Birthday in Pictures

 Katrina and I got massages.

Then we had an amazing Brunch at Ray's Boathouse! 

Then walked around the statue park and did a little shopping in the City.

 Then we went to the SIFF (a.k.a. The Uptown) to see Midnight in Paris.

Then I spent the evening at home working on Christmas crafts.  On Sunday, my mom had a dinner for me and invited a few of my oldest friends.  I adore this family.

Sisters. :) 

And Grant was so sweet to take the night off to come spend time with us.  All-in-all it was a good weekend. :)

And these crazy ladies (Emphasis on the crazy!) made an appearance as well. :)

My Ryder

I love my cute litlte Vietnamese nephew! How cute is he!

Humility

"A gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger."

Proverbs 15:1

 This was one of my dad’s favorite verses to remind me of.  I usually just kept my mouth shut when someone was upset are on the verge of being upset but unfortunately my eyes said way to much to my dad.  Lol.  But this is not about my dad and I and our journey of understanding each other in my adolescence. ; ) I was thinking about it today because I have noticed that this same verse applies to my boss.  I have noticed that if I respond with a gentle answer when he is upset or stressed out, he checks himself from taking it out on me.  For example, this morning I could tell he was in a bad mood so I asked him what was wrong and if he wanted to talk about what was bothering him.  He looked at me and said, “No.  I’ll be okay.”  It was like just caring changed his demeanor.  Man, humility really is the key to success in this industry.  I have learned a lot of it in the last 18 months but as anyone who knows me can tell you, I can be a real hot head and I certainly have an ego.  But humility is the only way I will survive, especially at this job.

I am in *HOUSE*!

Have you ever seen "House," the television show?  Well if you made Hugh Laurie a schmoozing lawyer and took away his memory, you would have my boss.  Here at the firm, I do not receive a lot of encouragement.  I don't often get "job well done" or "Thank you" from my boss.  On the rare occasions, I do receive it (usually in a note in the middle of a bunch of criticism and smart ass comments) I keep them.  My boss flatters.  He is all about the flattery, which he pretty much only says nice things (which are often flattering, blatant lies) to clients and strangers.  He also likes to play games like telling me how wonderful Katrina is and how I should really be more like her.  I take the flattery (and the games since I have no choice) with a grain of salt.  Why am I telling you all this?  Because today I receive a short but sweet email from one of the attorneys here at my office in response to my request for a letter of recommendation for my law school applications.

To whom it may concern:

I am an attorney and member of ******. I first met Kristin when she was hired by this law firm in June 2010. Kristin has worked here as a paralegal full time since then. In my opinion, Kristin will be a great law student and will make a fine attorney. She exhibits all the qualities that make up a successful attorney. She’s bright, inquisitive, is not afraid to ask questions, thinks outside the box, is prompt, gets the job done and is considerate of others. I regret to see her terminate her employment here, but recognize that a greater future awaits her.

Sincerely Yours,

Undisclosed Partner 

(I have to keep some secrets so all of you fans that read my page every day don't stock me at my work. :)

It was short but sweet and made me feel very good. 

Guess who

Guess who started working on her law school applications again yesterday...

Patch Adams

I just finished “The Ragamuffin Gospel” this morning and I was having some deep, morning thoughts.  Since my childhood, my compassion has outweighed my fear.  I would be the first to go out of my way to help someone without the consequences passing through my mind.  But I have found that people tend to think I am stupid.  When I do suffer the consequences of love and compassion, people tell me that I should learn from my mistakes.  When there are no consequences, they say I am lucky but stupid.  So here is the question I pose to you: “Are we supposed to be smart when it comes to love and compassion?”  Seriously, are we supposed to weigh the risks and benefits before we act?  Am I supposed to pick the “smart choice” to love?  Am I supposed to only invest in someone I know is going to yield a return?  The church I used to go to often encouraged us not to "waste our time" on the people who are not worthy of it: "pearls before swine" I guess.  If you didn't want it bad enough or earn it in some way, there was no time for you.  I personally think that is rubbish. 
Please don't think I am braggin in any way because I am telling you that at the end of the day, I have kicked myself senseless for some of my decisions.  I love like an idiot.  Let me give you an example of what I mean.  I want to pick up every person I see walking in the rain.  One day, there was a poor (like I felt bad for them not like they had not money) couple who had just come back from Europe and their ride had forgotten them at the airport.  They did not have their cell phones and they had been stuck at the airport all day.  They took two busses and one of them happened to be mine.  They had all their luggage and no way to get home from my bus stop.  I went through a battle between what I wanted to do and what I knew my parents would approve of all the way home.  Finally, as I was getting off the bus, I offered them a ride home (I also asked them politely not to kill me - true story).  When I told my boyfriend (at the time) what I had done, he was livid!  Once again, “it was stupid.”  Please don’t think anything bad of him, he was just loving an protective and I get that.  But the issue is that loving like I believe Christ loved is not safe.  It never has been and it never will be.  Then (because my mind is quite uncontrollable in the morning before my coffee) I thought about the movie “Patch Adams” with Robin Williams.  I think that movie came out about 13 years ago and I only watched it once but it popped right into my head.  I have been hurt.  I have been cut deep.  People tell me "a helathy person wouldn't chose that kind of person to love." 

There is always risk.  Especially when you give yourself to people in compassion and love or when you try to make a difference.  But then again, you take a risk every time you get in your car or walk down the street. 

I would love to hear thoughts.  What do you think?  Am I stupid?  Is there a way you gauge risk in terms of love and compassion?   

Legal Reflections

Since I was young, I wanted to get involved in law.  At first, I just wanted to be a paralegal.  I wanted to do the research but not the arguing.  That is what I thought at the time.  Well, turns out young lawyers do the “research”, seasoned lawyers do the “arguing” and paralegals do a little of each plus drafting, docketing, court and client communication, and in general, schmoozing everyone when your boss has upset them.  I started working in the legal field when I was 18 as a part-time legal assistant.  Then I became a full-time legal assistant, and eventually I became a paralegal.  Somewhere along the way (probably in my early 20s) I decided I would, in fact, like to be an attorney.  When I was in my last 2 quarters for my bachelors, I studied, took the LSAT, and applied for law school.  Let me tell you that the amount of time, energy and money it required to do that while I was working full-time and going to school full-time made for a rough 6 months.  In the end, I was not accepted into any of the 5 schools I applied to.  It was devastating.  But I got a full-time job at a Construction Firm downtown and I just started working. 

            I will say that something very unique to the position that I am in is that I am intimately involved in the every process that an attorney does here at this firm.  I work for a “seasoned” attorney who is stuck in his ways and will not under any circumstances attempt to learn how to use a computer.  He won’t even allow one in his office.  So I am involved in everything.  I do almost all the research he needs, I type the drafts of all legal documents (or find out how to draft them myself), I even type out all his emails to counsel and clients.  While some (most) have found my unique position annoying, inefficient and unbearable, I find it to be an invaluable learning experience.  I know the value of learning each skill set that I have developed while I have been here.  And I see all the hard work I do now as work I will not find so hard in law school or in my first few years as an attorney (Lord willing).

            What sparked this you ask?  I received my notary stamp today.  : )

          

          Since I have had my foot in the door of the legal profession for 10 years now, I know how valuable that is.  Common questions in interviews or paralegal positions include "Are you familiar with e-filing?"; "How many words do you type a minute?"; "Are you comfortable with the Microsoft Office Suite?"; "Do you have any experience with Dictation/Transcription?"; Are you familiar with Westlaw?" and "Are you a notary?"  Thanks to my time here at this firm, I am all of the above!!!  The legal world is my oyster.  : ) Just kidding.  But these are my reflections.  They are also the reasons I am not running for the door as most paralegals in my particular position have done after about a year.

The Roaring 20's

Every year my birthday sneaks up on me and I start thinking about goals and dreams.  Not just goals and dreams for the future but the ones of the past.  I usually feel quite bittersweet as I have certainly not reached all of my goals for each particular age but I have reached many goals that I set for myself and I am pleased with my life.  Some years, I could not say that at all. L   

Anyway, I am about to enter into my last year of my exciting 20’s.  And I have been feeling like maybe I should celebrate it.  I hate birthday parties.  I always have, I get so melancholy on my birthday, even depressed (not because of my age but for other reasons) and I have not had good luck with parties so far (I have only tried a couple times).  So usually my sisters are the only ones who remember it so Little Sister and I go watch a movie and eat dinner and that is about it.  Or she brings dinner and a movie to me if I am too tired.  Should I do something with people this year?  Or should I avoid the pressure of being happy for other people? 

 

The Christmas Spirit

Upon returning home from work yesterday, I was greeted by a tiny little black Santa.  Actually, I think it was Mrs. Clause.  My roommate’s little black pug, Pinkie (short for Princess Pinkie Toe), greeted me in her Christmas dress ( I will try to get a photo next time).  My roommate and her 7 year old daughter, Hadlee, were decorating and there were Christmas decorations all over the front room.  I think a normal person would have gotten excited and jumped in with Christmas cheer but not this little Grinch.  I sat down on the couch and watched “Kim and Kourtney take New York.”  Then Hadlee and I sat down and watched the Smurfs, leaving poor Des to decorate alone. J Finally, I went upstairs to read and fell asleep at about 8:30.  I have no Christmas Spirit.  I like Christmas day but the rest of the month is just nonsense to me.  Poor roomie, left her all alone.