I abandoned my blog

Inadvertently, I abandoned my blog about 6 months ago and I have decided to reclaim it!

A year ago, I made the 1,000+ drive back from Kentucky to long-time home of Bradford, NH. If there's one thing I can say about that is that it was one of the best decisions of my life. I have never been so sure that Bradford is where I belong. Although none of my family is here, most of my friends are in Boston or further away, Bradford has been very good to me over the past year. While I've been here, I've lost 40 pounds, I got my first legal job, quit my first legal job, and started another position, and generally begun to realize how much fun you can have in life. I've reconnected with old friends, made tons of new friends, and been able to embrace being happy.

So rewind to my last blog. I had just started working my first firm job and loving it. It went good for a while and then it went down the tubes. Unfortunately, there was a lot of political bullshit going on about what we were doing and how we were doing it. Instead of risking my license and all that I worked for, I very reluctantly resigned. I have to say it was one of the hardest decisions of my life. I felt like I was giving up without giving it enough of a chance. I cried and agonized over the decision. My mom wasn't very supportive and didn't understand everything that was going on, at first. But a few weeks after I left, she started seeing stuff in the NH papers, and soon realized, that I did the best thing I could have. My brother, on the other hand, was hands down there for me and supported my decision 100%.

After I left, the firm really went down hill. They eventually closed their doors, without warning to their employees, and left many people without jobs and the pay they owed them. It was then that I realized even though it was a hard decision, my decision was the right one.

About 3 weeks after I quit, during which time I was unemployed, I accepted a part-time position with a local county. I am now Assistant Legal Counsel for Hillsborough County. It stinks that its part-time, since I drive an hour and a half every day, 5 days a week for work, but the networking is good, and my boss is very willing to help me find a position when I move on. Fortunately, during the summer months, I also had the work on the boats to keep me busy and my wallet full.

As if I didn't have enough going on, I also made the decision in May to sit for the NH bar in July. So I did. It wasn't easy getting back into studying but I worked myself into a routine. I'd work every day til 12:30, get home around 1:30 and hit the books by 2pm. I'd take a dinner/running break, then hit the books again til 9/10pm. It was pretty exhausting, but I made it work.

The test was in late July, and I'll know in about 2 weeks how everything will turn out. I don't have a feeling one way or another, its just so hard to tell. I'm thinking positive and hoping for the best. If all goes well, I'd like to find something permanent and full-time, that's right up my alley.

In April, I also moved into a new apartment, instead of staying with my family. Its actually two floors above the bar, which can be very convenient at times! I also purchased my first new car. Brand new, 2010 Toyota Corolla. It was a big decision, but the Hyundai only had so much more to give and it wasn't fairing well through the winter.

During the bar, I started running. At first, I couldn't run very far. I'd stop and start again, but always trying to keep going as far as possible. Today, I can run 2.6 miles without stopping in under 23 minutes. This week, I bumped myself up to 3 miles and I've still kept a pretty good pace. 9:24 as of yesterday. I have run a few times under 9 minutes, but I'd rather be able to run consistently good days with average times, than have to skip a day because I've pushed it too hard. I enjoy it though; it gives me time to think and if I'm thinking about other things, I generally run better than if I'm focusing on my run

All in all, I'm pretty happy with where I am in life. Looking back on that horrible day in April when I received the news that I had failed the Massachusetts Bar exam, I wouldn't have pictured myself where I am today. But I have to say, even though it was hard facing that news, packing up my life, and moving to Kentucky, I'm more happy today, than I have been in a long, long time. A year can make a big difference, and it has for me.