Lately

This post might take me just a wee bit longer than usual to type up, for two reasons:

a) I have a sleeping basset hound in my lap, who thinks my laptop makes the best pillow ever, and

b) I have a lot to catch you up on!

First, I quit my job. (and the angels sing) It was planned, so that I can just finish law school full time and complete my Elder Law Clinic this semester...but goodness, I am so glad to be done with my last firm. I think the only person more glad for me to be done there is Eric...he has been trying to get me to quit for almost a year now.

All packed up and good riddance...

 Then, Eric took a week off, and we had a little staycation that was full of lunches out, dog beaches, experimenting with new recipes, and visits from grandparents. 

Beer/Apps lunch at Tampa Bay Brewing Company

Swimming with Dad

Rolling in the sand.

 And...a big accomplishment in the Ferri family. Pierre swam by himself for the first time in his life jacket!

 After dog beaching, I had no energy to cook. My dear husband made fettucine noodles by hand, made a pasta sauce from scratch, and made a rosemary focaccia from scratch. Add our favorite red zin, and gosh it was so delicious. We froze the leftover pasta and it was just as good reheated last weekend. 

<--- Gram and Pap came to visit and taught me dominoes.



 
              
And we took Pierre to his first baseball game at Bark in the Park. He was very intent on the game, as you can tell.--->




 

Then, after Eric went back to work, I had to study for and take the MPRE. Put simply, it's like the lawyer ethics portion of the bar exam. No results back yet. Pierre, ever helpful, made it his business to obstruct as much of my outline as possible while sleeping.

Monsieur Pierre, esquire. Doesn't he just look like a little attorney, devoted to your case in this photo? Just add a pair of plastic rimmed glasses.

Then, because I couldn't possibly just take a breather before classes began, I headed to South Carolina to spend a week with my family.  Pierre and my Nana were fast friends. Since she is anything but stern with him, he takes her as a play toy, and knows exactly how to get his way while at her house. Little rascal. 

Pierre also had a little playdate with his "girlfriend," Abby.  Abby is my aunt's dog - also a basset hound - but get this. She weighs 70 pounds to Pierre's 40. It's hysterical to see them side by side...Abby clearly has a few pounds to lose, but she's working on it. Sweet girl. Pierre had such a good time playing with her.

Abby

Abby on the left, Pierre on the right.

Pierre on the left, Abby on the right.

While I was in South Carolina, I also paid a little visit to Winthrop, both my and Eric's alma mater. I was dead set on locating a brick that we purchased to go in a new pedestrian walkway that was recently constructed on campus...

 We had a new student center built, complete with full, in-house Starbucks AND Einstein Bagel. So jealous. Hope all you current Winthrop students appreciate my tuition/donor dollars that paid for that. 

 Of courrrrse, I had to get a couple of photos taken on campus. Eric was working in Richmond this week, so I am alone in them, unfortunately. My mom has photos taken in these exact same spots over seven years ago (gulp) when I was moving in as a freshman. 

It was so nice to be back on campus again! I was uber-involved when I was in college there, and it seriously made me misty-eyed to see how beautiful the campus still is. The front (historic part) of campus still looks the exact same in a wonderful, comforting way, but improvements and updates were also made where they were needed.  The perfect balance of preserving tradition and moving forward.

I ended my time in South Carolina with a weekend in Charleston for my BFF Amy's bachelorette party...all of that, and her wedding festivities to come in another post, as well as details about the beginning of my Elder Law Clinic and final semester of law school. We have been a busy little family for the next month, but I finally have some semblance of a routine down (praise the Lord).  

And ya'll...I completed Couch to 5K, and I am still running. Like, miles at a time, and I'm still increasing every week. And I enjoy it.  Can you believe it?  Who woulda thought. I shock myself every time I lace up my shoes.

Evidenced by...photo taken at 6 am (on horrible hotel carpet) before a run during Amy's bach weekend. Have I lost my mind?

Hope you all are having a fantastic Friday, and I will commence the updates soon!