa... amazing!). But she is all about spring and summer and has been attempting to make her apartment more springy! she found some great daffodils at trader joe's this afternoon. Aren't they gorgeous? I love 'em. they are the epitome of spring!

what a girl wants

2009-03-14T00:13:00.003-05:00

What Pretty Colors you have...

No matter the girl, something about lots and lots of make-up just makes you feel more alive! I don't wear that much make up to begin with, but i loved the girls night we had. Jenna won a girls make up party at bare escentuals at southdale mall. it was aewsome! We got makeovers using mineral make up, and learned how to do smoky eyes, night out eyes, and every day eyes.

I don't know much about mineral makeup, but it's light weight and the good stuff can even out your skin to make it look flawless. And the colors that B.E. has are endless and beautiful. Sparkly eye makeup, bronzers... every girl's wish!

my life...

2009-03-12T23:16:00.003-05:00

welcome to the university of st. thomas

Birds eye view of where I spend a good chunk of my time. This is the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Actually, the building to the left is my school. It looks a lot more inviting in the summer :) But i can see the library, the front atrium, and the skyway to the business school (which is the building in the upper right hand). The school sits on the edge of downtown, and if you look in the distance you can see where the new Twins stadium is being built. It's amazing being so close downtown. It connects you with all the businesses and restaurants that make Minneapolis what it is!

I snapped this photo from the 20th floor of my friends' apartment building kitty corner from my school. It's amazing how close and clear it is.

MMM... cupcakes

2009-03-11T23:01:00.002-05:00

What could be better...

Not much... This chocolate cupcake was GINORMOUS. the size of the palm of our hand. we split it and was full! This thing was amazing. THere is seriuosly nothing better during a long day at school. Elizabeth and I were walking back from Dunn Bros when a girl tabling at school was like "want a cupcake?" Did we ever. I had been struggling to stay awake. and this sugar high was exactly what i needed!!!!!!!! it was soft and cakey, but still cupcake like. amazing. :)

Snow Day!

2009-03-11T01:13:00.002-05:00

SNOW DAY!

Okay, so not literally a snow day... It only snowed for a few hours, and then melted. but for a while I thought that we were going to have a full blown snow storm blizzard on our hands! In fact, it was sleeting on my way to school, and turned into snow. Love it. You can barely see the buildings downtown because of the snow falling. and the best kind of snow is the flakes. large large flakes of snow :)

Sticky Bun

2009-03-10T00:02:00.002-05:00

Warm, Gooey Goodness

"baby it's cold outside"... what beats the cold winter blues? A warm restaurant with yummy breakfast! Doesn't this cinnamon roll look amazing? Jenna and I went to Key's Cafe and got breakfast. We didn't get this cinnamon roll (mostly because we didn't see it until we were on our way out), but were so tempted to grab it! There was a whole tray of sticky buns, with caramel just oozing off the sides and onto the tray. They looked soft and perfectly baked. We even squished one of the "day old" cinnamon buns, and they were still soft as ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So the next time i'm feeling cranky from the cloudy, cold weather, I'm heading over to Key's to get me one of these sticky buns :)

Light a Candle

2009-03-08T22:39:00.002-05:00

candles...

I love candles. and flames. and fires. well, as long as they are safely contained. But there's just something about natural light that is gorgeous. This is a photo of my friend Andrea's candle in her kitchen. It's kind of funny. When it's not lit it looks like beeswax almost. But when it's lit it becomes mesmerizing. At least to me...

Flames are beautiful in that they dance and flicker, depending on what's going on around them. If it's still, the flame is still. If people are moving about and air is flowing, the flame will flicker and dance, and the light from the flame will make the shadows dance as well. Love it.

Questionable...

2009-03-08T00:27:00.002-06:00

you really don't want to know...

This is a super cool picture. but i got it because i forgot to rinse out a cup of soymilk... it was just sitting there a day, but it had dried in the bottom of the glass. so i added some water so that i could rinse it out and wash it a little easier. and after a few minutes this was the result...

so sorry about the nastyness of the actual picture. But the photo looks pretty sweet!!!!!

Greens and Pinks

2009-03-07T00:32:00.002-06:00

What I wished it looked like outside...

It's most definitely not spring. But this shot of my friend's room decor makes me want spring even more.

I think this is the coolest thing ever! She just took an old painted sheet and split it into three, then mounted it on the wall. GORGEOUS and soooo creative! love it!

Spring.. Almost

2009-03-04T23:25:00.003-06:00

Spring Thaw

When i say spring thaw... that doesn't really mean that spring is here in Minnesota. Here, in the winter, usually in late february and then ALL of march, the weather will play with our emotions, giving us a few warm days, and then dropping the temp down below zero. It's pretty harsh.

So today began the days of warmth. My pic attempted to capture the water dripping down the drain pipe. It didnt work quite as well as I had hoped. But it's kind of cool. It's a dash of hope for me and all of my friends who are currently wishing that we lived anywhere but here... Happy few more weeks of winter everyone :D

The View from Work

2009-03-03T23:35:00.003-06:00

Do you see what i see?

This is the view from the window in the Westlaw/Lexis office where I work. Most people wouldn't really recognize the building straight in front. But here it is well known and beloved. It's none other than TPN: Target Plaza North. This is where the headquarters are for one of the biggest retail chains in America (world??), Target.

I love this view at dusk because the lights from the buliding and the cars reflecting off the snow give it a glow. Kind of like a warm glow, except that I know it's 0 degrees outside! But the Target building is our savior: we need frozen dinners? go to target. Running out of toilet paper? Run to target! Need Pizza Hut Breadsticks... why yes, you can run to target! Target Plaza North (in the picture) is just one of the buildings that house many different departments from marketing to design (those top secret floors you need keypasses to get into!). But in Target Plaza South, there is a full Target store. Fully accessible from the skyways.

So this photo is an ode to my work and the amazingness we love to call Target :)

the old and familiar

2009-03-02T00:09:00.003-06:00

My Dad's Office

It is funny. I was at my parents house today because I have to bring them to the airport tomorrow morning... and this room brings back a lot of memories... I used to live in this room when i was in elementary school! there was a HUGE desk in there the size of a bed and the weight of an elephant! But now it's the computer room/my dad's office. He always sits and works on his sermons or studies and tends not to come out until someone lures him out with dinner, or better yet... ice cream!

there's so many pictures of my sister and i when we were little in this room, climbing around on the huge desk... My favorite memory?

The room is on the corner right by the front porch. So when I was living in the room, I would get uber paranoid (I still am quite a worst case scenario girl) that someone would break into our house from the porch. SO i decided to create my own personal alarm system. I stuck needles (the tall ones) into little balls of retainer wax (gross i know) and then set them up on the "outskirts" of my desk near the window...

JUST in case a robber came in through the window, he would step on the needles. Well, one morning I was trying to get the shades open and slammed my hand down on my desk to get some leverage... RIGHT on a needle.

after that my mom made me stop creating do-it-yourself traps for potential robbers :)

Paris is calling...

2009-02-28T22:32:00.001-06:00

Prayer Letter

Once a month, I print out about 55 prayer letters for my friend Claire who has been in Montpellier France for almost two years now. She's there on a short term international missions trip under Campus Crusade for Christ. She works with University students, hangs out, and gets to share with people about her faith. Shes there with a few of my other friends, and so each month she sends out a letter to update all of her family, friends and supporters on what she's been up to.

I love sending out her prayer letters. For one, it keeps me connected to what she's doing... Two, i love the mindlessness of folding, stamping, and labeling! And finally, I get to watch TV while I fold, stamp, and label!

On a random note, today was "She's the Man". I've forgotten how much I absolutely love that movie. it is SO cheesy that it's hilarious and it gets better the more you watch it! It made my day :)

Open the Window

2009-02-28T00:02:00.002-06:00

Ceilings made of Windows

Windows are pretty great. you can see through them, right? the restaurant we were eating at tonight had one of those huge glass skylights in the middle of the restaurant. It was pretty cool at night, because it mostly reflected the restaurant below. I found that kind of funny since windows are supposed to allow you to see outside.

I just thought the way that the windows reflected the building was gorgeous. the lights make it seem like a warm ski lodge. And even though these windows are serving the actual purpose of a "window" per se, it's still pretty cool...

blizzzzzzzzard!!

2009-02-26T23:22:00.003-06:00

View from my Balcony...

it snowed today.... like 8 inches! which isn't that crazy for Minnesota. but seeings as our weather has been BEAUTIFUL for the past week (and by beautiful i mean above 30 degrees), it was a little upsetting to see the crazy blizzard today! It finally stopped snowing around 6pm, but the roads were really bad. I was driving to my friend Andrea's house for office party, and had to go pretty slow to make sure that I didn't go slipping or sliding into the ditch or worse, another car. But i made it.

Honestly the worst part besides from having your car tires squeal as you try to drive is digging your car out of the snow. i can't find my other black mitten so I had to clear my car with gloves. YIKES! add in the wind, and you've got snow blowing all up in your face! COLD COLD COLD!

A Study in Light

2009-02-25T23:15:00.005-06:00

Perfect Lines

I just love this photo. look at the crisp lines around my lamp! YES that is my bedroom lamp! Normally it just gives off light. but this picture is unedited, untouched. it just looks so surreal! almost like a painting :)

I just can't get over how cool this picture looks! As I'm recovering from my Evidence midterm, I have time to ponder things like light fixture photos and crsip lines :)

Cramming and Crashing

2009-02-24T22:13:00.004-06:00

The key to a successful Midterm

Seeings as my brain is almost completely mush and I had a well deserved break coming my way, i decided to capture on camera the current bane of my existence: Evidence. While this is a worthwhile course and topic (since almost every attorney will come face to face with the rules of evidence at SOME time in their career), the needless stress that accompanies a midterm is NOT the greatest.

These are my three best buddies: the actual Evidence textbook, an Emanual Evidence outline, and my trusty Federal Rules of Evidence 2008-2009 Statutory Supplement! All three necessary to fully grasp the concepts.

When I was younger, I didn't realize that Evidence was so complicated. In fact, most of society knows that evidence is a courtroom/trial concept and to win a case, you've got to have the evidence to back it up. and what does media tell us? you find the evidence and present it during arguments!

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh...

so....

wrong!

Evidence just may well be one of the more confusing courses I've taken thus far! THere are rules on what you can present, how you can present it, and exceptions. there are ALWAYS exceptions! Some of the rules make sense, like FRE 403, which may exclude evidence if it's a waste of time, among other things. and then there are some where you are just scratching your head and wondering who thought that one up! Like FRE 613(b) where extrinsic evidence of a prior inconsistent statement by a witness is NOT admissible unless the witness is afforded an opportunity to explain or deny the same and the opposite party is afforded an opportunity to interrogate the witness thereon... did I lose you?

it took me a while to understand that one. Unfortunately the test is tomorrow and I am still trying to make sure I understand every little nuance of the rules we'll be tested on! Gotta love law school!

Classic

2009-02-23T23:03:00.003-06:00

The Beauty of a Taylor

A good guitar is just one of those things that is the epitome of classic beauty. Taylor guitars are made well enough that they produce music wonderfully, but are not so high end that normal people can't afford them. This guitar has special meaning. It was passed down to me from an old friend who taught me the importance of music in life. It's almost like an heirloom :)

I've played the guitar since 9th grade, but until recently, had not known that feeling that you get when you and your guitar get along. I've been realizing that playing the guitar is an art that I need to learn and get better at. To me, music is a form of communication, not just a tool for entertainment. So I'm doing my best to treat it use it to its fullest.

Stars on Ice

2009-02-22T20:59:00.002-06:00

Sasha Cohen

So I went to Stars on Ice with two of my friends and it was awesome! This shot is of Sasha Cohen RIGHT as she began her performance... Despite the oddness of her... sleeves... her performance was beautiful! I was really excited to get this picture from halfway up the stands :P

Stars on Ice was great! I've forgotten how awesome figure skating is and how every time I watch it I wish I could figure skate as well :P I even caught a little stuffed strawberry!!!

Sign of the Times

2009-02-22T00:04:00.002-06:00

Triplets.

I just thought it was funny how two of my good friends and I have matching phones. Sprint has these three phones, blue, green, and black... now only are these phones pretty colors, but they are slide phones with a horizontal keyboard to text! Amazing huh :)

A few of my friends and I were talking about cell phones a few days ago and how strange it is that only 10 years ago we never had phones like that. I think I was one of the earlier ones to have a cell phone in high school... so it was like I could call home and my sister and that was it :) But it's crazy to think of how much technology has advanced in the past 5 years. With all the texting it's amazing that we have any interpersonal communication skills left at all! everything we do can be done on the internet so that we don't have to deal with other people... then those few times we need to call customer support, the frustration begins because we are not accustomed to dealing with live people!

cRAzyness :)

Heart Smashing

2009-02-21T00:08:00.003-06:00

Valentine's Candy is SUPER CHEAP!

I know i missed a day yesterday. that was my bad. i had some people over for dinner and we had a great meal of eggplant lasagna and other goodies :) the best part was my friends Dave and Kristin brought a giant heart shaped pinata for us to break! apparently wal-mart had a ton and it was amazingly cheap :) it was a lot of fun!

this photo is hilarious. we were all sitting around talking when all of a sudden jared jumps in the convo by blowing these candy chocolate hearts into the middle of the circle! i dunno. it was just funny. but this pic captures the hearts coming out! :P

Chinese History

2009-02-19T01:19:00.003-06:00

A Bit of Chinese History

I am not too sharp when it comes to Chinese history, partially because there is just so much of it! But this sweet statue stands outside of Willow Gate Restaurant. a GREAT chinese place that has some pretty dang good sesame chicken!

If my memory serves correct, one of CHina's emperors made a HUGE clay army to fool his enemies. and his clay army was unearthed in pretty stellar condition. This is clearly not an original, but a replica. It's amazing though, what men could do without all the great machines we have these days...

Snowfall

2009-02-18T00:27:00.003-06:00

First Snowfall of February

Don't let this photo deceive you! Though the snowfall is pretty and white and serene, it comes packin a lot of uncomfortable stuff... like wet roads, fog, moisture in the air, wet shoes, soaking pant legs, and COLD. While it is pretty normal for snow to be in Minnesota in mid-February, I was a little bummed because it has been so nice here the past few days! make that weeks maybe? it was sunny and semi=warm when i left for school this morning. needless to say I was upset when i walked to my car this afternoon and it was SNOWING HUGE FLAKES. what is that all about?

but this picture is beautiful and reminds me why i enjoy snow. those rare moments :)

my BF is in town and unfortunately he is accustomed to warm weather where he is from... it's like he brought cold with him? i don't know how he did it :)

Who's that in the mirror...

2009-02-16T22:25:00.002-06:00

Mirror Mirror on the wall...

I will admit that I was a little creeped out by this shot. My friend Sarah and I were hiding in the bathroom of the Loring Pasta Bar (to avoid our server when the rest of our group told him we needed him to rerun the receipts for our student discount)... The Loring Pasta Bar has a pretty sweet bathroom, it's semi open (as in there is no ceiling), and there are only three stalls, with one that has a curtain for a door! It has a sort of dark victorian feel to it. i'm not great at explaining. But there were some mirrors set up and I thought it'd be fun to try an "over the shoulder" shot like this. It worked.

I like over the shoulder/silhouette pictures and this one is definitely that. It's sort of an Alice in Wonderland meets the Exorcist! Sarah is not a freaky person by any means but this shot of her looks creepy!

She and a few of my other friends were at Loring Pasta Bar to celebrate my birthday :) It was a great time.

Can We Please Be Normal?

2009-02-15T23:56:00.002-06:00

Cuban Wall Art... I think...

Minneapolis has so many amazing little pockets of culture that it's hard to find them. This wall art is in the parking lot of Victor's Cafe, off of Grand and 38th... It's actually an amazing mural, but I don't think my photography skills did it any justice...

Victor's is a really cool little cafe. Despite the long wait and the semi=grumpy hostess, we ate inside the small cozy dining room. It seems like it used to be a house that got turned into a small restaurant. The cuban food was amazing! I've never been to Cuba, nor have I ever been told what is authentic Cuban food, but this had to have come pretty close!

The lazy Sunday afternoon meal reminded me of how we all need to take deep breaths and relax. Even this mural reflects the craziness of life. I glanced at it while I took the picture, but didn't even really look closely at it until just now. It amazes me how much we miss when we don't take the time to look.

Crowns and Roses

2009-02-15T00:53:00.002-06:00

Backstage pass to a Pageant...

It's Valentines Day. I never thought I'd spend my Saturday running around backstage at a local pageant. But when i signed up to help my friend direct a pageant, I knew it was going to be a lot of fun!

This photo is great. it's our view from backstage during Evening Wear. My friend Brett played live music during the walk, and jenna katelyn and I got to watch from the back . The flowers were amazing. Chez Bloom at Excelsior at Grand (or something like that) did a great job putting together the bouquets. you can also sort of see the crown next to the flowers.

It's amazing what these girls do. They fit into tight dresses, run through talent numbers multiple times, walk in heels all day, and manage to smile during all of it. It's crazy backstage! helping girls get into dresses, out of dresses, onstage at the right time, and making sure that they eat something so they don't pass out from stress, excitement, and nerves! I'd never realized what they go through in order to make it to the next step towards Miss America.

it was a fun night. but i realized that i am not a pageant person... I can't handle a lot of pressure when it comes to looks and presentation :) I'm all about being realistic and honest about the fact that everyone is a little awkward ;)

celebrating life

2009-02-14T01:36:00.003-06:00

Birthday Boys and Girl

Awkward shot in front of the elevators at Stella's Fish Cafe in Uptown... I'll be honest, i've been running around all day that I haven't had time to get a good shot. so this one was just one of my favorites of the night so I thought i'd share it with you :)

Today, or... I guess technically yesterday was Friday the 13th... which is actually my birthday. It's been a tradition for the past couple of years for me and two of my guy friends, Jared and James, to all celebrate our birthdays together in one bash... since they are all within four days of each other. This year our good friend Chris reserved us a table at Stella's. There were a ton of people and great food...

It's just one of those bittersweet things where I realize that I am getting older and there is nothing to do to stop it. I still feel like a teen at heart and am nervous that I won't be ready for the "real world" when i graduate from school in a year. It's a bit frightening to know that i'll soon have to make decisions that will direct what I do for the next few years and where I live.

The comforting thing, that I also realized from tonight, was that I am not alone in all of it! I have some pretty amazing friends that I know I can count on when I'm trying to figure things out :)

So even though getting older is not getting any more fun, it just means more time with people that I love :)

Thursday Nite Office Party

2009-02-12T22:47:00.002-06:00

Strawberries = Love

I apologize if a lot of my pictures involve food... but that is just how i roll :) One things about birthdays is that I honestly do not like when people make a huge deal out of it. Growing up birthdays were celebrated, but not to the extent that you would think... However, my ideal birthday celebration includes a small group of close friends and lots of laughs. And that's what tonight was :)

my friend Andrea (who i've known since we were little babies at church) and her husband host a litle office gettogether at their place every thursday. It usually involves food, drinks, and watching the office and sometimes the real housewives of OC, and then some sort of game... (sometimes settlers, but i try to avoid that :P)...

tonight we had a little birthday celebration for me and jared (whose birthday is two days after mine). we had amazing cake... and andrea knows exactly what i LOVE! STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was definitely a great nite. one of my good guy friends came who i haven't seen in a while, and we just had a lot of fun eating pasta andrea made and watching the office... and playing partini :) It is exactly how i love celebrating my birthday :)

OH so the cake andrea made me was SO GOOD! strawberry heaven... amazing.

Hi-ho, Hi-ho... it's off to work We Go...

2009-02-12T00:38:00.003-06:00

Hello, Printers...

I know i know. this picture isn't that impressive. But i had to capture the sadness of the Lexis printer. This is my office. I share it with four other people... most of the time i chill with Elizabeth and we eat a lot of candy and hang out! ANyway, we always joke about the little "war" between Westlaw and LexisNexis in our school... but the saddest part is, our printer is so sad next to the Westlaw Printer. :( It's pretty much the same printer, only two years older... and it's kind of slow. but that's our printer :)

Westlaw and Lexis are two of the leading legal research providers... and we get to learn how to use them in school :)

okay. maybe it's late and i'm tired and i can't really think of anything else to say...

so this may just have to be a semi-boring post :)

Feed the starving Children

2009-02-10T23:21:00.002-06:00

For a $1.05, you can feed 6 hungry people.

My small group from church decided to take an evening and volunteer at Feed My Starving Children. I'd done it before and it is fun.

The gist is this. Each volunteer does something different: bag, scoop rice, scoop soy, scoop chicken nutrients, scoop veggies, seal, and pack.

How it works: each bag of food that you package can feed up to 6 people. It's super easy, you just boil water and then add it to the mixture. Then in a few minutes a super healthy meal is created. It's definitely a tangible way to serve those in need in countries that you may not be able to physically visit.

they have some amazing stories of children who were incredibly malnourished, and because of the packages of food being sent, they are much stronger and healthier.

It's really awesome honestly. You always hear about starving children in Africa or starving people everywhere.... and this is a simple way to meet the needs of those individuals... i love it.

MORE info at Feed My Starving Children.

City Life

2009-02-09T20:51:00.004-06:00

The View from the Harmon Parking Ramp

Sometimes I really do not like living in Minnesota. the weather in the winter is kind of crazy and cold, so on those days parking on the 6th floor of the ramp is not ideal... In fact, all of us law students try to avoid parking on the 6th floor at all costs.

But today...

the rainy afternoon led to an amazing skyline when i left school at 7:30 tonight. I think the Minneapolis skyline is one of the prettiest I've seen. This photo captures only part of the skyline but reflects the colors and lights of downtown Minneapolis :)

Stupidity Reigns

2009-02-08T20:55:00.003-06:00

Can everyone read that clearly?

Now. there really isn't anything inherently wrong with these signs. In fact, I'd say that these signs are pretty self-explanatory. It says "Please Use Library Entrance During Library Hours", and then on the right hand side, you can see that they've posted the hours. Pretty simple, right?

Apparently not. This could make it onto the fail blog if it was a video... But basically what happened was this. I was just sitting inside those doors reading Evidence and sipping on my African Nectar Tea, when:

1. I hear someone trying to open the door.

2. It's locked. so they continue to pull on the door, as if the lock will magically open for them the 10th time.

3. They stand in confusion at the door, wondering how people got inside if the doors are locked

4. They give the person nearest the door inside a glance, as if it is their fault for not opening the door.

5. They pull on the door ONE more time to see if it is somehow unlocked now.

6. They THEN glance at the door and then walk around from the library side.

This happened a few times. And two of those times, the people just gave up and left... I was a little dumbfounded at how they could not come to the conclusion that the sign on the door SAYS to use the library for entrance and that they SHOULD use the library for entrance. It just blew my mind at how people are either too wrapped up in their own little world or are not aware enough to realize their mistake.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. Or maybe people are just that stupid.

Christmas in January

2009-02-07T22:13:00.003-06:00

Christmas Lights

When we walked out from Punch Pizza in Minneapolis, we were greeted by some beautiful white/blue whites draped over the plants outside. Allison commented that it was just like Christmas in January.

Today was a stark contrast from what we experienced during Christmas last year. From what I recall, Christmas in Minnesota this past year was cold, snowy, and... just cold! It's a beautiful time of the year (from indoors), with snow blanketing everything. When the sun hits the snow, it shimmers and sparkles! It's definitely something that makes Minnesota bearable in the winter.

Today was gorgeous too. Even though it is early February, the temperature was above freezing and the sun was shining. I had been wondering why i was in such a good mood these past few days... The christmas lights are always a reminder of winter and the reason why we Minnesotans stay here through the bloody cold.

Warm Weather = Happy People

it's kind of funny. Even though the temperature is at 30 degrees (definitely not as warm as other places), it's amazing what a difference the temperature can make. People are in better moods and more willing to help other people! It's great...

shroomies

2009-02-07T00:53:00.002-06:00

I do not mean the drug "shroom"...

"shroomies" is the nickname my friend Jenna and I have for each other. it's like "roomies"... only we added the "Sh" sound. we actually do that with a lot of words, but shroomies stuck :)

this photo is one that i realized my focus wasn't on the lemon in the original margarita (as was my plan), but was actually focused on the lemon in the raspberry margarita! what is up with that? i'll have to figure out what the heck to do next time...

Jenna and I had a shroomie date at Bar Abeline in Uptown. it's a lot of fun, and we always laugh alot when we hang out. after we just hung out at her place, and lay on the carpet listening to her downstairs neighbors (who were playing music kind of loud) and then dancing around to the beats on her keyboard... needless to say, it reminds me a lot of when we were roommates in undergrad and all those random fun times we had together!

Congrats are in order to some of my friends. Before hanging out with Jenna, i was at an engagement party for my friend Monica and her dude Chad... it was thrown by my other friend Rachel, who also just got engaged to my friend Joel. yes. let the wedding frenzies begin!!!!!!!!!

I desperately wanted to post a picture of the dress design that i sketched for Monica's dress... but in an effort to keep it a secret, it'll have to wait :)

onesies

2009-02-06T00:03:00.006-06:00

Meet Catherine Rose Thell.

One of my good friends from high school had an adorable (and i mean adorable) baby girl named Catie :) I got to meet her for the first time tonight. We met at Applebees. and this girl! all the waitresses were stopping by and saying hi to her. She has beautiful eyes and is incredibly inquisitive and bright.

It's just amazing to me how much time flies and how our priorities change as we grow older. Little Catie is only 5 months right now, and is desperately trying to figure out how to crawl. She uses all of her energy to turn over and in fact can scoot around on her butt. She is just a bundle of joy :)

Catie made our night much more interesting. She made her appearance in the midst of our weekly Thursday evening "Office" party (as in the show...), where normally it's just a bunch of 20 somethings, kicking back with some cold ones and eating some chips and salsa. But tonight, Catie brought an element of excitement that only a precious baby can bring :) Needless to say, it was a fun filled night!

Two Side Notes

1. i was at the capital this morning to watch the oral arguments in front of the MN supreme court regarding the Franken v Pawlenty et al issue...

2. i realized that the post says i posted on Friday. which technically is correct. however it is 12:20 AM. so i'm still counting this as thursday :P

a taste of Dinkytown

2009-02-04T22:32:00.010-06:00

Warm food and Good Friends

Bear with me. This is my first photo of my 365, so it's pretty basic :)

This picture represents everything that I love about life. Good, warm food and lots of people. Good friends that I can laugh with and new people that I can meet! This is where i thrive and i love it :)

the picture is from Annie's Parlor in Dinkytown, near the U of Mn. My good friend Jenna and I are part of a group called Taste of Twin Cities. We basically try a new restaurant every other week, and not only do we get to experience new food, but we also get to hang out with some pretty cool people.

Meet my friend Jordan:

he gets a sweet shout out not just because he's awesome! but because he put up with my teasing him today about sweaters and other funny stuff...

i played in a band with him for a few years and he rocks at the guitar! this dude is like a brother to me (a LIL bro) and i love to tease him!

these pictures are great. the one on the top is him semi showing off his muscle (only because i made him) and also the look he gets right before he fake punches me... the picture on the bottom i love because it's him and Brett and they are just laughin about something...

day 1 is done :)

Hi There

2009-02-04T10:11:00.000-06:00

Smile and say CHEEEEESE! don't you love it?

this blog is a result of the widely popular idea of taking a photo a day and documenting it! my sister challenged me to take a photo a day, not only to capture some great moments, but also to develop my photography skills (especially considering my love of taking pictures in general)...

so me and my humble canon SD1000 will start to take a picture a day and putting them up on this blog for you all to enjoy!

btw. this may turn into photoS a day...