on my way home from work . . .

i ran into Rose McGowan filming a movie. At first I thought it was Blair Waldorf and I got really excited and was a little disappointed when I realized it wasn't but I must say, Rose was stunning in person.

washington dc

To most Memorial Day is an extended weekend of fun to kick off the summer, but this year I was able to see the true meaning of the holiday. We went to Washington DC last weekend so we could see the sights and check off another city from our Northeastern city tour and it ended up being much more than that. This was Jason's first visit to our nation’s capital and my third but sadly the first two times I didn't appreciate the memorials so this trip was much more meaningful.

The first stop on our list after we arrived was to check out the paddle boats in the Tidal Basin. That night we walked around the memorials and I loved seeing them all lit up. Before we left everyone kept telling us that DC is a walking city and there was no need to rent a car, and while I didn't think a car was necessary, I do remember thinking the memorials were a lot closer together than they actually are.

We had read before we left that there is a huge parade in DC for Memorial Day called the Rolling Thunder ride to the Vietnam Memorial, and that we would be seeing several motorcycles but I totally didn't expect to see thousands. Most of them rode in that night and were surrounding the Vietnam Memorial. I wasn't alive to witness the tragedies of this war, therefore, seeing the memorial doesn't affect me as it should, but it was so touching to walk among these grown men in their leather vests and long gray ponytails as they wept for the friends they had lost. I am so glad we were able to see this at the beginning of our weekend because I was able to remember what this weekend meant to all the veterans and it helped me gain a greater appreciation for those who have served our country.

The next morning we caught the first tour bus of the day and we were off to see the sights. Once again the sightseeing tour did not disappoint and we were able to see all that we wanted of DC. The next day we visited the Holocaust Museum and were reminded of the hardships many have endured throughout history. This was Jason's favorite stop. We took our time and were able to read everything that took place. We heard stories from survivors of Auschwitz and it was so sad to hear of their losses. We then visited the American History Museum and got to see everything from the First Ladies gowns to Julia Child's kitchen to Jerry Seinfeld’s pirate shirt. We were able to see the Rolling Thunder parade with it's estimated 100,000 motorcycles but most of all we were able to just relax and have an enjoyable weekend with each other before Jason starts his Bar classes.

While in Washington we learned that Monuments are built during someone’s life and Memorials are built after the person passes, and that the Washington Monument was started during his life but was not finished until after his death. We were able to brush up on our history on this vacation but more importantly remember the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

The White House

Jerry's Shirt

Supreme Court Building

Exorcist Stairs - Jason just had to see them

Georgetown

The National Cathedral

The Rolling Thunder Parade

juris doctor

It's official ... Jason graduated on Friday and now holds the degree of Juris Doctor.



As I sat in the theater at Madison Square Garden and watched Jason and all of his friends march past I couldn't help but get a little emotional. I was so proud to see him in his purple gown, knowing what an accomplishment it was to be graduating from one of the top law schools in the country. The convocation started with a procession of the graduates marching down the isles through the audience down to the front where they were seated and I was lucky enough to have an isle seat on the second row and got to see each graduate as they passed. Jason has made so many great friends at NYU and it was a little sad to think that they would now be scattered across the country.

The speakers did great but my favorite was the hooding ceremony, where each graduate walked across the stage as their name was read as one of their professors then placed a purple velvet hood around their neck, patted them on the back and crowned them juris doctors (or at least that's how it felt to me).



I know it's blurry but doesn't he look so happy?


I loved their purple "doctor's" gowns. They were so much better than the bachlor gowns. First, the fact that they were purple was my favorite, it just made them look like royalty, which in my eyes(after all his hard work) he should be. On the sleeves were three black velvet stripes and the front was faced with black velvet strips with what resembled a crest with the NYU torch and the year 1835 on the chest and then of course the black velvet cap and purple velvet hood.



After the hooding of most of the graduates they then had the hooding of those who's family members were alumni of NYU law and it was so fun to see fathers and mothers hood their children, grandparents hood their grandchildren, siblings hood each other and even husbands, wives and fiances hooding each other. I couldn't help but secretly hope that perhaps someday Jason will be able to hood one of our children/grandchildren.

I am so proud of Jason for graduating from law school; however, I feel like law grads kind of get the shaft in the title department. I mean, if they get the doctor degree then how come the title doesn't come with it? I would prefer seeing Dr. Jason Larkin to Jason Larkin, Esq. and when do you ever see someone placing the suffix with their name? In my eyes I think they are just as important so I am just going to call him My Juris Doctor.

It was such an honor to be the wife of a graduate and I was touched when people congradulated me as well, I was truly proud of Jason. He has worked harder over the last three years than anyone I have ever known. I have never seen anyone as dedicated to their studies as he was and I feel like it has finally paid off. He continues to thank me for helping him through it but I am the one that needs to thank him. So thank you, Jason, for moving me to this amazing city; for learning what law school is all about; for always working so hard; for the stressful interview process and landing a job that alows us to stay in the city; and for still remembering to make time for me while you did it all. I love you!

Jason's family came to town to celebrate his big day




Some of Jason's law school buddies




Around the law school



**Fun Fact: Jason is the first USU alum to graduate from NYU Law**

color coded

As law school draws to an end I want to document some of Jason's studying habits/quirks. Jason has never studied at the library, (except for the day we were evacuated from our building last year) instead he prefers to lay on his stomach on our bed with his books scattered around him as he types away on his computer. He sometimes has to stop because his arms have gone numb because all the blood has left them but he still prefers the bed to the desk. As finals get closer he can spend an entire day on the bed with a cup of sunflower seeds to keep him awake and a huge bottle of water to quench his thirst. Jason likes to drink caffeinated beverages but before he gets into his finals crunch he has to give it up so he won't get headaches during finals from the caffeine withdrawals. Each night after he has studied all day he has to take a break and watch at least a half hour of TV before going to bed to help his brain unwind. Sometimes he studies quite late right before a final so he also has to wear the headphones when I am trying to sleep - so don't feel too bad for me, I'm not the only one that has to wear them.

But my favorite of all his many quirks are his outlines. In law school a good outline is key to doing well on an exam and I believe Jason has mastered the sport. Some students wait till right before finals to draft an outline but Jason starts working on his from day one. I have no idea what the colors mean but he has his own system that helps him find exactly what he is looking for during an exam. Not only are his outlines color coded but his text books are covered with different colored tabs and the pages are splashed with neon yellow, blue, pink and green. I like to tease him about is highlighting fetish but I guess I can't mock it if it works.

work in progress

We got the keys to our new apartment last weekend so I was able to do a little painting before our furniture arrives from Utah. A lot of you have helped me with paint colors and ideas so here are some pictures of how it looks so far.

The entry way


The living room


The Bedroom



The kitchen


I flew home for a few days last week to pack up our stuff and while I was there I was able to spend some much needed time with the fam. Most of the time was spent packing but my grandma and aunts came up and it was so nice to be together with everyone. And I had so much fun playing with Shae, as you can see, she loves her Hello Kitty.