Let’s Catch Up: Life Lately

I haven’t been quite as present around here lately and I feel like we’re longgg overdue for a catch-up. And will you fill me in on what’s been going on with you, lately, too? Here’s a little bit of what’s been going on in my life lately!

Thanksgiving

My brother and I drove home from Chapel Hill on Tuesday afternoon after class and lots of extended family arrived on Wednesday. It was my first Thanksgiving without my sister since she spent the holiday with her new husband and in-laws, but we Snapchatted lots and even FaceTimed them into our Thanksgiving lunch!

Highlights included sleepovers with my cousin, Sarah (we grew up in houses across the street from each other!), celebrating my grandpa’s 81st birthday, going to my favorite gym classes, loving on my dog, running long on Thanksgiving morning, and enjoying my grandma’s Snapchats.And my personal favorite: our annual kids-versus-adults Thanksgiving family kickball game. When we were in elementary school, the adults always won, and then the game was a toss-up for a few years when we were in middle school, and now that the youngest “kid” is 17 (and signed to play college baseball!), the kids dominate. The family dogs always come to run around and be the cheering section (and get in the way of people running to base!).

Our family picture looks tiny this year– we were definitely missing my sister and brother-in-law (my mom took the picture and my grandma was at home).And as far as food highlights go… I loved making pumpkin bread & peanut butter energy bites with my brother, eating moose tracks ice cream & apple crisp (not at the same time), and enjoying lots of Bane family cooking. My mom is the best cook, which meant dinners like fajita chicken salads, pasta e fagoli soup, grilled barbecue chicken with roasted sweet potato wedges…mmm.

On Thanksgiving, I was in charge of making mac ‘n’ cheese, roasted winter vegetables, and sweet potato casserole. After making six side dishes in my dorm kitchen for Friendsgiving, cooking this year at home felt like a breeze!This was my plate (plus seconds of mac ‘n’ cheese)- I ate enough to be stuffed but luckily not in pain, which is just how I like it on Thanksgiving 🙂 I had to be ready for a kickball game, after all.
Unexpectedly, the blog’s traffic took off on Thanksgiving. I guess people were finding last-minute recipes or looking at recipes on their phone/computer as they cooked!

Before my family came and after they left town, I had time to knock out the rest of my law school application essays, which was great because I wanted to make sure I didn’t do any school-related things while they were in town. And that brings me to my next life update…

Post-Grad Plans

Applying to law school is a big step, and I went through a lot of self-reflection, conversations with older law students & lawyers, research, and even two summers at law firms (corporate two summers ago and non-profit human rights law internship last summer) to make this decision. To be honest, I also had to work through some fear and uncertainty this semester especially.

But at some point, I realized that most of my fear was about the future in general, not law school specifically. I had (totally normal) fear of missing college friends, having to move to yet another new place…but all of those big changes are going to happen regardless once I graduate.

Touring law schools this fall

By refocusing my perspective (i.e. getting excited about new opportunities rather than fixating on scary unknowns), I think I can better tackle this next season of my life with enthusiasm and positivity. Don’t get me wrong– I’m sure law school will be tough and it seems a bit scary, BUT I feel like I’m able to make a pretty informed decision about what I’m getting myself into and I have some clear ideas about the direction of law I’d like to go. I’ve developed a lot more peace about going to law school and am really excited to hear back from schools!

Taking Holiday Photos

I didn’t have a ton of time or energy to dedicate to advertising (see above 😉 ), but I booked a few holiday family photo sessions for the fall. I LOVE taking family photos because I know how much it means to me to have quality photos of my family together and I’m sure it’ll be even more meaningful as I get older.

Each family happened to include a baby, which was 1) adorable and 2) a unique challenge I hadn’t experienced yet because babies love to look at everything BUT the camera 🙂 I left each session with such a big smile and feeling so happy to get to take family photos. Here are just a few of my favorites!
So, that’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to lately!

What’s new in your life? Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions/favorite foods? Do you get family photos taken every year?