Hello, happy belated holidays, and happy New Year! So much has happened since my last blog post – our fall semester classes ended (seemingly right after they began), we survived our first round of finals, and most of us enjoyed a blissful four weeks free of heavy books, legal memos, and outlines. After countless hours in the library and sitting through three, 3-hour exams, winter break was welcomed by all of us with open arms (and sore, typed-out hands).
Due to a busy, full-time work schedule in Boston I did not have much time to visit my family in California. Now that I’m back on a student schedule, the idea of four weeks at home in sunny Sacramento sounded wonderful. I spent a few days in Chicago after my last final to bask with friends in the glory of finishing 0.5L, then set off to enjoy my break with my family and friends on the west coast (or, as some may say, the “best” coast).
The first event on my winter break itinerary was the famous Sacramento Santa Run. Each participant is supplied with a full head-to-toe Santa costume and, thanks to the lovely people of Sacramento, there was 100% participation. The start and finish lines had fake snow falling around us, carolers waited for us at the end, and milk and cookies were handed out to everyone who finished (we certainly earned those cookies!). My parents and I had a blast and laughed through the whole thing – we even made this photo our family Christmas card!
A few days after the run my parents and I celebrated Christmas and, the day after that, my birthday! The major pro of having a birthday the day after Christmas is that most people are still in town. My day started with a fantastic brunch with my parents and two of my oldest friends, Shannon and Natalie (we’ve been together since middle school!). Later in the day we went out to a fun restaurant/bar in Sacramento and I got to see so many friends I hadn’t seen in years. Spending time with them was probably my favorite part of turning 25! (Wow, a quarter of a century…)
Our big vacation (of the vacation I was already on) was our trip to Pismo Beach in central California. We packed our car full of great road-trip snacks and drove the 4 or so hours to the adorable little beach town of Pismo. Our typical day there consisted of getting up early, running along the beach, taking a nap, playing some Frisbee, reading a book, maybe another nap, and watching the sun set over the ocean. Needless to say, we all felt a little spoiled…
The rest of my break was spent relaxing with my family and friends, trying to take advantage of outdoor seating in January, and knocking some books off my list of pleasure reading. My favorite book of the break was “Only Time Will Tell” by one of my favorite authors, Jeffrey Archer. It was so wonderful to have so much time off, even though it did seem to fly by.
I am now back in Chicago and doing my best to fully embrace the cold and snow. Classes have begun and that time off already seems like a lovely, distant memory. As a 1L, your second semester classes will be: Criminal Law, Contracts, Constitutional Law, Legal Writing II, and an elective of your choice (I’m taking Intro to Health Law). Stay tuned, I will post an update on those soon!
Kelly Kearney is a 1L at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She is blogging about the journey of her first year of law school. To search all posts written by her click here or search the Kelly K category on the right hand side. Questions for Kelly? Email law-admissions@luc.edu with the subject “Ask Kelly” and she will make sure to answer them.