It's been too long...

I know..I know...I've let down my loyal readers (also read as: Ashley Gould).  I told you it would be a while until I blogged again, but I never imagined it would be THIS long.

Let's just say...the Bar really got to me.  It has taken me so long to recover, but life has started to have a bit of a routine and I couldn't be happier about it.

So let's chat about what's been happening:

1)  THE BAR
 After weeks of looking like this:

(These were my response photos to Darryl's texts asking, "What are you up to?"  That's me...always looking awful...in the library...wanting to die.  NBD.)

I finished up studying and then headed to Columbia for what was the worst three days of my life.  I know...I'm being dramatic.  But y'all...it stunk. SERIOUSLY stunk.  I stayed in my favorite hotel on Main Street (Seen here!..I HIGHLY suggest it). 

A little dessert courtesy of the Sheraton paired with Civil Procedure

I spent every spare second I had in Columbia cramming.  I got in bed and studied. I woke up and studied.  I ate meals and studied.  It was pathetic.

For three days I was in a room full of over 400 people all hand writing exams.  Yes, I said HAND WRITING.  That's 6 hours a day...3 days...  By the time it was all over my entire right arm was aching.

On the third day (also known as the MBE, also known as the multiple choice day) I managed to get a horrific stomach bug.  I mean the kind where  you can't keep your head up.  You could just say it was the icing on the cake for me.  So as soon as time was up I high tailed out of there and headed straight for Raleigh.  I wanted to meet up with all of my friends from law school who were taking the Bar in that state.  We had spent all summer studying together, so I felt it was only appropriate that we celebrate being finished together.  Here are some pictures from that below!

 I won't find out if I passed until the end of October.  Isn't that crazy?  A three month waiting period.  So for now, I'm working on a grant from Wake Law for a small criminal defense firm in Mt. Pleasant.  I'm here for 10 weeks and then hopefully something will work out.  This city's job market has been SO tough it is unbelievable.

So then I packed up my life and moved to Charleston.  Thank goodness for my Mother.  Y'all this woman is an angel.  She came and literally packed up my entire apartment while I spent hours and hours and hours in the library.  Here's my sad little empty apartment all ready for renters and my moving truck!

BIG SHOUT OUT to my future in-laws (parents and siblings), my parents, and the Waltrips for hauling my mass amount of stuff up three flights of stairs in Charleston (EVEN after the power went out and we had no air conditioning).  Y'all are seriously life savers and I adore each everyone of you.

2) THE BAR TRIP

I knew I wanted to go on a trip after the Bar, and it just so happened that my fabulous best friend/MOH Ashley (linked above) was spending the summer living in NYC.  She and her husband, Dan, hosted us for 5 days in the big city and we loved every second of it.  Here's some highlights from the trip:

Side note: WE ATE SO MUCH GOOD FOOD: from bagels to hot dogs to Juniors to a fabulous Italian restaurant inside Grand Central...we seriously ate amazing food.

Yes we stopped at South of the Border, and yes I had to spend the entire trip staring at Darryl's "Bachelor Beard."  RIP Bachelor Beard...I hope you don't ever come visit my handsome fiance's face again.

One of our high school favorites and now resident NYC Socialite, Keith, 

was able to join us for dinner. Love this guy...seriously.

AND one of my law school besties, the always fabulous Miss Vyas

9/11 Memorial

MOMA's Starry Night

Broadway Play - One Man, Two Guvnors (GO SEE THIS ASAP!)  

It was "laugh your butt off" kind of funny 

AND Stephen Colbert was sitting in the row in front of us.  

Isn't this enough of an endorsement?

An epic food truck rodeo down by the water

We're food truck groupies so this was a dream come true for us!  

Me and AshGo - besties since the first grade, y'all!

It was Darryl's first time to the city, and it truly was so memorable.  We love Dan and Ashley so much, and we were so happy to get to spend some time with them.  While we were there, Dan got a full time offer from Goldman Sachs and we were so excited to get to share in such an awesome time in their lives.

3) Playing/Recovering from the Bar
Well...I mean what did you expect?  I spend 10-14 hour days in the library for 9 weeks. I needed to get out!

Fun with my girls in Charleston
My bestie/MOH Kristin was in town for a quick trip from Seattle and my bestie/Bridesmaid Jackie came in from Savannah.  Two of my favorite As (Adele and Alexandra), Stephanie and I were so happy to have them here! 

BAR PARTY
My parents threw me one awesome Bar party to celebrate me surviving the big, bad Bar.  We had different "bars" all over the house:  salad bar, potato bar, hot dog and hamburger bar, dessert bar, and margarita bar.  Most of my friends and family were all there to help me celebrate, and I seriously could not have felt more blessed.  It was so amazing, and I'm so lucky to have such loving, giving parents!  Now here's hoping I passed the dang test...

Trip to Edisto to see my Katie
One of my law school partners in crime was in Folly with her fabulous friend Katy for the week.  So I couldn't resist heading out to the beach for a little visit!  We had such a great time in that little town...let's just say we pretty much ran karaoke night (also read as Katie ran karaoke night).  Love these girls!

MOST AMAZING FISH TACOS EVER

Shooting guns with my awesome Grandpa
Anyone who knows me knows how obsessed I am with my Grandfather.  I mean this man is a HUGE part of my life.  I quite simply adore and respect and adore him. (double adore)  :)  He has been saying for the last few years that he would really like to get his hands on the type of gun he carried in WWII  (yeah - he's an American bad ass...believe it).  Recently he met a man who offered to let him come shoot a gun identical to the one he carried 60 years ago. Kind of awesome right?  He said it was one of the best days of his life (outside of the day he married my Grandmother of course).  Here's some pictures from the day:

Roberson Wedding
You know who is fabulous?  Amy Roberson.  You know why?  She threw one amazing wedding.
Darryl is semi-obsessed with his fraternity brother/groomsmen Josh (okay I am too), and we were more than elated to be invited to share in his big wedding day in Lexington, SC.  Darryl was a groomsmen, and a mighty handsome one at that...  His wife-to-be Amy is so great, and Darryl and I seriously love her.  Here's just some pictures from the wedding weekend:

Awesome right?  We had so much fun, and it was so great to see all the people we love from Winthrop!

Mom Date
Now that I don't live with my parents, I've been making a special effort to have dates with my Momma.  Here's our most recent one to Charleston Restaurant week and Legally Blonde.  Love this woman!

Bottles & Brushes
My bestie/bridesmaid Stephanie is currently living in Charleston, and I am SO happy about it (no matter how long she is here ;) ).  So we decided to partake in a little Bottles & Brushes where you get instruction on how to paint a masterpiece while you drink a little wine.  IT LIVES UP TO THE HYPE.  We are so hooked, and can't wait to go back again!  Here's some pictures of our masterpieces.

OKAY...so that's it.  I know...that was a lot. I'm aware.  But, I haven't even told you about how awesome our apartment is coming along!  HOWEVER, we've worked so hard on our place that I decided it deserved it's OWN post.  So look for that coming soon!

AND a post on what should be an amazing tailgate shower this Saturday at the USC vs. Mizzou game thrown by my big sister and my girl Jackie. :)

'merica - running the world since 1776 (and my week at home)

Last week I left behind Winston-Salem, NC (my current home, where I went to law school, and where I'm currently studying for the Bar) for home sweet home.  

For you non-Goose Creekers (I have no idea what we are actually called)...this is our interstate exit.  I always tell people that I'm from Charleston, but here it is blog world...I am from GOOSE CREEK.  A small (or not so small 32,000 people) town, right outside of Charleston, SC.  Home of beauty queens, pro-baseball players, and THE spokesperson for Young Free SC, y'all.  I can honestly say that seeing this sign on my way home gets me really excited.

So I came home.  While this blog may lead you to believe that this was one glamorous week full of playing, that's really not the truth. In fact, a majority of the week looked like this: BarBri lecture playing, highlighters flowing, and me attempting to be a part of family activities (here's my Dad cooking and me pretending to supervise).

First, there was...

RETIREMENT.

The reason why I went home was to surprise my fabulous Mom.  After 36 years of working for the Government, she has officially retired.  And of course she had to go out with a bang: 3 parties, an office yard sale, and a quick swim in the SPAWAR fountain.  I couldn't be prouder of how hard she has worked, and I'm so excited to start sending her projects that I want her to make (hahahaha).  I seriously need her to learn to sew with a pattern, and I know she has plans to help me out with wedding crafts. Love you Momsie!

I don't know why this picture came out so strange, 

but here's us at her surprise party.

 Me & my boo at the festivities.

Then, there was my FAVORITE holiday...

FABULOUS FOURTH IN THE CREEK.

We opted for a small get together at my parents house this year.  There was everything you could ever want...

1.  A fabulous backyard that my parents worked really hard on to get ready for the party.  I wish you could see the new deck, fire pit, and pond...but I thought this panoramic shot that Darryl took was really neat.

2.  Jorts and an American flag t-shirt.  

I mean, what is more American than that?

3.  A father rocking a ridiculous American flag hat. (also, he specifically asked me to not put this picture on the internet...so you know I had to)

 4.  A hot dog topping bar: our favorite Fourth of July tradition.  We love the random topping mixtures.  My favorite?  Bleu cheese, onions, and bacon.  But that corn relish was to die for (and yeah I totally just winged that recipe - I was pretty proud).

 5.  Pinterest food projects:  Here's my renditions of an edible American flag (watermelon, cheese, and blackberries - a refreshing appetizer) and homemade cookie sandwiches with patriotic sprinkles.

6.  A handsome fiance, who knows you love America so he celebrates with pride (even though he's totally from Canada and Canada Day was three days before this).

7. Good friends, hours of ladder golf, and some laughter.

All in all it was a perfect holiday.

Then, there was...

THE BIG MOVE.

Darryl and I picked out one awesome apartment complex in West Ashley.  Complete with salt water pool, huge gym, Mac business center, large walk-in closets, epically big bathrooms, lots of counter space (for my recent cooking addiction) and a jealousy inducing porch.

We hadn't really planned to already be moving in, but when an apartment opens up at this complex you have to take it ASAP or it's gone.  So that's what we did.  We moved Darryl in on Friday and Saturday.  My stuff won't be coming until after the Bar.  Then, we'll be busy decorating this place to it's full Pinterest potential.  So definitely expect a before and after post sometime in August. 

Here's the keys to our first place

Sawyer breaking in our new fabulous couch

Wall paint colors - living room, bedroom, bathroom 

(and yes that green turned out VERY bright...)

Finally, came my favorite day of the whole week...

MY LAST DAY.

I lucked out y'all.  My best friend, since the 1st grade, just happened to be coming to town.  So I managed to catch her on the morning I was leaving to head back up to Winston.  She currently lives in NYC, so I was quite the lucky girl to get to see her.  So we planned to eat breakfast at Early Bird Diner in West Ashley (our new home).  The Diner is known for it's chicken and waffles (see below), and Ashley quite simply loves them (and so does my fiancé).  We were also excited because Stephanie, our other fabulous best friend from 5th grade on, was able to join us with her hubby, Chad.  It was JUST what the doctor ordered.  Good food and good conversation.  

Side note:  For those of you who do not know, I have four best girl friends: Ashley, Stephanie, Kristin, and Jackie.  They're my life.  Seriously.  Obsessed doesn't even begin to describe it.  We've been living separately for seven years now (Charleston, Seattle, Provo, Dallas, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta, Savannah, Winston-Salem, Columbia, DC, and Harrisonburg).  So when we actually get to see each other it is a rare treat, and boy does it make life so much happier.  Thank goodness for baby showers, wedding showers, holidays, football season, baseball off season, weddings, and bachelorette parties - they've been getting us through.  I feel certain that there's a post coming sometime soon about how amazing these girls are, considering they're my bridesmaids.  So stay tuned for that sappy post.

Here's the epic chicken and waffles.  

It's topped with a syrup/honey mustard blend. 

Also in this picture is my creamer with a side of coffee

 and their shrimp and grits (my meal/delicious).

And Darryl's hand digging in to the Mac & Cheese.

Me and my boo.

Our breakfast dates.

On the way back to Winston-Salem, I stopped in Columbia to see my sister and all her babies.  Much needed, as they just keep growing!

Madison is really starting to have a seriously funny personality.  She just laughed and laughed at me, not having any idea what I was saying but hoping that it was funny.  This is her and my sister, Heather.

Me and my favorite girl of all time.  Love this little love bug.

Aunt Kelly with her favorites.  

Austin is 13, Korben is 6, and Madison is 1.

So, then I had to return to Winston.  I missed my friends up here, but Bar studying is getting REALLY intense.  There's a bit of a panic spreading around here.

That being said - you're not going to see a post from me until August.  I won't be doing anything fun/blog worthy.  So don't worry - you'll be missing out on absolutely nothing.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, and try to stay cool in these ridiculous blazing hot days!  Say a little prayer for me as a I battle the SC Bar Beast.