It's Been a While...

So the last time I posted was in December of 2011. Well, a lot has happened since then.  I returned to Tufts to finish out my Junior year, then I worked as a tour guide on a teen tour of Europe in the summer of 2012. My senior year at Tufts was an absolute whirlwind that I got to experience with the best, most fun, passionate people I could have ever been around. Looking back over a year later I know that I am only starting to realize the lasting impact that some of these people made on me and realizing how blessed I was to have had my wonderful experience at Tufts. I could go on for several pages (okay, several dozen pages) about the friends, housemates, and teammates that made my Tufts experience so unbelievably special and left me with a million beautiful memories, but I digress.

I got to spend an AMAZING summer of 2013 living with my Aunt Maureen in Germany. We had so much fun with setting up the house and garden (Ikea anyone??)! It was a wonderful summer with a wonderful woman -- one of the best role models I know, who gets my list-making, random-thought having, travel-loving brain so well because she has one just like it (or I guess mine is like hers). I realized yet again how blessed I am to have a supportive family around me and how special it is to have relationships with so many who form my support network (you know who you are, all of you 'pseudo-parents,' family, and friends).

After a summer of fun with family and friends, new and old, I returned to the Midwest to take on law school at Notre Dame. What a year it was! Yes, law school is as much work as they say... but what they don't tell you is that you will be surrounded by awesome professors and some really cool classmates as you go through the rite of passage that is 1L year. I have formed some of the best friendships and made some awesome memories this year, and I know that the next two have even more to offer! They also don't tell you how interesting and engaging your coursework will be. There were some days when I felt like I couldn't read another word without collapsing, but I truly feel like this is work that I will love doing, and I enjoyed each of my classes in their own light (yes, I really mean that).

There is definitely something special about Notre Dame, and while it is VERY different from Tufts, I know that I have once again found the place that is so perfectly "right" for me and feels like home. Campus was beautiful in all seasons, and I loved walking or running around the peaceful lakes... so much so that I even completed my first half marathon, the Holy Half Marathon at ND, this March! While we are on sports... I should add that, after 4 years at a school with no real spectator sports, my first season of Notre Dame football was quite the experience for me. Maybe it is Mr. Roederer's attempts to brainwash me from a young age, or maybe at orientation they really did give us that "Kool-Aid" my dad seems to think I drank, but I am now wholly converted into a Notre Dame fan (GO IRISH!!)!

After finishing my first year, I find myself back in Germany with Aunt Maureen, interning with the ECJA at HQUSEUCOM. It is a great experience for me, both in my career and my personal life. After sitting down to plan my summer with Aunt Mo, I realized that I will be doing A LOT of travel this summer (and have already done some) so now is as good a time as any to re-boot this blog!

I don't know if I will maintain the same structure as I had before, and I am not sure when/ how regularly or how often I will post, but I am excited to be coming back to this! Thanks for bearing with my long-winded, short recap of the last 2.5 years!

Tschüss!

SKS