New (School) Year's Resolutions...

Check out my post on the law ladies blog here. One last year to have a new school year to make new school year resolutions.

the season I love the most...

I am in love with Autumn. It is my favorite season. Today I went to lunch with my friend Anna and we had a very autumnal meal--butternut squash and apple bisque with a Cinnamon-y snickerdoodle for desert (that I am currently enjoying with a pumpkin spice coffee). It made me want to tell everyone all the reasons that I love this time of year...

Fall is the season that I drink yummy hot drinks like pumpkin spice coffee and mulled apple cider. It is when I get to don my very favorite types of clothes-(jeans and cardigans and comfy scarves).





The air seems to smell of Cinnamon.


Every weekend is spent cheering on the Mountaineers with family and friends.





The Appalachian mountains turn fiery shades of red and gold and orange.


It is the season where all I want to do is curl up under a blanket with a good book.





Hearty soups and chilli's are staples on the dinner table, and potlock dinners feature casseroles with squash and potatoes. I love that there is chill in the air but sunshine on your face.






Fall just feels like home-comfortable and cozy. Full of warmth. It is my favorite season, but always ends too quickly. I am hoping to hang onto it a bit longer this year.

images from my pinterest. Follow me here.

sweet words

"Give me to believe

that thou canst do for me more than I ask or think,

and that, though I backslide, thy love will never let me go,

but will draw me back to thee with everlasting cords..."

Valley of Vision "Backsliding"

Read it this morning and just thought I would share. It's nice to have a God that never lets us go...no matter what. And that I can't even begin to comprehend all that He can do. Sweet words for a lovely day (thank goodness the rain took a break!)

A peek at my day "off" and a discussion of food...

Wednesdays are going to be my day "off." I will not be working and I don't have class (until 5:30). So yesterday was my first day off. And I baked. I baked chocolate chip zucchini bread and banana muffins and then some oh so delicious granola. I love baking. I have a love/hate relationship with eating what I make (as discussed below), but the process of baking is one of my favorite past-times. My mom is a wonderful baker. To me baking is far superior to cooking because it almost always involves chocolate and sugar. And how bad can it be if those things are in the mix?

I have recently also been doing things on Pinterest--if you don't have this, go sign up and watch your time fly out the window. It is a site of pictures and ideas and word art (YAY!)--PS thank you Danielle for introducing me to this wonderful website. I am not an artsy person, and I still love this! ANYWAYS, I was on the site and I found two pieces of word art that amused me-mainly because of their contrary messages. The first is this...

UGH! This is the message that so many people listen to. I listen to it too. Don't eat that... don't eat this... cut out carbs, lower calories, go vegetarian, only eat fruits and vegetables...I feel like I have been on a diet of one form or another for 10 years. Maybe not all of you know that this is a struggle for me, but it is. And while I think everyone was outraged when Ms. Moss said these words, so many of us believe it deep down. Women in general (at least the ones that I know) have this love/hate relationship with food. BOO. I say. So I was super excited to find this pic on pinterest.

YES. I want to embrace this philosophy this year. I love food. I love feeding people. I love baking and trying new foods. Corey and I have been experimenting the last few years with creating new dishes and incorporating new ingredients. And I don't want to feel bad later when I think about the calorie count or the fat content. It's a new season of life for me and food-God created too many wonderful tasting foods to worry so much about what the scale says. I wish that the "weight" mentality could be easily overcome, but the world has pretty well ingrained it in our heads. So how does this look in real life? I don't know. I'm certainly open to all the ideas out there too! I think the first step is to start looking at myself the way God sees me--in Song of Solomon He says, "You are altogether beautiful, my love. There is no flaw in you." (4:7 ESV). So I'm ditching the celery sticks (unless they are filled with peanut butter) and taking steps to enjoying all that God has given me here.

A week in...

This semester should be interesting. A couple of my classes are really great - I am especially psyched for my legislation class. I am going to be writing a bill concerning the juvenile code in WV-juvenile justice has become the area of the law (outside of property) that really sparks my interest. I blame a lot of it on Prof. Annitto who taught my juvenile justice seminar last year. She is awesome and has such a unique perspective on all of this stuff (she practiced in legal aid in NY before moving here). ANYWAYS. I am looking forward to working with her to write this bill-which is really funny since I have long said I am not political. I don't follow politics or get fired up about elections. But law school has changed that in a lot of ways-can't really get away from politics here! Other classes are probably not going to be as fun. Consumer Protection is like a different language, and I am not bilingual! But I will muddle through.

I'm working this semester too--and involved in a clinic. So I'll keep busy. This week at work I was reading the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And you know I was in awe a little bit. I only researched a little tiny piece of that law. It took 2 full days. I can't imagine how much time would be spent learning all the nuances of it. And then I started thinking about what Hardesty said in Legislation--there are over 40,000 legislative bodies in the U.S. 40,000 different groups are enacting legislation and ordinances and regulations all the time. And it is going to be my job to read and apply and interpret those statutes. CRAZY!

Schoolwise that is what is new and fascinating :) I am excited to document my last year of school here. But so much more is going on too. I am learning a ton in God's Word. Reading Daniel with Abby has been one of the BEST things I've done in a while. Such a cool guy-such an AWESOME God I serve. One of my favorite pieces today was when an angel came to give Daniel another vision. Daniel is frightened, but I love what the angel says. "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them." (Daniel 10:12). There are two HUGE things that make me like this verse. First, Daniel set his mind to something, and Second, God blessed him for it. I tend to let circumstances talk me in or out of doing things. I set my mind to things, get discouraged, and quit. But I love that this is doable. I can set my mind to knowing God better and He will meet me--I have a God that loves a little initiative! That opens so much up to possibility--

I have so many more things to blog about, but I have to STUDY! I am hoping to post about some great new recipes I've tried, some wonderful books I read, some lessons I am (slowly) learning, and some fun times sure to be had this week!

I'm sitting here...

surrounded by several law books, a cup of coffee and my planner. It is official. Summer is over. Fall has begun - despite what the calender says. My consolation is that it is my last year.

I have no idea what this year holds. I have no clue what twists and turns await me.

But I do know what I hope will happen....what I want to happen...

I want to grow in my faith. I want to cook new things. I want to spend more time with my kids. I want to run. I want to read the minor prophets with Abby. I want to relax. I want to watch True Blood with Corey. I want to invest time in my friends. I want to teach Lauren to knit. I want to marvel at God's work. I want to have dance parties. I want to take trips (mainly to Knoxville and Dayton). I want to read books in bed before I go to sleep. I want to pray - better and more often. I want to laugh- A LOT. I want to start hiking. I want to take care of my body. I want to play my guitar. I want to take a few long drives.

And what is great is that God knows all of these things. He knows that desires of my heart. And He will give them to me..."Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

So I am going to work on DELIGHT, and trust that all the other things will follow...

A lovely vacation

After a long summer of working full time and taking a class, a vacation was definitely in order. And Charleston, SC was a perfect destination. Corey and I stayed in the Marriott in the Business District, which put us 10 minutes from Folly Beach and 5 from downtown.

Our days were spent on the beach, and the biggest decision we made each day was where to eat. AND OH DID WE EAT! Corey and I have decided to vacation in foodie cities. Austin was our first spot. Charleston was equally delightful. We had lots of fresh seafood, but also a little of other cuisines as well. Our favorite spot by far was a Thai place called Basil. It was our first Thai experience and it was DELICIOUS! Corey had the Red Curry Duck, extra spicy. I had the Basil with tofu. It was awesome.

A close second was Taco Boy at Folly Beach. Fresh ingredients in awesome sauces. They also served a mean margarita.

My favorite (nonfood) spot by far was a bar on King Street called the Belmont. It was an old-fashioned bar that served old-fashioned drinks. Our bartender's name was Joey and he knew SO MUCH about cocktails. He had a passion for pre-prohibition drinks and made me a few of the best ones that I have ever had.

this is the old-fashioned: two slices of orange peel, rye bourbon, simple syrup, bitters, orange cordial. YUMMY!

We didn't take any tours or really do anything terribly exciting. But we walked all over down town. I am in love with the architecture of Charleston. The details are amazing, the colors, even the businesses all have a very trendy vibe.

It is easy to enjoy the simplest of walks. Our last full day was spent walking all over the place-doing some shopping etc. I was stung by a jellyfish the day before, and I was scared to go back to the beach. There is a huge market with handmade wares as well as a row of very, very nice shops on King Street.

It was such a relaxing vacation. We enjoyed every minute. But we were ready to get home...we missed our kiddos! I highly recommend Charleston to anyone thinking of traveling. Maybe not in August (it was HOT--100+ everyday). I'll leave you with some photos from all around :)