So-Far-So-Good-Summer

So I've been on a hiatus. And once you've neglected blogging for awhile, it gets harder and harder to get back in... I've been meaning to catch up, but also dreading the long post this must be. Here it goes.

Going home was nice. We spent some time with his family, my family, friends, etc. I didn't take the law review competition, because I didn't want to do law review, and I didn't want to deal with it on the car ride home. And I am totally OK with that decision. I worried that I wouldn't be, but I am.

The trip to Mexico was fun. At times it was stressful; there were nine of us. B and I have become accustomed to our little family of two, and being constantly surrounded was a lot to take in for so many days in a row. But it was really fun; it was nice to hang out with my family, to have one last family vacation before we all head off in our own directions. And it was awesome of my parents to do that for us.

Working at the Firm was wonderful. I learned so much. I can't even describe it. I felt like every day was exciting, every assignment was the greatest, and I feel like I made a real contribution this summer. I put together a binder of all my work, and I was a little impressed with what I'd done. The people, too, were really great. My paired associate worked in Boston before she moved back to OK, and one of the other summers went to BU for undergrad, so we had some Boston moments. :) There were lots of funny moments this summer. If you want to know them, ask me about the Big Mamma (aka "Panty Dropper") and the golf cart. (Yes, I went golfing. Yes, I am horrible at it. Yes, I'm OK with that...) Most of all, though, it made me realize that I can do this whole lawyer thing. Totally. And it's not as boring as people claim!

B spent his time working for Barnes & Noble and taking a class online. He was so sweet - he brought me Mansfield Park the first week, then Kite Runner, and then an advance copy of a young adult novel about a servant of Leonardo. And at the end he brought me Wuthering Heights. :) He really enjoyed working at B&N. The work was easy, and interesting. I think he'd be a really great bookstore owner. Someday, maybe. :)

Now we're back in Boston. Coming back was weird. We were really ready, even though we knew we'd miss our families again, and notice the void of living with J&G, two of the most amazing people on this planet. But to us, Boston has become home. It was strange walking into our apartment; it was smaller than we remembered. But we've made it ours again, and we feel at home there now. B played the drums at church the day after we got back. It's funny how we feel more spiritually fulfilled in Boston, probably one of the most un-Christian cities in the country, than in Oklahoma, where Christians are everywhere. I guess it's because the difference is so stark, or because there's so much more work to do; I don't know. But the spiritual atmosphere here is so much more alive. That's probably the thing we missed the most.

I started work at the Foundation two days after we got back. It's been a bit slow so far, but it's going OK. I feel like the work here is intellectually stimulating, the people are incredibly intelligent, and the things we do are important.

I ride the subway every day, and in an odd way that has made me feel even more at home here. I feel like the people on the train are my people: the old Japanese man falling asleep next to me, the young seven-months-pregnant woman resting her swollen feet in a seat across from me, the middle-aged man in a tie, holding his briefcase and reading the paper, and the lady dressed in black, black eyeliner smeared all over her eyes, her armpit hair bursting out as she holds the bar above. Ecclectic, I know. But that is the great beauty of the city. And I love it.