Change of plans and 4 flights richer

So our night drastically changed in about a 15 minute time span last night. We’ve had a wonderful thanksgiving break in Athens and really spent some much needed time with loved ones whom we’ve missed desperately since moving to dc; so naturally the Sunday night depression was hitting us extra hard as we faced flying home to the craziness of law exams and another busy work week. We got to the Atlanta airport a good couple hours early for our flight at 9pm because we were worried about bad security hold ups and the generally craziness, yet of course we had the easiest check in ever and sat down at our gate a good 2.5 hours early. Jonathan sat down to start studying and I got settled into my re-read of the last Harry potter when at about 745 there was an announcement over the loudspeaker that if anyone would be willing to give up there seats tonight there would be free plane tickets involved and a hotel stay for the night. We considered a few moments and just thought “what the heck, let’s just go see what the deal is.” We got up to the ticket counter and were informed that if 10 minutes before the flight departs they still needed our seats then we would get a free stay at a hotel for the night, food vouchers, a flight to dc the next afternoon, and TWO ROUNDTRIP FLIGHTS for EACH of us. That’s FOUR total free flights domestic AND international (plus tax if international) to extend our stay in GA one night! Let’s just go ahead and say we snatched that deal up and thankfully God decided we needed those extra flights and the extra day of vacation because they needed our seats! We are now waiting in the atlanta airport for our flight back to dc with enough plane tickets to get us to each of the weddings coming up this summer - or to some of them and a nice vacay somewhere warm :) happy happy holidays everyone!!!

Things have been more than crazy over the past 2 weeks. I began training last week with one of the partners at the firm and every day I’ve been slowly but surely taking in everything that goes into making and closing “a deal.” It’s been an absurd amount of information and thankfully the partner who’s training me has continued to make it very clear that she doesn’t expect me to remember EVERYTHING she says, but just wants to expose me to as much as possible so I’ll start taking it in. I’ve pretty much just sat in with her as she works throughout the day-she’s included me in on conference calls with our clients, taught me how to read/compare title and survey, and I now know more about commercial real estate than I ever thought I would.

Jonathan has started getting in gear for his impending law exams that come ever so quickly after this Thanksgiving holiday and the stress is really starting to set in. His professors told him he was allowed to take Thanksgiving day off but that’s it and he better work his butt off for the rest of the break. :( Things are definitely going to be intense over the next few weeks. We’re doing our best to manage all of it as well as we can and although there will be some work involved we’re so looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday back in Athens. Tomorrow night could not get here soon enough.

I’ve been trying to appreciate the little things of late. When things get hard it’s really easy to just miss all the little good things everyday. For instance - the beautiful fall leaves that are still clinging on for dear life on my walk to the eastern market metro every morning on the way to work, the lamp provided to me by K&A that I get to use instead of the fluorescent lights at my desk that were giving me migraines,

the fact that the weather has fought to make it to the 60’s every day of late, and every time we’ve cooked something for dinner in the oven this week it has heated up the brownies sitting on the stove to the perfect brownie eating temperature. Now that’s something to be thankful for! Oh and of course this sweet boy who I’m going to miss so incredibly much over the break! Why oh why can’t we bring really sweet weimaraners on airplanes? He promises he’ll be really good. That lower lip says it all……

just another paralegal

So after much questioning and many discrete meetings, I can finally say that I am being officially promoted to a Paralegal Position for Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac deals starting this Monday at K&A. It has been about two months in the making and there hasn’t been any lack of intrigue or office drama. There were many scares of it falling through - not excluding my first real stab in the back experience in the workplace - but in the end, it looks as if everything worked out the way it should have.

The best way to describe my new position (as many have told me), is that I am training to be a lawyer without the degree. Basically I’ll be drafting documents, keeping in touch with clients and all others involved in the deal in shuffling paperwork and making sure that everyone gets their part of the job done while keeping all the other deals flowing at the same time, and keeping my attorney abreast of the situation. There will be quite the learning curve.

I will get a small raise and finally be working more on the front end of things instead of doing all administrative work. Typically new paralegals get their own (very small) office (more like closet with a door and shelving—but hey-it has a door!) but there just aren’t any available whatsoever. The law firm has been growing at an exponential rate hiring 4 new associates in the past month, 3 new paralegals in the past 2 months, and about the same amount of admins. Basically the firm is getting an unprecedented amount work this year and we need a lot more help in getting all the work done but we’re busting at the seams space wise. Apparently in the next few months we’ll either be taking over another space in the same building we occupy now or we’ll all be moving to another space altogether. I am very excited and honored that my hard work has been noticed and that the partners in the firm feel I have potential beyond just being purely administrative. Here’s to a new challenge! Hopefully I won’t mess it up! :) Thank you K&A!

and no, the irony of jonathan being in law school and me being a paralegal is not lost on me. :)

ok. so here’s Sue Likes Surprise Parties with Christopher Walken (lets just be honest, any SNL with Christopher Walken is a win anyways-but this one is exceptional). “I FORGOT ABOUT HER FACE!”

http://www.hulu.com/embed/kNpubo_m34QhZF0stUl1Yg

favorite snl skit ever. well this one and Sue Likes Surprise Parties with Christopher Walken. oh. so. good. TIE

http://www.hulu.com/aol/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashcontrol.com%2Ffree-tv-shows%2Fsaturday-night-live%2F2265438040-debbie-downer/embed/wJWwv-HGn0ONqCtHyVCvcQ

Just a few photographs by Edward Steichen I’m looking to draw inspiration from. I love his sensitivity to light and form.