Looking Back at 2013

I feel like this has been one of those jam-packed years for our family. Lots of changes, lots of transitions, and lots of new memories made!

January-Became a vegetarian 

I decided to stop eating meat near the beginning of the year and haven’t looked back since! I made the decision mostly for health after reading the China Study and other studies about the power of a plant-based diet.

February- Turned 25 with a surprise party

My quarter century birthday rolled around at a pretty stressful time–I was in my final semester of law school and working almost full-time at a grocery store to pay for taking the bar exam in the summer. Jason and my best friends gave me the best birthday every by surprising me when I got home from work one night. I’ll never forget it! It made me feel the love at a time when I really needed it.

May- Graduated law school and moved from Virginia to Georgia

I still can’t even believe that Jason and I both graduated law school. On the one hand it was painfully slow and tortuous, but on the other hand it went by in a flash. I was thrilled to put it all behind me and walk away with a diploma by the time graduation rolled around. I loved living in Virginia, but we were both ready for a change. We decided pretty early in our marriage to plant our roots in Georgia (where I was raised), and we made the dream a reality by getting our first place in Atlanta right after we graduated.

June- Adopted our first dog

This is by far the best thing that happened to me all year! We adopted our little love from a shelter on Jason’s birthday. Neither Jason nor I had ever had a dog before, and I can’t even describe the amount of love and joy that Cynewulf has brought to our lives. Never in a million years did I think a dog could mean so much to a family. He makes me smile every single day.

July- Took the bar exam

It was rough. That’s really all there is to say!

August- Changed the blog name to A Dash of Soul

Blogging really became a bigger part of my life when I found myself unemployed and waiting for bar exam results. I wanted the blog name to more reflect me as a person and have NOTHING to do with the word ‘law’, which I see quite enough of in the other aspects of my life. I launched A Dash of Soul in early August and am so thrilled that I made the change!

October- Jason passed the bar exam, and I learned that I failed it.

This was a bittersweet time in my life, to say the least. I was, and continue to be, incredibly proud of my husband and happy for all of his successes.

But of course I was, and continue to be, disappointed in myself for not being able to succeed in the same way. But I learned a lot about myself in the process and grew a lot emotionally and spiritually after being faced with that kind of failure. I’m happy to say that I didn’t shed a single tear over it, and I have every confidence in myself that I will PASS the exam when I re-take it. Not to mention, I have really baller husband who is now a licensed and employed attorney.

November- Spent my first Thanksgiving away from home

This was kind of a big deal for me, as Thanksgiving is probably the holiday that my family celebrates with the most gusto. But I feel so blessed to be a part of two families now, and we enjoyed a beautiful holiday in New Jersey with new traditions and memories.

And that brings us to now! I’ve registered to take the February bar exam, which I WILL pass by the grace of God. And I look forward to 2014 being the year that I officially become a lawyer and start my career.

Thanks so much for spending the year with me! It’s been a great year of growth and change for the blog and I’m so thankful for ALL of you who read. I’m going to announce the winner’s for the last of the holiday giveaways tomorrow!

Here’s to 2014!

-Lauren