I survived +

So, for all of you wondering if I survived the first year of law school, I finally did! I'm getting my grades in day-by-day and am quite happy with the outcome. It was a LONG semester that I'm glad to have behind me. I finished the competition with a few hours to spare and will find out in mid-July if I've been accepted to the Law Journal. Once I hit send, which was alarmingly anti-climactic, I slept profoundly that night and managed to do very, very little until we left for our trip to Colorado on Wednesday.

Colorado was fantastic! I have lovingly nicknamed it the Reunion Tour. Andy spent the majority of the week in Denver and then New Mexico visiting his mom on what I called the Southern loop of the Reunion Tour! It was really wonderful to see my family and friends. For those of you I missed, maybe next time.

We even squeezed in a whirlwind trip to Nebraska and back over the weekend, where I was able to see my grandparents, catch my cousin Eli's baseball game, and my cousins Gretchen and Sophie's dance recital (so cute!) And with all that fun, I got ONE picture the entire week! That's life, I guess. The last night we were in Greeley, the whole Hamit clan had dinner and I served my now-famous tiramisu brownies. We had some friends come by, and stayed up late playing Wii bowling. Dad got a strike in the 3rd frame, and we felt pretty silly for making such a fuss trying to teach him how to play since he schooled us at it!

Andy and I had a heck of a time getting home because there was a bad thunderstorm in Colorado the day we left, so we got in bed at 3 am on Thursday, finally home again. We're back in the groove here now and so is Marcelle the cat.

For those of you who don't know, I am not a real big fan of nature, but I am a real big fan of gardening. Andy and I were pumped to discover that there are little garden plots at our apartment complex that we are allowed to plant this summer. We prepped it with good soil, and I planted some seeds for pole beans, cucumbers and carrots in our little garden plot before we left. With all the fuss getting back to MN yesterday, I had almost forgotten to check on the progress. Andy and I went out there with a flashlight at 10:30 last night to find 6-inch tall bean plants and a smattering of cukes, as well as a solid row of carrot tops! I was doing the girl-clap/ jumping combination. The enthusiasm carried into today, so we went to Ace to pick up rabbit fence (we have a critter-rich area) and some herbs, tomatoes, peppers and garlic (don't act like you're surprised I'm growing my own.) I posted pictures below (if you go the Shutterfly site, the password is: kelliandandy.) I'll be updating all summer so you can watch our garden grow!

I start my summer classes next Wednesday, and then summer just keeps on rolling!

Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!

Love always,

Kelli

I survived Part I

I say Part I because I finished final exams, and my first year of law school, yesterday afternoon! Whoo-hoo! Part II is that I will be competing for a coveted spot on our school's Law Journal until next Saturday (this is where the sad Doot-doot-do-doot buzzer from The Price is Right would play.) Yes, I'm done, but I'm not. I will be reading and editing a law review article and writing a 10-page paper. For fun. Well, maybe not fun, but for prestige, glory and honor. At least, if I win the competition I will have glory. In mid-July, I'll find out if I got in. If I don't get in, rest assured, I won't tell all of you. And if you ask if I made the cut, I'll proclaim that this week was a colossal waste of my time, and declare that I didn't really want it anyway, so there. That's just who I am. I am a bit of a sore loser. For now, keep your fingers crossed until next Saturday that I am, in fact, a legal writing rockstar.
As for the rest of my plans, I'll be taking summer classes in Criminal Procedure and Negotiations starting June 1st. I'll do a little traveling, visiting family, and hosting a few visitors. The next thing everyone asks is if I'll be working: I don't know. I have some hopes, but no promises. I want a legal job, but odds are not fantastic. I'll tell you this, I haven't exactly gotten to the point where I miss working for a paycheck. I'll leave it at that.
And now, some funny stories. Andy was telling me about a new variety of Folgers coffee (which is my Dad's brew of choice) that evidently is a Brazilian blend. I told Andy we might just have to buy some and try it. He said "It's not exactly a trial size. It's a commitment. You are going to Brazil." I'm still chuckling. Funny stuff.
More funny stuff: Andy was telling me that the other morning when he arose, he thought every light in the house was on because the light was so bright in our living room and kitchen. [for editorial purposes, I'll add that the living room window faces due East and we've lived here for 5 months.] Andy said "The sun was shining right through that window! I've never seen that before!" At this point, tears are streaming down my cheeks. Andy is, shall we say, not a morning person, so I have no doubt in my mind that he had never seen the sun rising through our living room window. What has now occurred to me is this: He recently moved all our plants to the southern end of our deck. I asked him, through laughter and tears, "Did you move those plants because you actually thought that the sun only shines on the South side of our deck? You know that the window, and the deck face East right?!" He simply nods yes, and I laughed for at least another 3 minutes just thinking how funny it is that the man studied aerospace engineering, yet hadn't seen the sun shine from the east, so just decided it didn't. Funny stuff.
As always, all my love,
Kelli

Pow! Take that Hunger!

I wanted to share what I purchased to Stamp Out Hunger to inspire you. I pretty much grabbed a double for every item I purchased for our groceries. I added a few canned items since I usually buy fresh veggies and meat. Also, I bought some brand-name items, like the Kraft Mac n' Cheese, and Jif Peanut Butter that had good prices. There are just some items that the store-brand aren't as good as the real thing. I looked for whole-grain, low-sodium and high-protein items to really get good nutritional value for the dollar. Don't forget to set your item(s) out Saturday morning for your postal carrier!

Stamp Out Hunger This Saturday, May 8th

As all of you know, I love food. The only thing I love more than food is making sure it goes to people who need it. I worked for Food Bank of the Rockies for three years doing my best to make sure that the local pantries, soup kitchens, sandwich lines and after-school snack programs got the food they needed to help their clients. People who get food from a food shelf or soup kitchen are your neighbors, the children on your child's soccer team, your co-workers, the person who made your lunch today. Hunger is everywhere. In fact 45% of those who receive food assistance are working adults, who have a harder and harder time making ends meet, and 40% are children. What most people don't know is that there is simply not enough food for these programs to supply as much as a family needs. What's more, many of the items you need most are seldom donated in large quantities, so food drives like Stamp Out Hunger bring in important staples like tuna, spaghetti, cereal and peanut butter.
Here's how you can help: go to your mailbox. Today, with my usual ads and bills, there was a grocery bag and a postcard for Stamp Out Hunger. Take time to think about what your family needs for one meal, one week or one month. People receiving food assistance are ordinary people like you and me. They eat Hamburger Helper. They pack lunches to take to school and work. They feed their children what you feed your children. Tonight I am going to the grocery store, and for every item I buy, I'll buy a duplicate one for donating to Stamp Out Hunger. I speak from my experience with all the wonderful programs in Colorado and in general, the items needed most are:
Canned meat and fish
Peanut butter
Healthy snacks***
Helper meals***
Canned soups
Spaghetti Sauce
Canned 100% Juice
Canned Fruits and Vegetables
Pasta or Rice***
Cereal or Oatmeal***
***for these, make sure you get them in boxes. The postal carriers will pick up literally TONS of food on their routes, and then they go into huge bins. Anything in "delicate" packaging gets torn and crushed by the heavy cans, and gets thrown away.
Please remember that only non-perishable items can be donated. Please DO NOT "clean out" your pantry. Expired items will be thrown away. Besides, if you don't want it, and wouldn't feed it to your family, probably no one else would either.
On Saturday Morning, place your items next to your mailbox and your carrier will collect them. This food goes to hungry people in your community within only a few days, and makes a world of difference. Please consider giving to Stamp Out Hunger this weekend.
Much Love always,
Kelli

Sping Break 2010

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Wise Old Abe

For my Property Course, we spend a lot of time discussing not only the legal implications of people's decisions concerning their land and stuff, but the interpersonal affects, as well. For example, we did a group exercise about a man who comes to your office (in two years when I'm a lawyer) and says that he wants to rewrite his will to give his house to his son Steve, but with a condition that Steve will lose the house if he allows his son onto the property because Steve's son is gay, and your client disapproves. Legally, there are some states that might allow a will with this type of condition. But what kind of relationship will your client now have with his son, or his grandson? Is it worth spending your living years with this kind of tension between you and your family members?
My favorite case we read that involves family feuds goes something like this:
Bob has a nice wooded estate, and gives half of it to his sister, Grace, and her husband, Ralph. He also gives them permission to use the in-road that crosses his part of the property in order to get to their part. Grace and Ralph build a lovely home on their part, and enjoy the property very much. In their older years, Grace and Ralph decide to sell the house and retire to Florida. Bob, also in his older years (subtext: crotchety and a bit batty,) refuses to let the real estate agent proceed on the road across his land to show the home to prospective buyers. He stands in the road, blocking the way, with a shotgun. Seriously.
Grace and Ralph want to sell the house so they can retire, Bob refuses to allow anyone to use the road, so Grace and Ralph sue and win, Bob appeals, Grace and Ralph win again, and mysteriously, the house is burned to the ground. Seriously.
Grace and Ralph get the insurance money once they convince the insurance company they didn't burn the house down, and I bet you can guess how often they invited Bob to Florida for Christmas dinner.
Abraham Lincoln imparted these words of wisdom: "Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser-in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough."
As future lawyers, we have our eye on the prize: $$$. But, Abe has it right. Your client will never get back that severed relationship. No number of dollars in fees for you and your client is worth having family, friends or neighbors who resent you for hauling them and their business into court to duke it out for 7 years.
I thought you might enjoy this little story.
Finals in 4 days, then I'll be headed West. Stay tuned!
Lots of love,
Kelli

Kelli and Laurie Re-do the Twin Cities

As many of you know, my Mom came to visit during my Fall Break last semester and we had a ball! Since we had so much fun, she came again to visit during my Spring Break. She arrived par avion on Thursday afternoon, and we whisked her away to my friend Robyn's for a international potluck to celebrate being done with our dreaded memos. Then Mom came with me to class Friday morning.

Then, the real fun began. We went to Ikea, which is my new favorite place on earth, and picked up a few things to turn my sad, sad guest room/office, into a chic New York retreat for study and slumber. for under $200, we went from flat to fabulous:

Before:

After:

You can see the full details in my album below (Spring Break 2010.) We had a really fun time making all this look fantastic, and then spent many a moment admiring our handy-work.

We also had a chance to make cards (see more handy-work below) and tour the sculpture garden. It is hard to say what was the most fun, but we really enjoyed the Macy's Flower Show. It was like being in Alice in Wonderland. If you are in the Twin Cities in the next couple weeks, I highly recommend it, and it's totally free!

Now I'm back to the grindstone, working on getting through the home stretch (only 2 full weeks of classes left!)

For those of you wondering, I'll be taking summer classes and, hopefully, finding gainful employment (paid, ideally) to keep me busy during the summer. Stay tuned...

All my love,

Kelli