Weekend Getaways

On Friday I got my first summer paycheck (which was great) as well as my spring semester grades (which were not as great). Suffice it to say that I am now really motivated to work hard and do really well my second year of law school. Then I went out for barbeque and some window-shopping with my friend who just graduated and is trying to study for the bar exam. I feel a little daunted just hearing about how intense the pre-bar-exam summer is . . . but I'll cross that bridge when I get there, and for now I'll just do my best to support my friends who are there now!

Thursday afternoon, my friend Stephanie called and said, "Amanda and I are going to a fine wine festival in Dahlonega this weekend. Want to come?" Why yes, yes I would. :) Gotta love those spontaneous summer adventures! So the three of us drove to Dahlonega on Saturday morning and went to the festival in the afternoon. We were able to try some wines (including sweet peach wine and dark chocolate wine--yum), listen to jazz music, and meet a lot of fun people, all in this gorgeous vineyard:

Then we went to some nearby outlet malls for a little retail therapy. Stephanie and Amanda made some good finds at J.Crew, and we all had fun trying on designer sunglasses and high heels at the Saks 5th Avenue outlet store. We even found this little candy store with pretty much every kind of candy you can imagine--the kind that reminds you of childhood--and stocked up on jelly beans, milk chocolate peanuts, and Sour Patch Kids. We finished off the day with dinner at Shenanigan's, a little Irish grill, and explored in beautiful downtown Dahlonega before heading to a bed and breakfast for the night. Such a fun weekend having great conversations, laughing way too much, and having a chance to relax!

I came back and took a LONG Sunday afternoon nap--next on the agenda is laundry and more laundry, dishes, errands, and maybe doing a little reading. Book reviews are probably forthcoming, because I'm tearing through my summer reading list. But I have exciting news to share--probably coming tomorrow, so stay tuned!

And last but not least: I just heard this song for the first time two days ago, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be my theme song for the rest of law school--Sidewalk Prophets' The Words I Would Say. Listen to it. Seriously. It is so encouraging!

Psalm 138:8: The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.