Kat comes to visit!

If any of you have taken the opportunity to ask me what I thought of Chicago, I have most likely replied with "Ehhh it's not Colorado." Well, it's finally dawned on me. I am sub-consciously (now it's consciously aware) sabotaging Chicago. I don't feel like this is "home" yet for me, but in reality, I haven't given the city a chance to impress me and let me fall in love with it.

My good and dear friend from DU, and also a fellow law student out at CU Boulder, helped me come to this realization when she visited right before the semester started up. She was here visiting her sister, and dropped me a line. So I decided I would start my courtship with Chicago with a little help from Colorado. During January, Chicago has featured different days to check out the museums, free for Illinois residents. We chose the Field Museum for our adventure.

I took Kat to my favorite Cuban sandwich place where we were able to catch up on our lives, and the woes of being a law student. Then we walked along the lake and Millenium park over to the museum. Inside we were delighted with a giant tyrannosaurus rex, her name is Sue, and she is the most complete specimen they have found.

Naturally, we saw a photo op...

We got to walk through part of an actual tomb from Egypt, and saw mummies and all sorts of embalmed stuff. As well, there was  gem exhibit with different varieties of rubies, emeralds, and girl's best friend, diamonds.

Another photo op when we walked outside as the sun set and the skyline was lit up in the background!

Beautiful horse sculptures. Broncos anyone? 

I vote these replace the blue demon horse at DIA...

Looking back at the sunset.

About halfway through out walk, looking at the Field Museum on the very right and then the planetarium out at the tip.

Pretty skyline... (see I am trying to appreciate Chicago and all its concrete jungle glory)

This is looking out at Navy Pier from our walk back to the city to put Kat on the red line to send her home to her sister's place.

It was a truly wonderful day and felt good to reconnect with such an amazing friend. Now I have someone else to share in my pain and triumphs of law school!

Love you Kitty Kat! And here's to more Chicago adventures!

- Cass

I know, I know...

... I can hear the voices of many of you saying "IT'S ABOUT TIME."

And yes it is. Hence, the new post :)

To my dear readers near and far, I am sorry it has taken me so long to update you on the happenings of my life, but I promise to resolve that with a really good post and a whole-hearted attempt to post more often this year.

The last time I wrote, was in October (eeeks). I just celebrated my 25th birthday. Now, the first month of 2013 has almost come and gone. These past few months have been a whirlwind of ups and downs.

In November, I finally had the chance to go back home to my dear Colorado for Thanksgiving to spend the time with my family. I don't know if there is any better moment than waiting at DIA on the fourth level -- amongst the hunter's orange and Chanel bags and trucks -- and seeing your Daddy pull up with your dog in the front seat. (Yes, country girl and daddy's girl at heart) We spent the entire drive home catching up on all the happenings in FoCo, as well as my schooling. A little legal talk by the way of adversely possessing land even snuck it's way into our convo :)

The weather could not have been more perfect. I spent three days napping OUTSIDE in the SUN. That Sunday I got back, Mom, Dad and I watched the Nascar race out on the front porch. We make white trash look good... Dad is also rocking his long-hair Harley look haha

Eventually, Randy made the trek from Nebraska (returning the Dodge to where it should be) and joined in on all the fun at home. We did puzzles, saw family, and continued to interact as only us Wich's can truly appreciate (but many of you have been exposed to).

Mom kept getting really excited about the different puzzle shapes... :)

The best part about being home, besides Mom's cooking and Dad being his usual goofy self, is the beauty of our home. I don't know any other place on this planet where I enjoy sunsets more!

From the backyard...

Out front looking to the ridge... Notice the beautiful Dodge outline :)

And naturally my little Kaycee Dean makes the entire trip just perfect!!!

After the holiday had passed, and I tried my very best to study, it was time to ship back to the big city and prepare for what would be a hellacious three weeks...

With only one week back in class, all of us lost and anxious 1L's began the exam studying process. By the end of the two week period, my girls and I had a system on lockdown. First, put up giant pieces of paper and write out a mini outline of all the major things one must know for the exam... This is our contracts spread.

Next, get together and talk it out. Over and over and over and over.

This eventually turned into a wine drinking night... At some point you just have to remember that you are human and you have relaxing/fun needs too.

Rinse and repeat, three times over a 10 day period. Contracts was our first exam. We had no idea what to expect, but once it was over not only did you feel a sense of relief but one of accomplishment too. Next was Property. It was my favorite exam of them all because my life IS property class. Last, we had Torts. This exam was nothing short of TORTure... Once all three were complete, we all went out to drink and then to sleep.

The holidays were naturally unfolding all around me in the city, even though I didn't really get a chance to appreciate all the gaiety as I would have liked to. One day while waiting for the train I saw this parade of motorcycles driving by for a toy campaign for underprivileged children. If you look closely at the middle of the picture, you can see a woman with a bag handing it off to a rider. I guess that is one of the ways you can donate the toys! It was pretty neat to watch because it went on for miles!

Sami and I also celebrated both Hanukkah (her mother's side of the family is Jewish) and Christmas. We lit the candles every night and then put up a tree right before I left to go home for Christmas with my family back in my beloved Colorado.

Here is our first Christmas tree in our new home!

And her she is all dolled up in holiday charm! (Side note: the holiday charm is still alive and well in the condo... not sure when we will take it down. Maybe we should turn it into a Valentine's day tree???)

In a whirlwind of post exam celebrations, including Miss Kelsey's birthday, work, and packing, I finally went back home! My flight was early but absolutely worth seeing the sunrise...

Once again, my greeting committee, in the truck this time, was quite excited to see my return!

The weather was just as perfect this time around too because not only did I get my sunshine, but I also had a white Christmas! Note: when Randy came home from his first semester at Nebraska, Mom and Dad made a giant red light-up sign. When I come home from my first semester at law school, Dad screws antlers on a carved bear... and then wraps it in lights and places it ever-so conveniently outside my bedroom window. If you know me, you know how much I appreciated this bear disguised as a deer... haha

Somehow my ten days at home flew by. I was able to see good friends all over the state. Spend tons of time with family near and far as well. Here are all the goober cousins with Randy... and little Miss Ash on Christmas morning...

The boys are looking as good as ever... 

This is the view from my aunt and uncle's house up in Manitou...  

you cannot ask for anything more beautiful!

 As the break wore on, the grades started to trickle in. It wasn't until my first week back at school (just this last week) that I finally had them all. Needless to say, I did quite well and am very excited for the prospects and opportunities my first semester grades will help bring me for this summer.

This semester I am taking 5 classes: Civil Procedure I, Contracts II, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law I, and a writing course. So far so good. I haven't felt unbalanced with the added course load thus far. I find I function better when I am kept busy, so school really is a lifesaver sometimes (as strange as that may seem). AND, I have been reading cases on the floor on my yoga mat while I do leg lifts and such, so I am managing to stay in shape while expanding my brain :)

In the next couple of weeks, I will be finalizing my resume and a cover letter to send to judges back in Colorado as well as different law firms and companies, perhaps in the energy/oil and gas field. Your first summer is really the only time you have to "mess around" so I want to set up a legal network back home, just in case I decide to come back once I graduate. Your second summer you try to get a summer associate position in the firm you will be working at, hopefully, once you graduate or you are doing something in the field of law you want to go into. If anyone has any leads on Colorado opportunities, please let me know!

I think that's about all from me... Please let me know how you are! Sending all my love on this cold and snowy (yes, actual snow is sticking) day!

Love, Your Colorado girl in the big city

Happy Quarter of a Century to me!

As many of you know, I celebrated my 25th birthday this last Sunday, October 14. (You can thank Mom and Dad for this gem of a photo, it's their absolute favorite from when I was a little girl...) I took off work for both Saturday and Sunday with every intention of enjoying myself and acting like a "normal person," as my friends and I like to joke about after a looooong day in the library.

Saturday night, a good group of old friends from Colorado and new friends in Chicago went out to an all you can eat sushi restaurant that was also BYOB. Needless to say, much delicious food was had, as well as wine and good company. After dinner, we went back to our condo and did the whole birthday song and candle thing on the cupcakes my dear Kelsey made for me. AND, she totally bought the candles that do not extinguish on your first try...

Case in point - some candles still going strong!

We ended up just hanging out at our place, enjoying wine and good music... Perfect night.

Then Sunday I paid for it, and had my property midterm to study for (coming up on that Wednesday). It all made for a long weekend but I got lots of love from friends near and far in all sorts of different packages, facebook greetings, and phone calls.

In celebration of my 25 years, I have decided to start a new list of 30 things I want to do by time I turn 30. When I was 20 I created my 25 by Twenty-Five and can say that I successfully accomplished 13, and a handful more I came close, but there are still some I would like to do in this next round. I am going to work on putting it together and perhaps finalizing it for the start of 2013. Which, if you have any suggestions, please send them my way! One of the things is to go on a hot-air balloon in Colorado, and another is to climb a fourteener (which surprisingly I haven't done)...

I have also decided to write 25 thank you notes to the twenty five people who have greatly altered my life in some way and helped to make me who I am today. Initially I was going to send them out over the next month, but I think I will take this next year to let them unfurl as I find inspiration. I have my list down, just need to decide how to execute. So if you do end up getting one of my notes, know that I think you're pretty special, and even if you don't, you have still touched my life and made it for the better.

As for my midterm, it went rather well! It was graded on a curve, so though I am not in the top-top of my class, I think its fair to say that I am a good contender for being the top of the class come the end of the semester. Taking the midterm has also helped me realize that I need to start kicking the whole review thing into high gear so that I can crank out my outlines now, and then have the time over Thanksgiving break, and the week after, to really solidify my studying and make sure I know everything. And if you know me well, you know in some sick way I love organizing this kind of stuff...

Here is a sample: I got colors. Boxes. Sometimes boxes within boxes. Charts. And fun little representations of the ever-so famous "Blackacre" of property law. Love this stuff.

In exactly 30 days I will be on my early flight back to my beloved Colorado. And I cannot wait. Well, I can because I have a lot of work to do in the meantime to fully enjoy my time spent at home. I love and miss everyone very much and I thank you for all your kind words on my birthday.

Until next time,

Cassie