I'm Back!!

. . . . and done with exams!! This is the time of the semester that I always forget that other people have lives. That they aren't sitting on their couch in sweatpants all day studying election of remedies and the corporate opportunity doctrine and indemnification and the advocate-witness rule and writing papers on Establishment Clause jurisprudence. I have seriously done nothing but write and study for the past week, and it feels so good to just NOT have to do that right now. And I get to actually sleep tonight!! I had three exams and a paper due in literally a 48-hour period this week, and it was pretty much the most exhausting thing in life. I haven't worn makeup in a week and I've been wearing the same jeans like every day (don't judge), and I haven't worked out in 5 days unless you count doing tons of pushups and jumping jacks to keep myself awake during business associations cram sessions, so I'm seriously craving some gym time. (Come to think of it, I could just drink coffee to stay awake like normal people do. But no, I just do pushups, because I'm weird like that. And occasionally have a peppermint mocha too.) And now I just want to eat chocolate and watch tons of Netflix and BREATHE. (And clean my apartment, and do laundry, and make some real meals . . . )

To be honest, I have a little bit of post-exam depression right now, which is common and something I feel like most students have for a few days after finishing each semester. Paradoxically, the first couple days after finishing exams are usually emotionally my lowest points in the whole semester, and I know it's the same way for a number of students I know. I think it's because you've been working as hard as you can work and then it all suddenly stops, but even so, it's very hard to actually relax, and you find yourself feeling really worried about grades and really disappointed because you think you didn't do well but won't know how you did for another month. No matter how I actually end up doing, I virtually never walk out of a law school exam and TRULY feel good about it. Some I feel ok about. But for most, I second-guess myself like crazy and assume I probably didn't do well and then end up beating myself up about it, and trying to convince myself that I don't care about it that much even though I do care. I know I have overachiever tendencies and need to just chill, but after working crazy-hard all semester, honestly, I just want to get good grades and feel like it paid off! But it will eventually, because LOOK AT THIS:

Seriously. Is that not the most beautiful piece of paper you've ever seen in your life? And I've been blowing up the website for the office of Georgia bar admissions checking to see if my file has been assigned for review yet . . . hopefully soon!

And in other news--random thoughts about life right now:

• I'm kind of obsessed with the Christmas tree I put up in my apartment! It is so pretty. I couldn't handle paying for ornaments because they're so expensive, so I bought two packs of Brach's candy canes for 98 cents each and hung those on the tree instead.
• You really need to try these salted whole wheat chocolate chip cookies. These are single servings of sweet/salty/chocolate-y deliciousness. And because they're single serving and you're not being tempted by a whole batch, you can eat one without feeling like you need to spend 17.5 years on the elliptical to burn it off.
• And you really need to read this article about how we can embrace single adults in the church. 
• Along those lines . . . quit hashtagging #married life after everything. This has been a pet peeve of mine lately. This has nothing to do with jealousy. It's just . . . annoying. Not everything you do in life has to do with being married. Just because you do something with your husband doesn't really justify such a hashtag. If it did, every time I did anything, I'd be hashtagging it #singlelife. #notcool, y'all. And while we're at it, don't put 15 separate hashtags in one post because it's just overkill. Example: Posting a picture of yourself and a friend clutching cups of coffee on the street on a chilly day and writing this: #gingerbreadlatte #boots #scarves #cold #snow #christmas #friends #loveher
• I really want to go see Catching Fire again. These movies are great escapes because Katniss's life will always be more stressful than mine.
• This wonderful Bible verse: "The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength." --2 Timothy 4:17. Enough said.
• I've been getting back into Pinterest lately . . . I normally get on this site approximately twice a year. But every once in awhile I get on a little kick with it. Lately I've been looking at how to do DIY craft projects with Christmas lights and empty Pringles cans and crayons and you-name-it. I might need to do some of these over break. 
• I am planning to make up for my long absence from the blogging world with a series of Advent meditations. I did a series like this for Lent this past year, and it seems to have gone over pretty well, so I'm going to give it a shot and do it for the Christmas season too. 
• It feels so good to sit on my couch and listen to Christy Nockels and write and write and write. I already got caught up in my journal, which did me a WORLD of good. I absolutely need to write every day because I'm pretty much wired to write and I have withdrawal if I don't. 

Well, that's it for now! Thanks for reading!