lavender

i'm in love with lavender chocolate. who wudda thunk it? but, honestly, it tastes divine and you really feel like you are splurging on yourself with just one tiny bite. i kind of sound like a commercial, but it's true. i'm always a big fan of lavender, but lately it seems like even more so. i've found some lavender earl grey tea and i've even been thinking about growing lavender in my backyard. i'm doing some research on it, so we'll see.

i just got back from taking my pups on a walk. thank goodness i've thoroughly worn them out because they were getting crazy rowdy for a while there. my neighborhood is still being built, so it's kind of fun to go exploring and see what new things have been built. today i discovered this pretty little walking trail that leads to a playground. what a nice surprise.

tomorrow i officially start level 2 at my yoga studio. and, she's increased her offerings, so i should be able to take class there at least three times a week. don't you love how doors sometimes just seem to magically open and things just start to work out? i'm kind of in one of those moments now with some personal things and am loving it. of course, the hard thing is that there are no more excuses for not doing the things i want to do - too much work, no local opportunities, etc. but i'm all for pushing the self-initiative lately.

work is still going. there are a few tough spots right now that i'm hoping to get dealt with soon. i don't know why i choose to be a lawyer when i get really stressed out over conflict. one of the many conundrums i find i've put myself in. i'm setting a goal of keeping this job for at least 2 years, but that means i still have about 16more months (not that i'm counting or anything). sadly, there are things that i really love about my job, but the few things that i don't really are big. sigh . . . will i ever be satisfied?

do de do

i've kind of been feeling blah and overwhelmed lately. work has been stressing me out and has made it difficult for me to really get into the new things i've started -my yoga classes, french classes, and the online creativity circle i joined. it's so frustrating.

my easter weekend was pretty good. i went home to houston to visit my parents and we basically vegged out all weekend. i'm pretty proud of them because they actually tried thai food. they're not much for venturing beyond "normal food" so this was pretty great. after a nice church service on sunday, i headed home.

one positive thing about work is my involvment in starting a teen court in our county. last night was our first court session and it went fantastically! i'm so proud of our teen volunteers and i think it will be a great program. plus, i got some air time on the local radio station and we had a nice write-up in the local paper. gotta love small town life. :)

where have i been?

where has the past month gone?!? i just got back from visiting my friend in dallas. she needed a friend as she just got diagnosed with thyroid cancer. very shocking and unexpected, considering she is only 28 years old. from what i hear, if you have to have cancer this is the type to have - there is a 95% cure rate. however, the "c" word always sounds like a death warrant no matter what type it is. i think she'll be okay, though. it's just a bit scary right now.

i spent last week in st. louis at a juvenile law conference with one of our county court at law judges and the chief of adult probation. it was a great conference, and the first time i've gotten to "hang out" with a judge. just a positive experience.

work is going on as usual. it's frustrating because i'm still so conflicted over whether i want to do this job. i just wish i could find my niche. i feel like every step is taking me closer to something, i'm just not sure what.

a good day

so, tonight was my first yoga class and i have to say that i completely loved it! i'm taking level 1, so it was literally the very beginning. i already knew everything we covered from my home practice, which made me feel pretty good. i think i'm going to like the instructor a lot and the little space is calm and very nice. i wish i could take class everyday!

another positive for today is that i bought my new sofa, complete with 2 side tables and a sofa table. now that my pink room is officially complete, i can't wait to start on the rest of the house.



and on yet another note, i finally found the new eyeglasses that i want. so, so, SO adorable!

weekend and a sofa

this weekend turned out to be pretty good. my friend from dallas came down to help her sister decorate her new house, so i got to tag along. needless to say, we spent more time shopping for clothes rather than home decor. i got some FANTASTIC sunglasses and a beautiful black jacket. my friend, as usual, spent an insane amount of money. oh, the benefits of being in private practice. saturday night we all went to dinner in downtown austin at rio grande and then headed to a bar called the belmont.

today i headed back home to rescue john from babysitting the pups. the good news is that i think we finally agreed on a new sofa and tables for the house. so, tomorrow i think i'm going to head over to haverty's to see about making it my very own.



also tomorrow is my first formal yoga class ever. after years of an on-again-off-again home practice, i'm finally doing what i told myself for years to do. so, i'm extremely excited and i hope it will be a good experience.

happy heart day!

yea for valentine's day. john and i actually celebrated yesterday since he wasn't sure how long he had to work today. we went to one of our favorite restaurants in new braunfels and john is going to buy me the phone i've been obsessing over for a year or so.

today was an interesting day. about a month ago me and one of the other attorneys were eating lunch at a little cafe close to the courthouse when an elderly man eating a cup of ice cream asked if he could sit with us. he was such a neat man and we had a nice little chat. he was was 83 years old and we could tell that there were some memory issues but nothing too extreme. he mentioned that he was moving to missouri in a couple of weeks to be with family since he was alone here. anyway, apparently he never went to missouri but instead drove to oklahoma one day and then forgot where he was or who he was. so adult protective services got involved and we had a hearing today regarding guardianship. what a truly small world i live in when the only elderly person i know is the subject of this hearing. i could tell he was scared about what would happen to him, but he's a retired air force major and we're working to get him a room in the officers' retirement home at the local air force base. helping this man who cried as he spoke of his wife today really made this valentine's day extra special.

gangs taking over

i'm a bit depressed today because i've spent weeks preparing for a jury trial set for next week that just fell apart. the offense involved soliciting a child into a gang. however, when i met with the victim and his parents yesterday, he completely recanted his story and said it was simply a fight. he looked scared, but the bottom line is that i honestly don't know which is the true story and i can't take a case like that to a jury. it's so frustrating because i believe his first story is true and that he is now too scared to stick to it. it's even more frustrating that kids actually have to face these kinds of challenges. the victim in this case is only 12 years old.

pretty pink room

i was planning on spending my sunday working, but in typical me fashion i've distracted myself. today i made an awesome bulletin board for my pink room from a beautiful picture frame from ikea. i got the idea from another blogger and it was just too good to pass up.

bang bang

so, today I, along with my fellow attorneys, took a qualifying test to get our concealed handgun license. now, i have never been a gun fan, but i decided to do it because i figured it would be a good team thing and because i was honestly curious about shooting at a gun range. we started with a short instructional class and then we teamed up to do the shooting portion. the good news is that i wasn't the worst shooter, but the bad news is that i was nowhere near the best. my instructor told me that my target looked like it got attached by a machine gun, but whatever. i met the requirements and passed my qualifying exam. now i just have to fill out the paperwork and voila! i don't plan to actually carry a gun with me, but it will be fun to blow off some steam at a shooting range every now and then. i wonder if they make pink guns. . .

here's a picture of the gun i shot - a glock 9mm, just like the cops use.

yee haw

yesterday i went to the rodeo. i felt so cowboy. i honestly haven't been to a rodeo since junior high, but john got some free tickets and gretchen wilson was the concert, so i went and actually had a good time. i'm pretty okay with most of the rodeo competitions, but i have to say that i have a problem with the calf roping. i just don't like how they lasso the poor thing around the neck, throw it on the ground, and tie its feet together. so, i always made a point of cheering when the calf outran the cowboy. i got some stares and john was a bit embarrassed but who cares.

today i officially graduated from physical therapy. i met all of my goals and am now left to my own devices. my foot is so much better than when i started the pt, but i still have to keep working on it. it was sad to leave because i loved my pt and pta, but i'm so happy to be walking normally again.

retreat in pink

i've spent today fine-tuning my little pink sanctuary and am loving it! there's still a lot to do, but window treatments always do a lot, don't you think?

under the weather

it's almost lunchtime, and i have completely wasted the morning. well, not exactly. i did get some bills paid and i finished my french homework for class tomorrow, but i haven't actually done any of the work i actually get paid for. honestly, though, i just feel exceptionally "blah" today. i woke up with a sore throat and runny nose that hasn't gone away. i'm not necessarily feeling like a cold is coming on, but i just feel drained and lifeless.

the good news is that i'm about to head over to the yoga studio to officially sign up for classes. they start in two weeks, and i'm really excited. and i finally found some frames for a couple of awesome vegas pics. this picture of the frame does not do it justice.



now, i just need to figure out what i want for lunch today. you know, the truly difficult decisions of life. :)

sling cast no more

i'm officially cast-free! i had my follow-up appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon and he gave me the okay to start walking without it. and while i still have some work to do on my ankle, he was very impressed with my progress. i've got 3 more physical therapy sessions and then i'm completely finished. i'll still need to continue with the exercises on my own, but things are looking pretty good. i'm walking without a limp and i can actually go down a flight of stairs. yea for the little things.

new things

i'm very excited because i'm going to be starting yoga classes on feb. 18th. while i've had a sort of on again off again home practice, i've never taken a proper yoga class. there's a new yoga studio that opened in new braunfels, two rivers yoga, that really seems like a good place. so, i'm very excited.

also next month, i have my first jury trial since starting this job. i've done a handful of jury trials before, but they always make me nervous. i think i'm good to go, but now it's just the nit-picky things. hopefully, the artist's way class that i'm starting in a few weeks will help keep things in perspective for me.

for march, i've signed up for a beading class, which i'm so excited for. i've been looking for either a beading or painting class, and this was the first one that i came across. it's a a neat little bead shop in san antonio, and i can't wait!

in may, pink martini is coming to austin. interestingly, john is the one who told me about the concert. pink martini isn't really his style of music, so i thought it was sweet that he asked if i want to go.

anyway, don't know why i felt like giving a rundown of my calendar, but i find it so inspiring how all these wonderful opportunities are finally coming.

frustration

bonjour! i'm a bit overwhelmed by my french class. don't get me wrong, i'm still loving it, but i just feel like such a dummy when i try to speak. like any language, or anything new, it just takes a lot of practice. i certainly didn't learn english overnight. i'm trying to think of some ways to practice during the day - either make cards to post around my office or at least start using french salutations with my co-workers (won't they just love me). so, i guess on that note . . .

bonsoir!

bonjour!

today was classe deux in french. it wasn't quite as overwhelming today as it was last week. i definitely need to practice more between classes, so my friends and co-workers better be prepared.

right now i am at work, supposedly working. as expected, it is not going well. so much for good intentions.

on a livelier note, check out these curtains. they are so going into my pink suite.



love them!

love 3 day weekends

after a wonderful 3 day weekend, i'm back to the old grind, aka work. this weekend was lots of fun. saturday morning i had my first french class. so, i had to wake up at 6:30 a.m. to get dressed and drive one hour to the class location in austin. so far, i'm pretty lost, but i'm hoping it gets easier over time. after my class, i drove to dallas to visit a dear friend. she was the one who helped/laughed at me when i had my car "incident" this past thanksgiving. we had dinner on saturday at a french restaurant called mignon. it was great, but i was so sick the next morning and the rest of sunday i was achy and had a fever. i'm not sure what happened, but it kind of freaked me out since i don't get sick too often. but, of course i wasn't so sick that i couldn't go shopping. so sunday we browsed around north park mall. my friend bought some shoes for a steal at barney's and i got tons of new makeup at nordstrom's. afterwards, we saw the movie 27 dresses, which was just adorable. having been a bridesmaid numerous times myself, i definitely saw the humor. since my friend is not smart like me, she works for a private law firm and did not have monday off. so, off to work she went and i met up with her for lunch before heading home. all in all, it was a good weekend.

i had physical therapy again for my ankle. i'm very happy with my progress. when i point my foot, it actually points now. i've also grown to enjoy the one-on-one time with the therapist. i'm going to miss having that little luxury when i'm finished, but it's gotten me to thinking about how i can find something similar. there is a ymca next door to the rehab center and i found its website this afternoon. not only does it have yoga and pilates classes that i can attend after work, it also has pilates reformer personal training. i thought that might a great opportunity to get some personal attention on my fitness.

2008 lookin' good

today was a bit yucky. not only was the weather cold and rainy, but i came down with yet another cold. so, i called in sick to work and fully intended to do some legal research while sitting at home, but slept instead. this afternoon i had my 3rd round of physical therapy for my ankle. it really seems to be working, so i hope to be in cute shoes again soon. i even got a foot massage during today's session! another positive is that i found a local yoga studio today that actually looks normal, AND i think i'll finally be starting an artist's way class soon. what with this and my french classes, i really feel like this year is going to be special.

so, this weekend is my first french class! my teacher's name is brigitte. how awesomely french is that? i've tried looking at the texts for the class, but everything is in french. this is nothing like my high school spanish class. after my class this friday, i'm driving up to dallas to visit a friend for the weekend. so excited!

weekend

yea! i officially signed up for my french classes this past saturday. every saturday i'll be driving 1 hour each way to austin for my class, but i think it will be worth it. after i signed up for my class, john and i met some friends who live in north austin for lunch. they brought their two little kids, which made me kind of nervous at first, but they are very well behaved. almost made me wish for one of my own . . . almost.

alliance francaise

i am mucho excited, as i am officially taking french classes. the french alliance in austin offers classes and i will be starting on january 19. france, here i come!