Moments of Musing

Happy Veterans Day

Filed Under: Uncategorized //

Thank you, Vets. May you all be welcomed home soon. ❤️

July 2014 Welcome Them Home photoshoot by Endlessly Photography

Excited …on a Monday?!

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Too many people hate and dread Mondays. I refuse to be one of them and start my workweek on a negative note. It’s why I often try to find positivity instead, which leads me to what I’m excited about:

To be my best friend’s Bridesmaid! She hosted a cute and yummy bridesmaid brunch to ask each of us. So fun!

For our anniversary getaway to Quebec next week– it’s hard to believe it’s been almost one year!



That it’s been a beautiful fall Thanksgiving/Christmastime here– see: I’ve been watching Christmas movies since November 1st. 



To be living back home with family and friends, especially during the holidays. I’m so happy we don’t have to choose which holiday we’ll fly home for and which we’ll spend alone in Chicago. Luckily, we’ll be surrounded by loved ones for all of them. 

But a pass is always good

Filed Under: positivity //

So, remember how I blogged yesterday about remaining optimistic even though I did not pass the New York bar exam?

Well, God is good because today I woke up to news that I PASSED the New Jersey bar exam. It feels really good to know the 24 hours/three days of test-taking weren’t all for naught. 
Somehow I really think the universe is working with me. I was semi-warned of the NY results I was about to receive in my dreams (sounds crazy, I know) and then I blogged yesterday about it being okay to fail, only to receive great news today. 
It goes to show that the way we think shapes more than just our moods in the moment. I don’t want to go on and on and not make sense because I’m half asleep and too excited. But thank you for all your good wishes!

It’s okay to fail

Filed Under: positivity //

GASP! Yes, it is okay to not be perfect. To fall down sometimes. These are teaching moments. After all, they allow us to grow.

Last week I received the dreaded news that I did not pass the New York bar exam. It was the first monumental exam/ task I’ve ever not passed. And yet, I didn’t cry once, which is huge for me. My boss is awesome and my job wasn’t contingent on the result. My family and friends are great– some didn’t even believe me when I told them. And it’s not the end of the world.

I also had a feeling I did not pass, which helped prepare me for the news. Not the self-deprecating feeling I’d had two years ago when I actually did pass the Illinois bar exam. This feeling was different and the night before the results were released I actually dreamt that I failed. 
I knew I had a lot on my plate at the time–a job search, job offer, last weeks in a city we loved, and a cross country move two weeks prior to the exam… I remember breaking down and crying amidst all the boxes in our apartment and just feeling like I hadn’t prepared enough–because I hadn’t. (I’d actually overprepared for one section and underprepared for another.) 

My first feelings when I got the results were disappointment, confusion, and a refusal to study and sit for another bar exam. 
While I haven’t 100% made my decision, the confident self-competitor in me feels like I have something to prove to myself. I can’t just let my bar exam record end with a DID NOT PASS. I am not a failure–not that this one exam would ever make me that.  
And so I think you know which way I’m leaning.